His shoulders tensed and his fists clenched, Virgil walked through the woods, annoyed and irritated beyond belief. "Stupid Clara being a stupid waste of space," the sentient grumbled. "Couldn't even purge an illu right. Freaking amateur." Because of her, that illu had been able to thrive over the years, planning its next move until it could strike. Now that it was back in the present, it had possessed one of the most powerful leaders in the world, and was wreaking havoc wherever it went. Virgil was pissed.

If Clara had just kept her head straight and not looked during the exorcism, we wouldn't be in this mess, Virgil fumed. Now I have to deal with corrupt leaders and TNT everywhere- The humanoid froze. If the TNT really was everywhere, that meant it could be in Gicela, back home. The blood of the sentient suddenly ran cold. His family was at risk of blowing up at any moment; he had to save them. Virgil ran off back to Orfcynn to find the nearest mine cart, and hopefully return to Gicela before it was too late.

When Virgil finally arrived at Gicela, all was quiet upon the lands. A light snow had started to descend from the heavens, an ominous omen from the night of the fire; the sentient prayed to the Muse that She would spare his family from a tragic end. The sudden sound of crows cawing overhead echoed across the plains, another sign that death could be imminent. Virgil nearly tore the hinges off the door when he barged into Bram's home.

"Hello? Bram? Jules?" The usual pitter-patter of little girl feet was glaringly absent in the halls, causing the humanoid's paternal heart to constrict in panic. "Bram?! Jules?!" Virgil tore through every room in the house, desperately searching for any signs of life. The sentient's prayers were answered when he found an unopened letter on the kitchen table. The humanoid ripped the envelope open and quickly read its contents:

Virgil,

I've been hearing strange sounds in the basement recently, and the shadows have started moving. I might be going crazy. I've taken Jules to stay with King Nicholas while I figure out what's going on. Hope this note find you well.

Bram

The humanoid collapsed to his knees in relief: Bram and Jules were alive. Thank the Muse. But wait, did Bram say he was taking Jules to see King Nicholas? Nicholas was dead! Who would be taking care of Evelyn? Virgil groaned in frustration as he forced himself to a stand. Guess it was back to Fernwick for him; he had to check on Jules and Bram to see to it they were safe. But before he could even think about leaving the kitchen, a dark chuckle echoed behind him. "Don't worry about Evelyn; she's in good hands."

Virgil took a swing at the mad man. "What have you done with my child?!"

Finnegan dodged the punch with ease and gave the enraged humanoid a cocky grin. "Like I said, she's in good hands."

Virgil grabbed an empty mug off the table and threw it at the intruder; Finnegan simply moved out of the way. "Give her back!"

"Not until you finish your job."

"My job?!" the humanoid screeched. "You mean those towers of dynamite?" Virgil took a few steps closer to the deranged man, and began in a low tone: "I don't know why you want to blow up the world, Finnegan, but I know this isn't all you. I know you're possessed, and I'm done taking orders from the illus. Now, tell me what you've done with my daughter or else."

SMACK! Virgil's head snapped to the right with the blunt force of Finnegan's palm. "I could care less that you know I'm possessed," Finnegan stated, "but you're only half right. I'm not blowing up the world, just some major buildings. Symbols of leadership, really. Besides, I'm no criminal. All I want is peace."

"Peace?! What peace?" Virgil demanded. "Blowing up the world is not peace. And don't deny your plans, Finnegan. I've seen the dynamite stashes for myself."

"I'm not denying anything, only the lies," the ex-leader said. "Yes, there are stashes of dynamite, but only enough to blow up that particular building. I'm not going to cause a mass murder, unlike your wife."

Virgil shook his head. "Stop. Nope. I don't know what you're talking about."

A wicked grin spread across Finnegan's face. "Oh, but I think you do, Virgil. I think you know exactly what I'm talking about. You already know about Jules's plan to nuke the world."

"Stop."

"Well, you should also know Jules has planned much more than just the nukes."

Virgil covered his ears. "Stop!"

Finnegan let out a short cackle as the humanoid shrunk in on himself. "The Five Crowns were going to hold the world for ransom. If the people didn't agree to the new borders, we'd threaten them with the dynamite. If that didn't convince them, the nukes certainly would."

An overwhelming sense of panic washed over Virgil so quick, he couldn't prepare for it. His heartbeat quickened to an alarming rate, and his breaths became staggered. He couldn't believe his ears; how could Jules be so much more involved int this plot than he'd thought? "No," he lied to himself. "That's not true. You're lying!"

"Oh, Virgil," Finnegan cooed. "All the scheming, all the planning, it was all Jules. Jules has been the real villainess all along." A heartbeat later, Virgil's vision changed to violet, and everything went black.

The Orfcynn casino was the jewel of Edison's empire, the crowning achievement of his political career. Fixed in the center of the bustling city, the building was lost amongst a sea of skyscrapers, but its importance was unmatched. It towered above the other buildings, keeping a watchful eye over Edison's city. The casino was split into two levels: the casino itself, where the masses spent their change, and the penthouse at the top floor. It was there that three figures stood on a vast checkered-marble floor, their futures now at stake.

