Merry Haven - Episode 15

 

 Sydney ran, he ran as quick as his legs could take him, running along a narrow path, Sandwiched between tall bushes. He stopped at a tall tree. He leaned against its trunk, weeping... He heard a burbling sound, he might be near a stream.
 He beheld about a hundred of strange and frightening beings, he was suppose to be frightened but he wasn't. They somehow wiped his sorrows away.
 They all stood round him, he couldn't see some, he counted over a hundred and more of them.. . Some looked different, while some were similar. Some had bright light on their hair, illuminating the environment, defeating the darkness with their light.
  There was a fierce one in his front. It had a head like a bird, with long beak, its human ears were long and pointy. He was structured like a man, his hands had long and sharp finger nails, but his two knees had short horns. It had big wings. They were others like him. All tangled round Sydney like yam tendrils on a stick.
 Some had horn in place of eyes in their eye sucket, the horn served as their eyes. Some had long tails in their temples, with no ears. 
 He looked around, watching the
demons, they were here for him, Sydney felt covered and powerful.

"We love the way you killed Kashees's mum, you will make us proud." Said a huge human-like demon. Instead of eyes, what was on his eyes sucket was a little baby-like hands, he could see with it.
 The demon narrated the long history of Ache, making him hate his family, he felt for the misery Unkur went through

All episodes of this story can be found here >> https://www.ebonystory.com/story/merry-haven

. He made Sydney felt like a hero, telling him that his family were evil, narating how they killed Unkur.

"I will deliver. Even more than the former killers of my bloodline." Sydney vowed.

"Yes, I believe in you." The demon said.
  His words made Sydney felt like a hero. He vowed in his heart that he would forever make the demons happy, with that they would believe him the more.
  Sydney didn't know what was taking over him, but he loved it, he cherished the feeling.

 "It's time now let's go to the worthless Jacobs. Don't show them mercy." A very huge demon said. He had the face of a piranha, his face down to his waist had a scaly covering like a fish, he had a human part from his waist down, with webbed legs like a duck. He wore only a tattered black short. "A leopard gives no mercy!" He roared.

All the demons roared in agreement, cheering the piranha demon. They all murmured and whispered around, Sydney loved the cacophony, they were probably telling themselves about his future success.

"We move as one, the era of Ernest will die today!!" Sydney shouted, they roared with joy, cheering him like a politician that had given a wonderful speech to the masses.

The demon in his front, with  big wings, picked Sydney with his arms, he cradled Sydney, like an infant in his arms. Sydney wrapped his legs together, feeling the warmth of the demon.
 The demon flapped his wings, it made a thick 'whoop' 'whoop' sound. They were hovering in the air, it felt good having people that cared, Sydney loved them.

"Let's march to battle!" Said the demon cradling Sydney, they all roared around him. He flapped his wings faster, moving away, moving to kill.
 All the demons followed. Some were with him in the air, while others ran beneath him, on the ground.
  Sydney felt the soft cold night breeze on his face, he leaned his head against the demon's chest, shielding himself from the breeze.

 He was on the ground again, they were under the Jackfruit tree. A tall and gaunt man came to Sydney.

"You look tired, where have you been all this while?" Asked the man, he was Ernest gardener. His eyes seemed blinded, he couldn't see all the demons, but his eyes could see Sydney.

"Where is my mum?"

"No one is home, your dad and his brother took her out, but they didn't see you and your brothers."

"Okay, am here now, don't bother about me..."

"Sydney, your parents asked me to call them when you come. Is everything alright with them? they looked scared when they left."

The bird demon came close to the tall man. "With your permission Sydney, I will kill it." Said the bird demon. The gardener couldn't hear him.

"Sydney why are you quiet?" The gardener asked.

"Kill it!" Sydney ordered the demon.

"Sydney are you okay?" Asked the gardener, sounding confused.

He couldn't get an answer. Seconds later, he got pain as an answer, he tried seeing who was hurting him but he couldn't. He only watched Sydney with shock.

