By RonaldoMedinaB

Bogotá, Colombia, 2010.

Sometimes, before manifesting itself, the good moves in the dark, blinded by the harshness of an incomprehensible world, in a dark background, without color or emotion; just like that gloomy street where the echo of heartbreaking punches resounded.

There was a man tied to a broken light bulb pole. Neither he nor the man who tipped punches were recognizable. Two more blows rumbled, this time to the man's stomach. He only made pained gestures and held back from screaming. It was the fleeting passage of a mass transport bus that allowed us to see them clearly; the attacker camouflaged himself with the night, while his victim had a large part of his face bloody.

"Speak," ordered the attacker, sternly.

There was no response, so he gave him another punch that broke out his nose.

"Answer!" He exclaimed angrily.

"I won't. Not even if you cut my throat," he answered hoarsely.

"The throat...," the attacker whispered, and put his hand to the belt of his pants, where he withdrew a small but sharp dagger, "what a brilliant idea."

He held her close to his neck as a threat. In response, the man, whose blood had already drained from much of his mouth, laughed in amusement, showing his teeth stained by the crimson liquid.

"Why are you still wearing that ridiculous ski mask, James?" He asked.

He was startled when he heard that name, no matter how much he tried to hide it with his threatening attitude.

"I don't know who you're talking about," he evaded, pressing the knife harder, "don't buy time. I assure you, I'm not in the mood to put up with bastards like you."

"I know who you are. Stop playing bad boy, James," He smiled again and spat out the blood that filled his mouth "Who else could be behind the investigation into the death of such a ridiculously insignificant man as Antonio Jerom? Just his son. And now do you want me to speak? Well, I'll tell you the obvious: it could have been anyone to blame. You have made many enemies in the underworld, who send you to gawk, journalist."

Out of anger, James pulled the dagger from her throat and plunged it into one of her quadriceps. The man complained of pain but did not cry out, which surprised him.

"Any human being would at least scream when penetrated by a dagger," he breathed "Why not you? I can hardly make you gasp. Where did they train you? What are you made of?

"The answer is simple, my friend," He smiled maliciously, "I'm not human."

The man's eyes turned crimson. With surprising force, he snapped the noose that held him and sent James to the ground with a punch. The journalist pinched the bridge of his nose in pain. As he sat up, he put his hand to his stomach; the blow had been colossal.

"What the hell are you?" He asked awkwardly, still trying to catch his breath.

"You messed with the wrong people, James," He drew the dagger from his leg without even blinking and threw it to the ground "You better leave your investigation and go back to the media. Abandon this ridiculous search for truth. There are hidden secrets behind it, secrets much bigger than your existence. There is nothing in your human power to stop those responsible."

James pulled a small vial from his pocket and sprayed the pepper spray into the subject's crimson eyes. When he heard him scream from the heat, he ran as fast as his legs would allow.

With great speed, he crossed the last alley before reaching the main avenue, however, the man emerged in front of him. He didn't understand how; it was something superhuman, as if he had moved through the shadows. This time, his eyes were redder than before, perhaps widened from anger, perhaps from the irritation of the gas. He looked furious, so much so that just one of his punches was enough to send James rolling across the floor. He had been so forceful that he felt his lids drop as the world around him darkened into deathly silence.

The man detailed his victim from head to toe. He was tall and a little stout. At first, he had allowed her to beat him for fun, but not for a moment did he believe he would be one of the most wanted enemies in the underworld. He did not think of missing the opportunity to profit from the journalist. He would gladly hand it over to get the juicy bounty on his head. Determined, he took her by the feet and dragged the body a few more alleys, always moving in the dark. Eventually, he reached the back of a warehouse. A rusty door greeted him, guarded by two burly colossi in leather jackets, imposing with their posture.

"I have a package for the Scarlet Queen. It's the gagged journalist," She snatched the ski mask from him, revealing the brown's bearded face "Lady Morpheus would be delighted to receive you. You have a pending talk."

The man nodded, frivolous on his countenance. One of them slid open the rusty sliding door and led him into a spacious living room, where he blared deafening music to elevate the senses. The soft light gave it a gloomy touch, while the smell of cigarettes and dirt made it the perfect place to meet the capos of the underworld.

"Hellvent," spoke a woman with black hair and severe features that denoted her mature face "What are you doing here?" she pronounced her between spaces, cutting. She rose from her seat with an intimidating look "You better be important, you just interrupted one of my businesses. I was about to become the owner of the midtown clubs."

"I have something for you, something you will love, my lady."

The man only had to reach out to throw James onto the table. The impact knocked down wads of bills, bottles, and glasses of whiskey. People were furious about it, but she became interested in the young man.

"Get out!" She ordered in a serious tone to those around her.

After five seconds of waiting and realizing that her order was not obeyed, her eyes turned scarlet, and she buried her nails in the table where she made deep squeaky marks. The men wanted to avoid arousing her ire; they knew firsthand how impatient Lady Morpheus was, so moved by her warning, they left the room with snorts of indignation.

"James Jerom," Her fingers slid gently down the young man's cheeks until they felt the texture of a beard "Wake up!" She slapped him hard.

