London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom. The city stands on the River Thames in the southeast of England, at its 50-mile (80 km) estuary leading to the North Sea. London has been a major settlement for two millennia and was originally called Londinium, which the Romans founded.

The City of London, London’s ancient core and financial center—an area of just 1.12 square miles (2.9 km2) and colloquially known as the Square Mile—retains boundaries that closely follow its medieval limits. The adjacent City of Westminster has for centuries been the location of much of the national government. Thirty-one additional boroughs north and south of the river also comprise modern London. The London region is governed by the mayor of London and the London Assembly.

In the City of London, people were living day by day in fear and uncertainty. With the Third Revelation promising a holy cleanse of all demonic creatures, along with the radical trinity regime of demonic monarchs of the Royal Nephalem Order--Daemon Archduke Endspiel, Daemon Princess Saboten, and Daemon Prince Maven--opposing them, the impending war was rather bleak. Many government officials in the country were at a standstill as to what they should do next.

But those who pretty much knew what was going on were a different story. Lady Memento, the only person who could handle such a multinational threat was arrested by the authorities and outed by the public. Rumblings about a bunch of magical females are fighting along with military outfits. And of course, there was the Stygian Society, who were now at a standoff with the Royal Nephalem Order.

Their primary objective in life is to serve and protect the Royal Nephalem Order, a bloodline that traces back from the first generations of black-winged diaras like Lucifel. Stygian Society is a collective group of Daemon Knights broken off into smaller groups and commanded by their sovereigns.

They usually work in the shadows and usually protect the royal bloodline first, yet they protect everyone else who is not. Most of them even work with law enforcement or a part of law enforcement.

Despite their daemonic heritage, the Stygian Society is indeed a virtuous group of Nephalems. With the Stygian Society, it was not only about business, but it was also the principle of the matter: maintain the balance by any means necessary.

Their headquarters in London was near the city’s heart as they rented out a four-story building where it stationed 70 people, all of them were Daemon Knights working on the impending crisis.

One Daemon Knight who was working diligently. Wearing her issued Daemon Knight uniform, she was about 5 ½ feet tall and about 100 pounds with a slender hourglass figure. You would never know since she always wore baggy clothing or her uniform. She always wore her long hair that came down to her back in a fashionable bun. She had green eyes but always wore glasses due to her poor eyesight.

She walked into the office with purpose as she stood outside the door that read, Administrator Susanoo Stryker.

She heard a female voice with two knocks on the door, “come on in, Miss Bennett!” Immediately she went into the office and closed the door behind her.

Susanoo Stryker, around this time, didn’t work underneath a daemonic monarch as she was a part of the separation between both parties. Even though she was a Ronin, she had an excellent record of completing S-ranked missions. On the flip side, she had a bad reputation of not working well with others and defying regal authority.

Marco and Susanoo shook hands as they sat down. Susanoo still had her signature blood-red eyes, but her black hair with caramel brown and blonde peekaboo highlights was shorter than usual.

“So glad to see you here, Miss Bennett. And if you were three hours early today. Impressive!” Susanoo praised with a cute smile.

But Marco knew better underneath that cute smile was a cold and ruthless individual. Still, she played it off as she was completely nervous underneath, “thank you, Arcana.”

“You don’t have to call me that. Just call me, Miss Stryker.” Susanoo insisted while she took her attention reading off Marco’s resume. “I see you completed your training last year while attending Oxford for your undergrad degree and traveling abroad to Harvard in the United States. Earning a master’s degree in cultural anthropology and a bachelor’s in demonology. You are well-versed in dark arts and chaos magic. According to our evaluations, you are actually ranked ‘A’ in both.” She then paid her attention to Marco as she smiled again. “Very impressive.”

“Thank you, Miss Stryker,” Marco obliged.

“With many accolades and recommendations. I do believe that your days of being a scout are officially over. That is why we are giving you your post.” Susanoo announced with a smile.

Marco’s eyes lit up as she almost cried upon hearing the good news, “thank you, Miss Stryker! Thank you!”

“In Leicestershire…” Susanoo mumbled underneath her breath.

“I’m sorry?” Marco wondered.

Knowing she had to repeat herself, she sighs deeply, “you’re going to be posted in Leicestershire.”

This confused Marco, “but that’s in the country. And my hometown.”

“Yes, so you don’t have to worry about living far away from home!” Susanoo said with a reassuring smile.

Then Marco’s worst fears crept into her mind, “are you sending me home in the lowest of keys!”

“No, we are not.” Susanoo defended.

“Then can I stay here in London?” Marco suggested.

“Many scouts are coming in, and we have to cycle the ones who are ready,” Susanoo quickly answered.

