The plane banked and turned, heading northwest towards the ancient city of Urumqi. Erebus sat in his seat, his eyes fixed on the window as the landscape below changed from the lush green of the Philippines to the vast expanse of the South China Sea. SeventhSight was asleep beside him, exhausted from the battle in Davao City. The others were quiet, lost in their own thoughts. Erebus’s mind was elsewhere, too. He had received a message from the Sons of Ishmael, and he knew that this was more than just a mission to stop the Carrionlord. This was personal.
The message had been brief, just a few words on a secure channel. ‘Eliana is with us. Come to Urumqi if you want to see her again.’ Erebus had tried to get more information, but the channel had gone dead. He was left with only his thoughts, and the knowledge that he had to act fast. He glanced around the plane, wondering if anyone else knew about the message. But SeventhSight was still asleep, and the others were oblivious. Erebus was on his own.
The hours passed slowly, the only sound the hum of the engines and the quiet breathing of his teammates. Erebus stared out the window, his mind racing with thoughts of Eliana and the Sons of Ishmael. Finally, the pilot’s voice came over the intercom. ‘We’re starting our descent into Urumqi,’ he said. ‘Get ready for landing.’ Erebus felt a surge of adrenaline as the plane began to drop. He looked out the window again, and his heart sank. The runway was crawling with Carrionborn.
The Carrionborn were everywhere, their twisted bodies swarming across the runway like ants. But they weren’t the only ones. Chinese soldiers were stationed around the perimeter, their guns firing into the crowd. They were trying to contain the situation, but it was clear they were outnumbered. Erebus could see the fear in their eyes, even from this height. The plane touched down on the runway, and the pilot immediately began to taxi away from the Carrionborn. But it was too late. They had already surrounded the plane.
As the Carrionborn closed in, Erebus could see the international news crews gathered behind the Chinese soldiers. CNN, BBC, Al Jazeera – they were all there, capturing the chaos on live television. The headlines would be the same everywhere: ‘Carrionborn Apocalypse Spreads to China’ or ‘Urumqi Under Siege’. The world was watching, and the world was terrified.
The Chinese soldiers were shouting orders at each other. ‘Contain the perimeter!’ one of them yelled. ‘We need backup!’ another one cried. Erebus could hear their radio communications crackling through the plane’s speakers. ‘This is Bravo Team. We have the situation under control. I repeat, the situation is under control.’ But it wasn’t. The Carrionborn were getting closer, their twisted faces pressed against the plane’s windows. Suddenly, the plane’s door opened, and a Chinese soldier stood in the entrance. ‘You must come with me,’ he said.
The Chinese soldier led Erebus through the chaos, the Carrionborn parting as they passed. They reached a secure building, where a group of Chinese officials were coordinating their response to the attack. The soldier left Erebus with them. ‘Wait here,’ he said. ‘We will get you to safety.’ But Erebus had no intention of waiting. He slipped out of the building, into the chaos of the airport. He had a mission. He had to find Eliana. He moved stealthily through the crowds, avoiding the Carrionborn and the Chinese soldiers. He had been walking for what felt like hours when he saw a figure in the distance. It was a woman, and she was walking towards him. As she got closer, he realized it was Eliana. But something was wrong. She was walking strangely, stiffly. And her eyes were black as coal.
‘Eliana?’ Erebus said, his voice shaking. She didn’t respond. She just kept walking towards him, her black eyes fixed on his. Erebus felt a surge of fear. Something was very wrong. ‘Eliana, it’s me,’ he said. ‘Erebus.’ Still, she didn’t respond. She just kept walking. Erebus tried to move, but his feet felt heavy. He was frozen in place. Eliana reached out and touched his face. Her hand was cold. ‘Hello, Erebus,’ she said. But it wasn’t her voice. It was a man’s voice. ‘Welcome to Urumqi.’ Erebus felt a surge of adrenaline. He tried to move again, and this time he was able to. He grabbed Eliana’s arm and pulled her close. ‘What have you done to her?’ he growled. Eliana’s black eyes blinked. ‘We have made her one of us,’ the man’s voice said. Suddenly, Erebus heard footsteps behind him. He turned to see a group of men approaching. They were all wearing suits, and they all had the same black eyes as Eliana. The man who had been speaking through Eliana stepped forward. ‘My name is Malakar,’ he said. ‘And you, Erebus, are our prisoner.’
Malakar’s men moved to surround Erebus, their black eyes fixed on him. Erebus knew he was outnumbered. He tried to move, but Eliana’s grip on his arm tightened. ‘Don’t struggle,’ the man’s voice said through her. ‘It will only make things worse.’ Erebus stopped moving. He was trapped. Malakar stepped closer. ‘You have something that belongs to us,’ he said. ‘Something that was taken from us long ago. We want it back.’ Erebus looked at him, confused. ‘What are you talking about?’ he asked. Malakar smiled. ‘The artifact,’ he said. ‘The one you took from the temple in Turkey.’ Erebus’ eyes widened. ‘How did you know about that?’ he asked. Malakar’s smile grew wider. ‘We know everything,’ he said.
