Supernatural: Chronicles of the Order 5
Chapter 15: Ailnoth Unbound, Part 1
(DISCLAIMER: No, I don't own Supernatural because it belongs to Eric Kripke and Warner Bros. So, enjoy the show! Rated M for graphic violence, adult content, and adult language.)
It was a calm night in the town of Copper Creek as everyone was getting ready for bed. With the starting of summer coming, it was also at that moment that one of the local police was making his nightly rounds as he saw Cain emerging from the bushes. The shady man with the cybernetic arm was on the hunt of Ailnoth as he wanted to find him and tear his head off. The Knight of Hell was desperate to find him after losing the trail until he found a fresh lead. At that moment, he finally found a trail that led to his target as he would stop at nothing to put an end to his rival.
"Sir, it's past curfew," said the policeman.
"I'm not part of your town, but I will find and eliminate Ailnoth," answered Cain.
"You can't leave this town without checking in first. It's a felony to do so if you don't register in this town."
"Don't try to stop me!" Cain uses his telekinesis on the policeman as he fatally snaps his neck while crumpling to the ground. "Ailnoth…, you will suffer dearly for betraying me..."
With that incident, Cain left Copper Creek as he was following the trail to where Ailnoth would go next. In his unrelenting search for the one who lived, he was ready to do away with the dissenter who blew the whistle on the one who told Abaddon about his marriage to his beloved Cordelia long ago, for he was on the warpath into putting an end to Ailnoth soon enough…
I was in the assembly hall of the Order's main headquarters as I was hearing about the constant sightings of Cain and Alinoth in separate locations. The uproar began when I looked at a newspaper article that featured a policeman's death in Copper Creek two days ago. It was something that couldn't be ignored as I was hearing the complaints that kept coming into our midst. The daunting work and earful of numerous complaints seeing both Cain and Ailnoth on the prowl as I was hearing the Chieftain of Kandaris expressing anger about the recent attacks coming from the two in question.
"The man with the cybernetic arm is a menace!" I heard him yell. "He thinks that he has an advantage into stopping his opponent even if it meant by killing innocent bystanders in his wake!"
"According to the files from the Elder Days, Cain was mainly known as the Father of Murder in which he slew his brother, Abel, after witnessing him being seduced by Lucifer in the guise of God," said Ginryu as he was at the center podium. "Cain was also known as the keeper of the Darkness' prison in the form of the infamous Mark, which is now carried by the rogue Elf, Hideyono Kuronaga. As for Ailnoth's whereabouts, he has laid low, but in his wake, he has been seen killing not only innocent people, but the monsters who run rampant on the outskirts and that includes vampires."
"This is getting out of hand, but those two are the symbols of death..."
"We all know about the biblical lore that involves the killing of Abel at the hands of Cain, but the real factor of this ongoing battle between him and Ailnoth will be catastrophic if we don't do something right away," I said. "As soon as we look into further records about what went on in the Elder Days, the better we subdue them before their fight gets out of hand."
The pouring news about Cain and Ailnoth appearing in various locations unnerved me as they posed a much more dangerous threat than the Executive Division altogether. In a move to simply delve into the further archives, I was ready to look into them as the session for today was coming to a close. By the time the clock reached three, everyone left the assembly hall as I was ready to go towards the archives room in order to get some answers. When I took a trolley to where I needed to get to, I noticed Kevin sprinting towards it as he got into it against my wishes. As usual, I had to deal with the bodyguard in tow as he was adamant into making sure that I was safe from harm, including the likes of the Executive Division. It was something that I had to endure as it was also a security protocol that had to be done, no matter how many times I keep protesting. With the trolley going towards the level where the archives room is, I was trying to assess the situation directly as I was firm into how Ailnoth lived for centuries and never came out of hiding until now.
"So, any leads about Cain and Ailnoth?" asked Kevin.
"So far, there had been a number of incidents that involved the two of them in question," I said.
"And you're going through the archives room just to look into how Ailnoth survived and was in hiding from Cain all along, aren't you?"
"If we find out more clues to this, then we'll see what makes Ailnoth truly tick."
