Tsi Luen Beauty
High-rise buildings, overpasses, roads intertwined from below and above, numerous lights, billboards, and so much more flitted in the Harbinger's eyes. He kept it to himself but Elaine and Viriel knew that Dreyo was flabbergasted by the sights he experienced.
Tsi Luen City was a colorful city and the economy was booming compared to Derunia City – dry and heaved with residential housing that mixed with medium-scale enterprises. Modern structures and establishments in Tsi Luen had large LED screens that would appear that the building was a large Television or was moving, which fascinated Dreygo.
The rain poured hard against their vehicle and it made the ambient temperature cooler. Dreygo loved the feeling. The coldness, the view, and the way the humans portrayed love as they greeted their loved ones at the airport was a driving force that grew to accomplish his mission.
As their vehicle stopped at a red traffic light, Dreygo saw a girl hugging her mother under an umbrella. Her arms wrapped around her mother's neck, her head on her mother's shoulder as she was lifted by one arm. Dreygo had forgotten this sight and was far less compared with what he saw in Hell.
Dreygo witnessed the love of all sorts as their vehicle passed along the heart of the city which was a trait absent in Hell. Hate and indifference were their core traits that led the demons to indulge in never-ending sin.
"What is heaven like? Is it like this?" He asked Viriel sitting in front of the taxi.
Seeing the beauty of the city, which was full of happiness, full of life, lead Dreygo to his utmost appreciation of the place as he compared it to Hell's scenery of death, fire, ruins, and darkness.
The taxi driver, an old man, who merely did not care about them and did not even strike up conversations with them, glanced shortly at the Harbinger through his rear mirror. Viriel sensed it but he answered Dreygo anyway.
"It is so much more, Dreygo. This is your motivation to finish the mission." The angel answered.
'The mission.' Dreygo thought. Suddenly, his optimistic hopes had been replaced with fear and doubts. The thought of killing Hell God was difficult to grasp at the moment.
"I know what you are thinking, Dreygo. Do not linger on that thought much. If given the opportunity to rest your thoughts and enjoy the moment, take it. Let it flow and absorb happiness for even just a short moment." Elaine advised.
"All of this is new to me. From what I see, these people are worth saving. I'm depressed by the thought that all this will be corrupted because of Kragus' doing. I can't let that happen." Dreygo snapped.
He was thankful for Elaine's utmost support but he did not have the opportunity to thank her. Expressing gratitude was the least of his priorities. But Elaine knew that and did not expect Dreygo to thank her verbally, as gratitude loomed through his eyes.
Elaine complained about the traffic as they were nearing the hotel but not the Harbinger. He enjoyed every bit of man-made beauty that the city possessed.
The taxi halted in front of a fifteen-story building with a large sign above the entrance that said, Xianchi Hotel. The doors and the adjacent walls were made of tinted glass and all they could see was their reflection disembarking the taxi and the busy streets of the city behind them.
They stepped inside and they were greeted by friendly lobby staff personnel. Dreygo was awed by the thick reddish design of the carpet that covered almost all of the lobby's floor and the ceiling held precarious designed chandeliers.
The grand piano's melody echoed throughout the entire lobby and it was the kind of music that Dreygo has never heard. Dreygo's eyes flitted everywhere, from the large vases to the lobby cushioned chairs and indoor ornamental plants.
People loitered in the lobby and exchanged loud conversations and laughed heartily – with a great display of friendship and good life. Dreygo recalled in Hell all the demon's screams and cries. The eternal frustrations that every humanoid demon felt, had corrupted their minds and eradicated their human essence.
'This is heaven.' Dreygo thought.
The front desk officer, a woman who wore a red tunic, was very friendly to them, especially toward Viriel, and she gave them a room card that served as their key. Their room was at 5035, 5th floor. As they arrived at the hallway outside their door, Elaine swiped her card and a gentle clicking sound appear on the device connected to the door.
They stepped inside. The room was just enough to hold two beds, a comfort room, and a little balcony behind the sliding glass door, draped with heavy fabric curtains that was overlooking the city.
Elaine frowned and imagine that she would be sleeping with two guys in one room. Viriel noticed it and said to Elaine, "Do not worry Elaine. I will not be sleeping in this room. Only you and Dreygo." Viriel chuckled teasingly.
Elaine just smiled and slammed herself to the first cushion bed and turned on the television. Dreygo went directly to the balcony and felt the cold breeze caressing his cheeks as the rain had stopped and left with only minute droplets that damped the atmosphere.
Dreygo closed his eyes, raised his chin, inhaled, and exhaled deeply, as the aroma of wet concrete was a great improvement compared to the stench of dead demons and burnt soil.
He swept his vision to the expanse of the city. Below he could see the road as they went in. Cars honked hard and the music of led TVs was music to Dreygo's ears as he compared again what he experienced in hell, the sound of flames as it was eating timber, the echoing cries and agonizing sobs of the Demons.
He could not imagine the destruction of the scenery as Kragus would turn these beautiful structures into rubble, and the heaving people that walked along the roads were dead and bloodied.
Elaine came to the Balcony, beside Dreygo, and clasped her hands to the cold round steel of the balcony's railings.
"Isn't it beautiful?" Elaine said as she emulated Dreygo's head position.
Dreygo glanced at her as she closed her eyes and craned his neck upwards and did deep breaths.
The pale skin of her neck and her rosy cheeks and her dark hair danced against the soft breeze, were more than the city's scenery, and urged Dreygo to stare at them. 'She's beautiful, like an angel.' Dreygo thought.
"Yes, it is beautiful," Dreygo said softly.
"I bet you do not want to get out in this city anymore," Elaine said as she gazed at Dreygo. Their eyes met. Dreygo saw dark beautiful eyes and a mysterious sense of sadness. Dreygo suddenly felt sympathetic and succumbed to their beauty. He sensed hope and motivation as he stared at her face smiling at him.
"Yes, you're right," Dreygo replied.
"I want to travel the world and explore other places as beautiful as this. It was my dream when I was a kid," Elaine said.
"I would take you around the –"
Boom!
Dreygo was interrupted as a parked car along the curb of the road exploded. The explosion was strong that some glass on the nearby building cracked and the deafening sound echoed throughout the block. All the cars stopped and the people close to the scene, ran away, expecting another car to explode.
Nearby parked cars sounded their alarms as the explosive force shook them. Car's debris scattered on the road and he saw two civilians lying on the floor close to the explosion. Viriel went out of the balcony and looked for the explosion.
"Two civilians hurt. But they are still alive." The angel said.
"We have to help them," Dreygo said, agitated.
They rushed out of the room and left Elaine inside the room. Dreygo and Viriel responded with the injured persons, one was a young adult girl and the other was a middle-aged man. They were both alive but did not move, just lay on the floor in shock.
"Are you alright?" Dreygo said to the young girl. She did not respond but her breathing was intensely fast. She was bleeding on her thigh and the blood seeped out on the floor. She was hit with a small shard of metal. Siren sounds appeared from afar.
"Don't worry, help is coming." He assured.
The young girl smiled at him and tears started to fall. Dreygo's heart squeezed as she witnessed an innocent girl hurt. Three ambulances responded and the medical team surrounded the area Dreygo and Viriel lingered behind the authorities, concerned with the injured.
Zi Lok's assassin wore a white tunic, stole a hotel's uniform, and started nearing room 5035. He knocked on the door three times and said in a friendly manner, "Housekeeping!"