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Chapter Nine: The Council of Darkness

Night had fallen over Europe.
Millions slept peacefully beneath quiet skies, unaware that another kingdom had awakened.
Far below the elegant streets of Paris...
beneath ancient tunnels forgotten by history...
beneath stone older than kingdoms...
lay one of Satan's many hidden palaces.
Its halls stretched for miles beneath the city.
Columns carved from black volcanic rock supported enormous chambers lit only by rivers of crimson fire.
No warmth came from the flames.
Only dread.
Every corridor echoed with the cries of tormented spirits.
Fear itself seemed to live within the walls.
At the palace's centre stood an immense circular throne room.
Upon the far side rested a throne unlike any crafted by mankind.
It appeared to have been assembled from gigantic blackened bones, twisted together into a grotesque monument to rebellion.
Upon it sat the Prince of the Air.
Satan.
Silence filled the chamber.
Then...
one by one...
They arrived.
Dark shadows emerged from the stone walls themselves.
Hideous spirits.
Ancient deceivers.
Shape-shifters whose forms continually changed as though unable to decide which nightmare to become.
Some appeared almost human.
Others resembled monstrous reptiles.
Some possessed faces covered with countless eyes.
Others had none at all.
Among them walked the familiar frog-eyed demons, Satan's most loyal watchers.
Every one of them immediately bowed.
Not from love.
From terror.
None dared meet their master's eyes.
For Satan rewarded failure with unimaginable cruelty.
The great serpent slowly descended from his throne.
He did not walk.
He slithered.
His enormous form circled the gathering like a predator examining prey.
No demon moved.
Each secretly wondered whether they would survive the meeting.
Finally...
Satan stopped.
He looked slowly into the face of every assembled spirit.
"I have tolerated failure."
His voice was barely louder than a whisper.
"But I shall not tolerate incompetence."
The chamber trembled.
One lesser demon collapsed in fear.
Satan ignored him.
Instead, he raised one clawed hand.
"My three watchers..."
"Come forward."
Three frog-eyed demons immediately stepped into the centre of the chamber.
Unlike the others, these were generals among the kingdom of darkness.
Masters of deception.
Architects of human corruption.
Satan looked upon them with cold satisfaction.
"Now..."
"Tell me."
"Now that we possess God's precious seven..."
"...what shall be their end?"
The first demon stepped forward.
His yellow eyes glowed with wicked delight.
"My lord..."
"I have prepared civil unrest."
Images appeared in the air.
Cities burning.
Crowds rioting.
Explosions.
Governments collapsing.
"The businessman..."
"Daniel..."
"Will be present when thousands perish."
Satan nodded thoughtfully.
"But perhaps..."
"...too ordinary."
The demon bowed and retreated.
The second frog-eyed watcher approached.
"I have inspired scientists."
"Military commanders."
"Political leaders."
Another vision appeared.
A secret gathering.
World leaders.
Technology beyond human understanding.
One enormous black triangular object floating in darkness.
"The nations shall unite."
"They shall believe visitors from another world have finally arrived."
Satan smiled.
"Continue."
"They will abandon their old beliefs."
"They will welcome new teachers."
"They will kneel willingly."
The serpent's smile widened.
"Very good."
The second demon stepped back.
Finally...
the third frog-eyed watcher approached.
He smiled more wickedly than the others.
"My lord..."
"Why wait?"
The room became silent.
"I propose we gather all seven together."
Satan's eyes narrowed.
"Explain."
The demon stretched out his hand.
An enormous passenger aircraft appeared in the air before them.
"Airbus 0718."
"July fifteenth."
"Destination..."
"California."
Another image appeared.
A luxurious hotel.
Government convoys.
Military security.
A conference simply called
DISCLOSURE.

The chamber grew silent.
The frog-eyed demon continued.
"The invitations have already begun."
"Each will believe they travel there for entirely different reasons."
"The businessman."
"The journalist."
"The influencer."
"The UFO expert."
"The recovering addict."
"The ambitious executive."
"The gangster."
"Seven strangers."
"One aircraft."
Satan slowly smiled.
"And?"
The demon bowed lower.
"We have already prepared a man."
The image changed.
A desperate face.
Sunken eyes.
Hopeless.
Consumed by hatred.
His body was strapped with improvised containers filled with vicious chemical compounds.
"He believes he dies for a cause."
"He carries only half the mixture."
Another image appeared.
Tom.
Walking through an airport carrying an innocent-looking package.
"He carries the other half."
"Neither knows the whole plan."
"When united..."
"The chemicals become unstable."
"The aircraft becomes their grave."
Silence.
Even the lesser demons admired the brilliance of the scheme.
Satan slowly walked toward the image of the aircraft.
His fingers gently traced its outline.
"No miracles."
"No impossible accidents."
"No suspicion."
"Only mankind..."
"...destroying itself."
The third watcher smiled.
"And should the aircraft fall..."
"The world will never know how close God's seven came to discovering the truth."
Satan turned.
His cold eyes glowed like burning coals.
"It is decided."
The enormous throne room erupted into chilling applause.
The frog-eyed demons bowed almost to the floor.
Satan raised both arms.
"Proceed."
"The invitations."
"The conference."
"The aircraft."
"The sacrifice."
"The world believes it travels toward Disclosure."
He laughed quietly.
"But it travels..."
"...toward despair."
The great black triangular stone suddenly appeared above the centre of the chamber.
Its smooth surface pulsed with dark power.
Legions of fallen spirits streamed upward into it like smoke disappearing into a bottomless pit.
Soon...
they would emerge again.
Not as demons.
But disguised as humanity's long-awaited visitors from the stars.
Satan looked lovingly upon the strange object.
"Very soon..."
"...they will not ask whether God exists."
"They will ask only..."
"...what the visitors require of them."
The meeting ended as suddenly as it had begun