Markl smiled ruefully.

"I guess I never told you guys where I came from, huh."

"Wait, you know where?" Carlos stared at him. "But you said none of us know, back then."

"That wasn't a lie – none of you know, but I know my origins."

Damien recalled Markl sitting him down after their first fight, after he had finally braved his anxiety and approached the impressive-looking dark-haired boy. Damien had been watching him and Ross for months. Every time there was a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach and the faintest hint of demon stench in the air, he knew there would be chaos and monsters if he followed the trails, and he knew he would find Markl there. The silent hero who would appear when humans needed him and would vanish before they even realised they were ever in danger. Markl always saved the day, even though all of his abilities were so inhuman. He was just like Damien, but he embraced his gifts and used it for good, whereas Damien viewed his telepathy as nothing more than a burden, an ugly scar, which ostracised him from everyone else.

Damien admired him.

Markl had been so happy – and so astonished – to meet another one like him. Questions were asked, of course – where did he come from, how long had he known, what could he do. And when Damien had admitted he had no idea his true origin – and unwittingly reminded of the exorcisms his demented parents practised – Markl had gestured to Ross, the fierce redhead beside him, and said, "Don't worry. She doesn't know either."

Even when he confessed to how his human parents had viewed him, Markl didn't care. Damien might have been a monstrosity in his parents' eyes, but Markl gave him a big smile back then.

"You're with family now. Let's do our best."

At the time, the flush of relief at being accepted, after all that his parents had put him through, negated any doubts he had. Damien supposed Markl hadn't been lying, but the omission of this truth unnerved him. He was always open, in the past. Everyone knew where everyone was, whether it was for food shopping or a stroll or the cinema – Seekers didn't hide anything from each other.

"Geez, thanks for keeping the secret." Carlos pulled a face at Markl.

"So you're not from the human world." Ross crossed her arms and then her legs, tilting her head at him.

"No. I'm from a realm of the Lyres." He interlaced his fingers and met each of the Seekers' gaze steadily. "We're reinforcers of peace between realms... demon police, if you will. We make sure the creatures on the other side don't go rampant and destroy worlds and we kill any that try to disturb that balance."

"A bit like what we do here, then."

"Exactly. That was how things worked as far as history goes." He paused. "A blue moon ago – that's five human years – an object we were guarding went missing. There was never an actual name of it. We call it the Artefact. It promises unlimited power potential for any realm that possesses it at the sacrifice of entire species. As you can see, we have to keep that kind of power safe. The Lyres were the best realm for that."

He spread his hands wide, palms facing the sky.

"But not everyone agreed. The Shifters, in particular, were strongly against it. They didn't like being suppressed and they certainly didn't like the risk of such a devastating item falling into others' hands. They felt they were the rightful owners of the Artefact. So they planned a coup. They infiltrated other realms and killed the Lyres who patrolled there. Before we knew it, our numbers were whittled down. It only took a well-disguised distraction before our defence was broken, the containment destroyed, and the Artefact was stolen."

Carlos exhaled. "This sounds like a bloody sci-fi TV series or something."

"And the Lyres want it back."

Markl nodded. "That's our most important task."

Damien frowned. It didn't make sense that Markl would be here if the Artefact was stolen by another demon in another realm entirely.

"So why are you... here?" It was as if Ross read Damien's thoughts.

"Well, chaos ensued, as we expected. Other realms fought with each other in an attempt to either side with the Shifters to avoid annihilation or grab the Artefact for themselves. During the fight, one of the Shifters took the Artefact and escaped through a rip in the veil."

"And it's gone here?"

Markl nodded again.

"Oh, hell."

"You think that's what that Shifter was after?" Carlos leaned forward, fascinated. "Take it, return to the demon realm, destroy everything, and establish his rightful place as king?"

Ross rolled his eyes at him.

"I wouldn't dismiss that possibility," said Markl. Ross stared. "But that wasn't the king of the Shifters. The King of Shifters no longer shifts – his presence induced so much terror that he didn't want rid of it."

"What happened to the Shifter that stole the Artefact?"

What if it was Tora? thought Damien, his blood running cold.

Markl shook his head. "I don't know. The fact that the Artefact is here and not in the Shifters' hands meant either the Shifter lost it during the rip or he didn't make it in this world. I've hunted for him for almost five human years and I haven't found him."

So it's not Tora. Damien felt a rush of relief.

"But the Artefact?" quipped Ross, who gripped the edge of the sofa with both hands.

"In human hands." Markl closed his eyes briefly and exhaled. He opened them again, looking frustrated. "I know they're doing research on it. No humans have ever seen something like this before. It's like... like they discovered evidence of aliens – which isn't wrong, strictly speaking. I know where it is but I haven't been able to infiltrate it. It's too closely guarded."

"What's wrong with letting them keep it?" said Carlos. "It's not like humans will rise and kill all the other demons and stuff. They're too busy fighting amongst themselves."

"Rips," said Markl simply. "It doesn't belong in this realm. Humans have no ability to cope with demons – we've seen all that. As long as the Artefact stays here, their veil stays fragile. Demons will continue to come through."

Ross buried her head in her hands and sighed. Without warning, her head snapped up again.

"So why haven't you told us this till now?" she said, eyes narrowed.

"I wanted to keep my mission a secret; the fewer people know about it, the better." Markl gave a sheepish smile. "I hadn't realised how hard it was to get the Artefact back. I would have told you guys eventually..."

"So..." Carlos rubbed his temple again. It seemed recent events had overwhelmed his comprehension. "So... uh... if you take away this Art thing—"

"Artefact."

"Then that's it? No more breakthroughs? No more demons?"

"In theory, yes. That's what brought the demons here in the first place: humans getting hold of the Artefact."

"And that Shifter is a baddie... and he wants it too?"

"Probably."

"But where does Tora fit into all this?"

Ross's jaw tightened at the sound of her name.

"I don't know yet," admitted Markl, lacing his fingers again. "She doesn't fit in with anything."

"If that Shifter is interested in her and the Artefact, I struggle to believe she has nothing to do with all this," said Ross, deadpan. She appeared to take all the new information in her stride. On the other hand, Damien was unnerved by now much Markl had hidden from them. Ross had known Markl for years and her trust in him was always very obvious, but Damien couldn't shake off an uneasy feeling. Perhaps it was realising there was such a big world out there, unbeknownst to them, that had him feeling vulnerable.

"So you want us to help you with this Art... Art... thing?" said Carlos eagerly.

"Eventually – but we have to deal with the current problem at hand."

Tora.

The atmosphere grew heavier. Damien swallowed, watching Markl's calculating face.

"I'm sorry I've hidden this from you guys," he said at last. He got up and brushed his jeans before sticking his fingers in the pockets. "There was never a right time to drop the bomb and it's such a big burden – and had nothing to do with any of you, so I didn't want to drag you all into this."

"But you need us now," said Carlos, crossing his legs. He shrugged. "It's not like we're doing any more than what we usually do."

Markl grinned, looking like his old self again. He stretched and placed both hands behind his head, stretching his spine.

"I'm glad to hear that." He yawned. "Get some rest, you guys. It's been a long couple of days. I'll speak to Tora in the morning."

With that, he disappeared, shoulders relaxed as he marched upstairs. Damien watched his retreating back, a niggling feeling in the rear of his head. Despite that confession and all the new information just now, Markl hadn't told them everything, still. 

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