I was hell-bent on searching for answers about why Ailnoth survived for so long as Kevin and I stepped out of the trolley after it stopped. When we were there at the level where the archives room was at, I gained access to the room as we were staring at the old relics from the Elder Days. By the time we stopped at a shelf of books, we noticed a red journal bound in leather as it had the words, "E. Ross," on it. When I picked it up, I blew the dust off of it as I was looking at the numerous entries that the ancestor of the very Half-Elves I know today had ran into many monsters, including the five families he had to face during his tenure as a cop in Chicago.
"Looks like the progenitor of the Ross Family kept a log on monsters that came and went all over Chicago back in the Elder Days," said Kevin.
"Ennis Ross was no stranger into dealing with what went on when it comes to dealing with the five monster families back in the day," I said.
"Are you sure that the journal's gonna give us the answers that we need?"
"If we find a decent entry, then-" I look at a page as it had blood spatter on it. "This entry detailed into my past self's involvement with Ennis Ross after Dean's past one became a demon after he lost his life at the hands of Metatron. It also details into what happened before the events of the Mark of Cain incident."
"Let's hope that we get clues about Ailnoth and his eluding from the Father of Murder and fast because the higher-ups are getting antsy."
I looked at the page with blood spatter as I began to read into what happened in which I discovered a scribbling of Ailnoth before he fled into further hiding. I also noticed that there was involvement from a woman from the Elder Days as she was also caught in the crossfire during this entry, but when I looked into my past self's involvement into running into Ailnoth at the time, I had a feeling that everyone in this incident got themselves into a bigger mess than anticipated. When I was ready to put up the journal, I saw Matsuo arriving as he was concerned about what was going on like the rest of us, for the factor of Cain and Ailnoth wasn't taken lightly so far.
"I see that you're peering into the ancestor of Guinevere's family, Sam," he said.
"There's a clue about how Ailnoth showed up in Chicago during the Elder Days," I said.
"There's also the woman in the journal who even helped your wife's ancestor fend off the guy who came out of hiding," said Kevin.
"You mean Akemi Sugiyama? It seems that Adam Milligan wasn't the only wild oat that came from the John Winchester of Old back then because he once got involved into helping a hunter who came all the way from Kyoto during the Elder Days."
"And it seems that this Akemi, along with my past self and Castiel, once helped to stop Ailnoth from causing a bloodbath in which Ennis vowed to keep the peace as both a hunter and a cop," I said. "It's obvious that she entered into the fray, but Ailnoth isn't someone that can be taken lightly after the string of events lately. Even if this piece of old history is kept in the record books, it can't be repeated again, no matter what. "
"Furthermore, there's a catch that Ennis ran into Ailnoth, but if there's proof, then we can stop him from enacting further damage like the man who is after him," said Matsuo.
"Cain's also on the same level when it comes to pursuing Ailnoth," said Kevin cautiously. "We can't let our guard down, no matter how many times we let others go astray. Even Sam has to be guarded round the clock or else Dean will have my ass for not doing my job correctly. As for the other problem at hand, the Executive Division has been quiet except for the fact that two of its members threatened Ginryu if he didn't release the blowhard and ice queen from Shark Island. All the same, those asshats are still on hand into stealing Sam to use as their weapon for Project Apollo if we don't stop them before they enact it."
I had a feeling that the Executive Division's efforts into stealing me for their own desires was still on the loop as I was also concerned about their tactics that went beyond the Alecrian Army's superiors and the higher-ups of the Order altogether. As for the matter that concerns the ongoing presence of Cain and Ailnoth, I was ready to get to the bottom of the other latter's presence as he was no stranger into causing chaos in his wake…
Two thousand years into the past…
Ennis was at work in the precinct as he was busy keeping the peace between the five families of monsters. After a month of seeing monsters everywhere he went, he was ready to call it a day for now as he went back towards his apartment. Just as he was about to call it a day, he noticed a member of the Hill-Barton famly coming out of an alleyway after a fresh feeding on some of the homeless that stayed all over Chicago's seedy underground. Ennis had a feeling that the member of the Hill-Barton family got into something fierce as he followed the Djinn towards the penthouse on the corner of 5th Street and Prospect Avenue. To his shock, he saw a shady man appear as he was dressed up as a businessman, but his appearance raised red flags. By the time he tailed the Djinn being followed by the shady man, he hid behind a dumpster as he noticed that something wasn't right at all. The shady man was up to no good as he got out a knife and was ready to attack on sight, for he despised monsters of all kind, even those that stood in his way.
