BLACK GHOUL
Chapter 194: Black Call

Chapter 194: Black Call

"Aren’t you like Anubis? The jackal-headed deity who presided over the embalming process and accompanied dead kings in the afterword?" Rory said, making Race and Kayla turn to him in awe.

"What?" He shrugs.

"I pay attention to history"

"Certainly not that Anubis... I’ve been called many names in centuries of living... but I’m known mostly as Anubis by Omari... there is this saying that what you are called... you appear as the name" he states.

"So you look like this because Omari the first ghoul named you Anubis?" Kayla said, getting more confused.

"It appears so," Anubis said with a shrug.

"Cut the chase, what are you?!" Riley demands.

"I’m a druid... a ghoul druid to be precise," he said with a shrug.

"A druid?" Riley said.

"Yes, I have been with the ghouls since the very beginning... Omari to be precise, I acted as his judge, teacher, container as you might add" he states.

"How come you weren’t there for Liam until the very last minute, there was no mention of you even during Lucas Carter," Riley said puzzled.

"Ha Lucas Carter, a fine man he was," he said staring into space before facing her. "I only appear when there’s a balance to be kept," he adds.

"A balance? So when my son was made into a killer and killed... there wasn’t a balance to be made... or when Liam’s father did unspeakable things just to awaken the beings inside us... there wasn’t a balance to be made" Riley said pissed.

"Where were you when all this happened?!" she asked practically growling, what he said made no sense, where has he been all this? Only to come here eight now and then he was some...

"I was only awoken from my slumber when both of you awakened the divine being inside you... it was a call to all supernatural beings... alerting everyone that the ghoul king and queen have been restored... but it was an indirect beacon, it wasn’t positioned, it took some time before I realized the location" he confessed.

"But still you disconnected yourself away from all this in the first place... how could you call yourself a druid if you were so naive!" she half yelled, or maybe she shouldn’t have done that, but she was both angry and hurt and her brain wasn’t exactly on a good line, it was messed up, messed up with all that happening.

Silence broods around the operating room.

"Like I said lady O’Brien, I only come when a balance is to be made" he states clearly.

Riley huffed, looking away.

"It’s not in my nature to tell when there is a balance to be needed... we simply get called when there’s a shift and Lord O’Brien is that right now... what he did should have never happened... it something even Lucas Carter wasn’t capable of"

"What do you mean?!" Riley demands facing him.

"Lord O’Brien and Omari share a connection I do not understand and that is not a good thing" he states. What happened was just a glimpse of it, he was certain Omari would come forth once again, and the seal wasn’t gonna hold up much longer.

"I thought you sealed him!"

"I did... but I’m afraid that’s not enough to suppress Omari from taking over Lord O’brien again"

Riley’s eyes shook at his words, the mere thought of it made her unsettled, the thought of seeing Omari again.

"It won’t end well for any of us," he adds.

"But you sealed him back" Rory cut in.

"That’s the point..." Anubis sighed. "The seal is weakened and..." he sighed once again. "Look... there shouldn’t be a seal to close because something like this shouldn’t have happened, it’s not possible... Lord O’Brien did something no other black ghoul should do... seal or not it can’t be sure Omari is back to sleep.... he shouldn’t be even in Lord O’Brien’s body, to begin with... he tapped into the consciousness of Omari, there’s this connection with the previous black ghouls and their ancestors, it’s like a power lineage but it’s just there dominant... but this wants to consume him"

"Omari is still inside Liam," Riley said in a shaky voice.

Anubis gave a slight nod.

"Is this a good thing or a bad thing?" Race said.

"We can only hope it’s neither," he said, facing Riley back.

"Have both of you consummated the right ritual for ghoul marriage?" Anubis asked suddenly.

"No, we haven’t... there was no need, we were both married in the human tradition" Riley explained.

