likeâbut a daughter on behalf of her beloved father.
He took note of his softening heart and deliberately put on a bad attitude. âSure. On one condition. Lend an ear.â
She did as requested. Sayakaâs face suddenly flushed bright red. âAh!â said the section chief. But faster than he could interfere, the sound of a lively slap echoed around the room.
âOuch!â Kyoya pressed his hand against his cheek with an exaggerated frown.
Sayaka examined her own palm with an equally surprised expression. âIâIâm sorry. I shouldnât have done such a thing.â
âAw, forget it. My face is just as happy getting slapped by a babe.â Kyoya shot her a wink. No harm, no foul. He could tell she wasnât sorry just because sheâd hauled off and smacked the man who could save her father. It was an honest response. She wasnât trying to play him.
âSo will you help me?â
âNaw, this is one thing and that is another.â
âSo you are angry then,â she said, the forlorn look on her face that of a young woman lost in the depths of despair.
Kyoya hastily added, âNo, um, to cut to the chase hereââ
âYou are our only hope,â said the Master, repeating the same words as Sayaka, albeit in more severe tones. âFor Sayaka-sanâs father, for the planet. This is not something I could say to any other person. The way I see things developing, Raâs goal is more than causing a brief spree of chaos. He seeks ruin on a much grander and deeper scale. Put bluntly, to destroy the soul of the world.â
The section chief furrowed his brow. âWhat the hell does that mean?â
âThe demon lodged in the presidentâs throatâthe hand print of the Nidom assassin summoned forth from the Demon Realmâusing chiromancy techniques, I traced back Raâs intentions and designs. In one way or another, it seems he is attempting to call forth from the depths of creation an evil of unmatched dimensions.â
Kyoyaâs eyes glittered. Yamashina stammered, âY-you mean, Satan?â
âI do not know if he will go that far, but should this being appear but once, the world would be steeped in fear and despair. The darkness of the damned would reign instead. Men would be bound together only by hate and murder in a twilight struggle for life. Love and hope and joy lost, civilization as we know it would rot away. This would become another Demon Realm.â
For a long moment, silence filled the room. Then Kyoya said nonchalantly, âI see. Heâs supposed to be a ritual saââ
He cut off the rest of the sentence. In a faint voice, Sayaka finished it for him. âA ritual sacrifice.â
The Master looked at her, compassion showing in his eyes. âYes. Having paid the necessary tribute in the form of a man of such high virtue, it will appear when the president draws his last breath. Raâs previous efforts failed because the offering was lacking.â
âYou telling me the bastard has tried this before?â
âYes. And we are now at the scene of the crime.â
âWhere? When?â
The Master said softly, âEarly in the twenty-first century. In Japan.â
Kyoya searched his memories. Then bolted from the sofa. âSon of a bitch! Thatâs where you were gonna send me? Youâre nothing but a pair of double-dealing con men!â
âNobody is forcing you to do anything. What is your answer?â
âHmph.â Kyoya again huffed and turned away. âThis stinks to high heaven. Butâlet me get this straightâin that case, the earthquake was because of it showing up, but this Ra chap couldnât seal the deal?â
The Master nodded. âAs Ra summoned it from deep within the earth, their streams of demonic energy failed to converge, and were redirected instead into the earthâs crust and caused the damage we still see today, all
Kathryn Kennish, ABC Family