"Beat it, moron; I got business with Margo," said the Djinn as he was relieving himself against a wall. "Besides, she's the de facto leader of those transformers who keep butting heads with the Duvals all the live long all because her brother still clings to Lassie."
"Max Hill-Barton, I presume," said the shady man as he stood firm with the knife in his hand. "I take it that you're not too keen on the ongoing feud between the superior shapeshifters and those mongrels all over Chicago, are you?"
"Who the hell are you, pretty boy? A celebrity who happens to throw parties here in this house that Al Capone built?"
"My name is Ailnoth…" The shady man briefly flashes his eyes to an obsidian black as uses his telekinesis to pin the Djinn to the wall of where he relieved himself earlier. "You're a Djinn and one of the many bastards that Eve spawned over the years. I really hate monsters just as much as humans, angels, and even those strange beings from the Middle Ground. All I am is a Knight of Hell who played dead until I heard word of Abaddon's demise at the hands of the one who now wields the First Blade with the Mark of Cain on his arm. Yes, I know of Dean Winchester's resurrection into a demon, but he'll be cured of his malady with only the Mark remaining on his arm."
"I saw him twice before: once when he was hunting for daevas and again when he helped that cop avert a war between the Lassiters and the Duvals. As for the cop I'm talking about, he takes orders from an organization called the Isoldati to keep the peace around this shithole."
"Ennis Ross…, the man whose father was part of the Hunter Hierarchy, only to become one himself when he lost his beloved Tamara… Sooner or later, he'll have his hands full when I begin war on the streets of Chicago and beyond, but I'm also expecting company in the form of a hunter and an angel whose borrowed grace is slowly wearing thin."
"They're not here, dumb-ass! As for the war between the rest of our monster families, it can't start up 'cause my old man's one of the officials here in Chicago. You can't just show up out of nowhere and cause shit 'cause there's a whole boatload of crime crawling everywhere you go: murder, drive-by shootings, theft, robbery, and the rest of the whole shabang that goes around here on the banks of Lake Michigan. This place is also our home and our grave, so I suggest that you take your private war somewhere else."
"I'll remember that…, Max Hill-Barton..."
"Freeze!"
Ennis came out of the shadows as he saw Ailnoth pinning Max against the wall while holding his gun in his hands. He never saw anything like it before as he heard many stories about demons from Akemi so far. He was ready to shoot the shady man who had Max up to the gills as he fired a warning shot into the air. At that moment, Ailnoth released Max from his grip as he turned around and lifted Ennis up and pinned him against the dumpster. The shady man was ready to kill him as he was without remorse or emotion so far, for he had his own war against everything to deal with on a lethal scale.
"You showed up just in time to put that monster in his place, Ennis Ross," he said as he saw Max flee the scene. "The Djinn is another integral piece of scum that needs to be put down like the rest of Eve's creations."
"You nearly tried to do away with the golden boy of the Hill-Barton family just now," he said as he was struggling to get free. "I don't know who you are, but if you killed him, then his monster pals will retaliate and end up causing an uproar within the other four monster families, including the Lassiters and the Duvals who I know so well."
"It's a pity that you got pulled into this petty string of affairs since you lost your girlfriend, but you are a thorn in everyone's side in the making."
"I have my own work to do, alright? As for what you truly are, I see that you're one of those demons that Akemi told me about in which the only way to pin you is to use a Devil's Trap and exorcise you from your host."
"Do you think that I'm just a simple fiend in some poor shlub's meatsuit? I am all corporeal and I don't want or need a vessel to do it with."
