by Tj Dixon
“I still think we should eat those sleeping angels. Who knows how long it will take to wake them or even if we can? Their power is much greater than everything you got from those filthy goblin souls. They’d taste much nicer too.” Kuro says.
“I know, but we’re not going to eat them. Rin’s mother will wake them. I trust her skills and her heart. There is absolutely no chance in my mind that she’ll fail. As for the mana we need, we’ll have demon souls to munch on soon enough.” I tell Kuro.
“I can’t wait.” Kuro says holding her nose as if she can already smell the demonic filth.
“Don’t worry. You don’t need to push yourself too hard.” I tell Kuro.
“You may have coped with goblin filth, but the demons are a completely different matter.” Kuro warns me.
“I’ll be ok.” I assure her.
“If you get corrupted we’ll all die.” Kuro warns me.
“I don’t plan to get corrupted. I may have been a bit rusty but the vast amounts of goblin souls I’ve purified have gotten me back into practise.” I tell Kuro.
“You still claim to be that human boy, yet you can talk about our hunt so easily. You may not be the same as the Sky Lord I once knew, but you’re definitely not the same as that little human either.” Kuro says.
“The thing with killing is that the more you do it the easier it becomes. You become numb to it. Even the human boy killed plenty of goblins and other monsters. I don’t plan to become numb to killing humans again though. I will massacre goblins and demons even if it means creating oceans of their blood, but I will not stain my hands in a sea of human blood. That doesn’t mean that I won’t kill humans, but I promise to the boy I once was and to my friends, that I will not become a monster that slaughters humans without feeling anything. I will kill when I must to protect my friends, my comrades and the future we seek. That is all.” I tell Kuro.
“I wonder whether you’ll be able to keep that promise.” Kuro says.
“I will keep it whether I’m able to or not.” I tell Kuro who laughs.
“You sound just like that boy when you say it like that.” Kuro tells me.
“I am that boy.” I tell her.
“It’s not that boy that I like, but I can understand why those human girls like him.” Kuro tells me. Then she looks at me seriously. “But I wonder how many of those girls could forgive and continue to like you if they knew your past.”
“I don’t know.” I tell Kuro honestly. Then I frown. “But what is it that you like about me? Why are you helping me?”
“Perhaps to repay a favour, or perhaps because it’s in my best interest. Azrael is no friend of mine. Or perhaps I just enjoy the hunt.” Kuro tells me.
“I suppose I didn’t really expect a proper answer.” I tell Kuro.
“That’s good, because you’re not going to get one.” Kuro tells me and shifts away.
“I should know better than to intrude on Kuro’s thoughts.” I think aloud. I look at Midori spread out on the bed beside me with a smile on her face. I suppose I should rest a bit more before I summon Hermes. I close my eyes and find myself drifting off to sleep. I don’t fight the sleep though. I’m just too tired.
I wake to find Midori still lying beside me, but she’s awake now and is watching me.
“Good morning.” Midori says happily as she sees I’m awake.
“Good morning.” I reply.
“I feel great. It feels like I could do some really powerful magic.” Midori says.
“You could, but unless it’s absolutely necessary please don’t.” I tell her.
“Don’t worry. I’ll save it all for you.” Midori says with a grin.
“It seems strengthening your soul turned you into my angel.” I tell Midori.
“What does that actually mean?” Midori asks.
“It’s mostly just an indication of your strength and how closely connected we are. You were already immortal so there’s no change there. It also means that you’re a little more like me though, since I am an arch angel in addition to being a god.” I tell Midori.
“So are you getting much mana from me?” Midori asks.
“None at the moment. I’m going to leave the mana in you for a while longer to ensure your soul is as strong as possible.” I tell Midori.
“So is it Hermes next or Neko?” Midori asks.
“Hermes.” I reply.
“Should I leave you?” Midori asks.
“For now. I’m sure Hermes would like a little privacy.” I answer.
“Am I ok to port?” Midori asks.