He widened his eyes in disdain and sat up with a start. It didn't take long for him to feel the burning on his cheek, but she didn't care as much as having woken up in a seedy place; she was still trying to assimilate what was happening.

"And who are you?" he inquired, confused.

James thought he would be close to forty because of the maturity he noticed on the black-haired woman's face. However, he wore a boyish outfit that gave him a badass look: a long-sleeved scarlet shirt, tight black pants, and high thigh-high leather boots.

"If I had seen you before, it is most likely that you would be in prison along with all the other corrupt people I have denounced in my profession," he replied fearlessly.

She gave a lopsided smile at the young man's bravery, no one dared to speak to her in such a way.

"You have guts, James Jerom, I admit it," she commented as he returned to her seat. Surely, the name Diamonx Limitada sounds familiar to you.

"The diamond multinational that caused the biggest corruption scandal in Latin America... how can we not remember it?" He smiled. "My complaint transcended borders. I won a recognized international journalism award for it."

"I know, James, I know," She crossed his leg in style "I am aware of your prestigious achievement. Too bad that night I wasn't in the theater with your mother to applaud you when you went up to greet him," He was concerned to hear her emphasize "But I hope you liked my present, just excuse the bloody, shot-filled presentation, you know, goons are not good at wrapping dead parents."

Each word weighed on James's chest like tons that broke every one of his bones. With the fleeting thought, his mind relived those moments of anguish and pain; The worst day of his life, which he tried so hard to overcome, was repeated in a loop. Remembering her father in such a heartbreaking, cruel, and inhuman condition quickly erased his smile. His blood would not stop boiling. Powerlessness overwhelmed him, and he didn't know how to react.

"You fucking bitch!" He exclaimed angrily "You killed him!" He lunged at her.

The black-haired woman waved her hand without even flinching, and James felt a supernatural force throw him back onto the table. He did not understand what that had been; the night was becoming more and more inexplicable. The only thing he was sure of was that he had lost control of his body, as if some invisible threads were manipulating him.

A prolonged moan left his lips. The pain in his back was ravenous.

"And you ruined my business!" Now you'll learn the hard way that no one messes with Lady Morpheus. Guys," she spoke to the dozen thugs scattered around the room. Take it away, I want every sigh you give to be loaded with suffering; that every tear that comes out, be of blood; let each cut pierce his skin, and then be left to agonize until death visits him in person to snatch his miserable life from him.

Hellvent, the crimson-eyed man he watched from the shadows, returned to the dim light with a complacent smile. James looked desperately in all directions: he had no escape, he was surrounded. Either way, the result would end his life. Resisting would be useless. Overcome by the situation and hurt deep in his soul, he allowed another punch to fall on him, knocking him unconscious. Hellvent grabbed him by the leg and dragged him out of the woman's sight, followed by the thugs.

Lady Morpheus sat on an elegant scarlet velvet European-style chair, one leg crossed over the other, as she filed the long scarlet nails on her fingers. James's heartbreaking screams were the background music blasting through the room. They were so accommodating to her that she even seemed to hum a tune with them.

When the metal door screeched open, Lady Morpheus knew the torture was over. All the men walked out of there back to their place, obedient and loyal. Hellvent approached with a grin from ear to ear, which made clear the demon's delight after the long torture sessions.

"All yours, my lady"

The queen of the enclosure put down the file and rose from the chair. In her walk, she took short, refined steps, one leg in front of the other. As she entered the room where James had been taken, the penetrating smell of blood and the prospect of death marveled at her, evidenced in his widening eyes. The young man's body hung from the chains that bound his arms; his chest was exposed and full of cuts from which blood oozed; his face was shattered from the blows and his eyes were red and swollen.

"James, James, James," Repeated softly as she approached him.

"Y-you are," He breathed out, between sobs of pain, "...you are a monster."

"Don't see me as the villain, darling," She said with coated caring, "take this as a lesson, a slight correction to eradicate the evil in you."

"You are...," He breathed in agitation "you are..."

"Beautiful? Rich? Powerful? Radiant?" She asked proudly.

"Insane"

"Bad choice of words, James," She blurred her smile "I even considered giving you a second chance, but I see you didn't learn your lesson. The physical pain seems like it couldn't completely break you, so I'll show you how far I can go, and just as you got into my business, I'll take care of ending your insignificant life myself."

Lady Morpheus smiled again, her irises seized by blinding color. It looked Machiavellian, terrifying. Seeing her straight in the eyes was like being in judgment with the devil, he felt in hell itself, and it was time to pay for his sins. The young man turned his gaze off, surrendered to the inevitable fate, ready to meet death in person, but suddenly the sound of an explosion echoed through all the walls of the room. The next thing Lady Morpheus and Hellvent heard was the noise of the submachine guns being fired.

"Now what?" She questioned, irritated.

They both left the room. They were surprised to find an old man with a serious face on his ragged features, with a long dark cloak waving in the air. He wore loose green martial-style clothing, but the most striking thing about him were the golden symbols that he wore on his belt and at the junction of the cape on his chest: a U with an eye in the middle. When they looked around, all of Lady Morpheus's men were lying unconscious on the ground.

