Rias had offered him peerage.
He had dismissed Orpheus and almost immediately after the red-haired devil had offered him a place by her side. He had refused. From what they had told him about peerages, it was an unattractive prospect. It almost resembled feudalism in a way, with lesser nobles supporting a higher noble or a king. Despite what they may have thought, he was not unfamiliar with the concept. The ruler gave the nobles titles and land, and in return they brought themselves and their retinues to serve in his army. It was much the same with peerages. Perhaps that was why a second name for them was dukedom.
He had no wish to be bound to a king or ruler. Rias treated her servants well, he was sure of that, but nonetheless he had no desire to serve under her. So he had refused, and shortly after he had refused, Sona had offered him peerage as well.
The look of betrayal on Rias's face when her rival proposed the exact same conditions she did mere seconds ago had almost been worth it. Almost.
He had declined Sona's offer as well, of course. With Rias, at least he knew her to some extent. Sona had been a stranger barely hours ago, and had come only to explain what they were. If he would not join Rias's peerage, then he certainly wouldn't join Sona's.
He had refused both of them politely, but somehow, he knew it would not be last time this subject was brought up.
He was proven correct when the next day Akeno and Rias met him at the academy gates wearing dazzling smiles. The sudden feeling of doom that welled up within him was only exacerbated when both girls promptly took one of his arms in theirs and forcibly guided him into the school.
He had received a fair share of death glares before when he was seen with Yukari in Gekkoukan High, and later when he was rumoured to be close to Mitsuru. He had thought he was well-versed in dealing with negative attention.
Oh how wrong he was.
The amount of ominous stares he was being given as the two great beauties of the school dragged him reluctantly across the courtyard was a magnitude higher than what he thought possible. If looks could kill, he would have been dead and buried a hundred times over.
At least Thanatos had been happy. The aspect of Death reveled in all things that had to do with its calling, stares that radiated premeditated murder included. Where others would have shriveled or clamped up at the glares they were being given, the Persona that represented Death positively preened under the attention.
And that had not been the worst. Not by far. After the two had deposited him in his classroom, had promised they would be back later at lunch to retrieve him, completely ignoring the look of horror he was giving them.
It had been an interesting lesson, he was forced to admit. Who knew calculus could be so exciting with half the class's population staring daggers into his back?
They were actively recruiting him, he knew. Rias had mentioned that devils often sought out humans with the most powerful Sacred Gears and recruited them into their own peerages. Sona had affirmed the same thing, and further expanded on the correlation between the power of a devil's peerage and its place in a Ranking Game. The more Sacred Gears a devil could count upon in its peerage, the better chance it had of placing high in the Ranking Game ladder. It made sense. A king's power was only as strong as his follower's after all, and history, human history, was rife with examples of great kings and the powerful nobles that supported them.
And to them, he was powerful. They did not know the extent of his power or the number of Personas he had stored away, but from what he had shown them they could make an educated guess.
He did not think it wrong for them to try and recruit him. There was nothing inherently wrong with solidifying one's power base, and that was precisely what Rias and Sona were trying to do. Kings were expected to do so to protect their realm, and those who did not made for weak kings and soon to be deposed kings. No, he did not blame them. He did find their attempts to be annoying though, and when lunch period came around he was the first one out of the classroom, seeking to travel to one of the school's lesser known areas to avoid both devils and their peerages.
That had been the plan, at least.
What he forgot to factor into the equation was Issei. Issei who had somehow managed to find him every time to regale him with stories and tales of harems. Issei who knew where all of his hiding spots were. Issei who had no doubt told Rias when she asked.
He was not surprised at all when he opened the door to find Rias and Akeno sitting formally in the room he used the most often, a blanket spread over the desks they had pushed together to make a table, and a variety of food arranged in a neat pattern on top of it. The smile Rias had given him when their eyes met had been most infuriating.
Akeno: "Ara, ara, Arisato-kun, what a coincidence. We were just talking about you."
Rias: "Indeed, howfortuitous of you to come here Arisato-san. It's as though fate has decreed that we should be together."
In his defense, he had only slammed the door mildly in their faces.