The bird demon tore and chopped out the flesh on the man's left breastbone, chopping his sharp fingers inside like he was digging a hole with his hands. Blood gushed out, sprinkling Sydney on his face. The man only watched Sydney with shock and fear, he was in pain. He mo*ned in pain, trying to fall but he couldn't, the invincible demon held him. 
 The demon plucked out his heart from the hole he had made, raising it up with triumph. They all roared with joy. The poor man's body dropped on ground. Lifeless.

"Now you need to bring all my family here!" Sydney commanded. Many flew, some ran, few stayed with Sydney, all on a mission. Sydney sensed where his family were, he knew the demons do as well.
   But he couldn't see Tettes, Tettes was guided by something powerful, with the power of the demons he could see even magicians that veiled their location, but he was shocked about Tettes location. He felt the strong shield covering his brother, he couldn't see him, he was no where. He saw a leopard in his mind's eye instead of Tettes.

"We can feel it to... It had never happened before.." Said a demon. He was a demon, with short horns on his five heads. The man spoke with all his mouths.

"Where did he go?" Sydney asked

"I don't think Tettes is on earth again.." said the demon.

"What do you mean?!"

"If Tettets was on earth we would know, he is in a different universe or  maybe timeline." 

"We must go to the timeline."

"That's the issue. We can't.. We are barred from moving back to time and into the future. That's why Unkur can't go back to any timeline. We can go but, we can't communicate with the people,  time police are every where now, we would become powerless when we travel to a different timeline, time police can quickly get us in a different timeline, we don't want that..."

"Why, what happened to the time power. Who gave the time police power to haunt you?"

"The universe."

"God?" Sydney asked.

"There are forces and laws in the universe, we broke many, that's why the time police are all after us. We call the time police Naaguls.... 
    Before we normally give Unkur weak demons to serve him, leaving your past bloodline who would kill their family to have all the higher demons in order to kill with finesse. Today marks the day of Unkur's limited powers, with the higher demons he can see through people's magic shield, he will win with us by his side..." The demon with five heads said.

"So I have legions of demons to control as well?"

"Yes.. Even more than Unkur, like I told you, you need higher demons so that you would kill all your wretched family with ease..."

"Why didn't you give Unkur the higher demons before, at least he could have known the whereabout of my wretched great grandfather. Why did you demons choose to give him higher demons now?"

"Then he didn't deserve the services of higher demons. Now he has earned it."

"How did he earn it?" Sydney asked.

"He brought back our lost tool to us, you would get to know what it is...
  He begged us to fight with him as well, he is trying to prevent what happened during your great grandfather's time..."

They were about thirty demons left, all waiting for Ernest and his family.

 Sydney entered the mind of the bird demon, seeing with the demon's eye. The demon was on a basketball court, Sydney knew the court, he played there. 
 They were men and women all around the court, dressed in different native attires, some were holding burning torches. He saw a young girl, her eyes were all white and it was glowing, she and a pale, ugly looking  monster were the only ones with Unkur in the circle. The people that circled them were  chanting in an ancient tongue, they were oblivious of the demons presence. Sydney saw kashees and Annas, they were also part of the formed circle, chanting with the others. 

"So it's you all this while, you have been the one controlling the poor girl." Unkur said, glaring at the girl. Unkur saw all the demons, they were all positioned near the circled people, at their back, the bird demon was behind Annas. Unkur smirked. A little monkey-like creature was nestled on his shoulder.
 The demons were waiting, hopefully waiting to pounce on them all.

The monster roared, trickling out watery and stickylike fluid from his mouth. He wanted to attack Unkur, but he was held back by their chanting.

"My sister had showed you things she shouldn't have, she made you evil!" Said the young lady, she looked possessed by a being, she wasn't the one speaking, she was being controlled by a force.

"She brought me to the light, she introduced me to spiritual beings that helped me with the curse. I am grateful to her." 

"And you paid her with your betrayal, you have to tell those demons to let her be, she had been there for too long." Said the force in the girl.

"Seven earth centuries is not too long, she will be in the dungeon for many more centuries, the demons would still torment her, it's a prize I have to pay for my powers, she wronged the demons." Unkur said.

"Your hunger for power is eating you up. I warned my sister about you, but she wouldn't listen." 

