"Nakotah, where's Max? I thought he was the one that was going to come," John asked.
"He's underground, in the Tidal Ring," Nakotah replied. She then glanced at Iode, scanned him briefly, and asked, "Is he the one? The new parahuman Max talked about?"
"Yes. I brought him here along with the demons to discuss something with Max." John responded.
"Oh, please. Ingrain the rules and regulations parahumans and mystics must follow into their heads. We wouldn't want them wreaking havoc like the Demon of the Island—the last demon that visited," Nakotah said, heavily stressing the last part.
Nivea and Iode looked at each other, then back at her. Reggie stared with a frown. John observed their reactions in silence for a moment. Then, clearing his throat, he said:
"Ahem. Thanks for your hospitality, Nakotah. I'll keep in touch. Let's go underground, you guys."
"Yeah, I'm sick of seeing her face," Reggie snorted and left the room.
"Reggie, ol' Reggie," Nivea smirked, then locked eyes with Nakotah.
"I know it's a common misconception that demons and devils love utter destruction and cause devastation wherever they go. However, our behavior, actions, and need for destruction differ from one to another.
"Just like you vampires—some of you train yourselves to resist the urge to drink human blood, some prefer to mingle and coexist with humans, others want to dominate them.
"It's the same for us demons. Our philosophies toward humans and the world at large are just as diverse as your own,"Nivea concluded, then calmly left the room.
'I guess she was hurt by her words too… but she's more emotionally mature than her brother,' Iode thought. Then, realizing he'd spoken out loud, he added, "Do vampires really depend on humans that much?"
"Well, we do," John replied. **"We vampires—and some other parahumans—depend on humans for survival. For us, it's their blood we live on. Though we can survive on animal blood too, many of us—especially the elder vampires—can resist the urge for years without feeding."
"Can you do that?"** Iode asked.
"Me? I might be a progenitor, but I'm still pretty young. I'm only 243 years old. I have decent resistance, but I still need blood often."
"Only 243 years? Only?" Iode repeated, stunned. He remembered that back in his home world, he was about 600+, but that was only because time in the Underworld flowed slower than in the mortal realm. Ordinarily, he shouldn't have lived that long. But hearing someone say 243 years as if it were nothing was... staggering.
"Why did you bring those wicked beings into this place?" Nakotah suddenly snapped. "You know there's an anti-demon policy here. Even he shouldn't be sitting here—he's been tainted by their impure energy. I can definitely sense the same energy in him." And with that, she stormed out without waiting for John's response.
"That's not good," John muttered as he stood up to go after her. Iode followed.
Outside, Reggie and Nivea were waiting patiently at the booth entrance. Suddenly, Nakotah drew an obsidian dagger—its hilt wrapped in buffalo leather and its pommel made of blue jay feather. She launched a surprise attack at Nivea.
Reggie saw it coming. He shoved his sister out of the dagger's path. Nivea dodged, but Reggie took the blade to his forearm.
"What was that for, wretch?!" Reggie shouted.
Without replying, Nakotah's blood swirled around her like tentacles. It lashed out toward him.
Nivea quickly stepped in front of Reggie, eyes on the tentacles. Black fire ignited across the blood, but it kept racing toward them.
"Use your power to sabotage her, Reggie!" Nivea yelled.
"I—I—I can't!" he stammered.
"What?! What do you mean you can't—" Nivea began, but she was interrupted as the blood tentacle lashed toward her. She barely dodged in time.
The next attack, however, came faster. Nakotah hurled her obsidian dagger again. It struck Nivea's arms as she raised them to shield her face. The dagger clattered to the ground.
"I don't know what grudge you have against demons, but we can—"
"There's nothing to talk about with manipulative creatures who thrive on destruction and genocide. Death to you all," Nakotah interrupted coldly.
Blood swirled tighter around Nakotah's torso and lashed at the siblings again. Nivea tried to defend against it, but—
'Huh? I can't use my powers... the dagger… it must have some kind of anti-ability enchantment. This is bad. Even my speed… I feel human,' Nivea realized, eyes widening.
They narrowly dodged the next strike. But then Nakotah did something strange. She made a strangling gesture with her hands.
Suddenly, Reggie and Nivea felt something seize their bodies. They looked at her—realizing too late that she was weaving her hands like a puppeteer. Their bodies began to twist unnaturally, following her gestures.
"Arghhh!!!" they cried out in agony.
John and Iode watched. Iode, especially, was stunned. How could someone of lower hierarchy compared to John and Max subdue the demons so easily? How powerful were the progenitors really?
Then Nakotah's blood tentacle lashed toward Iode, catching him by the neck and lifting him. He tried to summon his sword, but Nakotah—ever observant—threw her dagger at his wrist, cutting him and interrupting the summoning.
She slammed Iode into the ceiling, then the floor, and lifted him again.
"John, please… do something," Iode gasped.
"Right!" John said, stepping forward toward Nakotah.
"Aiyana, I told you not to let your grudge cloud your judgment. We could've apprehended them without all this drama. If not for the soundproof walls, humans would've swarmed this place.
"Look at this mess. It'll take money to clean and refurbish. I brought them here for a reason—you should've seen that."
'He tricked us? How in Heaters did I trust him to begin with…?' Iode's eyes widened.
"Today's been hectic, wouldn't you agree? Why don't you all get some rest—you've been through a lot," John said to the three of them, then snapped his fingers.
Iode immediately felt his consciousness slipping. His vision blurred… and everything faded to black...