(...9 Years Later...)

A dark and powerful scent hung in the air. Wolfs were howling endlessly as the dark cloaked figure walked through an endless cave on a dark night. The figure had the same mad smile as always and again his face was covered with the cloak. While he walked in the cave he followed a light. When he reached it, six other figures in black robes stood there, waiting for him. They don’t have the same terrifying smile, but yet they look as if they have no expression at all. In the middle of the cave room was a stone table. All six figures went to stand around it and lastly the seventh with the sinister smile. At the one end of the table was the tallest figure, looking down at each one of them. He opened his mouth revealing rather sharp teeth and spoke in a deep, dark voice.

“We’ve been waiting for your return, Kione.” The sinister man chuckled than sat down on top of the table, opposite of the long figure. He then placed his hands above his head and pulled down the cloak, revealing his face. A set of blonde hair with black tips hang just above his shoulder, his eyes were light blue with a shade of dark yellow in them. His hair, eyes and smile is truly a frightening appearance indeed. One of the other five figures stepped behind Kione and placed his cold fingers upon his golden locks, then grinned. He then pulled his hair making his head move back. The cloaked figure bent over to look Kione in the eyes then chuckled. He let his hair go and stood up straight.

“That girl…she’s ten years old already, don’t you think it’s time to-?”

“Anything regarding the girl is his choice. Didn’t we all come to that agreement?” Another figure said interrupting his question to Kione. It was a high voice coming from the shortest of them all and was about the height of the stone table. She is one of the two females of the seven cloaked figures.   

“Don’t you bud in, Divya! I need to hear this guy talk! Since I’ve join the ‘Black Blood’ not once have I heard this guy talk! And what’s up with the smile? I mean-!”

“Be quiet Donovan!” The figure who said that is defiantly the largest of them all. He was just a little shorter than the tallest but his muscles are bigger than cannonballs. His voice is also dark but as well sinister. Donovan immediately stopped and stepped away from Kione. The tallest coughed to get everyone’s attention then when everyone was looking at him he began speaking again.

“Kione, did you require any useful information of the ‘Antonios’?” Kione signed then shook his head. The tallest bowed his head then looked at each of the robed members of the Black Blood then lifted his head again. “The Antonios won’t take long to finish preparing forces; we’ve given them more than nine years now.” The robed members kept staring at the tallest, letting the information sink in.

“Then why have we not yet done anything about it, Ernestine? I mean in seven years they could’ve easily formed an army the size of a country, yet we sit here and do nothing to get stronger or stop them?” The voice of the second female said. She was standing near the last robed member which was the most different. He was indeed not human and was almost five times bigger than a normal couch chair. He didn’t have human skin but he had fur. His cloak was a massive one with three head holes. See the last member of the Black Blood was Cerberus, the three headed guard hound of Hell. The second female, Marise, was the Cerberus’s tamer and meaning that she can communicate with him and speak for him. Cerberus is an intelligent creature and by communicating through Marise, he can be part of meetings as well, that’s why he is an official Black Blood member, even though he isn’t close to being human. Ernestine, the tallest remained still for a second then answered her.

“Because between a Black Blood member and an Antonios shoulder is a massive difference, you can without breaking a sweat take out more than 20 of them and by the time your tiered, the battle would’ve been over already and we would have the victory. Not to mention the Antonios won’t make rash moves because we have their leader’s daughter.” Marise looked down at her feet but was then scuffed by Cerberus, then nodded.

“He says he has an idea how to take out more than half of their forces before the battle even starts and them knowing it.” Everyone’s eyes shot to Cerberus who was grinning, laughing, and smirking at the same time. Another advantage to have more than one head, you can confuse people with emotions. Ernestine grinned.

“Oh do tell.” He said. Marise turned around then kneeled. She placed her hands on the middle head’s cheeks, closed her eyes then shot them open again.

“He says you will find out later and that you should leave that problem of to many solders on their side to us and…” Marise stopped then grinned; she stood up again and faced Ernestine. “It will be a massive thing.” Ernestine grinned then nodded to her and Cerberus.

“I’ll leave that to you, now Kione…regarding Artemis, will you begin with her training soon?” Kione nodded then widened his smile. Ernestine nodded then looked over to the other members. “Kione will deal with Artemis, Marise and Cerberus will take care of the forces, Maori will deal with our weaponry if needed then me and Divya will work out a battle strategy. Got it?” Everyone nodded but then Donovan stepped forward.

“And what should I do?” Everyone’s eyes shot over to him.

