The next day, just before dawn, Jiyong, SooJoo, and Youngbae flew to where Aigiel and Xin were waiting for them at the vicinities of the alpha central camp. The three were more cautious about the routes they took. They avoided close contact with towns or villages where they could be spotted and, therefore, chased. Aigiel received the news about Jiyong’s mark with sincere curiosity. He asked to see the mark and kept asking questions that none could really answer, but his usual uplifted moods remained. Jiyong supposed it had to do with his always working on tracking and never, as consequence, been in close contact with angels during battles or fights.

Xin, on the other hand, received the news warily and didn’t seem convinced. He remained silent for the rest of the day and not even SooJoo convinced him to talk or voice his opinion. Though, Jiyong caught him several times staring darkly at Jiyong’s right forearm, a disgusted scowl plastered over his face.

Three days passed in a blur. All of them patrolled around the borders of the alpha camp, taking stealthy steps through the forests or guarding the main entrance to the alpha’s fortress from the treetops. It was almost enough to make Jiyong forget for a while about the imprint of wings on his arm. Aigiel left during the night of their third day when he caught a trace of demon’s scent coming from a couple of miles away, leaving SooJoo and Xin at his post to watch the movements of the Alpha soldiers coming in and out from the main entrance of the camp.

As SooJoo had predicted, Aigiel returned the next day when the sun was already shining fully up at the sky; and he didn’t arrive alone but with another demon trailing behind his steps. Jiyong was the first to spot them. The other demon had a bow hanging between his wings and his horns were twisted to the inside, eyes scanning everywhere around, assessing. Jiyong could recognize those horns everywhere.

“Uko, what are you doing here?” Jiyong jumped from the branch he had been sitting on, in front of the two newcomers. Aigiel gave him a smile and moved to the side, allowing the other angel to step closer and bow his head to Esh’s third commander.

“I came by Esh orders, as you must already guess. We have news,” the demon said, taking something out from the satchel hanging from his left hip. He gave him a piece of paper with tracks and routes marked in different colors; the tightness of his grip on the piece of paper telling Jiyong he was nothing but comfortable at passing information to Jiyong. With a snap, Jiyong took the map from the other’s hand and squinted at it; soon he noticed what he was seeing and had to cover his instinct to scowl with an attempt of a cough.

“What is this?” Jiyong asked with widened eyes. But he didn’t need the other demon to tell him. The purpose of such a map was clear and unequivocal. And still, Jiyong felt dread running cold through his veins when he saw the number eighth shining in red colors at the corner of the map.

“Our new mission,” the other demon said without hesitation and gave him a cynical smile, “It’s time for us to have again some fun, don’t you think?” the demon asked, studying Jiyong’s face intently. For all Jiyong knew, Uko had never trusted in him.

The commander didn’t stay for too long. He returned to assemble his own troop that would leave from Esh’s territory to the eighth quadrant. Meanwhile, Jiyong and his troop were expected to stay where they were. The attack to the shelter at the eighth quadrant was planned to happen in two days. What disturbed Jiyong the most was the fact Esh wasn’t planning on taking hostages, rather a devastating revenge via a simple but cruel bloodshed. And, to Jiyong's bad luck, it had to be the shelter at the eighth quadrant the easiest place to ambush. The entire extremist’s group knew that the shelter was located in between one of the densest forests of Shinshi, which made it one of the perfect places to hide from the Alpha trackers and the guards. He had already taken advantage of that fact days ago, Jiyong remembered. 

“He knows we will be outnumbered, right?” SooJoo gasped when she received the news. She had been entertained running her fingers through Xin back feathers, trying to pull and set them in place.

Even Xin, who usually became excited and fascinated by the prospect of attacking and fighting, stood uneasy to the side, deep in thoughts and an impenetrable scowl on his face.

“We won’t,” Youngbae broke the silence, “They are to be joined by Abbadon’s and His’s groups at the frontiers between the eighth and the tenth quadrant. You remember that bridge they call the “Hammer passage”? They will meet there.”

Xin made a noise with his throat and shook his head, which made Youngbae stop and look briefly at him. With a sigh, Youngbae kept talking, “And Zion’s group will come and help us to attack the alphas on the way out of their central camp.” Youngbae explained and pointed at the direction where the main entrance of the alpha central camp was located.  SooJoo turned to look at the darkness whilst Youngbae returned his attention on packing what they had left scattered and littered around the ground of their camp.

Xin kneeled to help him. Both demons stored the empty cans of water and food inside their backpacks, Xin never stopped shaking his head, muttering words that Youngbae couldn’t actually comprehend. For his part, Jiyong was silently watching his troop being confused and disturbed about their new mission, without being able to find any useful words to say. Speechless as he was, he crossed his arms and sighed.

“Zion’s group is not easy to work with,” he finally warned his troop, realizing the responsibility lying over his shoulders. For the first time in a long while, he straightened and looked at them with the power he used to have. He was their captain, and as such, he needed to behave.

“SooJoo, you must keep yourself lowkey. Do not show what you are able to do around his people. Aigiel, you be careful, watch out for them too, they aren’t people we can trust. Xin, don’t you dare cross a word with any of his soldiers. I don’t like him or his strategies. Esh is being stupid by pretending we can work something with them.”

 “They will be arriving tomorrow to our camp. Let them unpack, eat and sleep. Do not mingle with their people. I’m glad Esh is dispatching our troop to attack the alphas instead of the shelter. I personally prefer it that way,” Youngbae added, watching directly to the eyes of each and every one of their troop members. Let Esh and the others deal with whatever slaughter they wanted to commit. Youngbae was glad he didn’t have to see the carnage happen in front of his face.

“I am worried,” Aigiel’s voice came from above them. He was sat at one of the branches of the pine covering their heads. His eyes were looking at the distance but his voice was clear and anguished, “I haven’t seen any alpha leaving the camp and flying in the direction to the eighth quadrant for a long while. We will fight the reinforcements they decide to send once the attack to the shelter starts. But Jiyong,” he said looking at his commander fiercely, “They,” he said pointing at where the eighth quadrant was, “… might not be outnumbered. But we will be, Jiyong. We are only five. Zion’s group is small, less than fifteen soldiers. You know how many alphas are behind those walls?” he asked, looking at the blurred lines of the brick walls of the alpha camp that could be seen at the distance, “Thousands.”

Jiyong heard SooJoo gasp, more angered than scared. Youngbae stared at him, and Jiyong understood what his best friend was trying to tell him with his stare. It was a suicide attempt of a fight. It was beyond madness. And yet they’d have to find a way for the sake of all of them. Aigiel never looked down and, instead, he took flight vanishing in the darkness.

“He’ll come back,” SooJoo murmured, standing up from the floor and walked to pat Jiyong’s shoulder, “We trust you. Tell us what to do and we’ll do it.”

Jiyong gulped. That is what he dreaded the most about being their leader. The responsibility of their lives and their success was based on his good planning, on his good leadership. A leader that did not become scared at the sight of an impossible mission. He had to turn this into something successful. But he couldn’t do it alone. He stretched his left wing towards SooJoo; some