by Tj Dixon
“If we found Misty’s soul after the war and you had enough power, could you resurrect her?” Yu Kii asks.
“It depends how much her soul has changed. Finding her soul is impossible though.” I answer.
“I will become your miko if you agree to save Misty if it is within your power after the war.” Yu Kii tells me.
“Sorry, but I refuse to let you trade your future for the sake of a hopeless gamble.” I tell her.
“But you need power!” Yu Kii pleads.
“You’re my friend. I’m not going to trade that friendship for power.” I tell her.
“I’m begging you!” Yu Kii pleads. Then she kneels and places her head on the cold stone floor. “Save Misty… please!”
“If it is within my power after the war I will, but it truly is hopeless.” I tell her.
“Then I’ll become your miko.” Yu Kii says.
“I refuse. You’ll help Rin instead.” I tell her. She raises her head and looks up at me with tears in her eyes.
“Am I really no good?” Yu Kii asks.
“That’s not it. I just told you. You’re my friend.” I remind her.
“Aren’t Hermes and Midori?” Yu Kii asks.
“Well they are, but that was different. I didn’t offer them anything in return. I just asked for their help.” I tell her.
“So if I had just offered without asking for anything in return you would have accepted?” Yu Kii asks.
“Yes.” I answer honestly. “But then I would have refused your request to save Misty. Not that it makes much difference without even knowing where her soul is.”
“Sorry to interrupt, but did you need me?” Rin’s mother asks from the doorway. The room behind her is filled with green smoke. She is wearing white mage robes.
“Yes. Juliet is under a powerful sleep enchantment, but it’s trapped so she’ll die if it is removed carelessly.” I tell Rin’s mother and hold Juliet closer so she can take a proper look.
“It’s a really nasty enchantment. I see the trap but it isn’t going to be easy to remove. It will probably take a few hours of very careful work. The other project will have to wait until I’ve safely woken Juliet. I’ll need someone to make sure we’re not disturbed.” Rin’s mother says.
“Do you have everything you need?” I ask.
“Yes.” She replies.
“Yu Kii will wait out here and ensure you aren’t disturbed. Hermes, I’m sure you both have plenty to talk about so please keep Yu Kii company. Let me know as soon as Juliet is awake though, because I have urgent questions for her.” I say.
“I’ll let you know the moment she’s awake.” Hermes says enthusiastically.
“By the way, why is Yu Kii on her knees?” Rin’s mother asks suspiciously.
“Because she was desperate for a miracle.” I answer.
“And what price did you ask from her?” Rin’s mother asks clearly still suspicious.
“Only that she helps you.” I say quickly.
“Oh, that’s fine then.” Rin’s mother says sounding relieved.
“You don’t have to be that suspicious of me. I am still Peter even if I look like this.” I tell her.
“You may still be Peter, but you have definitely been acting differently to how Peter would have acted before.” Rin’s mother says.
“It can’t be helped if I’ve changed a bit. I did get my memories back. Anyway, please save Juliet.” I ask and bow my head down.
“Of course.” Rin’s mother says and takes the young girl from my arms. “And Yu Kii, we’ll talk later.”
“There are lots more people to wake. The others are angels though.” I say.
“I’ll do my best but if they aren’t human it will be much more difficult.” Rin’s mother says.
“For now focus on Juliet, then waking the others and then the other project. If waking the others seems impossible let me know though.” I tell her.
“I will.” Rin’s mother says.
“Midori, come with me.” I say and lead the way back to my private room with Midori a couple of steps behind me. We pass the empty throne room, then through the illusionary wall into the tunnel and then enter the private room. I lie on the bed and indicate for Midori to lie beside me. Only when we are resting side by side do I let out a long sigh and look to Midori. “Was I too harsh on Yu Kii?”
“No. You were very kind to her.” Midori says but she looks like she is holding back.
“Just say it. You should know that you can’t deceive me.” I tell her.
