Making Things Complicated.

From what Hugo has said and with the help of Owen, the two including Ezraa were looking through a window at what the mad demon was doing; consuming souls of some innocent mermaids without any mercy.

Ezraa couldn't take his eyes off  what the mad demon was doing. "What have you become Theo?...." he said as he couldn't believe his eyes "What have you become?...." he turned around and was looking at the two like he had seen his own ghost after his life. "Hey, was this Hok's intention?" he sounded frustrated, "Did he purposely transform a hybrid into a mad demon?" It was a question for Owen.

Owen retorted "No, never was this a part of his plan and even he doesn't know this as we speak. A mad demon isn't something to mess with in a dream talk less of in real life. This wasn't a part of his plan at all." Although he had never seen one before, he had heard some facts about mad demons.

'So he's called a mad demon when in this form?' Hugo asked Tera. His system didn't deactivate itself, maybe it knew or could sense the mad demon's presence in the submarine as his eyes still glowed green and red:

[(Yes and if you hadn't consumed any blood, your condition will not be any different from his own. It's like giving away your demon instincts to take over your body when you are extremely weak and vulnerable.)]

'Yeah just like how you forcefully transformed me into a monster. I don't see any difference between the two.'

[(Then you lack good eyes.)]

'What did you just say!'

Ezraa said "You are very lucky, young man — what is your name?" and Hugo curtly replied "The name is Hugo." Looking at him intently, Ezraa said "... Hugo, you are very lucky for your soul would have been consumed by Theogo and believe me, you wouldn't be here with me talking to you if that should have happened..." Hugo exclaimed "WHAT!" Was this wizard of a man joking? "Was he after my soul when he chased after me like a bee?" he asked aloud.

Disregarding how Hugo shouted in shock, "Yes Hugo," Ezraa said "that's what made me say you are very lucky. You escaped death by hair's breadth because a mad demon consumes souls and it can never get satisfied with it. The more he consumes it, the more  he wants to taste more of it. As time goes on, he will prove why he is called a mad demon by growing stronger and getting berserker with consuming even a fly's soul so as to taste how sweet it can be."

"Then what does he do with the souls, grow powerful?" Owen, who was learning something new, asked the wizard something he never asked. He was amazed at how the wizard was explaining stuff about demons like he was one of them. ' How brilliant! ' He thought to himself. 

"It's a perk of consuming the soul, to grow stronger and to really know what it does with the souls, try killing him and see. That's what makes demons outstanding. They can store souls and use it in many different ways but mostly, they use it to come back from death. If you kill the mad demon, he will use the soul in its  backlog to continue living his life like nothing has happened."

Hugo looked at his brother with evident horror, as he was consuming the last mermaid soul, through the window. The mermaids couldn't swim away like they were hypnotized but there was nothing like hypnotization. It was only a pure fear that kept them waiting to die in the hands of this evil being. And just like that, the last soul was consumed.

{Available souls:9}

{Consume 3 more souls to return to normal after meditating}

The mad demon stood still in the dark water, closed his eyes and was meditating which was something he naturally learned in order to keep the powers within the souls for himself and not to let some of them sip out.

"What is he doing now?" Hugo asked his new teacher, Ezraa.

'Brother, what is this?'

'Hey Tera, is there a way out of this?' Hugo asked his psyche monster who decided not to talk, like it was angry with Hugo for not being content with saving his life earlier.

"He's meditating. This is the right time to deal with him because his overall power will weaken before shooting to high peak. Just how many souls did he consume to even meditate in order to keep the souls within himself?" Ezraa mumbled in monologue, shaking his head sideways in despair. He said "Boys, there's a solution.... let's meet Hok and the others for them to cooperate the little they can for us to survive out of this situation."

Owen reminded him "I don't think Hok is joining us in doing anything. He told me to lock him, remember?" Ezraa nodded to Owen as they went out of the cellar they were been inside and were heading to the control center, again, with Owen's assistance in doing so.

_____

The other remaining hybrids were three in number; two girls and a boy that went by the names Mia, Rose and Zack. They were now all been in the control center meanwhile the hybrid that had his demon system activating was about to add more troubles and make things more complicated for Ezraa and the others.

The five vampires in the cellar watching over him and Hok were chatting away:

"It has been a long time since this damn wizard left us here."

"Guys, so are we gonna keep on following this 'powerful' Wizard's words. You guys must have a plan for us. It's frustrating to be receiving orders from him like we are his boys!"

"Yes brooo, I'm with you but don't be blinded by your anger. Hok is the best among us and now see, we are guarding him after the wizard effortlessly almost killed him. How pathetic."

"The two of you seem not to like living to breathe more air right? Don't try anything stupid for goddamn sake and risk our lives, I still have to see my daughter's wedding."

Hok, being fed up with their chatterings, chimed in "Morons with low memories. Buddies just follow what he says and depart with him safely or he will turn off the lights and kill you according to the number of claps he does."

"The boss himself....."

They went on chatting and unbeknownst to them, another mad demon was wide awake and was staring at the ceiling with red eyes.

{There are six souls around you. Consume them all and return to normal}

{Try out "Slow time" to weaken them and consume their souls efficiently} 

The mad demon's body  grew larger than it was, with black tattoos forming everywhere all over him. His face grew beard and mustache. His red silky hair plus his body grew twice their original size. Everything about him changed and he was now a complete adult man that looks to be in a jungle where no shavers to shave his hair were available. His nails elongated.

{Slow time}

The time slowed itself whereby one second was equivalent to four seconds. The mad demon stood up and everything became in slow motion for him.  Hok and the others turned their heads very very slowly in shock to see the dead body moving.

He calmly walked to one of them and took him on his shoulder. The vampire on the shoulder was trying to punch and get out of his grab but he was simply striking nothing. The mad demon was easily dodging it.

{Consume a soul}

He placed his left hand on the person's chest as he was still on his right shoulder.

Even Hok was too slow as he tried kicking the mad demon. Time slowed down. The mad demon smiled creepily at Hok and they all witnessed someone they were chatting together with some minutes back being killed in front of their own eyes but very fast that they couldn't react to stopping it from happening.

"There's a mad demon on this ship." Hok shouted at a CCTV Camera, "WE ARE ALL DYING!"

_____

A certain queen has almost reached her destination: Making things complicated.

[N]: The reader might be thinking of why wouldn't Ezraa just outrightly face the mad demon as the great wizard he was. If not forgotten, Ezraa was here in the first place due to a deal he made with the devil. Him not facing the mad demon, outrightly, has to do with that deal he made in chapter 16 with the devil.