“In other words, you want to get rid of me; why?” Marco accused.

“But you said you wanted to go back to Leicestershire,” Susanoo reminded when she read off her paper or pretended to, “Didn’t you say, ‘I would love to go back to my hometown and have a family especially with a man like you, Dante!’” Susanoo said with a smirk.

Marco never really trusted Susanoo. Even when what she said was out of context, Susanoo took that as a serious threat to her pursuing a relationship with Dante.

“I guess I’m going to have to go above you…” Marco bellows.

“Well, if you’re going to go above me, then I have no other choice. Do I. But I’ll call him myself!” Susanoo picked up the phone and dialed three numbers in random order. In reality, the phone was off. But it was a queue for the Executive Administrator to come in. Then a tall tiger kemonomimi with long red hair and green eyes came in. Marco was stunned that she came in so quickly, unbeknownst to her that it was a setup.

Out of courtesy, Marco shook the Tiger girl’s hand, “Miss Cynthia Devorah!”

Just like Susanoo, she was a ronin as well. However, she valued her college education more that servitude to a monarch, earning many degrees.

“This is the great Marco Bennett that everyone’s been talking about. Right, Susanoo?” Cynthia fibbed.

“Earning a master’s degree in cultural anthropology and a bachelors in demonology,” Susanoo said with a condescending smile.

Cynthia then sat down next to Susanoo, “It brings my attention that you don’t want to leave London,” Cynthia explains.

“No, I don’t!” Marco denies.

“However, there are so many others like yourself who are in London, and we don’t have any room for openings…” Cynthia said with a sad smile. “But at least you’ll be closer to home and among friends.”

“I wish I had a job like that with no pressure!” Susanoo patronizes.

What the scowl on her face, she stared directly at her nemesis, “yeah, no pressure…”

“So, you will be leaving in the next two days. We will let the mayor know about your arrival. Who knows? There might be a homecoming party waiting for you,” Susanoo said with a smile.

However, Marco continued to stare directly at Susanoo but with a scowl.

Susanoo reached for the phone, pretending to be frightened, “do you want me to call him?”

“Go ahead, call him?” Marco challenged.

“You want me to call him? The squad leader?” Susanoo warned, slowly reaching for the phone.

“I do intend to stutter, Susanoo, but I didn’t this time…” Marco insisted.

This received an eye roll as the façade was up, “she made us, daddy!”

Then the squad leader immediately went into the room, but Marco was too angry not even to get up and shake his hand. Yet the squad leader knew her anger and frustration, so he understood.

The squad leader looked a lot like her daughter, Susanoo, with red eyes in the same hair color. Yet, he was older. Susanoo gave up her seat as the squad leader sat down.

“Imperial Knight Morpheus,” Marco stoically greeted.

Morpheus nodded, “Miss Bennett. I’ve heard a lot about you--”

“Earning a master’s degree in cultural anthropology and a bachelors in demonology,” Susanoo chimed in.

“Yes, yes, indeed…” Morpheus blew off. “You must realize, miss Bennett, that the two behind me did not sign off on you going back to your hometown in Leicestershire. I did it. And I know what you’re thinking, I’m falling on the sword for my… Jealous and territorial daughter, but I’m not. The thing is, miss Bennett, I don’t think you are what you say you are…” Morpheus explained.

This next Marco into a loop while she tried to defend herself, “I don’t understand… I passed every test that you gave me--!”

“Humans tend to pass these tests, Miss Bennett,” Cynthia chimes in.

“That doesn’t make you a nephalem,” Susanoo chimes in as well.

“We find many ‘pretenders’ who want to be a part of the Stygian Society. You have no idea how many run-of-the-mill humans have a huge pull of the Nether. It is rather impressive. But for you to say that you have the heritage of an Umbra Witch is rather upsetting. Suppose you are then shown no characteristics of an Umbra Witch. And about your shift, you are way past due to have one as Umbra Witch have their shifts under the age of 15. Your 23.” Morpheus points out.

Mortified by this exile, Marco decided to defend herself, “I am sorry to offend you, sir, but you’re making a big mistake mocking me…”

Morpheus scoffed at the idea, “no offense at all, and there was no mistake to be made.”

“I know one thing about the camaraderie that I’ve built over the past couple of years in this office, and I know for a fact everyone outside my door has my back!” Marco probably stated.

Getting out of her chair and storming out of the office, she was met by everyone who pretty much fell in line with the Imperial Knight. They even had balloons and streamers ready. The celebration was wooden and seldom as they knew her days were numbered here in this office.

With her head down, she didn’t even bother looking at anybody in the face. Marco decided to clean out her office today and pack her suitcase tonight. All waiting for her was a bus ride to Leicestershire, her new post and home.