“Was it wise to give her hope?” Midori asks apologetically.
“No, but there’s no time for her to accept Misty’s death. If this lets her continue then so be it. There was something else though, so continue.” I say.
“Although I’m relieved not to have another rival you should have accepted her as your miko.” Midori says.
“She’s already been a miko before and she hated it. I don’t want my friends to be forced into a life they hate.” I tell Midori.
“But having been a miko before means she would have been useful. She already knows a lot of what you’ve taught us.” Midori says.
“Everything you say is true and if she hadn’t been a friend I would have accepted her as my miko even if I knew she would regret it for the rest of her life.” I say.
“Then why not take one of the Kuroneko’s miko?” Midori asks.
“We’re allies. Taking another god’s miko is the same as declaring war. Never suggest this again.” I tell Midori.
“I’m sorry.” Midori says.
“There’s nothing to be sorry about, but I don’t want to fight Kuro. She’s a friend too even if we hadn’t see each other for a while.” I say.
“If Yu Kii isn’t your miko will Kuro really…” Midori starts to say.
“Don’t call her Kuro. You’ll cause trouble for me if you do. You can use her informal name ‘Kuroneko’ or her formal title ‘the Kuroneko’, but never shorten her name to Kuro.” I warn Midori.
“I’m sorry.” Midori says quickly.
“Just continue.” I tell her.
“Will the Kuroneko leave Yu Kii alone if Yu Kii isn’t your miko?” Midori asks.
“I declared her and her sister mine, so even if they aren’t miko taking either of them back would mean declaring war on me.” I tell Midori.
“Even if the Kuroneko was your friend, can she truly be trusted?” Midori asks.
“Yes. Kuro can definitely be trusted.” I declare.
“I hope you’re right.” Midori says.
“I am.” I say and stroke her hair. “That’s one thing we don’t need to worry about.”
Chapter 6 (Peter)
“Juliet.” I say relieved to see her awake and safe. Her uniform is a bit torn in places but she appears physically unharmed. Everyone else is waiting outside whilst Juliet is sitting on a long stone workbench. She is eyelevel with me just a foot away.
“Misty… Danger.” Juliet says with tears welling up in her eyes.
“I’m sorry, but Misty was killed.” I tell Juliet.
“Know that. Soul. Danger.” Juliet says.
“Do you know where her soul is?” I ask in shock.
“Ritual sacrifice. Innermost hell. Demon. Lord.” Juliet says in a panicked rush and her words are enough to fill my heart with fear.
“They sacrificed her to try to summon the demon lord of the innermost hell. Maou Ferdinand? Is that what you are saying?” I ask.
“Yes.” Juliet nods.
“But the ritual failed?” I ask.
“…”
“It didn’t fail?” I ask.
“Yes. No. Soul taken.” Juliet tells me.
“So her soul was taken but Ferdinand refused to agree to a contract?” I ask.
“Yes.” Juliet says.
“How do you know this and why were they treating you like an angel?” I ask.
“Hades. Close sister.” Juliet tells me. Although it’s a shock it explains a lot. For exampl
e her often short sentences are probably because she is still learning the Contractian language. Human common sense and emotions are also very difficult for a young angel to understand.
“Did Hades send you here?” I ask.
“Yes.” Juliet answers looking worried but then her expression hardens. “Misty. Save.”
“Are you fallen?” I ask.
“Not yet.” Juliet answers.
“So you understand that you will fall if you continue down this path.” I say and Juliet nods even though it wasn’t really a question. “The demon lord of the innermost hell, Maou Ferdinand, is already an enemy I was planning to kill. If he took a soul from a ritual he would keep it as a prize and a toy for a while before eating it. There’s no guarantee that we will be able to save Misty before he eats her soul though, so are you still prepared to sacrifice your place in heaven for Misty?”
“Yes.” Juliet says.
“Why does an angel care so much for a human?”
“Friend.” Juliet says and I smile. It’s a reason I understand well.
