Chapter 8: The Black Mask Society

It was half past midnight when Warona and Calvin stepped out of the Uber.

Calvin in a tuxedo and Warona dressed in a black silk dress which flowed like waves down her legs and formed a pool around her high-heeled feet. The design left her shoulders bare in elegance and a long slit down her thighs lay parted enough to reveal her chocolate glowing skin.

Calvin was glad they had to wear the black masks because the idea of everyone seeing his face didn't sit well with him. The thought of being recognized, as unlikely as it sounded, still managed to petrify him.

"Ready, Sis?" He glanced at Warona who was stuck on her feet staring in awe at the humongous castle-like building before them. It was obvious she had never seen anything like it.

"Y – yeah." She slid her hand in his arm and together, they sauntered into their doom.

The inside was the last thing Warona expected it to look like.

It was an epitome of beauty. An architecture to marvel.

Everything apart from the tremendous diamond chandeliers was pitch black. Warona had never been a picker of colors but right there, she was sure what her favorite color was now.

Black.

The magnificent candelabra glittered on the ceiling above their heads, the marble floor seemed to have been made for gods to step on, and the whole gothic ambience hit her in an entirely unique wave, breaking records of impeccability. The satanic theme, dark slow classic music on the background, and dark wine could give anyone the creeps. It looked like a vampire masquerade pulled straight out of an horror movie scene.

Each member of the mass had their face concealed under a black mask and Warona was glad Calvin was there to tell her about that before they came here or else she wouldn't have known.

The two halted after the entrance and for a long moment, it was like the clock had given up ticking.

Everybody's eyes were fixed on Warona. Her blood curdled at the intensity of the crowd's stares, failing to figure out why they were all looking at her like that.

"Is something the matter?" Warona gripped tighter on her cousin brother's forearm as she whispered the question to his ear.

Calvin simply smiled, walking them forward in a slow courtly manner, looking as casual as ever and leaving Warona in a dither by his lack of response.

Then he said it.

"You're a thing of beauty, that's why," rolling his eyes as if what he said was an obvious thing.

Warona couldn't make out her cousin's amused expression though, thanks to the mask. But the idea of grabbing people's attention all for the reason of being appealing didn't sit well with her, considering the point of all this was to blend in not stand out. Warona was scared stiff they could smell her intentions if they stared long enough.

"What in the hell?"

"You heard me," Calvin chuckled, finding his cousin's flustered face quite hilarious. "You are the most beautiful woman in this ballroom, dear sister."

Warona couldn't believe her ears as Calvin guided them through the groups of chatting people, tagging her along.

Warona was astonished at the women's hungry gazes and also felt nauseated at the men's lustful stares. All eyes on her.

This was really not what she expected.

And just when she had picked up her confidence again, her eyes met a pair of striking darker ones . . .

Utasha.

Her heart froze on cue. It was like a part of her had been low-key yearning to see him again. She hated herself for that.

His stare felt like someone whispering his name deep inside of her.

Now Warona did shiver from that gaze.

Utasha had been talking to a number of strangers when his eyes found Warona's, making him stop amidst whatever he was about to say and stare at her like he was never going to look at anyone else. Like she was the only thing he saw in the room.

Warona has never felt so bare under someone's eyes before; like he could see all her darkest secrets, faults, and fears all at once.

Maybe she shouldn't have worn that dress. Why didn't Calvin tell her it would make her stand out like this? If she knew this would happen she would've never left the apartment with this dress.

She didn't mind attention, but not when she had a mission to kill somebody's son. This wasn't the time. She seriously didn't need it.

Calvin made a stop at a long table with a black table cloth, holding champagne flutes and that dark liquid that everybody was sipping on.

"Relax, don't fidget like that or someone might suspect something," Calvin murmured when he was sure nobody was on earshot.

Warona didn't expect him to notice that about her.

"Sorry," she finally broke out of Utasha's daze.

"Just be yourself and nobody will scrutinize you, okay?"

Warona nodded, a bit jealous at Calvin's amazing acting abilities of playing cool.

If only that bastard demi-devil didn't ogle her like that, maybe she would stop fidgeting. Not to mention how hard it was to play cool when all the men were shamelessly eye-fucking her. She couldn't wait for the end of this.

They drank some wine for a while before a certain dark smoke began creeping through the door. The two both eyed it at the same time as it crawled through the floor.

"What's – that?" Warona was creeped out.

"Servants of the underworld approaching." Calvin whispered.

Warona hoped her cousin was kidding.

He wasn't.

The dark smoke seemed to fill up the whole room until it separated itself in different empty spots in the hall and formed . . . Creatures?

