Seconds to Midnight: A Maiden of Midnight Prequel
Zeella- Day Five

Zeella- Day Five

I slammed my journal, detailing Desterium Maladur’s most recent mission, closed, the file now marked ‘COMPLETE’ and sealed, smirking to myself as I lifted a glass of wine in a toast to Lilith, purring, “Taron Carten is dead. His research is ours.” In the city, Cain was holding yet another funeral for his cousin. He had been moping and sobbing all night, since hearing she had brought the building down on the both of them, taking Taron Carten with her. Cain had been the only one to survive. Releasing him with just too little time to save her had been comically tragic, like watching a rather dramatic play.

The police and fire fighters who had responded to the scene had labelled it a ‘tragic accident’.

“And the girl will never know what he discovered. That this new world isn’t the only one.” Desterium had come far too close to discovering the existence of Daemonium and its occupants, thanks to NightShade.

“Lazarus has grown increasingly impatient waiting for her.”

“Then break her,” Lilith commanded. I tilted my head, agreeing entirely with her, just unsure how to go about it. My daughter was a World-Killer. A being with the power to destroy worlds. Her most recent destruction of a building in mere seconds was only the beginning of her emerging powers. She would be the key to us winning the End of Days War and bringing Eden back.

Humming to myself, I eyed the camera footage of my Guardians, streaming live from the Divider as they completed the steps Taron Carten claimed were required to open it to yet another world.

“The Borderlands,” I mused curiously, Lilith looking to me, “Carten’s research indicated that there were Super-Naturals there. And Tarvenia is linked to it.” It also indicated that he was not the first Korathian to head through to the new world. The Divider, apparently, had been whisking people away for some time now. It made me wonder who had been hiding that knowledge from us. The Archangels, perhaps?

My sister drummed her fingernails on my desk, watching the same footage as the portal shifted, letting out a loud scream, like the world was being torn apart. One of my Guardians stuck his hand in, and nodded, confirming that there was something on the other side. Lilith’s eyes flashed with surprise. A mere Korathian had discovered this new, untested world.

“The Legacy items went missing after the war on Earth. What’s the bet they’re in there?” She tapped my screen with a fingernail.

My smirk widened into a grin as I took a long sip from my glass of wine, and purred, “If they are, darling sister, then we’ll get them back.”

“Research this world. If we can complete the ritual, we replace a way to do it. Send spies in.”

“Desterium and Cain can never know. No matter what we discover, they cannot know about Daemonium and Lazarus until it is too late.” Otherwise Cain would try to run with his cousin, and a billion years of planning would be ruined.

Lilith laughed darkly.

“We’ll conquer this world, just like all the others,” I promised her. I would do anything for her, destroy any world, just to see a smile on her face…

Turning to me, she ordered, “Reopen Project Lazarus, and begin Project Eden.”

“Project Eden?” I purred, arching an eyebrow, and she grinned, “We’re going to replace the Sacreds, and win the End of Days War using Desterium, and she’ll be none the wiser.”