“Then let us walk down this path together, though I fear Hades will punish us even if Azrael and Maou Ferdinand fail to end our lives.” I say and Juliet nods.
“Father too.” Juliet says.
“Do you still have much mana in your reserves?” I ask Juliet.
“Yes. Can’t access. Body weak.” Juliet says.
“Are you able to change into your real body when the time comes?” I ask.
“Yes.” Juliet says.
“Remain like this until the last moment to preserve your mana reserves.” I say.
“Could harvest.” Juliet says.
“We will not be harvesting human souls.” I tell her firmly.
“Goblin souls. Demon souls. Monster souls.” Juliet says and I wonder why the thought never occurred to me. Actually thinking about it the idea did occur to me but I dismissed it because harvesting dirty souls is so unpleasant. For the sake of our friends though I must do whatever it takes. There’s no getting around it now Juliet has suggested it. I can’t continue to turn a blind eye to this solution.
“That would work. Once you start harvesting souls though, there will be no turning back. You will be a fallen angel.” I warn Juliet.
“Understand.” Juliet tells me with a fire in her eyes that seems to say there is already no turning back for her.
“We need to save the rest of our friends at the academy first. Saving Misty will have to come after that.” I tell Juliet.
“Now?” Juliet asks.
“No. The shield is still up around the academy. It will probably fall in the next few days. That’s when we need to intervene.” I tell her.
“Harvest now?” Juliet asks.
“We should discuss with Kuro first. I’d like to combine harvesting goblin souls and weakening the enemy.” I answer.
“Kuro?” Juliet asks.
“Kuro is a cat god and my friend.” I explain.
“Trust?” Juliet asks.
“Yes.” I reply.
“Harvest together?” Juliet asks.
“Yes.” Kuro replies from right behind me. She’s in catgirl form.
“When did you get here?!” I exclaim.
“I was happy when you called me your friend.” Kuro purrs ignoring my question.
“Well of course we’re friends.” I say.
“I’m not eating dirty goblin souls but I’ll help you hunt them.” Kuro tells me.
“Thank you.” I tell her.
“When you go to hell you had better come back.” Kuro warns me. I can’t lie to her though so I find myself unable to answer.
“We will… be back.” Juliet says.
“Peter…?” Kuro asks darkly.
“We’d better start hunting.” I say pointedly ignoring her question.
“Peter, promise me you’ll be coming back.” Kuro tells me placing both hands on my shoulders and glaring straight into my eyes. Right now she reminds me of Rin so much that it is uncanny.
“I can’t promise that. You should already know how dangerous it will be. The more power I have though the safer it will be.” I tell her.
“Then don’t go with just two of you.” Kuro tells me.
“Who else would voluntarily enter hell? You?” I ask.
“Perhaps, or one of your friends in that school.” Kuro answers.
“They’re just humans. They’d die for sure if they went with me.” I tell Kuro.
“One of them is a lesser god.” Kuro tells me. I blink in disbelief. “I made Sor a god.”
“Why?” I ask in utter bewilderment.
“She let me taste her soul. It was delicious.” Kuro says licking her lips. “I thought she’d die, but she survived so I had to keep my promise.”
“Even if she is a god, unless she has enough followers she’s not much different to a human. I suppose Emi would follow her, but I wonder whether anyone else would.” I say.
“They do.” Juliet says.
“How many?” I ask.
“Not sure.” Juliet answers.
“I’m still not convinced that taking a new lesser god would make much difference when Ferdinand has already killed true gods.” I say dubiously.
“Aren’t you just a new lesser god too?” Kuro asks.
“I was at least an arch angel before I became a god.” I remind her.
“That girl may be new but she was strong enough to survive having her soul torn apart.” Kuro tells me.
“Even if she is strong I doubt she’d agree to enter hell with us.” I tell Kuro.
“She might. Ferdinand did kill her mother.” Kuro tells me.