Back on the plane, SeventhSight and Leni were fighting for their lives. The Carrionborn had surrounded the plane, and were trying to get in. SeventhSight was firing his gun, but there were too many of them. ‘We need to get out of here,’ Leni yelled. SeventhSight nodded. ‘I’ll cover you,’ he said. ‘You get the others and get out.’ Leni nodded, and turned to the other passengers. ‘We need to evacuate the plane,’ she said. ‘Now.’ The passengers quickly moved towards the exit, but it was jammed. The Carrionborn were pushing against it, trying to get in. Leni looked at SeventhSight, panicked. ‘What do we do?’ she asked. SeventhSight thought for a moment. Then, he had an idea. ‘I’ll blow the door,’ he said. ‘You get the passengers out.’ Leni nodded, and turned back to the passengers. ‘Everyone, get back,’ she said. SeventhSight moved towards the door, his gun at the ready.
SeventhSight fired his gun at the door, and it exploded outward. The passengers cheered, and began to file out. Leni was the last one out, and she turned to SeventhSight. ‘Come on,’ she said. But SeventhSight didn’t move. He was looking at something behind her. Leni turned, and saw a massive Carrionborn, its eyes fixed on them. ‘Oh no,’ she said. SeventhSight raised his gun, but it was empty. He was out of ammo. The Carrionborn began to move towards them, its mouth open wide. Suddenly, a figure appeared behind it. It was Erebus’ friend, the one who had been captured by the Sons of Ishmael. Eliana. But something was wrong with her. Her eyes were black, and she was moving strangely. She raised her hand, and the Carrionborn stopped moving. ‘You’re not going anywhere,’ she said. Leni and SeventhSight were shocked. What had happened to Eliana?
The Chinese soldiers were still fighting the Carrionborn, but they were losing ground. The Carrionborn were too strong, too fast. The soldiers were being pushed back, step by step. Suddenly, a group of suited men appeared on the scene. They were the Sons of Ishmael, and they were armed to the teeth. But instead of attacking the Chinese soldiers, they turned their guns on the Carrionborn. The Chinese soldiers were shocked. ‘What are you doing?’ one of them asked. Malakar turned to him. ‘We are taking control of this situation,’ he said. ‘You will stand down.’ The Chinese soldier hesitated, then nodded. ‘Yes, sir,’ he said. The Chinese soldiers lowered their guns, and the Sons of Ishmael took over. They fought the Carrionborn with ease, cutting them down with precision. The Chinese soldiers watched in awe. Who were these men?
The Sons of Ishmael quickly gained control of the airport, and the Chinese soldiers were forced to stand down. Malakar turned to his men. ‘Bring me the prisoners,’ he said. Two of his men nodded, and disappeared into the crowd. They returned with SeventhSight and Leni, who were both unconscious. Malakar looked at them, then turned to his men. ‘Take them to the holding cells,’ he said. ‘We will deal with them later.’ The men nodded, and dragged SeventhSight and Leni away. Malakar turned to the Chinese soldiers. ‘You may return to your posts,’ he said. ‘We will handle this situation from now on.’ The Chinese soldiers nodded, and began to disperse. Malakar turned to his men. ‘Let us go,’ he said. ‘We have work to do.’ They followed him, leaving the airport behind. Eliana was with Erebus, watching this happen.
Malakar led his men to a secure location, a large building on the outskirts of the airport. They entered the building, and Malakar turned to face them. ‘We have the artifact,’ he said. ‘Now we just need to activate it.’ One of his men spoke up. ‘Sir, what about the prisoners?’ Malakar smiled. ‘Oh, they will come in handy.’ Suddenly, Erebus spoke up. ‘You’ll never get away with this,’ he said. Malakar turned to him. ‘Oh, I think we will,’ he said. ‘You see, we have a plan. A plan to bring about a new world order.’ Erebus snorted. ‘You mean the Order of the Veil,’ he said. Malakar smiled again. ‘No,’ he said. ‘Something much bigger than that.’ Erebus felt a chill run down his spine. What did Malakar mean?
‘What do you mean?’ Erebus asked. Malakar smiled again. ‘Let me show you,’ he said. He turned to one of his men. ‘Bring in the prisoners,’ he said. The man nodded, and left the room. He returned with SeventhSight and Leni, who were both awake now. ‘What’s going on?’ SeventhSight asked. Malakar turned to him. ‘You are about to witness something amazing,’ he said. ‘The birth of a new world order.’ Suddenly, the room was filled with a bright light. Erebus, SeventhSight, and Leni shielded their eyes. When the light faded, they saw something incredible. A massive portal had opened in the room, and through it they could see another world.
‘What is this?’ SeventhSight asked, stunned. Malakar smiled. ‘The portal is a gateway to another dimension,’ he said. ‘A dimension of pure chaos and destruction. And with it, we will bring about a new world order.’ Erebus looked at him, horrified. ‘You’re going to destroy the world?’ he asked. Malakar nodded. ‘Not destroy,’ he said. ‘Recreate. In our image.’ Eliana stepped forward. ‘You’re going to use the Carrionborn to destroy the world, and then use the portal to bring in an army to take over what’s left.’ Malakar smiled. ‘You understand perfectly, Eliana.’
Eliana snarled. ‘You’re insane,’ she said. Malakar shrugged. ‘Perhaps,’ he said. ‘But I will succeed.’ Suddenly, he pulled out a gun and pointed it at Eliana. ‘You will not stop me,’ he said. Eliana didn’t flinch. ‘I’ll stop you, even if it means dying,’ she said. Malakar smiled. ‘We’ll see about that.’ He pulled the trigger, but before the bullet could hit Eliana, Erebus jumped in front of her. The bullet hit him instead, and he fell to the ground. Eliana screamed. ‘Erebus!’
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