BITE ME

Chapter 3- Underworld

Underworld Realm

Prince Xeon Morningstar of the underworld was at the vast training site.

That excellent spot where he was discreetly connected to his inner demon and worthy of seeing the underworld with an intense, acutely bright focus. His previous encounters with the mortal soul who had inadvertently trespassed into this realm had piqued his interest for the entire night. Though it was not a new thing that those mortal souls who were still alive on earth could accidentally drift into this forsaken place, especially if one was on the verge of dying or in a coma. However, Mathena was the one who recited a magical rite to summon one, with the least of no idea what she was doing was unheard of.

Long before, in ancient times, those sorceries, priests, witches, and those who practice dark magic could come and go in the underworld with, of course, with the prince's approval, but Mathena did come here on her own without Xeon's father even knowing it. She must have had an incredibly pure soul and was a powerful lineage to do so.

Yesterday, she was supposed to tell him what she wanted in exchange for her soul, yet she suddenly vanished and his father materialized on his side. It was a closed call, and Mathena must have been very lucky not to have been seen by his father.

Though yesterday's celebration was accomplished in a very long and tedious exhibition of his power. To say that he was so tired of politics was an understatement. After the official announcement of his father's retirement, Xeon was crowned as the new prince of the underworld. He was now the rightful ruler and prince. It had been over twenty-five centuries since his first arrival in the underworld, or since those mighty angels threw him out of heaven.

He was exceptionally unhappy about it. He wanted nothing of those power-hungry demons' political propaganda, and in human years, it was just a mere twenty-five years, but in this realm, a year was equivalent to centuries, and he was bored, to put it mildly. He did nothing but amuse the prince and his many councils and advisors.

And now, moving with liquid grace, he crossed the enormous training room with a complex pattern of leaps, kicks, and lightning-fast punches. Fire danced over his skin, leaving scorch marks on the granite floor. He might be the most powerful demon that roams this realm now. Being the crown prince, his demon was particularly dominant and vital, above anyone aside from his father, allowing him to create enough magical heat to melt through stone if he wasn’t careful.

He was also capable of creating small portals, masking his presence, and killing most escapees with his bare hands. It was no surprise that those souls, demons, and creatures were all trying to evade the underworld and wreak havoc amongst the humans on earth. It was a fruitless endeavor because even if he killed dozens of them in an hour, there were still dozens more, and even his unique gift of being able to conjure sparks of lightning that he could send anywhere in the realm was still not enough. It was not a particularly valuable talent, but he’d more than once used it to distract his enemies long enough to gain the upper hand.

Turning to finish his daily routine, Xeon found his concentration wavering when the beautiful face of Mathena appeared in his mind. His innocent, pure soul kept taunting him in every way possible as a flicker of movement appeared near the door.

"f**k! Not now, Chase," he growled, leaping high enough to grab the ring hanging from the ceiling. "Are you going to tell me why you interrupted my training?" He snapped with a fierce surge of strength as he was swinging forward, releasing the fiery ring to arc through the air, landing lightly on his feet before he spun to kick at the punching bag attached to a steel bar.

"You’re needed in the throne room, brother," a familiar male voice drawled.

Chase, his younger brother, why wasn't he chosen? Chase, to put it mildly, was powerless, weak, and devoid of ability. He was just too smart! And so the Almighty Father up there said so. And does Xeon have a choice? No! Nobody says no to the Almighty Father.

Like Xeon, his brother was a royal demon who was in the service of the prince, two centuries after him, but that’s where the similarities ended. Chase was his total opposite, and if Xeon was the black sheep and a trouble-maker, Chase was loyal, trustworthy, smart, and loved to kiss his father's ass just to please him.

Added to that, Chase was not a warrior demon. Xeon, nevertheless, had been a trained soldier since his first breath in this realm, with long dark hair and brilliant green eyes. Chase, however, was the brain. He didn't have Xeon's powers or charm, but he was behind the political ploys of the prince. Everything that happened here in the underworld was under Chase's brilliant mind. An underworld with an internet connection? Electricity? Latest Gadgets and modern amenities? It was all Chase's idea, copied from Earth.

All Xeon wished was that Chase was the one who was chosen by The Almighty One to rule this realm, and his brother knew that. "Come on, Xeon, you need to take this seriously. You are the prince now. How can we start the council meeting without you?" Chase begged. All he ever wanted was to finish the meeting so he could upgrade the issues at the weaponry headquarters.

"Can you not start it, brother?"

"Of course not. Do I look like the prince? NO! So no, I can't start the meeting." Chase yelled in frustration.

"Damnation! Can we change positions?"

"Damn it Xeon, how many times do we have to discuss this? For f**k's sake, you are the prince here, the chosen one. Act like one.

"I hate it!" Xeon grumbled.

"Of course you do, now come."

Chase was a personal companion to the prince, which meant he had the ability to annoy him to death. He had long silver hair and dead gray eyes that turned from smoke to charcoal depending on his mood, and while Xeon preferred elegant suits, Chase wore the plain black uniform of a royal supervisor, or casual trousers and sweaters when he wasn’t on duty. "Chase, you are my brother. Why are you wearing such hideous clothing? We have thousands of new suits."

"f**k it Xeon, mind your own business. I am comfortable with this old thing."

Even their personalities were different. Chase was sly, sardonic, and boring. The sort of demon who took pleasure in boredom at the royal hall. Xeon, on the other hand, was far more intriguing and less serious. He devoted himself to duty and keeping his fighting skills in peak condition, and he wanted nothing but to fight and quarrel. It was what he was born to do, not to mingle with the elite, exhausted, boring council.