Without warning, a gunshot rang out as Ailnoth released Ennis on the spot. By the time he was ready to pursue him, he noticed a beige Oldsmobile pull up as the shady man got away scott-free before another further incident occurred. When Ennis turned around, he saw Sam and Castiel get out of the car as they were called to the scene earlier. He also noticed Akemi get out of the backseat as she noticed traces of the past incident with a pile of sulphur on the ground where Ailnoth stood, for there was a demon at work.
"Ennis," she said as she came towards him. "Thank God that you're safe."
"There's a demon here, Akemi," he said.
"It's a godsend that you didn't get killed, but Sam's been on a hunt looking for Dean since he disappeared two weeks ago."
"What happened to him?"
"Metatron killed him," said Sam as he had his fists clenched. "I was ready to make the exchange to resurrect him, but when I went to his room, he was gone. All I found was a note on his bed that said, 'Sammy, let me go.'"
"So, Dean's alive, but he might be one of that poser that tried to kill Max Hill-Barton earlier."
"Ailnoth is here," said Castiel. "He's the second worst Knight of Hell besides Abaddon, but he has a supreme hatred for everything, including monsters and humans who stand in his way."
"I get the picture, but Captain Maloney's gonna have a field day with what happened here earlier. Besides, Akemi told me all about you, Castiel, but it seems that you're not doing too well."
"I had worst, but the one who was nearly killed is running for his life right now."
"Well, Max has a penchant for pissing on walls after feeding on the homeless and getting plastered at Al and Mikey's," said Akemi. "He also has a relationship with Margo Lassiter, who became de facto leader after the death of the patriarch of the family and her older brother. As for David, he's still seeing Violet Duval against her family's wishes after the failed arrangement they tried to put her with in New York, but the remaining families are gonna have to tough it out when it comes to a demon causing problems in the ranks."
"Then we better get a lead before it boils over," said Sam. "This Ailnoth may be the worst that can even put Crowley to shame in which he'll be going after everyone here in this city."
"Captain Maloney's sure gonna be all over this in a heartbeat," said Ennis. "Still, if there's a demon crawling all over Chicago just to start a war with the five monster families, then he'll be putting more than just innocent bystanders in harm's way and I won't let that happen."
Ennis was determined to take a stand against Ailnoth as he vowed to put a stop to the Knight of Hell that was out and about without warning. Even with the help of Sam, Castiel, and Akemi, he was in over his head as he had to warn those in the monster families about what would happen next if those around them weren't careful…
Max was back in the Hill-Barton penthouse as he was scared out of his mind after seeing Ailnoth in front of him. By the time he went into the parlor, he saw his sister standing in his way as she was displeased with him for continuing to feed on the homeless in the city slums, for she smelled the scent of urine all over his clothes. Anger fueled her as she punched him in the jaw when he fell to the floor. By the time he got up, he saw his sister punch him again as he spat out a tooth the moment it hit the Persian carpet he was standing on.
"What was that for, Nicole?!" he cried as he was feeling at his swollen jaw. "I clocked in early, didn't I?!"
"You smell like piss!" she yelled. "Didn't Dad tell you not to hang out at Al and Mikey's for too long?! No wonder you go and piss on walls after getting drunk on Jagermeister and Patron at the same time!"
"Nicki…, I saw a demon and he tried to kill me not too long ago..."
"That's a load of horse piss and that includes that blond whore who wrangled with those shadow monsters here eight years ago!"
"It's the truth! The guy had black eyes and he says that he's a Knight of Hell that hates everything, including people like us! We have to warn everyone in the ranks and that includes Margo!"
Nicole saw sulphur on Max's shoes as she was scared for his safety. The truth was out in the open as she had to spread the word before anything else happened. After hearing the rumors of a Knight of Hell coming here to wreak havoc on the Hill-Barton family, both Max and Nicole were scared for the safety of not only for their kin, but for the remaining monster families that crawled all over Chicago as Ailnoth's presence would prove a huge problem. It was a time to act as they were in a bit of a pickle until they heard the front door to the penthouse opening up to see Margo stepping in unannounced as planned.
"What do you want, transformer?" asked Nicole as she was giving Margo a cold look.
"There's been some trouble at the Boss Pit on Cedar Street," she said.
"If you're here to shack up with my brother, then you're doing it at the wrong time right now."