Beating a hasty retreat, he had hoped to find solace in another spot. That hope had been dashed rather brutally when he ran smack-dab into Tsubaki Shinra, who promptly detained him.
Tsubaki: "The student council president would like to peak with you"
The stern girl had declared and from the way her hand tightened over his shoulder, he knew he would have no say in the matter.
He had been frog-marched halfway to their destination before rescue came from an unlikely source. Koneko and Kiba, different as night and day, stood in the hallway, fully intending to waylay them. He actually had been curious, expecting some sort of cataclysmic mental battle to occur between rival devils from different peerages.
Nothing of the sort.
Instead, Kiba ran a hand through his hair in a roguishly dashing manner and smiled at Tsubaki.
Kiba: "Senpai, you are looking very beautiful today."
He had scoffed. As if that would work. It was the oldest trick in the book. And then he had turned to see Tsubaki's cheeks flushing a spectacular shade of crimson.
Tsubaki: "Ah… ah…T-Thank you."
He twitched. He had to remind himself that these were not the demons he was familiar with, but devils, and teenage devils at that. They were susceptible to crushes and infatuations just like any human teenager would. Still, the thought of beings aligned with Hell coming down with a case of puppy love was mildly disconcerting.
Before he had time to dwell on the subject further, Koneko had slid in and started dragging him away by the sleeve. It was only then that the older girl realized things had gone awry and made a half-hearted attempt to stop them. Kiba had immediately interjected himself between her and them and proceeded to sweet talk Tsubaki into turning further shades of red.
Interesting. The next time he faced Shadows of the Devil Arcana, perhaps he would attempt to seduce them with badly formed pick-up lines instead of the usual process of frying them with powered up Mahamaons.
Using Kiba as distraction to escape, Koneko had dragged him for a significant amount of time before they finally stopped to rest. He had regained his breath and was about to thank the girl when she gave him an unusually solemn nod and pushed him into the open room.
The door closed with a click before he could regather his wits and he knew she had locked him in.
But why would… Oh dear.
Akeno: "Ara, ara, Arisato-kun, you just keep coming back to us, don't you?"
He shuddered at the voice and turned slowly to see Akeno smiling seductively at him.
Rias: "It was meant to be, Arisato-san is merely following the path Fate decrees. He understands it is in his best interest for us to be together."
His eyes travelled down her face to her chest where a key hung from a necklace of silver chain.
Well, shit.
She followed his gaze and smirked when she realized the object of his attention.
Rias: "It is uncouth for a boy to stare at a girl's chest for so long, but if it is you, I don't mind."
He swallowed. The feeling of imminent doom returned tenfold into his mind.
The school's hospital room was not that different from Gekkoukan High's, though Kuoh Academy's was slightly more furnished. There were a few more accessories but the feel of the room was the same, as was the smell. The scent of chemicals hung heavy in the air, and he found himself disliking the artificial odor as he sat by the lone bed that was occupied.
Dissuading Rias had not been easy. She had pressed the issue quite persistently, and it was only the school bell that saved him in the end, signalling an end to lunch and for classes to resume. Never before had he felt so relieved at something all students naturally detested.
The smile she had given him before they parted ways left him far from comfortable, however, suggesting that there would be a continuance of the day's events if not after school than certainly tomorrow. It seemed that his days of going unnoticed was about to come swiftly to an end. He was sad to see it go. Peace and quiet had not come easy when he was with SEES and it looked like they were abandoning him now as well.
He counted himself lucky that he managed to avoid both Rias and Sona when the last class ended. It had been a simple matter of blending in with the flood of students heading home and then backtracking his way into campus grounds. It also meant he could do what he had intended to do at lunch, but had been unfortunately sidetracked.
He glanced sideways towards the frail figure covered in white sheets. Asia Argento, the girl that Issei had tried to save, the girl that he did save, lay before him, her chest rising and falling in sporadic patterns. It was a testament to Rias's influence with the school that the priestess was allowed to stay at all on academy grounds. In any other case she would have been rushed to a hospital, not that it would have done any good. The condition she was in could not be cured by mere medicine. It would have just brought more questions, and for beings who wished to remain hidden in human society, more questions were never a good thing.