"Universal Doctor," she greeted, both with surprise and resentment.

"The last Morpheus heiress in person ... time no see, lass."

"You despicable old man."

Lady Morpheus did not have to give the order. Hellvent's eyes flashed crimson, and he immediately ran towards the sorcerer-like man, who confirmed his title by firing a voluminous ball of green energy that launched a creature across the room.

"Your demons have fallen, now it's just you and me, sorcerer against witch... just like old times..."

The black-haired woman interrupted him with a sudden wave of her hand. The supernatural force of her magic threw him against the wall and held him there.

"You interrupted something important, Universal, and I don't like being interrupted."

Lady Morpheus waved her other hand, and the sorcerer was thrown to the ground. Doctor Universal was a few inches from colliding but managed to corrupt the crimson and be surrounded by green energy that regained control.

The man had not finished standing when he noticed the fierce balls of scarlet energy flying towards him. But with an experienced trajectory, Doctor Universal deflected them with the movements of his hands and, enveloped by a green glow, emerged behind the witch, from where he raised a barrier.

Lady Morpheus thunked her heel with a step back, noting that three more walls had also appeared at her sides, along with one above; they were compressed for the sole purpose of cloistering her.

"You will come with me, Elizabeth, and I will ensure that never again does the Morpheus line set foot on this earth."

"Morpheus will rule this dimension sooner or later, Somchai, count on it."

Just as the cells had finished shrinking and Doctor Universal called the fight to an end, a fierce punch brought down the white-haired, gray-bearded sorcerer. Hellvent had returned more furious than before. The demon threw punch after punch, but Doctor Universal created small, fleeting shields to protect himself as he levitated backward.

"And this is when this witch decides to fly," said Elizabeth Morpheus.

With the barriers weakened by the sorcerer's concentration in combat, the woman clapped her hands in a burst of power that exploded the walls of energy and driven by her magic, she pierced the glass of the cracks with a prolonged laugh.

With no choice but to resign himself to watching her wander off into the night, Somchai turned his full attention to the battle that loomed ahead.

"Araparta et euq oleus le etna saradeuq livomni," He whispered quickly.

The moment Hellvent went to take the next step, he felt an enormous force on his feet, that weighed like an anvil and prevented him from moving.

"Damn sorcerer," Snorted the demon.

With the fist of Doctor Universal radiating in greenish energy, he struck the demon on the chin, managing to remove it from the spell and make it fall stunned.

"Infernum," He said.

The ground shook with the power of an earthquake. Instantly, a huge rift opened, giving off reddish light and a chilling consuming fire. As if a magnetic force, shadows came from all the unconscious bodies in the place that, although they struggled to cling to the men they had possessed, were absorbed by the portal.

Hellevent was the last of them. His sinister disfigured form gave up the idea of ​​returning to Luicer's domain, but with a magical push from Doctor Universal, he was returned to his realm of death and pain. Only then did the crack close.

Somchai Tha stopped to look around him and breathed in, feeling the vibrations of the air collide with his wrinkles. The presence of the demons had upset the tenuous balance in the human dimension, but he was sure to assault every last of the hiding places of evil to get it back.

"Help ... someone ... please," He heard the agonizing plea repeated over and over again.

Universal Doctor levitated towards the origin of the voice. A heavy door separated him from the room, but with a wave of his hand, he brought it down. The darkness of the place enveloped him in its coldness, and there, amid chains, hung the bloody body of a young brown-haired man.

"Help, please," He begged with difficulty.

"But what did those animals do to you?" He commented, astonished when he saw the state in which he was.

The wizard waved his hand, and a thin line of green light stretched out of the air until it surrounded the young man and left nothing but the pure chains. James appeared on the ground, where Doctor Universal helped him up with great care.

"What's your name, boy?"

"James," He whispered painfully "James Jerom."

"All right, James, I'll get you out of here. The moment of darkness is behind us. I do not promise that your life from here will be different, the consequences of the past will try to haunt you, but I need you to make an effort and be brave, only then will you resist the adversities of life."

In his state he could not process all those words clearly, but the wisdom in the man's voice, the peace it conveyed, for an instant snatched away all the darkness, anger, and fear that clouded him. James nodded, and so the Universal Doctor left the room with him.

When they reached the chaotic main hall, Somchai observed the unconscious bodies of the thugs and the glass broken by the fierce escape of Lady Morpheus. He had lost the opportunity to capture her, but the sorcerer did not care, he was sure that their paths would cross again; after all, nothing was escaping his powerful magic radar known as the Universal Eye.

Somchai began to make circular movements with his hand, and a seal with striking runic symbols, resplendent in green energy, was the prelude to the portal that originated within. They both went through it. On the other side, they were received in the living room of an immense old-style house. To the bloodied James, it looked like a temple, but he couldn't make it out clearly. He only wanted to rest, and something in that place made him do so. He didn't resist, he just gave in to the sensation. Once again, his eyes were closing, but this time not with pain or confusion, but with the hope of a better future.