"It's not the reason why I came here. I saw a guy just walk in that bar, order a drink, and kill everyone inside, including a couple of underlings in our families."
"Did the guy leave behind sulphur after leaving?" asked Max.
"No, but I saw him leave the Boss Pit with only a clean suit after blood splattered on the walls and windows inside in which the cops were called. Even Freddy's not too happy with what he saw after he went in there after the guy in there left. According to one of the eyewitnesses, the guy who caused an uproar in the Boss Pit carved something on the wall outside of it." Margo gets out her cellphone as she shows an image of a familiar sigil carved on the Boss Pit's wall. "It's something that raises red flags and I heard that hunter bitch who hangs around that cop talk about it. The symbol is from the Knights of Hell in which they are the most powerful first-born demons who once served under Lucifer. It's been said that they were killed off by the Father of Murder during the Civil War, but one survived to give the higher-ups in Hell a warning not to pursue him."
"Wait…, I saw that guy after I got out of Al and Mikey's not too long ago, but he showed no emotion when it came down to the wire into trying to kill me, but if that cop hadn't showed up to distract him, I would've been dead by now. And another thing…, the guy who nearly tried to ice me back there has a name and he goes by the name of Ailnoth. The bastard's dangerous and he'll stop at nothing to kill everyone in Chicago if we don't stop him."
Fear was in the air as those in the five monster families were concerned about the presence of Ailnoth appearing in Chicago with death in his wake. It was a time of crisis as everyone within the ranks of the five monster families had no other choice but to come together to combat this menace before it was too late. They had to warn those in the ranks of the Lassiters and Duvals as well as the Lancasters and the Kikuchis as the presence of Ailnoth was alarming to the extreme. Everyone in the monster aristocracy had to be warned as the terror that swarmed all over Chicago like a plague, for Ailnoth wasn't something to be taken lightly after all…
Meanwhile, back in the present…
I was looking into the Ross journal as it detailed every inch of what Ailnoth caused all over Chicago during the time of the Elder Days. I never expected the Knight of Hell to cause havoc in one city before as it was also at the end of the Angel Expulsion at the time. Even Kevin and Matsuo were astonished to hear of what happened back in the year that Metatron's reign came to an end as the details of Ailnoth's treachery and disdain of all life became a factor of misery in the making. Still, the incidents involving the Knight of Hell crawling all over Alecrast was more than enough to raise more red flags than anything as the pattern of him emerging to take on Cain was getting more complicated than normal.
"I have heard stories about Ennis Ross and his efforts into keeping the peace between the five monster families, but dealing with Ailnoth was the tip of the iceberg," I said.
"Guinevere's family has dealt with the five monster families on Kaijirin for centuries since they departed Earth centuries ago," said Matsuo. "Even though they have a strict honor code, Daphne Ross, who is Guinevere's aunt, maintained an atonement order when it comes to one side being wronged by the other that results in either gang rape, disfigurement, stripping of honor, and even death. I have many complaints about the honor atonement in which it caused my wife harm seven years ago, but the five monster families that live in Gold City on Kaijirin maintain such unusual tactics from dirty dealings to killing those who dishonors one's family or betrays them. It's a grim fact that the descendants of the Ross Family puts up with on a daily basis, but there's no say in the matter that has everything on edge so far."
"I bet that your in-laws dealt with the same monsters that break the law on Kaijirin, don't they?" said Kevin. "It's ironic that those asshats there keep doing the same shady details, but there's no telling when or where their past skeletons will show up on their doorsteps."
"And Ailnoth is there to kill again," I said. "According to the entry on the set of pages I looked up, Ennis Ross called the Knight of Hell the Destroyer of Life due to his disdain of those who live on the planet and coveting it for eons. In a strange sense, Ailnoth himself is a threat that needs to be dealt with before he causes further damage to all life, including man and monster."
"After this, you should be careful when it comes to the Executive Division butting heads with you, for they won't stop until they claim your ass."
"They won't claim me because the prizefight that is about to begin won't happen on our watch, for it'll fail poorly."
I made my point clear as I continued to look into the journal that I had in my hands. Even though I had disdain for the Knight of Hell who caused misery in his wake, I also had to be cautious as he wasn't the type that could be out in the open forever…
Two thousand years in the past…, again!