He felt a pang of sympathy as he watched her. The girl's face was sickly pale, and beads of sweat gathered on her forehead and around her neck. She looked so incredibly weak, so extremely fragile, that he was loathe to wake her. However, it was still a better look than when he first found her, when she wore the grey pallor of death like a cloak. Now she just looked sick, and with sickness came fitful sleep, interrupted by periods of tired awareness. Such a period came now, and he watched as her eyes flickered wearily open.
Asia: "Issei?"
He fought the urge to smile.
He had heard that boy had not strayed far from Asia's side ever since she was brought in, sacrificing his own free time to remain in the same room as her to keep her company. He could at least respect him for that. More and more the pervert resembled Junpei, buffoonish and foolhardy on the outside, but tempered with steel within. When Chidori had sacrificed her life to save him, that steel had been cast into the fire and emerged as something indestructible. The slacker still retained his reckless ways, but there was a certain strength about him that had not existed before. Chidori's sacrifice had hardened him, given him something to live for besides food, women, and games.
And as it turned out, it wasn't much of a sacrifice to begin with, as shortly afterwards, Chidori somehow managed to revive herself. He had been there when Junpei received the news and had been genuinely happy for his friend. Happy enough that he did not mind when the emotional boy picked him up, crushed him to his chest, and sobbed into his shoulder.
He had honestly not expected Junpei to be capable of such emotions, and apparently neither did Junpei, for it had been an exceedingly awkward walk back towards their dorms.
They… didn't really talk about that incident anymore.
He waited until she was fully cognizant before he replied.
Minato: "No."
Asia: "Oh, I'm sorry. I thought you were Hyoudou-san at first, you are Arisato-san, aren't you? Hyoudou-san said you saved me. Thank you for that."
Minato: "You are welcome"
The girl gazed at him curiously when he said nothing more.
He frowned.
He was not good at expressing concern. It had never been his way. He preferred to listen and act only when it became necessary. It had worked for the social links. He had listened to their troubles and only responded when it became required. So where others would have made the question sound genuine with compassion, his came out strained and awkward.
Minato: "Are you… well?"
Asia: "Yes, I am weak right now, but Gremory-san says that with time I should be able to heal."
Minato: "You will not."
She turned to stare at him with wide eyes. He cursed inwardly. He had not meant to be so blunt.
Minato: "The state you are in, it is my fault. I could not heal you completely."
Asia: "Do not blame yourself, Arisato-san"
She tried to sit up, but failed even that simple motion, such was her weakness. Instead, she offered him a small smile
Asia: "I am sure you tried your best, and I am grateful for that."
Minato: "You misunderstand, when I found you, you were already dead."
The girl looked down.
Asia: "Oh"
He wished he didn't have to tell her, but she had a right to know.
Minato: "Your Sacred Gear was taken out. The process killed you."
Asia closed her eyes, and her hands clenched into fists on the bed sheet as she recollected memories she had no wish to recall.
Asia: "I remember being tied up and Issei-san coming to rescue me. And then Raynare started drawing out the Sacred Gear. It felt like something was pulling away my life force, dragging it away even as I tried to hold on, It hurt. And then everything went black."
Minato: "Yes"
The resulting silence that fell weighed like lead in his mind. He grimaced. He was not good at this consoling business.
Minato: "When I first tried to revive you, I was unsuccessful. The Light refused you."
The girl's face fell, but she nodded in understanding.
Asia: "I am not surprised, I was excommunicated by the Church. The Heavens will never accept me."
Minato: "The Church has no say whether you are accepted into Heaven or not."
She looked up at him in surprise.
Asia: "But the Church-"
Minato: "Is an institution run by men, and men have never decided who goes to Heaven. That has always been God's domain."
Asia: "That is true, so then why does the Light refuse me?"
Minato: "You broke a rule."
Asia: "A rule?"
Minato: "A law of the Heavens."
It was what Metatron had told him as they stood amongst the wreckage, he gazing up to her chained form, and it merely watching from afar.
Asia hesitated, then nodded, agreeing with him reluctantly.