Warona watched with awe as gargoyle faced 8 feet tall demons stood up from the ground. A creation of dark smoke. Horned heads and bodies bare. Where was their shame?, Warona almost questioned.

People began to move . . .

"C'mon," Calvin took her arm and pulled her with him.

Warona followed him, for he seemed to know what was going on. She was glad she had forced him to come along, she had no idea what she would've been doing right now without him.

The crowd made space in the middle of the room, the demons mingling with them.

Seven of the now countless demons had gathered at the front of the hall room and settled with music instruments.

A cello player, violinist, pianist, flute player, guitarist, xylophone player, and a singer.

At least they had their cloaks on, Warona thought, thankful.

"It's starting," Calvin whispered again.

"What's starting?"

"The grand ball, the party."

"I thought it had started already," Warona looked around in confusion.

"Yes, but this is like the essential part where the grand ritual begins."

Warona was starting to feel like she and Calvin were talking two different languages.

He should've explained all this to her before they got here! But she guessed that was the thing with his cousin brother, he never spit everything out until you forced it out of him.

"What the hell is the grand ritual –"

"Ssh," Calvin cut her off. "Watch."

On cue, the musicians began a slow dark devil's hymn.

"Wow," she breathed, eyes wide.

What was going on, a satanic concert?

"The grand ritual involves three major events," Calvin kept on whispering explanations to her in the background. "The grand offering, the holy dance, and the sacred soul-bonding."

The music was captivating, almost making you fall asleep but creepy enough to keep you awake and torture you with nightmares.

After five minutes of playing, the room was dead silent.

Everyone and everything froze still. Warona could've sweared even the wind had stopped moving at that point.

In a swift slow motion, a tall man in an exceptional dark cloak, dark horns, and an impeccable dark aura sauntered to the front of the room.

Warona didn't need Calvin to name the man. She could already tell from how much power hovered over him.

Alexander Alexis Draver.

His presence was overwhelming enough to indicate who he was.

The devil.

That was him.

And he had a knife in his hand.

The satan that they were all worshipping.

Their God.

A demon Lord that Warona was destined to kill. But now, taking him with her naked eyes, she was pretty sure she wanted to turn back. A mystical creature like him wasn't of her zone.

Maybe Calvin was right after all, they'd end up dead.

Without warning, Warona witnessed a pair of other servants drag a young boy to the front.

There were a few loud mutterings let out by the demons, like a set of mysterious prayer. And then like an animal, the boy was slaughtered dead before the public.

Warona's breath hitched, holding back a piercing scream as blood oozer down the stage all the way down its staircase.

So that was . . . The grand offering?

Warona's hand were now tight fists on her dress, using all her strength to hold back herself from passing out at the horrid sight.

The devil lord licked the blood from the knife before setting the boy's body on fire while the congregation stood as frozen witnesses of whatever that was going on.

Warona could feel her soul go in flames too as the boy began to burn.

"If something as little as that can make you this nervous then you should buckle up for the worst," Calvin whispered to her in warning when the offering session was offer.

"T – that w – was somebody's life. That was a child –" Warona's heart was literally on her throat and goosebumps tattered the skin on her arms as she tried to speak.

"Nothing new there, Warona. To them it's nothing new."

After watching a young boy getting murdered and doing nothing about it, all she wanted to do was go home.

"It's okay," Calvin added, trying to comfort the girl.

Warona felt the dagger hidden under her dress with her hand, fighting the urge to pull it out, rip all the goddamn creatures apart, and end it all. Now.

"You need to get the information from Utasha first, don't forget that." It was as if Calvin had read her mind when he said that.

Warona swallowed back a sob and before she could think, people were moving again.

What was happening now, another bloody slaughter?

A girl with purple hair appeared and touched Calvin's wrist, pulling him away from Warona.

"What's going on?" She called to him, confused but Warona's question was left unanswered.

Calvin gave her a glance as if to say goodbye before holding the other girl's waist and leaving for the dance floor. Leaving Warona by herself.

That's when she saw how the crowd was slowly shifting in pairs, to dance.

She had no idea what she was going to do.

As if her thoughts were being read, she caught sight of a good-looking guy in a grey suit smiling at her.

Maybe she just had to go with the flow, she thought, smiling back.

Then he was heading for her.

With his gorgeous blue eyes and no word let out, he held out his hand, silently asking her to dance.

From the fear of not being left out, Warona moved her hand to accept his but suddenly, her hand was being snatched by a new one.

"Let her be. She's mine." Utasha's voice broke in.

This was the holy dance, Warona realized.