“Are you sure? Does she know?” I ask in shock.
“Yes and yes.” Kuro answers with a smug grin.
“Then she probably would agree. She might even follow us if we go without her.” I admit.
“Then you’ll take her?” Kuro asks.
“Yes if she agrees and she’s able to, but I still can’t promise to return.” I answer.
“Harvesting all the goblins of the empire should give you plenty of power.” Kuro tells me.
“All? I doubt they are even all in this world.” I reply.
“With Sor you could travel to all the worlds of the empire without using that much power.” Kuro tells me.
“We don’t have much time and there are powerful enemies in the empire.” I remind Kuro.
“Since when did that ever stop the Sky Lord?” Kuro asks with a laugh. “I’ll even help you.”
“Let’s start by hunting the goblins of this world, but make sure your people are keeping an eye on the academy and that this place stays safe as well.” I say.
“They are and if this place is attacked I’ll know. After that time my people were captured by the empire and used as hostages I have taken more precautions to keep them safe.” Kuro says.
“Then let’s start the hunt.” I declare and as an afterthought send a quick one way message to Hermes and Midori through our soul connection. “I’m going hunting. Juliet and Kuro too. Wait at the temple.”
“Where?” Juliet asks.
“I can smell the stench of the goblin souls so I’ll shift us to them. You can both focus on devouring their souls. I’ll deal with any strong foes, but I will not show mercy to the enemy even if they are human.” Kuro says.
“That’s fine. Juliet, assume your true form.” I say and watch as Juliet’s childish typical Contractian body is wrapped in flames and turns to ash. From the ash her true body rises just like the ‘phoenix’ of her last name.
Like me she has spiked green leather wings and a green metal tail with a sharp spike at the end, capable of impaling and stealing the soul of even a demon. She also has the same white bone claws that I have on my feet, sharp and strong enough to cut metal, instead of toes and fingers. Green scales like armour cover her human shaped body but if I didn’t know she was female I would assume she was male.
Her burning red eyes of fire are the only significant
difference between her true body and mine. Mine are formed of hotter blue flames because I was an arch angel. Of course right now there is one other difference too. I still have human, well dwarven, arms and hands.
“I’m ready. Let’s devour goblin souls until there are none left.” Juliet says. It takes a moment to realise that she isn’t using Contractian but rather our native language.
“Rather you than me.” Kuro says and shifts us just outside Utopia Camerona right in the middle of a goblin encampment.
Kuro grabs a shocked looking black haired human man by the throat and crushes it in an instant before throwing his lifeless corpse to the ground. Everyone else around seems to be a goblin so I let loose my favourite attack from my days as the Sky Lord. Soul thief, basically black soul stealer lightning.
Juliet uses black soul stealer lightning too, but unlike my signature attack hers is still fairly weak because this is her first time using it. The gods banned its use because it was soul stealer magic that gave Azrael and his allies the strength to rebel against the gods. Even using it once means ‘falling’. In other words being cast down by the gods and banned from the divine realms. Most importantly though it means being cut off from your god’s mana supply.
I feel the dirty goblin souls sucked out by my attack enter my own soul. Far harder than killing the goblins is purifying their souls to avoid poisoning myself. I look over at Juliet but her weaker attack is an advantage. She seems easily able to purify the souls entering her without any problem.
It is over so quickly that the goblins don’t even have time to counterattack. Once I have finished purifying their souls and draining them almost entirely I release what is left of their powerless souls. I look around at the goblin corpses and at the gap I accidentally created in the city wall when Rin had been killed.
“Are you ready?” Kuro asks.
“I am. What about you, Juliet?” I ask.
“All done.” Juliet tells me with a smile.
“Wait, did you remember to release their purified and drained souls?” I ask.
“Isn’t it better to keep everything?” Juliet asks.
“No. If you release the very last part of their soul they can eventually reincarnate and it actually uses more power to completely consume their soul than it does to release the last part.” I tell her.