Asia: "I once healed a devil, when I was still a Holy Maiden. That was why the Church excommunicated me. He was hidden as a human, and I did not know at the time. When it was finally revealed, I was called a witch and driven away by the very people I helped, I was forced to go to the Fallen Angels for safety, and Raynare took me in."
That made sense. Healing her hadn't been the problem. The cuts and bruises that were on her body were easily washed away by a simple Dia. It was the resurrection part that he could not replicate. The Light was a rigid, unbending thing. Its laws were few, but they were stringent. Break any one of them, and the Heavens would cast you down. In her case, she had broken the most important law; consorting with demonkind, and while she had done so unknowingly, the Light made no exception.
Some would decry this as unjust. Some would rage against the Heavens for enforcing such a severe decree. They would be fools. The Light was strict because it had to be strict. A stray step from the path Heaven ordained, and one risked corruption. It was how the Fallen had came to be, and he had seen the evidence of the darkness that stained their souls, both from Raynare and the Personas he housed in his mind. So while others might have pitied the girl and declared her fate to be a tragic one, he merely accepted it.
But accepting it did not mean he would not defy it. Nyx had demanded humanity accept their deaths. He defied her by having Thanatos ram its blade into her ugly, hollow face. And when she switched Arcanas, turning into monstrous form after monstrous form, he had defied her further by summoning the ultimate Personas of each of the Arcana she chose to defile. And when at last she was forced into her final form, the great shadow of the moon falling inexorably towards the Earth to bring forth the end of all creation, he had ascended time and space to defy her on that blasted, desolate landscape, with nothing but the unlimited potential of humanity at his back and the uncountable numbers of Persona in his mind.
It had been enough. Nyx was powerful. There was no denying that. But he accepted she was powerful, accepted that she was what she claimed to be, and nonetheless, defied her.
And when he stood amongst the ruins of that church, watching the unmoving body of a girl chained to a beam of broken wood, he had accepted that it was to be her fate, and nonetheless defied the Light to give her life back once more.
Metatron had almost been furious.
Asia: "If the Light couldn't help me, how did you revive me?"
He smiled at her, hoping it would reassure her.
Minato: "Not all forms of resurrection belong to angels."
Asia: "I… see."
She did not see, but he did not blame her. It was a remarkably simple explanation for a procedure that would most likely undermine her entire faith. It was also something he did not wish to fully disclose, not while he was still unsure of his place in this world and his allegiance to those that dwelled on it.
Asia: "But it worked"
She asked hopefully, and when he nodded, she pressed on
Asia: "If it worked, why do I feel so weak?"
Her eyes darted to him, widening in realization
Asia: "You said I would never recover."
Minato: "I did. Your Sacred Gear. I could not replicate it."
He had tried. Applying the same method he had used to resurrect her, he had placed the fragment of power into her body where it promptly broke into pieces. He had known that it would happen. Even before Rias and Sona explained to him the concept of Sacred Gears he had felt the diminishing aura of energy that remained in the girl's body. His guess had been close to the mark. The remnants of a weapon, forged by a power that even he could not match, concealed in the frail body of a mortal. And even as he duplicated the process of its creation, he knew that it would fail, just as he knew the resurrection itself would be partial, fleeting, incomplete.
Nevertheless, an incomplete resurrection was better than no resurrection at all, and he counted that as a victory for true resurrection had never been his intent.
Asia: "So what will become of me?"
Minato: "You will waste away. Once the last pieces of your Sacred Gear disappear, so will your life."
Asia gave him a half-smile. He admired her ability to do so. But then again, that had always been a human trait. To smile in the face of adversity.
Asia: "You make everything sound so clinical, Arisato-san."
Minato: "I am sorry, I am not used to having these conversations."
Asia: "That is alright. I think it is rather endearing."
The girl leaned back into her pillows, and gave a small cough.
Asia: "So I will die then."
Minato: "Yes, you will die. And then you will live."
She stared at him, uncomprehending.
Minato: "Tomorrow you will ask Rias to be made into a devil, and once you do die, she will resurrect you as one amongst her peerage, and you will live again, just not as a human."
Asia nodded slowly.