"How did you make the girl use time at the graveyard, how did you make her imprison me in a different timeline seven years ago, how did you do it, who are you working with?" Unkur asked, he got no answer.

"Release the ghoul!!" The girl shouted.

 The group stopped chanting. The roaring monster dived to Unkur, Unkur struck him midair. It fell on the rough floor, rising up like nothing happened. One of the demons having a horn as an eye, pulled his right horn off the sucket, he thrusted it at the monster, the horn struck the monster in his forehead, sinking inside. The monster dropped, his head was trickling out thick blood.

  The group were shocked, they had no clue how the monster died, they couldn't see the horn, it was invincible, but they watched as blood were flowing out from the ghoul's forehead.

The demons were hungry, they chopped off heads, drinking from them. It was chaos all around. The magicians all ran, trying to find what was chopping off the heads.
 The demons gripped many, tearing their flesh, eating them.
  
Annas and Kashees knelt next to a dying young man on the floor. They seemed lost, they couldn't help him. "Annas, Please pray to Allah for me that I may go to Jannah." Said the dying young man, cupping the blood in his chest. 

"Miraj, you will not die.." Annas muttered, sobbing.

They watched as the man's head was chopped off, shocked the more, because they couldn't see who severed his head.
 The Chaos persisted, heads were rolling everywhere, blood sprinkled all around, showering in torrents. An old man with long beard lost his head. A fat boy's heart was ripped out. A man with bald hair lost all his hands, legs, and finally his head. A demon pierced a little man with horn in his mouth. A man near him moaned in pain when a horn passed through his chest. People were screaming, shouting and wailing.

'How come it didn't work, our grandparents did the same spell, noooo...! My eyes....!'

'The spell has failed us, Unkur is wiser now, indeed he has learnt from his mistakes....'

'Nooo...! my hand, Nooo....!'

'The gods has fled from us.'

'My eyes...!'
  They all screamed around, all wailing and moaning in pain, they had being defeated, their plans had failed.

 Unkur was with the girl, she was also shocked, looking defeated. 
"Open your eyes mildeh, you would see who they are, they are friends." Said Unkur, he patted her on her forehead. She looked around, seeing the invincible demons.

"Demons!!" She muttered with fear.

"Yes, they shielded their presence, not even you could see through the shield. You are getting weak Mildeh."
 She knelt down, cowering her head in defeat, weeping. The girl was a girl again, having her normal eyes. The lifeless and dismembered body of all the  Jujumen were scattered every where. The basketball court was calm, and silent again.

"Reginald you fight with a poor and weak spirit, Mildeh couldn't even save any of the Jujumen. Hope you didn't do it for love... I know you love Annas, but you still fear him. Very pathetic..." Unkur said, moving away from her. He paced slowly to Annas and Kashees, carefully preventing the dismembered body spilled all over his path. He watched Annas and Kashees with triumph, when he got to them.

"Unkur let's take them away." Said the bird demon.

"Take them, but leave the girl, we have to talk..." Unkur replied, moving back to the girl.

Sydney severed his link with the demon. Demons returned with Benjamin, Ernest, Juliet, Kashees, and Annas - but Tettes was not with them, they couldn't find him.

"Bring them in, let's wait for Unkur." Sydney commanded. His father watched Sydney with tears threatening to trickle down from his tear ducts. He couldn't believe his eyes. Sydney was his best son, his right hand man, he couldn't go out without him. He meant the whole world to Ernest. But seeing him now was an eye sore. They were all propelled by the invincible demons, struggling to be free.

Sydney kicked the door open, meeting Miss Margaret with shock written all over her face. She was shivering.

"Son, what did you do to them, what did you do to the gardener, I - I saw it through the window." She said, shaking.

"Come sit with the family, we have a long meeting to attend to." Sydney commanded. They all  wore frightened faces. Benjamin and Ernest sat together, Annas and his mum stood, she was weeping silently, Annas held her, looking at his father with spite. Kashees stood next to them, he looked defeated, he had embraced his fate.

Unkur appeared watching them with glee. His monkey-like creature was on his shoulder, glaring at the family with its big orange eyes. "Sydney, let the show begin!" Unkur said with glee.