Sam and Castiel were at a motel as they were looking up the further lore about what was seen by Ennis earlier. Even though they were alarmed by Dean's savagery after he killed Abaddon a few weeks back, they were looking into the further lore of the Knights of Hell as the presence of Ailnoth was documented in the form of a diary from the Civil War. The main clue about one survivor of a massacre in Mississippi was ready to hold water as Sam was staring at the account of what happened on that fateful night back then, for it was a vital clue of what Ailnoth truly was.
"I guess that Ailnoth is a menace that is on the same level as Lucifer," he said.
"Ailnoth is the worst in the Knights of Hell in which he cares for nothing that is worth living on Earth," said Castiel as he was feeling exhausted. "His presence can damage this planet if we don't stop him in time."
"Save your strength, Cass… You're living on borrowed time due to the grace you stole, but you need to rest up before you go out. As soon as we put a dent into Ailnoth's terror, we'll resume the search for Dean and Crowley after this."
"You seem concerned for their whereabouts, aren't you?"
"Even though I was angry at him for not telling me about Gadreel possessing me while being a hitman for Metatron after he killed Kevin, I can't stop looking for him after what I said to him months ago about the situation being reversed and I didn't save him from getting killed by that megalomaniac. Now that he's gone and with Crowley having to do with his disappearance, I can't stop now after what happened and I will also save him from the Mark of Cain if need be."
"Sam, you can't shoulder the burden after what happened, but you can also depend on the help of others, including Ennis Ross, who is on the edge of being caught in the middle of a war between the five monster families that live here in Chicago. You can't just-"
KNOCK! KNOCK!
Sam got up as he heard the door knocking. When he answered it, he saw Akemi coming in with some extra material about Ailnoth and his deviant path as it would soon bring an answer to what would occur if not stopped. The pressure of finding the elusive Knight of Hell and expose his brutal plans was on Sam and Castiel as they were looking into finding a way to seal him into a prison, but it had to be enacted before it was too late.
"I found these in an old building next to Union Station," said Akemi as she set the materials on the table. "One of those came from the Men of Letters in which it once documented the Great Fire of 1871 that was believed to be caused by the infamous Mrs. O'Leary's Cow by kicking over a lantern at the time, but that was a cover of the real damage done here."
"Mrs. O'Leary's Cow was framed for causing a fire all this time?" asked Castiel.
"Another scapegoat was that a group of gambling men got too plastered and knocked over a lantern, but from this city's chapter of the Men of Letters, the real cause of it came from the same demon that showed up here recently."
"And the fire here killed three hundred people in that tragedy, but Ailnoth is there on the loose in which he'll do more damage than just set up a cow to blame," said Sam. "We can't let him destroy this city in which not only the standard monsters here will suffer, but the many innocent people that will end up dead in another great fire if we don't stop him."
"Take a look at this." Akemi points to an incantation on a blank page. "It's written in Enochian in which it's similar to the spell from the trials, but this is a trapping spell to keep a Knight of Hell from causing chaos."
"Let's hope that we can do this before Ailnoth pulls all of Chicago asunder..."
"The Enochian spell that Akemi speaks of has also been used by the ruling hierarchy of the Middle Ground that were called to seal Ailnoth in his prison until he was released by the Angel Expulsion," said Castiel. "We can't allow him to burn all of Chicago or else chaos will tear it asunder."
"We're gonna need to tell the monsters in charge of their own families about this," said Akemi. "Max Hill-Barton already got a taste of Ailnoth's wrath, but the others that roam all over Chicago are gonna be in a rude awakening when that demon begins his surefire killing spree of all life."
"That's not gonna happen," said Sam. "Ailnoth may be the worst in the bunch since Abaddon, but we can't let him win and trapping him will save everyone in Chicago, even if we end up saving the monsters that have been feared by normal humans. After this, I'll resume my search for Dean and this time, I'll go and wring Crowley's neck if need be just to get him back home..."