Asia: "Gremory-san said that if things became worse she would give me that option. Becoming a devil, that is."
Minato: "I am not surprised she did"
He replied and waited for the inevitable question to arise.
Asia: "So if I was going to die anyways, then why did you revive me?"
He gave her a patient look.
Minato: "Because you deserve a choice."
Asia: "A choice?"
He stood up to stretch, wincing slightly as a few of his joints cracked in response.
Minato: "Rias gave you that option because you are still alive. And that is why I revived you. So that you may have that option. To choose whether to live as a devil or die as a human."
The girl looked down, and he noted that her hands were now gripping the sides of her bed in a tight hold.
Asia: "I think I would prefer to live as a human,"
Minato: "That regret you are feeling. It would not be possible if you died and Rias had turned you."
Asia: "I don't understand."
Minato: "A devil is forever loyal to the demon it serves. Your case will be no different. Your ability to choose, your ability to decide your own fate, will be forsaken and replaced with obedience to the King of your peerage."
Rias and Sona had left that part out of their explanations. But he knew. The demons within his mind made sure he knew.
Asia bit her lip at the thought.
Asia: "The power to choose is what makes us human. The power to decide is what makes us matter. You will lose that should you become a devil."
Asia: "I want to live"
She said after a while,
Asia: "I want to be friends with Issei, and Rias, and everyone else,"
Her voice quivered
Asia: "But I don't want to lose my humanity to do so. Why can't I just be myself and live happily?"
That last question was not directed to him or anyone else in particular, but he decided to answer it anyways.
Minato: "Sometimes we are asked to make a choice between things we don't want. In times like that, the power to choose is our most powerful ally and our most precious gift."
She said nothing, and instead looked down again.
Minato: "I am sorry"
She glanced up at him and he could see the wetness that was in her eyes.
Minato: "I am sorry for not being able to resurrect you completely. The Sacred Gear in your body made it difficult. I am sorry for only giving you this one last chance to choose."
Asia wiped at her eyes and sighed.
Asia: "Hyoudou-san said you are a very cold person."
He nodded. That sounded like something Issei would say.
Asia: "But I do not think that is true,"
She smiled at him
Asia: "I think you are a very kind person, Arisato-san."
And then her expression turned tentative, nervous almost.
Asia: "Will you think any less of me if I decide to become a devil?"
Metatron would. As would a dozen others, their golden forms radiant upon golden thrones.
But he was not them.
Minato: "I do not judge, I merely accept."
~Time-skip~
It was late at night when he headed home. His talk with Asia had been long, and even after it was finished he did not give himself the luxury to rest. Rent didn't pay for itself. The rest of the afternoon was spent traveling to his various jobs and throwing in a few hours of work into them. Luckily they were more in line with the consulting profession and did not involve much physical labor. And they paid well for the few hours he did put in.
Still, he was tired. And it was for that reason he was not completely aware of his surroundings when he trudged up to the stairs to his apartment.
He unlocked the door and walked in.
The first thing he noticed was the lights. They were on. Which was strange considering he checked every morning to make sure they were off before heading to school. He did not need overdue electric bills piling up on his plate.
Then he noticed them, recognized them for what they were, and immediately the barrier that was a Null Light shimmered into view, something he should have cast when he first faced them.
The figure closest to him, the only one that had been standing, dressed in a ridiculously outdated purple suit swallowed and slowly lifted his hands into the air.
Minato: "Parley?"
Dohnaseek: "You do not understand the implications, of what you have done"
The one known as Dohnaseek stared at him from across the table
They were sitting in his humble living room, arranged on each side of the wooden desk he used for a dining table. Besides Dohnaseek there were two others, the same ones he had seen in the church, but had not fought. Perched precariously on a stool to his left was Mittelt, the youngest among them, blonde hair styled childishly into twin pigtails. On the outside she appeared cute, innocent even, but he knew enough about the Fallen to disregard that image almost immediately. The more innocent one of their kind appeared to be, the darker their soul was in reality. To his right sat the tall, shapely form of Kalawarner, the tight dress she chose to wear leaving little to the imagination. The woman's dark bangs covered much of her eyes, but he could sense she was watching him, had been watching him ever since he had entered the apartment.