“Hmmm you are still the newbie here and are weak. If I sent you out onto the battle field you would simply die and then I might either lose a great future ally or I would get rid of dead weight. So I won’t send you to the battle field unless you prove to me that you can handle yourself. Hmmm Maori, would you please train this boy if you can?” Maori, the biggest of them all with muscles a lot bigger than cannonballs, nodded. “Great then.” Maori walked over to Donovan then stopped in front of him. Donovan could only stare up, it wasn’t that he was short it was just that this dude was massive! Any normal door would be five times too small for him to fit in and think, Ernestine is taller than Maori. Donovan wanted to look Maori in the eye so he took a step back and raised his head, allowing his cloak to fall of his head, revealing his face. He had long, white spiky hair that also covers his entire forehead. His eyes were like a snake's, yellow coloured with dark around his eyes. His eyebrows were slightly raised and from his mouth tips of fangs were revealed, His skin was slightly tanned. This is the first time everyone except for Ernestine have seen his face. Everyone was a little surprised, mostly because they had expected less than that. They didn’t think he looked as frightening as a wolf.       

“That will be all for today, you are all dismissed. Please return here in precisely a month like always to give your report. Kione, would you please stay behind for me?” Kione nodded and everyone slowly made their way through the cave. Donovan kept walking next to Maori, thinking of what training they might do. Jump over a volcano? Out run a cheetah? Or maybe fall three miles above the sea?! Donovan got exited just thinking about it. He let out an evil little giggle and made everyone stare at him. Kione walked over to Ernestine slowly. Ernestine took off his cloak revealing his face. A rather pale skin with a flat nose and a big forehead, his eyes were black and short black hair. On his forehead was a scar in the shape of an ‘X’. It spread from his forehead to under his eyes. Kione couldn’t help but stare at it.

“Kione, as you already know you are the only one who has ever seen my face and lived and I trust you to keep that secret. Now continuing…regarding Artemis, I wish to see to her as soon as possible.” Kione’s eyes widened then he glared over to Ernestine with one eye as if saying ‘What do you mean by that?’

“I have been thinking of making her an official Black Blood member for quite some time for the reasons being she has been for the last seven years here with us and has learned much about us and two, if the Antonios see she’s a Black Blood member then they will currently confront her and try to win her over to their side and then they will be distracted, giving us the upper hand.” Kione thought for a moment, thinking of what he said, letting it soak in. Kione wanted to speak but Ernestine could tell what he wanted to say and answered almost immediately.

“You have been taking care of her as her ‘father’. She doesn’t know she self is an Antonios and won’t listen to them. You just need to make sure you tell her if they indeed do that is the reason for that they want her power on their side. On the battle field you to must make sure you and Artemis don’t get separated from another. You understand don’t you?” Kione remained silent then nodded. Ernestine smiled then nodded as well then turned around to face the cave’s wall and his back to Kione. Kione’s smile for the first time began vanishing and he turned plain faced. Kione smiles with his mad face around anyone, but when he is alone or no one sees him, he doesn’t. Artemis is the only exception. Kione shows any emotion to Artemis, emotions that nobody has ever seen on him yet its human emotions. Happy…sad…angry…love…Artemis has seen all of these in him, some he shows, some he doesn’t, but Artemis can see right into him, no matter how hard he tries to hide them. Ernestine turns around to face Kione after a few minutes and instantly Kione’s smile came back. Ernestine kept staring at him, wondering if he should speak what is on his mind, or rather keep it to himself. Ernestine shook his head.

“In one week I’ll be here, come. Remember to bring Artemis. That’s all, you may leave.” Kione nodded then turned around and started walking away. When he was out of sight of Ernestine he relaxed. The light behind him disappeared, leaving the cave a tunnel of darkness. He kept walking forward in till he stood outside the cave. Divya was also outside the cave. She was waiting for them to finish. She stared at Kione, who now has his smile again. She shook her head and entered the cave. Kione watched down the mountain to the forest. The wolfs finally settled down and went to rest. He began making his way down the mountain slowly. He thought of everything what was said and also everything what will happen from now on out…and about Artemis. The last seven years Artemis has been living with Kione and grown attached to him. She knows everything about him, she can read emotions. It’s either that or she can read minds. Kione hasn’t really thought of her as a daughter but rather someone special to him. When Kione reached the forest which is downwards of the mountain he went to stand near a tree which was the largest of all the trees and right in the middle of the forest. He placed his hand on it; the bark was hard and not easily broken. His lifted his hand then a red light embalmed itself around his hand, then arm, then entire body. He took the hood of the cloak and placed it over his head. He stretched out his arms to the tree then took a step forward that he touched it. The tree instantly turned white, the trunk, then it spread upwards into the crown, the branches and the leaves. The finally it made its way down to the root system. The entire tree was white and no other colour on it. He smiled evilly again. He quickly turned around and held up his hands. A red sphere of light formed around him then grew over the tree as well. Then in an instant, Kione and the tree vanished. Now there is a small crater in the middle of the forest...