At that moment, Sam noticed a photo next to the blank page as he got it out. To his surprise, he saw someone that was similar to Ennis as he saw the words, "J. Ross, 1871," scrawled in cursive writing. The young man in the picture bore a striking resemblance of Ennis as he was the ancestor of the cop who stumbled on the scene of being in the middle of a monstrous turf war. Still, Sam had to tell Ennis about his true destiny as a Man of Letters as the time to put Ailnoth back in his prison was wearing thin so far.
"You can't run away forever, Ennis," he said.
"Sam, what are you talking about?" asked Akemi as she saw him flash the picture of Ennis' ancestor.
"I looked into the archives about Jeremiah Ross before in the bunker and it appears that he once faced off against Ailnoth, despite the fact that he was a man of color in the form of white men."
"There's no way… Are you telling me that Ennis is a Man of Letters?"
"He's a legacy like me and even you, Akemi. We may have the upper hand into observing things and others, but we're the only saviors that can truly keep the peace in the time of unworldly warfare."
"We'll tell him, but he's in for a real shock when he finds out that he's like us in this profession in the shadows."
"We must find Ennis before Ailnoth does," said Castiel. "If he is fated to seal the Knight of Hell in question, then we must aid him before all of Chicago burns again."
The idea of trapping Ailnoth was a zinger as Sam, Castiel, and Akemi were ready to track down the Knight of Hell and seal him in his prison again. As for the situation that is slowly growing here in Chicago's city streets, the real hell in the form of the demon in question was most likely to be hiding in the shadows as he was planning his next move. The factor of what could happen next was already in motion as the worst was just the beginning of the upcoming war between the five monster families here in Chicago…
Ennis was at the precinct as he noticed a sharp-dressed man being held in a jail cell as he was scared to death of something, but what? The recent incident of Max Hill-Barton being attacked by Ailnoth was the tipping point of the further plans he was planting as Ennis was ready to question the sharp-dressed man who was yet another member of the Kikuchi Family, which were a group of wraiths living in Chicago. Even with the rest of the five monster families on edge, the encounter with Ailnoth wasn't the end of things as everyone had to be warned before it was too late.
"Hideo Kikuchi, I presume?" said Ennis as he was standing outside of the jail cell. "Looks like you ran into Ailnoth, didn't you?"
"You gotta stop him, cop!" he cried. "He's nothing but a lethal menace that can kill us all!"
"It's a godsend that you ran away, but hiding here in a jail cell isn't like you at all, is it? I thought that your dad raised you to be one of the best in your brain-slurping family, but you ran away like a headless chicken."
"Ailnoth is insane! He kept talking about how he once set this city asunder by burning a barn and the locals here made a cow its scapegoat! We're all scared to death of that bastard! I even sent text messages to Julian and his doggie pals about that guy crawling here in Chicago! You gotta stop him or else all of us in this city will burn, including us!"
Ennis had a feeling that Ailnoth's plans would tear Chicago apart as he had to go and warn those in his circle about what would happen next. He had to do his greatest as he was someone that became more than just a cop in the precinct. He was about to become something more as he was ready to warn Sam and Castiel about the upcoming danger ahead, but he had to get past Captain Maloney for clearance first. When he went towards his desk, he saw his boss looking into the details of the early incident of Max's misfortune as this turn of events was getting out of hand so far.
"So, what did our prisoner say?" asked Captain Maloney as she set the file on Ennis' desk.
"He said that the guy that Max Hill-Barton saw is gonna burn this city with everything in it."
"That's a load of garbage, but according to your friend, the perp who attacked Max Hill-Barton is a demon who is a very dangerous one with a short fuse."
"That demon is named Ailnoth and he'll stop nothing to burn this place down without showing no pity or remorse."
"Is this true?" Ennis nods. "Wait…, I want you to come to my office immediately."
Ennis obeyed Captain Maloney as he followed her to a well-furnished office in which it had a fancy filing cabinet next to a watercooler. When he saw her get out a key with a garnet embedded into it, she used it to open up the filing cabinet as she got out an old file with an Aquarian Star emblazoned on it. By the time she opened it up, she fished out an old picture of the young man that bore a resemblance of Ennis as she showed it to him. He even noticed that the young man was holding a spear in his hands as it had etchings all over it, for the weapon itself was about to be found in hindsight soon enough.