He really did not want to know why she was crisscrossing her legs constantly or maneuvering herself so he could get a better look into her cleavage. He really didn't. It threatened his sanity.
Dohnaseek: "When the Great War ended, it was the forces of Heaven that suffered the most, when God was slain, their armies routed from the field, pursued by both the Fallen and the devils. Many Archangels were lost that day, trying in vain to rally their forces. It was only Michael's stalwart defense of the walls of Heaven that the legions of Hell were finally stopped. By then, all three factions had exhausted themselves to the point of extinction. The treaty was signed, but it was clear to all that it was Heaven that had lost the most from the Unending War."
He had remained silent throughout the affair, merely glancing up when the Fallen made a point he did not know, waiting for inevitable reveal that was supposed to amaze him or frighten him.
Dohnaseek: "Among those that had fallen was Metatron."
Ah. There it was.
Dohnaseek: "When God fell, it was Metatron alone that refused to leave the battlefield. His armor rent in many places, his silver form bleeding from a hundred wounds, he stood over the body of God and defended it from the encroaching hordes of demons and Fallen. His spear, Inaerion, slew many champions from both sides until at last he was overwhelmed. In his last act of defiance, he hurled Inaerion back into the Heavens so that no foe may claim it as a trophy and then detonated himself in an explosion of light to save God's body from desecration."
Dohnaseek paused, trying to add weight to his words. It was a tactic he was well used to. First from Mitsuru, and recently from Sona. It did not work when the angel tried it. It just made him seem desperate.
Dohnaseek: "I have seen that spear before I became Fallen. It fell into the Antechamber of Thrones. It remains there still today, untouched and unmoved, for none can come near it without feeling its rage and anger at the death of its wielder. Only Michael has tried to remove it, and when he did, Inaerion burned him with its wrath."
The bearded man turned to look at him, wonder and fear alike shining in his eyes.
Dohnaseek: "Metatron was the greatest among angels. He was the unyielding wall all of our kind could rely upon. Even amongst the Fallen, we venerate him for his strength, despite hating him as the enemy. And you… you have summoned him."
The Fallen Angel drew back when his expression remained unchanged.
Dohnaseek: "You have no idea of what is going to happen, just a single rumor, a single iota of what happened leaks through, and the forces of Heaven would descend upon this place to comb and search for the truth. And when they find you, and should they find what you can do, they will forcibly extract your power from your body so that Metatron may take corporeal form and reign once more. And then he will take up Inaerion, and cast aside the treaty and resume the crusade against the Burning Hells and us. They angels will follow him without question, and the Great War will come once more to devour this world."
There were a lot of assumptions in the man's rant. A lot of assumptions that were both wrong and erroneously made. He could at least correct some of them.
Minato: "He will do no such thing."
Dohnaseek scoffed, the arrogant, Fallen side of him coming through.
Dohnaseek: "And what makes you think that?"
Minato: "Because I will not let him."
To his left, Mittelt made a sound that was half between a snort and a laugh.
Mittlet: "You've got to be kidding. A human, ordering around an Archangel? The very idea is dumb"
She sneered at him, though from her, it resembled more of a pout than a sneer
Mittlet: "That is provided what you are saying is even true,"
She turned to her fellow Fallen Angels, frustration evident on her childish features
Mittlet: "Why are we even here? Listening to this stupid prattle? He could by lying to us and all of you are here sitting around him drinking it in!"
Dohnaseek: "You saw Metatron, you saw him appearing behind him. Appearing to punish us."
Mittlet: "It could have been an illusion,"
The girl crossed her arms stubbornly over her chest
Mittlet: "There are Sacred Gears that can do that."
He had no wish to correct her. He had shown the devils his Persona as a gesture of goodwill in return for them telling him the truth. He need not do the same for these Fallen. He owed them nothing.
As it turned out, he didn't need to, as Kalawarner suddenly stood up from her chair, knocking over the flimsy seat in the process.