“Yes as long as it isn’t far.” I answer.
“Ok, but if there’s anything you need I’ll be happy to help.” Midori says and ports away. As soon as she ports though there’s a knock on the wall beside the illusionary wall at the room’s entrance.
“Who’s there?” I ask.
“It’s me.” Rin answers.
“Come in.” I tell her. Rin walks through the illusionary wall at the entrance.
“All alone?” Rin asks.
“Yes. Midori just left.” I answer.
“Have fun?” Rin asks darkly.
“Just to be clear but I haven’t done anything like what you’re thinking of with any of my miko.” I tell Rin.
“What about with anyone else?” Rin asks raising her right eyebrow.
“No.” I reply.
“Then what was I thinking about?” Rin asks.
“Do I really need to spell it out to you?” I ask.
“I suppose not.” Rin says and blushes slightly even though she was the one who brought it up. “I came here to tell you that we’ve worked out how to wake the angels.”
“How? How long will it take?” I ask.
“The problem is that we need an intact empty demon soul stone to wake each angel.” Rin tells me.
“So we need one per angel?” I ask just to be sure.
“Yes. Since you’re going to be going to hell you should be able to get them easily enough.” Rin says.
“Easy for you to say. Do you have any idea how hard it is to find an empty one?” I ask.
“No, but surely there must be enough if you’re going to be conquering an entire hell.” Rin says.
“I’ll see what I can do, but I doubt I’ll be able to get enough for every angel. Isn’t there some way you can reuse them?” I ask.
“No. Even if everything works perfectly the soul stone will be destroyed in the process.” Rin tells me.
“It’s like one of your mother’s jobs from when we were still at the academy.” I tell Rin with a sigh.
“Except that you’re not taking us with you.” Rin says sounding a little sad.
“I wish I could but you’d die before we even got there.” I tell her.
“Just make sure you don’t die.” Rin says.
“If I do die I’ll probably just come back to life again.” I joke.
“I suppose that’s true.” Rin laughs quietly. Then she looks me in the eye. “After the war is over… what are your plans?”
“Until Azrael is dead and we’ve somehow survived I can’t really make many plans for after the war. I’ll need to start a country somewhere though, or we’ll never be safe. Azrael isn’t the only evil person out there and even some of the good people may have reasons to try to kill us.” I tell Rin.
“So any idea where you’ll start this country?” Rin asks.
“It depends how the war ends. If Contractia becomes our enemy it could get awkward. Whether the elves and dwarves decide to join us will be important too.” I tell her.
“So right now you have no idea?” Rin asks.
“None.” I agree.
“Don’t let anyone else know that. Right now they believe in you. They’ll lose faith if they hear you talking like this.” Rin warns me.
“I don’t think anyone would be confident if they were about to face all the demons of hell.” I tell Rin.
“It’s only one hell though.” Rin reminds me.
> “That’s fine then.” I say.
“It was your plan.” Rin reminds me.
“I know and I still think it will work. In fact it’s probably the only plan that would work. That doesn’t mean I’m happy about it though. I’m a fire arch angel even if I’m aligned more closely with the wind element. As a fire angel my soul is at its best in hot places. The hell I’m about to conquer is as far removed from hot as it’s possible to be. That puts me at a huge disadvantage.” I tell Rin.
“Then don’t go.” Rin says.
“I just told you it’s the only plan that will work. If I don’t go we’ll all die.” I tell Rin.
“Why is conquering the ice hell so important?” Rin asks.
“Because it’s where Azrael will retreat to if he feels he’s losing badly enough. The possibility of defeating him and Ferdinand at the same time in that place is exactly zero.” I tell Rin.
“If he retreats there can’t you just wait for him to return?” Rin asks.
“Right now he knows that I’m recovering but he doesn’t see me as an immediate threat. To beat him I need to use the element of surprise. I can only do that once. It may not be impossible to beat him a second time but it is unlikely. I’m far weaker than I once was and he’s far stronger. If hell doesn’t kill me it will make me stronger, but that’s true for Azrael too.” I tell Rin.
