1 A Different Day

Enclosed within the confines of a brick laid house, Callum felt jovial. He was brimming with excitement as the New Years was nearing upon them.

Of course, it was just New Years Eve, but one could not help but hope. Hope that the next year turned out better than the last.

Hope that he actually follows through with his resolution the next year and not just procrastinate all day.

After all, he was just thirteen. One had to grow sooner or later, otherwise they'd fall behind, "A new day's upon us, and I'm proud to sing out loud. What joys could we bring? To this very old fashioned house?" Holding that last note, Callum pirouetted as he cleared away the mess in the hallway.

"Well let's just say I'm here to stay for a fantastic New Year's Eve, heyo! There's Betty and her lovely husband Steve." The teen waved at his neighbours who were passing by his window.

"Oh, what a pleasure to meet them! On this fine New Year's Eve, maybe I'll go greet 'em, and say 'Hey there Steve!'" Hearing his voice, the entire family rose from their positions.

They all collectively took a swig of coffee or juice and went on with their day. "Honestly I don't like him because it seems the rumours are true. Though I wonder if she knows that he's been cheating on her with Ms Blue?" Callum sang aloud, unaware of the danger behind him.

Zach Mason, his older brother. With short cut brown hair, faded from the sides down to the back.

He was quite tan, compared to his siblings who were of a light brown complexion. His strong build was in contrast to his lazy personality, in which he never used it for anything other than for exercising and sports.

Zach and Callum were however quite similar, despite their insistence and chagrin. One of their similarities is the fact that they loved singing.

"Hey there little brother, there's one thing you should know. Mom and dad told me, you'll be shoveling out the snow." After uttering that last sentence in cold disregard, Callum's older brother passed over a shovel and pushed him out the door.

Leaving the poor boy cold and reeling in shock, "Damn it." Callum disliked his elder brother due to him having push all the responsibilities into him.

Granted, it was his fault that the situation was happening since he was singing so early in the morning, but he couldn't help it.

He couldn't help but hum a tune as he shifted aside heaps of snow, luckily he had worn warm clothing before his eventual expelling, otherwise he would have been thrown out of the house without any comfort to hold on to.

"Well, least I have warm clothes." Callum was optimistic, he knew it would be hours until completion, but he could get it done.

After all, he did this every year. What's so different about this one?

....

31/12/20

In the blazing depths of the Underworld, where the absence of heat could be noticed; there were a legion of demons gathering in the halls of a particularly powerful being.

"Thank you all for coming, we have a hundred here I presume? Oh, one hundred and two! Well that's surprising, seems like more are participating this year." His voice was not considered loud, but it was an oily and husky voice.

The being radiated power, true, enviable power. His royalty was for everyone to witness, and yet his heart wasn't in it.

And all attending could feel it, in the way that he talked and the way positioned himself, one might say that he was as languid as a sloth, "Tell us, Your Majesty. What has bored you so? Is it the music? If so, we can gather a few souls of great musicians."

A hunchbacked Demon draped in ermine fur and black robes queried his Lord. Wishing to help him in any way possible.

His four eyes gazing at his King with a concerned glare. "It is alright Dreval. It is just that I feel that my wife isn't very pleased with me these days. I mean, I've been learning from Asmodeus himself! What more could she want?" Bael complained for all to hear, placing the High Demons and their partners in a particularly bad situation.

"If I may, how about a disciple? I've heard that she was jealous that Lilith took it upon herself to teach some young succubuses how to be a popular demoness." A female High Demon of the Envy Ring voiced her opinion.

As a matter of fact, since she was an Envy Demon she naturally knew of what others were jealous of. So this was an easy task.

"A disciple, eh? Not bad. Anything else?" Bael raised a brow as he inquired his brethren once more.

"Uhh, permission to go to Leonard's raves?" One Lust Demon stole their attention, they knew who Master Leonard was as well as his infamous and 'very interesting parties' what was even more surprising was the fact that Bael's wife, a Demon Queen would ever want to go to his parties.

"Hm, ouch. That's not what I wanted to hear. But, to think that old goat is still doing that sort of stuff, especially in the modern era." Bael felt disheartened, but it was of no importance.

