The last few days were chaotic to say the least. I had to personally communicate with Haures,the leader of the Shadows to arrange a meeting. I lied saying that I simply wanted to go over the treaty one more time. It wasn't a very convincing lie but he agreed. He sounded a bit nervous which was expected. My spies informed me that Thanos,his baby brother,was out on a mission. It has become something of a legend, Haures's overprotectiveness of Thanos.

The strange thing was that the middle brother,Paimon,was also away. The mission was top secret,the only thing the spies managed to find was that it was a scouting mission. Since when did the Grand Prince go to such missions? No doubt he was searching for Angelica. This girl must be very important to be hunted down by the entire Upper Class of the Shadows.

It was the day before the meeting. I was at my office going through the details of the meeting when suddenly a guard came bursting through the door without even asking. Normally I would be angry but the poor man was pale as if he had seen the sky trade places with the earth.

So I let him speak with a trembling voice:'' Your Majesty,something terrible has happened. They are such bad news that i'm not sure you should be informed of this by a simple messenger"

"Well,since you have come all this way,you might as well tell me. What happened?"

"The report came a few minutes ago. Our spies from the Shadow Realm inform us that Thanos,the youngest Prince,has....died,your Grace." The last part barely came out of his mouth as if the fact would become a lie if he didn't say it outloud.

But it was said. And if the reports were indeed true then... No,it was a mistake. Haures wouldn't let anything happen to his beloved baby brother. If Thanos was indeed dead then Haures's mental stability was hanging by a thread. This had to be confirmed before she was starting to panic.

The shock must have been clear on my face because the messenger politely asked:"Would you like me to leave you alone,your Majesty?"

"Yes,if you would be so kind. And leave the report to my desk also."

He placed the report gently on the desk and left quietly and once he had done so I started reading the report. It said that Thanos was away on a mission to collect a king's soul personally in a remote universe but he was detected by his son who tried to fight him. The boy,of course, didn't stand a chance and quickly Thanos was prepared to collect his soul as well but suddenly an arrow struck him at the chest out of nowhere. The archer was incredibly skilled and the shot came from outside the room. The shooter was not captured but the arrow was poisoned and given the fact that Thanos had to take human form to fight the young prince,he was vulnerable. He died a few hours later.

Something didn't feel right. Thanos was a very responsible Shadow ,why would he risk his life to fight a mortal? And who was that dared to try and kill a Shadow? He needed to call Paimon. Maybe the report was written hastily. Maybe Thanos was simply injured.He had survived kidnappings,diseases and many more,surely he wouldn't be taken down by a simple arrow? The irony. Wondering if the Shadow of Death is dead.

She decided to call Paimon instead of a meeting or a hologram-call.

She dialed the number and the phone started ringing. He took longer than usual to pick it up which was not a good sign.

"Good evening,your Majesty. In what way can I assist you?"

"Spare me the pleasantries and the irony. I called about a serious matter. I'm sure it's only rumours but it is heard that your brother...isn't well these days,to say the least."

He didn't answer. I only heard him sign and then move the cell phone away from his ear. And that's when I heard them. Screams. It sounded like someone was being tortured. And in a way he was. I could recognise Haures's voice. So it was true,Thanos was dead. That was the only thing it could make the proud First Prince of Shadows to scream like someone was tearing his heart out of his body.

"To which of my brothers are you referring to your Grace?"

"Nevermind,i got my answer. Paimon i know it is neither the time or the way to discuss this but you know we must"

"Not with you. There is nothing to discuss anyway"

"Nothing? Your one younger brother,the Shadow of Death,is killed which means he has to be reborn and soon for that matter. Your other younger brother is on the verge of insanity from grief. Generally speaking the Ruling Class of Shadows is falling apart which could affect the balance of energy in all the multiverse. Paimon,i'm not trying to fool you. It is in everyone's best interest for Thanos to be reborn as soon as possible. Give me the name and i will help protect the carrier."

"It's complicated"

"How? It's common knowledge there is a list of rebirthing-carriers for every Shadow. You are shapeless. You choose a gender to communicate with humans but that depends on your personality. Your chosen gender doesn't restrict you,physically speaking."

"Eve,you don't understand. He was of royal blood. We can't have him being reborn by a lower class Shadow. He is dead. For good"

I felt that the world started spinning around me. This isn't happening.

"How long can you keep Haures sane?"

There was no use avoiding the truth anymore

"He is a responsible Prince. He won't abandon his duties. But we need someone else to take over Thanos's duties. I haven't brought up that subject yet. Haures won't take it nicely. For now I have a funeral to organise. And one last thing..."

"Yes?"

"Hope for a miracle. You and I know well enough that now Thanos is dead there will be nothing holding back Haures's violent and short-tempered personality. He is going to be dangerous from now on. I know it's illogical to hope and ask of the Grand Ruler to do the same but you never know."

"I know. If there is a way for Thanos to return, even with limited chances, let's hope the Universe will give him a chance. My condolences to you and your brother"

"I doubt he can hear anything right now but thanks regardless"

He hung up and I laid my head on top of my desk. I wanted to sleep but i couldn't.

I had to inform Angelica of these new circumstances without revealing the death of one the pillars of the universe. If the humans discover this before Paimon finds a replacement,the consequences will be irreversible. But Angelica had to know that she was safe. For the time being.