“So you have no choice?” Rin asks.
“That’s right.” I answer.
“Then good luck and don’t you dare die. If you can’t get the soul stones don’t worry too much. We’ll just have to find another way.” Rin tells me.
“I’ll do what I can.” I tell her. Then there’s another knock on the wall. “Who is it?”
“It’s Dairon.” Dairon calls out from the other side of the illusionary wall.
“It must be about the dragon.” I say with a sigh.
“You’re killing a dragon?” Rin asks.
“No. Come in!” I call out. Dairon enters with Sakura on his right shoulder. Elucia enters behind him with Lucy on her right shoulder. “Lucy too?”
“Yes.” Lucy says with an odd expression.
“Have you reconsidered about the dragon?” Dairon asks.
“The answer is still no.” I tell Dairon bluntly.
“About that dragon…” Lucy says and takes a deep breath. “It killed my friends and my comrades. I want it dead.”
“I understand, but I’m not killing it.” I tell Lucy.
“Why not?” Lucy asks.
“I have my reasons.” I tell Lucy.
“But you can’t tell me?” Lucy asks.
“Not until after the war anyway.” I tell her.
“Will you be willing to kill it after the war?” Lucy asks.
“No.” I tell her.
“I see. If it was Rin, Hermes, Yu Kii, Midori and the rest of your friends here that it had killed, would you kill it?” Lucy asks.
“Perhaps, but it isn’t.” I tell Lucy.
“So can you imagine how I feel about it?” Lucy asks angrily.
“Right now attacking the dragon would risk winning the war for Azrael.” I tell Lucy.
“And after the war?” Lucy asks.
“I’ll tell you after the war.” I answer.
“And I’m just supposed to happily accept that?” Lucy asks.
“I don’t expect you to be happy about it but unless your grudge is more important than winning the war I expect you to accept it. If you don’t like my answer after the war you can kill me then.” I tell Lucy.
“Hey!” Rin exclaims.
“You’re that serious?” Lucy asks.
“Yes.” I tell her.
“Don’t think I won’t take you up on that offer just because of my feelings for you. They are strong, but so are my feelings for my murdered comrades.” Lucy warns me.
“I wouldn’t make the offer if I wasn’t serious.” I tell her.
“Then I’ll wait. I’ve waited this long. It doesn’t solve your faery problem though.” Lucy reminds me.
“The faeries will just have to choose their side when the time comes. Sor can help Dairon persuade the elves to join our cause even without the faeries. If Dairon already has the loyalty of the elven tribes it will be very difficult for the faeries to refuse. That is especially true after they set a task that should be impossible.” I say.
“How will Dairon convince the elves?” Lucy asks.
“I’ll leave that up to Dairon. If he is the elven king it’s his job to convince his people to follow him.” I answer.
“Aren’t you being rude?” Elucia asks.
“I’m just saying the truth.” I tell her.
“But talking about Dairon like that whilst he’s standing right here is rude.” Elucia says.
“Then aren’t you being rude too?” I ask.
“But I... It’s not like that. I’m just speaking up on Dairon’s behalf.” Elucia protests.
“Dairon, will you convince the elves to join you?” I ask ignoring Elucia.
“I will, but don’t you need Sor to help you?” Dairon asks.
“Sor only needs to take us to the gate. She can come straight back. It will only be Kuro, Juliet and me going through the gate. Sor wasn’t happy about it but she agreed on the condition that I bring her Ferdinand’s head.” I answer.
“Then with Sor and Sakura’s help I’ll convince my people.” Dairon says.
“Then I’ll leave that to you.” I tell him.
“When this war is over I too would like to hear your reason for not killing the dragon.” Dairon says.
“Fine, but we need to win the war first.” I remind him.
“Also, Elucia had a point.” Dairon tells me.
“That may be true, but you should have been the one to say it. If you are a king, then act like one or your people will not follow.” I warn Dairon. Elucia glares at me. Since when did she feel that way about Dairon?
