Free Web NovelChapter 345: Diagnosing The Middle East Situation
The afternoon sun hung high above the city, washing the crowded boulevard in a golden haze. Traffic moved slowly toward a heavily fortified checkpoint where concrete barriers divided the road into narrow lanes.
Armed men dressed in black kaftans with crimson scarves covering the lower halves of their faces stood in disciplined rows, their curved scimitars hanging from ornate belts while modern rifles rested comfortably against their shoulders. Every arriving vehicle was ordered to stop, and every passenger was instructed to step outside.
From the second floor of an expensive restaurant overlooking the checkpoint, Damian sat comfortably inside a private VIP room enclosed by floor to ceiling glass. The table before him held untouched plates of Lebanese food while a glass of champagne rested loosely between his fingers.
Rah occupied the seat to his right with one leg crossed elegantly over the other. Loth stood quietly beside the window with her arms folded, while Linda remained seated opposite Damian, her eyes fixed uneasily on the checkpoint below. Rin lay comfortably across Damian’s lap, lazily flicking his tails as though they were watching a stage performance.
"I thought you said they were deeply rooted," Damian said calmly without taking his eyes off the scene outside.
"They are," Linda answered quietly. "You’re looking at one of their regional inspection points."
Below them, another family reached the checkpoint.
A woman carrying an infant stepped forward first while two masked men took her luggage without asking permission. They emptied every piece onto a long inspection table. Clothes, passports, medication, children’s toys and family photographs were scattered carelessly while another member searched every compartment with practiced efficiency.
Nothing was found.
The bags were repacked with far less care than they had been unpacked and the family was waved through without a word.
A second vehicle rolled forward.
This time the inspection lasted longer. Three men were ordered out before another pair of Blood Dunes members searched beneath the vehicle using mirrors attached to long poles. One opened the trunk while another dismantled interior panels with remarkable speed.
"They’re looking for weapons?" Damian asked.
Linda slowly shook her head.
"No. They’re looking for anyone they don’t recognize."
Damian’s expression remained unreadable as he watched another traveler approached on foot carrying only a medium sized suitcase.
One of the masked men took his passport. He studied it briefly, looked at the traveler and then back at the passport. The man’s posture immediately stiffened and within seconds, three more Blood Dunes members surrounded him.
The traveler raised both hands instinctively.
"I don’t understand..." He said in e flush.
One of the masked men spoke several words sharply.
"I... I don’t speak..." The traveler hesitated.
That was all he managed to say.
Immediately one of the men grabbed his shoulder while another snatched away his suitcase. The passport disappeared into someone’s robes as though it had never existed.
"They’ve identified he isn’t Arab," Linda said quietly.
The traveler tried explaining something but nobody listened. His arms were twisted behind his back before he was shoved toward a waiting black SUV parked beside the checkpoint.
People waiting nearby watched silently but not a single person intervened. Not even the man’s cries changed anything.
The rear door opened and he was forced inside. The vehicle drove away less than thirty seconds later.
Damian watched the entire sequence without saying a word.
"What happens to him?" Loth finally asked.
Linda remained silent for several moments.
"If he’s lucky he’ll only be interrogated."
Damian raised a brow and asked.
"And if he isn’t?"
Linda slowly closed her eyes.
"No one asks where those people go."
Damian continued watching the checkpoint in silence while another vehicle rolled forward. The inspection was no different from the last. Passengers were ordered out without explanation, luggage was emptied onto long metal tables, identification papers were examined repeatedly and anyone who looked even slightly unfamiliar received noticeably harsher treatment.
The people waiting in line no longer appeared irritated. They simply stood quietly with lowered heads, as though this had become another ordinary part of life.
He was not particularly surprised.
Just days ago, Lebanon was the primary battlegrounds between the Blood Dunes, Los Hijos del Angelito Negro, and the Church. To the outside world, it looked like a struggle between countries. But in reality, it was a contest over faith itself. Wrath had ruled this region, and now two powerful forces had begun challenging that authority simultaneously.
It was only natural that paranoia had spread through every level of the Blood Dunes until suspicion became the foundation of their rule.
Unfortunately for them, paranoia had consequences.
The atmosphere hanging over the streets was so oppressive that even ordinary civilians seemed afraid to breathe too loudly. The very organization claiming to protect the people had gradually become the source of their fear.
Damian’s lips slowly curled upward.
"My big brother doesn’t seem very bright."
Rah and Loth looked toward him while Linda frowned in confusion.Only Rin seemed to understand where Damian’s thoughts were heading.
"There has never really been a brilliant Sin of Wrath since the passing of the original Azazel." Rin said thoughtfully while lazily flicking one of his tails. "If not for that fatal flaw, Wrath would probably be the strongest among the seven."
Damian gave a slow nod before returning his attention to the checkpoint outside.
Another man was being questioned while his family stood nervously while armed men searched every belonging they possessed. A mischievous gleam gradually appeared in his eyes.
"So..." Linda finally spoke, unable to suppress her curiosity any longer. "What’s the plan?"
Everyone turned toward Damian.
For five exhausting months, the Church had fought tirelessly to establish influence throughout this region. They had sent missionaries and even members of the order of Moses to combat the tyrant cult
Despite all that their progress had been painfully slow. She could not imagine how one man intended to succeed where an organization centuries old had struggled.
Damian remained quiet for several moments before speaking.
"The problem is that you keep bringing people something they cannot recognize."
Linda frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"You arrived preaching Heaven to a people already have a god."
His eyes settled upon the frightened civilians waiting to be searched.
"The problem isn’t that they lack faith. They already believe. The problem is that the deity they believe in has become ruthless. He has forgotten why people chose him in the first place. So...I’ll simply become a much better god."
Damian smiled as he watched another child cling tightly to his mother’s hand while armed men searched their luggage.
Linda remained silent. She had never heard the situation described that way before.
"We won’t ask them to abandon faith, we’ll give them a familair alternative."
A grin spread across the Rin’s face as he added.
"A far more benevolent alternative."
The moment those words left his mouth, both Damian and Rin looked at each other before simultaneously breaking into quiet, thoroughly sinister giggles. The eerie synchronization between the two was unsettling enough that even Rah instinctively shook her head.
"The bond between Princes and their Soul beasts will never not be weird. " she muttered.
Loth silently agreed.