"Alas, I see why... you shouldn’t have abandoned that important part... It is known throughout history for ghouls that as husband and wife, you both share part of your Claw... in most cases it’s a way of calming the dominant part of the man" he explained.

Riley knew all that, but then..."Then this is the way then... of calming Liam’s berserk power?"

"I hope it’s still a useful trait for the deed that has already been done," Anubis said sternly.

Riley gulps hard at his words.

***

Section 25

New Agency Location

Medical Facility

Vincent covered the sheets over Seth’s lifeless body.

"He’s dead," Jade said, gulping hard.

"What are we gonna do now?" She asks as her eyes drift to Vincent’s unreadable ones. It was always hard to get a reading on him.

"You said it was unlike anything you have ever seen," Vincent said as she walked to the wide tube in a corner... a gold fluid inside, the Beast within it undergoing treatment with several wires connected to his coil-like body.

"Yes," Jade said with shaky eyes as her mind relived what she saw. She saw the presence of Omari before he flew out of the building.

Making sure Riley and the strange masked man were nowhere to be seen... she then approached Seth but it was already too late.

"It was like I was in the presence of some kind of demonic being," she said in a shaky voice.

"Get some rest," Vincent said, turning to leave.

Her puzzled eyes remained on him as he walked out.

***

Vincent sat on his chair, running his chin, he then turned it to face the window staring at the city of night lights of New York.

The lights in his office suddenly flickered. He smiled, turning his seat.

"Anubis what a pleasant surprise" Vincent said in amusement, seeing the suited man wearing an Anubis mask, before him, his white gloves hands behind his back.

"I believe there’s no need for introduction, as you already know who I am," Anubis said sternly.

"Really there’s no need... I know what you are and what you’re capable of" Vincent said, smirking.

"You appear to know more about ghouls than I thought," Anubis said.

"Is that why you purposely made Lord O’Brien go berserk?" he adds.

Vincent’s smirk broadens more.

"It was your plan, wasn’t it... you predicted all this will happen... the Jones family never seems to amaze me"

"Isn’t it fun? I get to just sit in my office and watch as Liam destroys everything he loves while I watch" Vincent said, smirking.

"Once again you underestimate the black ghoul," Anubis said darkly.

In a blink of an eye Vincent brought out a gun, he fired a shot as the golden bullet came for Anubis but it passed through him like he was invisible... digging in the wall behind him.

Vincent stared amazed.

"Then it’s true then... you’re more than a ghoul, a being, known as a Druid," he said in awe.

"Your reign shall come to an end Vincent Jones... know that the black ghoul shall be your downfall," Anubis said.

Vincent chuckled darkly as he rose to his feet, the mere sound echoed in the office.

"Why don’t you save your precious king the trouble, and end me right here... right now" he states, cocking his gun, getting ready to fire again.

"You of all people should know I don’t meddle in an uncalled affair," Anubis said.

"Ha yes... you respond only to the duty you are given... pity it would have been an honor to fight a being such as you" he said laughing.

’The more...’ Anubis thought sternly. ’The more he becomes a monster... perhaps this is what the stars have foreseen... is it time?... is time for the battle that is destined to shock the earth, I shall make sure of it’ his hand behind his back tightens in a fist.

"It was an unpleasant meeting seeing you," Anubis said as his body disappeared into a mirage. "Vincent Jones"

Vincent looked around; he was nowhere to be seen, just vanished in thin air.

"This is only the beginning," Vincent said with a smirk against his lips, his plan shall be realized without him lifting a finger, he shall bring an end to the ghouls.

***

Anubis stood on the rooftop of the highest building, his hands behind his back as the wind swirled around him, flapping his clothes. ’Could this be it?’ He thought staring into the pitch black skies illuminated by stars. ’The prophesied battle from centuries ago... what Omari himself prophesied would happen after his demise... Could this be why? Why is Omari so suddenly manifesting the present black ghoul?’ His hand tightens in a fist. ’I must find answers’, he vanished in thin air like a mirage.