Chapter 14 (Peter)
Finally alone again I lie face down on my large red bed. Rin was the last to leave but Dairon and the others didn’t leave much before Rin. It would have been good to have chatted with Rin but Dairon and Lucy put me in a bad mood. I’m glad Dairon decided to become king of the elves, but his being a king makes talking to him harder. I can’t forget that my conversations with him are negotiations with a foreign nation.
I would get more power if I had one or more of my miko lying beside me but right now I just want to be alone. So naturally there is another knock on the door. I peer through the door rather than asking who is there, and realise Yu Kii is standing there nervously in her school uniform. If she was here to talk about alchemy wouldn’t Rin have dealt with whatever she needed? So why is Yu Kii here?
“Come in!” I call out to her.
“Thank you.” Yu Kii says as she enters. “It’s good to see you again.”
“It’s good to see you too.” I reply.
“I still can’t get used to how different you look though.” Yu Kii says nervously.
“Don’t worry, I’m still me. So how are you coping with life here at your former god’s temple?” I ask.
“It’s fine here. The Kuroneko’s followers respect that I’m no longer her miko.” Yu Kii says.
“And how’s the alchemy going?” I ask.
“Rin’s mother came up with a solution to the angel problem, but I’m sure Rin told you about that.” Yu Kii says.
“She did. So can I help you in any way?” I ask.
“Please make me your miko.” Yu Kii says seriously.
“I told you no before.” I remind her.
“I know, but even so, please make me your miko.” Yu Kii says with a deep bow.
“Why?” I ask.
“I want to help you, but I also want to help keep my little sister safe.” Yu Kii says.
“You are helping.” I remind her.
“I know, but I can help more as a miko.” Yu Kii says.
“Didn’t you hate being a miko before?” I ask, unable
to deny her words.
“Yes, but that was different. I don’t want to be the Kuroneko’s miko. I want to be yours.” Yu Kii says.
“Even so, won’t you regret it?” I ask.
“No and even if I do, I’d regret not becoming your miko more. You asked Aventurine and Asuna, as well as allowing Neko, Hermes and Midori to become your miko. Please accept me too.” Yu Kii says looking me in the eyes without a trace of doubt in her mind, body or soul.
“If you’re truly serious, then prove it and I’ll accept you as my miko. You already know what it means to be a miko, so you already know how to prove it.” I tell Yu Kii.
“I need to dance, right?” Yu Kii asks.
“Yes and it needs to be the real thing.” I tell her.
“Of course.” Yu Kii says and starts to unbutton her shirt. I look away as she continues to undress. Yu Kii already knows how to form her spirit clothes so I don’t need to teach her. As a former miko she also understands what she needs to do to become my miko, so I can at least respect her privacy this much.
“Let me know when you’re ready.” I tell Yu Kii.
“I will do. Just a minute please.” Yu Kii says. Unlike Midori who might have insisted on having me watch, Yu Kii is more than happy to let me respect her privacy. In fact she sounds quite relieved. “I’m ready.”
I turn and see Yu Kii wearing her spirit clothes. They’re like a dress but with a white layer on top and a red layer beneath. There are diamond patterned holes in the white layer, which is also sleeveless, allowing the red layer to show through the holes and leaving the sleeves of the red layer in plain sight.
“Those are the spirit clothes you wore for Kuro. You’ve seen the uniform that my miko wear so please change your uniform to match.” I tell Yu Kii.
Yu Kii closes her eyes. The red layer of her uniform turns white without changing shape. Then the two layers blend together and the sides separate to form the side slits of my miko’s uniform. The white bandage like underwear is already formed but now I can see it. Then a red sash forms just above Yu Kii’s waist.
“Is this right?” Yu Kii asks as she opens her eyes.
“Yes. That’s correct.” I answer.
“Are you ready for me to dance?” Yu Kii asks.
“Yes, please do, but not Kuro’s dance.” I tell her.