With a smug look plastered on his face, Finnegan traced his fingers along the armrest of Edison's throne. "That being said," he continued, "it's time to put our worries to rest. Jules is dead; our leader saw to that themselves, which allows us to carry out our plan." The man slowly reached inside his coat to unfurl a long, text-heavy document, inked on torn parchment. "If you'll sign here please, our new constitution will go into effect." Edison was the first to approach, taking the bit of history into his hands as he signed. He passed the document over to Iva, who followed suit.

"Well done, Finnegan. I see you've kept all your promises," Iva remarked. "Tell me, with Jules being out of the picture, who lays claim over Gicela? Her husband?"

The deranged man chortled at the notion. "Absolutely not. That repulsive creature works for me. I own Virgil. Naturally, the kingdom would fall to me."

"That's not fair," Edison griped. "You'd rule over two nations, then."

Finnegan scoffed. "Oh, what difference does it make, Edison? My nation is the smallest. Adding Gicela puts it on par with the rest of the kingdoms."

The mayor clenched his fists. "Maybe Orfcynn isn't done expanding, Finnegan. Maybe Gicela is just what I needed to ensure my nation's safety from people like you."

"People like me? What is that supposed to mean?"

"He's right, Finnegan," Iva added coolly. "You've never been good at holding up nations. Don't you remember Freols?" The sorceress shook her head in mock sorrow. "Certainly the worst failure of a country the world has ever seen."

"Freols was not my fault!" the man in question shouted. "It was Trojan! They tore it down, not me."

"And yet, you let it fall," Edison said, his voice low with dark intent. "You know, I don't think you're fit to be a leader. Maybe it'd be better if we cut you out, for your own sake."

Finnegan stumbled back, his face falling in shock. "You're cutting me out?! After all I've done?!" he spluttered. "I'm the one who brought that stupid creature under my wing. He was willing to kill his family under the influence of our leader."

"Face it, Finnegan," Edison said. "It's all over."

For a moment, Finnegan didn't say anything; he only stared back with a calm, neutral indifference. Then, he erupted into peels of laughter. The man held his torso as his whole body shook, his head thrown back in glee. Finally, after a long, drawn-out sigh, the man leveled a truly wicked glare at his opponents, and sneered, "You honestly didn't think I was Finnegan, now, did you?"

What happened next rattled the other two leaders to their core. A stream of heavy, black smoke rushed out of Finnegan's open mouth like a raging river. The man chuckled as the dark clouds moved to reform themselves, taking the shape of a sinister figure. The being before them resembled a faceless humanoid, one hooded by a tattered, old cloak. The creature clawed at the air, crawling out from the depths of Finnegan's soul. Edison struggled to maintain his business-like composure when the evil being came to whisper in his ear: "It is a mercy, dear mortal, that I've allowed you to live this long."

The mayor went rigid as his eyes lit in realization. "Illu!" he shouted. "It's an illu!"

The monstrous entity retreated back into Finnegan's body, throwing a vicious smile at its enemies through Finnegan's lips. "My, my, aren't we the little genius?" the possessed man sang in sarcasm. He gave a long, dramatic sigh. "And here I thought you two were at least competent. Oh, well. I shouldn't have expected so much from two humans."

Iva sent a death glare at the illu host, her pride wounded. "What do you want, creature?" she growled. "Power? Edison may be but a weak mortal, but I am strong with the Holy One. The Holy One is the most powerful divinity-"

Finnegan threw his head back in another fit full of laughter. "The Holy One?" he cried. "You think your Holy One is some sort of saint? That it'll save you when hell breaks loose? We come from the same master! You were a pawn, darling. A stupid, little pawn."

"The Orfcynn militia will send you both back to hell if you don't both surrender your land," Edison countered. "Neither of you are fit to lead your nations, so I suggest you both crawl back to where you came from, and die a long, painful death." The mayor, who stood by his throne, pressed a secret button under the end of the armrest. Soon, every citizen in Orfcynn would be alerted to the national threat, and the militia would come rushing to his aid. Nothing would stand in the way of his nation, not an illu, and certainly not a mutant squid. He would defend his land or die trying.

Meanwhile, bursts of black smoke shot out of the ground to hover around the power-hungry, possessed man. The dark clouds formed illu after illu, a silent army floating ominously in the air. Finnegan raised his arms in grandeur and sneered. "Are you sure about that, Edison?"

Suddenly, the floor beneath them began to shake. What started as a light tremor evolved into a full-on quake, until- CRASH! A black, sinewy vine as thick as a tree and as tall as the ceiling burst forth. The, another. And another. Iva laughed as she leaned over to pet one such monstrous vine. "Gentlemen, please. I'm sure we all know who's really in charge here, don't we?"

The three world powers stared each other down, sizing up their competition. The battle would be a massacre surely, but the prize at the end of it all would be glorious: total control over the kingdoms. The fate of the world hung in the balance as the three villains prepared for war.

Sorry for the little hiatus there with not posting- on top having a full-time job, I'm also back in college. Apologies. Thank you for reading while I've been away! More chaos to come soon hehehaha :)

-Zym