Devil Equinox

Working out for hours in the gym room, I used that chance to blow off some steam. The punching bag I was using felt the full brunt of each of my punches, then a thought popped in my head, spiking my anger and I accidently used a bit more strength than I wanted.

I stopped and looked at the punching bag, turned toward the wall behind me and sat against it. My left leg lay flat along the tiled floor and the other was bent and my right arm rested on it. I sunk my head low, sweating dripping from my face on to my clothes. Taking slow and deep breathes to calm myself down.

The silence was deafening and I sat there deep in thought. 'If it were my team against those two, would it have been different?' I thought and more of these thoughts swelled up in my mind. Someone walked into the room and dragged me out of my thoughts.

"I see you lost your temper, Ravedos," Darius spoke, pointing out the punching bag. I looked up at him, and he looked around the room before he set his gaze on me. "It seems you didn't hold back against it. Though it doesn't have the substance you call send in it, you still managed to destroy it."

"…" I didn't say a word.

"What had happened to bring you into this mood? Were you assaulted? Or you had someone killed?" he asked.

My stare shifted towards him after he spoke the latter. I then looked back at the punching bag in silence. He scoffed fully aware of what he had said that made me react that way.

"What brought you here anyway, Darius?" I asked him with a deep and calm voice. "You didn't come to see me because you missed me. What really brings you here?"

"I wondered when you were going to speak of this matter," he said then chuckled.

"It is not the time for jokes," I told him intensely.

"I see. Well then, father had sent me to convince you in returning home as his son and the prince of our home. He also looked at the prospect of you became the leader of the Sinister Twelve once more. Father is now in charge of everything and has made our home. I have helped where it was necessary for father instructed me to aid you. However, if you choose to refuse, I will let father know and leave you and your team alone.

"We had met on bad terms, and they still dislike me even though I have… no, we have reformed and changed our ways. We no longer seek to conquer but to live in harmony with all of you."

"I will not go back, brother. I am needed here."

"Needed? How long will you live in such a delusion that you think the fully except for who you are? It is a ludicrous and absurd thought that you have believed. Wha-,"

"I will not tell you again Darius." I said, glaring at him.

"Very well brother. I leave you be. But before I leave, why do you not fight as you were before you left home? Hmm, you deliberately let your attacker harm you and that resulted in the death of others. Yes, I know about it because I had awoken and watched you fight. So weak. You held back and what good did it do you, only allowing to meet their demise in the process? I have lost respect for you because of your selfish deeds."

Not a word after. He had left and what he had said had lost me further hope in ending this war between us and the underground network.

After freshening up, Donny came over to me and told me of Darius' activities while I was in the gym room. "Cap, your brother Darius, he seemed to have taken somethings out of the office, but I don't know what,"

I grumbled softly and told him I would investigate it, and so I did. In the room he stayed in, I had made a mess searching every nook and cranny of the space but found nothing of use. I had spent twenty searching, and it was not fruitful.

Then a peculiar feeling came in. I had not noticed it at first but now I do. I looked around the room, but I couldn't find where it could've been. When I stopped again, the feeling grew intense. Since I had looked around the room twice, I thought of looking in the ceiling of the room.

Inside I found an item that emitted a power from it. Darius had left it behind for what reason. I examined it and found markings inscribed on the surface of the item. It was a pendant. Its inscription was in a demon language, and it read till death do us part brother at the back of the pendant and the gem it held was a green sapphire and it symbolised reconciliation.

Darius did change and his attitude came back when he wanted to lose it.

I put the pendant on me. It was only decorative, but it held meaning to me.

The others had been quite preoccupied with preparations against The Harlem and his goons. After Amelia and I spoke, she told me The Harlem's location, and I had Thalicus remain to protect her.

"Looks like we are going hunting for the asshole," I announced and they paid attention to my words. "The Harlem and his network are going down but as we go through this, we gotta keep civilian casualties minimum and you are going to have to be in pairs and I will be going alone. I won't be able to be there for all of you, so, if you die or get fatal wound, I be able to save you this time."

"Don't worry about us, Captain." Donny said.

"You are always making sure we are safe and we still live till this day. If I die, just know I am happy to be serving with you and the others." Marie spoke wholeheartedly.

"You know what man, you need to put your all in this one for once. Holding back ain't gonna save us at all. Just making a clear statement," Dante said.

"I will go out like all my fellow companions before me, as a warrior and I will be glad to die beside you and the others, master." Veronicah aired.

This made me tear knowing that my team is willing to put their lives on the line. Not only that they don't need me to shield them anymore, but they were also encouraging to do better and not to hold back.

'Your kids seriously want to go out like you two did. Hehe, they really took after you two,' I said under my breathe. Realising that Donny and Marie exude each of their parents' traits more than I thought. I smiled but a thought crossed my mind.

I tensed up and clenched my jaws, 'That's what they did before meeting their fate.' The joy I felt was snuffed out immediately by the thought.

The Harlem will have to go out before that happens to them. My promise will be kept.