As long as his main wife was happy it was all good, "What the?! Wait, hold on you don't know why your wife's mad at you!?" A High Demon interjected, seemingly informative of the matter.

This caught everyone's attention, after all the royal life was a sensitive matter. Even for the Demons who loved Chaos and rumours, when it came to the Kings of Hell, it was quite, nicely put; dangerous.

"It's your 360th anniversary. You know, the day you met each other?" The High Demon elaborated, causing all eyes to widen in shock.

The one most surprised was obviously Bael, "Sh*t. Sh*t! God f*cking damnit!! Why the hell didn't anyone tell me?!" The Demons quivered in face of this extreme pressure.

He was not a Demon King for no reason. "Well, we all thought you knew about it and that she was okay with the party, so..." A Demon Baron of the Pride Ring answered, privy of the matters in the castle, but not so much.

"Demons of the Lemegeton. Run. Demons of the Infernal Realm, I advise that you lock down your realm at all costs. Send a message to Lucifer. My wife's gone rampage."

...

"Hermes. Send a message to my darling husband that I'm going to f*cking kill him." Ira, a former Wrath Demon and current main wife of Bael paid the Greek God Hermes to send out an advance warning for her husband.

"Look, Ira. I know that he has angered you, but there is no need to kill everyone that goes your way, Hades and Pluto would be livid." The quick footed God was exhausted, and rightfully so.

He had been travelling around the Myriad Realms as usual; however he had been in the innumerous Underworlds for an extended period of time.

It was obviously taking a toll on him. Not in the way one might think, it was just that Demons tended to attack him due to his divine nature.

The problem wasn't that it had any effects on him, it was that it affected him differently in the sense that either it made him lose balance once or twice or he was blinded and shot down to the ground due to the abundance of various aggressions.

Add in having to deal with a wroth Demoness with a jealous and destructive nature, then you'd have an extremely tired God.

"I don't give a damn, you lying, cattle screwing, rapist!" Ira's temper and subsequently, her hair flared up.

"I do not screw cattle. If anything that would be Helios." His ethereal glow blazed in return, but due to his diligent nature, he had to pass on the message, and of course the invitation.

"Good day madam."

...

Callum was in preparation, for the clock to strike midnight. As it was New Year's Eve, he could stay up all night and sleep all day the next.

It was unhealthy, but as long as it was in consideration it was fine. "By the way, dad said no singing." His sister warned Callum not to burst out in song like it was a musical.

"Don't worry. I'll just listen to some music while I wait." Callum was obedient, he liked to sing, but he never did it all the time.

After all, his throat would become sore. And no one liked a sore throat. He stretched his body, his muscles contracting as he did so.

Callum felt relaxed. All he needed was a cup of tea or some incense and it would be the perfectly tranquil state one needed for meditation.

He was about jump on his bed and wrap himself in the cottony embrace of his blanket, yet a peculiar object caught his eye.

'An envelope?' He thought, wondering where it had came from. Gazing around him curiously, he then picked it up carefully.

It was a white envelope, rimmed with a golden pattern. Its content sealed by a red wax sigil. The sigil was familiar to him, it was a long rod, with large wings and two snakes entwining it.

"Isn't that Caduceus? The Staff of Hermes?" Callum was dumbfounded, he knew the symbol as the symbol of medicine but never did he expect to find it on a wax seal.

He flipped it over and discovered something unusual, in cursive handwriting was his full name written in gold.

It gave him a sense of luxury. As well as curiosity. Eager to discover what it was inside, he lifted the wax seal in a hurry.

It was seamlessly easy, something that should have normally unsettled him, but that was beside the point.

Throwing away the envelope, he unfolded the papers inside. To his surprise it was a poem.

"To the one who unleashed our cage, may you receive endless grace." He started to recite. "The time is upon us, our stories' final chapter, let our tears become glowing asters." Mist swirled around his feet as the windows busted open.

The lights flickered as the papers floated in the wind, encircling him. "We grant you power and bestow upon you the Rifts, now go forth and make use of your newfound gifts!" Bodiless voices rang in his mind, all collectively reciting the poem.

The mist and snow shrouded him, Callum had no choice but to place his hands up defensively.

At the last stage, the shroud blazed brightly before exploding into glittering snow. Taking Callum with it.