"What the hell is this all about, Cap?" he asked.
"It's about the real truth of what happened here in 1871 and it didn't involve Mrs. O'Leary's cow tipping over a lantern in a barn," said Captain Maloney.
"But all I heard was that the cow caused the fire in the first place, didn't it?"
"The one who caused this fire was a demon who went by the name of Ailnoth in which he caused the deaths of three hundred people and burnt down several homes and businesses here before the time of skyscrapers and entertainment. Luckily, your ancestor, Jeremiah Ross, stepped into the fray to seal the evil for a long time, despite the fact that he was a black man in a pool of white people in the secret society he was in."
"There's just no way..." Ennis was stunned to hear the truth of the matter as he was most likely to be put in the middle of a battle that he had to fight in the end. "I thought that my ancestor was a Union soldier turned accountant here..."
"Your ancestor was a Man of Letters and so are you. This fight against Ailnoth will be put on your shoulders in which you need to find the spear that became a sealing tool to trap him in the first place."
"It's awkward to accept this burden, but I'll do it in order to save this city..."
Ennis was most likely to be caught up in the middle of this debacle as he now became enamored into preventing another fire in this city. He was a cop that was there to serve and protect as he also had to accept his new role as a Man of Letters as well, for it was something that was very new to him in the long run…
Meanwhile, back in the present…, again!
I looked into the further details on how and why Ennis became part of what was now the Order of Letters as I noticed a picture of a spear on the next page. I never expected such a weapon to appear out of the blue like that in the Elder Days as it was also a tool that was made for not only killing monsters, but to seal high-risk entities in their prisons. Even Kevin and Matsuo were astonished to see such a weapon like that as it could be the key to stopping Ailnoth before he even gets a chance to battle it out with Cain on the sly.
"There's our missing link," I said.
"That spear must've been an ancient one," said Kevin.
"According to Guinevere, that spear was once crafted in the time of the Romans on Terra in which is was used to kill anyone who was suspicious and passed up as Terran," said Matsuo. "By the time it was used again in the twenty-first century, it was later taken into hiding after most of the Terrans left their planet for the stars."
"If we look for it, then we'll use it to stop Ailnoth before it's too late," I said.
"Careful, Sam, that thing can also be a one-hit wonder if you're not careful with it," said Kevin cautiously. "Besides, if that spear is there on Alecrast, then we'll find it."
The hint of optimism was high as I was staring at the picture I found. The spear that was documented was about to become a boon to me as I was ready to find it in order to subdue Ailnoth and prevent his battle with Cain, for this crisis can be averted in time to even put my foot down in front of the Executive Division as well. It was a win-win situation that was suitable enough to keep me on edge as I also had to delve into further details about what makes Ailnoth tick so far…
Two thousand years into the past…, third try!
Ailnoth was at the steps of the precinct as he was aware of the presence of a threat that once helped into stopping him long ago. He remembered the presence of Jeremiah Ross once before as he despised him for sealing him into the chasm that stopped him once. With a hint of chance of being freed during the Angel Expulsion, he was on the loose as he was simply biding his time after Metatron was taken into Heaven's jail to answer for his crimes. Still, he was ready to make his move as he arrived inside of the precinct and noticed Freddy at his desk after dealing into the affairs with the Duval Family earlier. He was on the warpath as he was ready to kill everyone in the precinct, but he was staring at the cop who had ties with the five monster families here in Chicago.
"Visiting hours are over," said Freddy as he was looking into the files on his desk.
"Freddy Costa, I presume?" said Ailnoth.
"Are you with Julian's family or Margo's? Take your pick, sunshine..."
"I'm looking for Ennis Ross and he's a threat that must be weeded out..."
Freddy was shaking as he was at the mercy of Ailnoth, who was there to eliminate Ennis before the heroes arrived. The Knight of Hell was there for a reason as he was standing there while staring at the ceiling with two patrol cops pinned up there. The battle to seal the Knight of Hell was getting more complicated as the real battle to stop him was already beginning under the noses of the public…
To be continued...