"Whatever… Wait, why was I wanted again? Have we had enough meetings already? Can I have a f*****g break?" Xeon demanded, whirling to give the bag another kick. "You scheduled this f*****g boring meeting?"

Chase gave a short laugh. "You should be so lucky... of course bloody not!"

"Yeah, right." Another kick as he teased Chase. "Did you know? I heard a rumor that, according to Maconna, the w***e, there’s no luck needed to capture your desire. You spread your interests far and wide. Is it true?"

"Of course not. I have no interest in women. And you f*****g know it, Xeon."

"True." Xeon deliberately paused and smirked. "...but are you sure, dear brother?"

"Yes! But I draw the line at a hostile prince who thinks a decent night is kicking bags and lifting weights. Give me a warm, naked woman spread across dark satin sheets and a cold glass of human champagne."

Xeon hissed in frustration, "You are drawing the line here, brother," slowly turning to face the man who was leaning nonchalantly against the door jamb. Clearly, he wasn’t going to make any peace until he could get rid of the unwelcome intruder.

Chase watched as Xeon grabbed a towel to wipe the sweat from his body, tendrils of smoke still clinging to his damp skin.

"The council wanted to hear your side of things from the unknown mortal who trespassed yesterday."

Fuck!

Xeon scowled. The council dynamics were volatile, to say the least. Many were downright homicidal. He wanted nothing but to finish them all, to save Mathena from a death trial. Torture, dungeon, and all.

"And?" Xeon asked.

"What the hell... are you not even concerned about it? Or did you know about it already?"

"You can say that... But Chase, can you not handle it alone? I'm exhausted."

"f**k no! The councils are asking for you to come to the throne room for some discussion."

Hell! Xeon's hazy green eyes darkened with something that might have been a rage. "I think it’s time." He grumbled instead.

"Time for what?"

"For Plan B, of course," Xeon answered with a serious tone.

"Hell no! Xeon, are you really kidding me now? We are not children anymore. Don't you dare play with me again. I know that with plan B of yours, nothing is ever good with it. F*ck! Take your duty seriously… Jesus!"

"Oh, you're pissed off, hmmm, bringing heaven's favorite son into this? Wow!" Xeon smirked as he watched Chase begin to pace.

"f**k you Xeon. You know very well, your plan never works."

"It will work this time."

A chill raced down Chase’s spine. He knew the beginning was drawing near. Xeon's betrothed had been born twenty human years ago on this precise date, which meant she was considered a mature female, ready for mating.

"f**k! Don't you dare Xeon, I know what's on your mind. Don't you leave me here with all your problems."

"But, Chase, you like politics, you love this castle, you love running this place. How hard could it be?"

"Don't you dare give me that reason, brother, I warned you."

"Warn me to what? To tell the prince?" Xeon snorted, "I'm the prince now, Chase and I order you to help me with the plan B."

"f**k you, brother," Chase yelled. He knew it would never work because, since they were a child, plan B with Xeon would end in a war, bloodlust and dungeon cell. He knew better because they'd been in and out in those cells. After all, his brother likes to take him to his many adventures that would lead to trouble.

"Oh, I love you too, brother. I know you can say no to the prince of the underworld."

"Oh, Jesus! Are you sure about this, Xeon?"

"Hell yes, I was born sure about this, Chase. I have searched for the correct magic to use, all I need is your approval."

But Chase had done his best to block out the thought of his looming fate. "Now?" he breathed in an exaggerated sigh.

"Yes," Xeon answered with a smile. "This won't take years. For now, all I need is for my mate to say yes and I will be back here, for now. Let's do the shift," Xeon closed his eyes and concentrated. He had his fill of research about swapping abilities and powers, and he had expertly practiced changing faces as well.

Chase turned away. He shivered. He felt trapped. Had someone put a noose around his neck when he wasn’t looking and started to squeeze?

In a moment, the two had swapped. Chase's non-existence abilities but brilliant mind went to Xeon, and Xeon's powerful strength and magic went to Chase.

"Oh hell!" Chase grumbled. "Why does it feel like I can kill a dragon with my bare hands?"

"And why does it feel like I cannot kill a fly with a f*****g sword?" Xeon considered, but all the knowledge on earth came bursting into his brain like a tidal wave of awareness and ideas. "And I've got a f*cking headache," Xeon added.

Chase smirked, "Good luck with that... That's my everyday life, brother; ideas and more ideas, and headaches, of course."

"Seriously, Chase? This is amazing."

"Amazing? Hell no! It's a curse. All I ever wanted was to be you, … powerful woman magnet!"

"But this is amazing. I've never had this knowledge before. And Jesus! You f*****g know all the languages on earth? Everything? Wow!"

"Oh, yes, but you can't kill a fly without harming yourself first." Chase teased. "So what now?"

"Well, you start being the prince and let me go to my mate."

"But wait, with my body and face?"

"Well... no, actually. I can be whoever I want on earth."

"Really?"

"Of course, but you are not you anymore."

"That's easy... leave it to me…" Xeon smiled and continued, "... so brother, are you OK ruling this realm, right?" Xeon asked. He knew he owed him that much.

"With this power? Hell yes."

"Good, because I have some business to attend to. Goodbye now, brother, and enjoy! Kick some ass and if you must? Never ever fart without making it as loud as thunder. That is my signature fart we are talking about here."

"Disgusting," Chase grimaced as Xeon vanished.

Good luck brother dear.