Kalawarner: "Here,"
The woman tore at the fabric over her shoulder, exposing her skin for the youngest angel to see. He frowned. There, etched upon her flesh, glowed sigils of light, sacred runes he could not hope to comprehend
Kalawarner: "This is no illusion. It was carved into our bodies when we woke. I have them. So does Dohnaseek. You have them too,"
Mittelt growled but did not look into the older Fallen's eyes
Kalawarner: "They are the Mark of Penance. Given to those who have sinned but can still be redeemed. They were given to us by him, and you will not refuse this honor."
Mittelt's head shot up at those words
Mittlet: "Just because you have a fetish for Metatron doesn't mean I have to do as he says,"
Huh. That would certainly explain the way the woman had been looking at him.
Kalawarner: "You dare throw away this chance at redemption!?"
Kalawarner hissed, unperturbed at the child's accusation
Kalawarner: "Insolent little brat! I should kill you right now for dishonoring his offer!"
Mittlet: "Try it,"
Mittelt grinned, her face turning into an ugly mask of cruelty
Mittlet: "And I'll wipe the floor with you, you bitch!"
Dohnaseek chose to stand up as well, glaring at the two female Fallen in contempt.
Dohnaseek: "As your leader, I demand you to stop this bickering! We have more dire things to worry about!"
The two turned to stare at him, anger written on their features.
Mittlet: "Who made you our leader?"
Kalawarner: "I do not recall choosing you,"
Kalawarner glared at her male counterpart.
Dohnaseek drew himself up.
Dohnaseek: "I was second-in-command to Raynare."
Mittlet: "Yes and Raynare got her ass kicked by a human. What's your point?"
The man scowled.
Dohnaseek: "If that is how you wish,"
His wings extended, black pinions of feather sprouting from his shoulders
Dohnaseek: "I will make sure the two of you never slip from the leash of discipline again."
Both Fallen females copied his motion, and two more pairs of wings erupted into view.
He sighed as he watched his personal living room about to become a battlefield. It gave him a headache, with all their arguing, and he detested headaches.
He allowed the sudden influx of power to flow through him, seeping into his mind like water from a broken dam, filling his conscience with its indomitable presence.
Metatron: Silence.
Every glass beaker, every porcelain plate, every delicate object within vicinity promptly shattered, hurling shards of broken material in every direction.
He smiled. Voice of God indeed.
They were all looking at him now, the Fallen Angels, staring at him with wide eyes. And then as one, they sank slowly back into their seats.
Good. He lifted his fist from where he had pounded it into the table for emphasis and abruptly the desk split in half, collapsing into a mess of splintered wood and jumbled legs.
A pity. He had gotten it on sale too.
He glanced up to see Dohnaseek and Mittlet regarding him with open-mouthed astonishment.
Metatron: "No violence at the table."
They nodded dumbly. All except Kalawarner, who watched him with a flushed expression.
Kalawarner: "Ah"
The woman seemed deliriously happy, and to his mild discomfort one of her hands snaked down and began to rub her thigh seductively
Kalawarner: "To be scolded by Metatron-sama."
He shuddered. Fallen Angels. Not even once.
Dohnaseek grinned suddenly.
Dohnaseek: "There's your answer Mittelt,"
He smirked. The girl sulked and stared at her feet.
Turning, the bearded man regarded him cautiously.
Dohnaseek: "Who are you?"
He raised an eyebrow at the Fallen's bluntness.
Dohnaseek: "Who are you to call upon the power of the Heavens?"
Dohnaseek continued on, eyes roving over him as though that alone would reveal the answers he sought,
Dohnaseek: "Who are you to command an Archangel to do your will?"
Such a broad question deserved an equally broad answer.
Minato: "I am Minato Arisato,"
He replied and bent down to retrieve half a tea cup. A shame, really. It had been his favorite one too.
Dohnaseek: "That's not what I meant! What kind of being are you to do the things you do!?"
He chose not to respond and instead inclined his head towards the figure that had been lying motionless on his sofa all this time.
Minato: "What's wrong with her?"
Dohnaseek turned, momentarily confused. His face darkened when he saw the object of his query.
Dohnaseek: "You mean you don't know? You were the one who had her judged!"
He shrugged.
Minato: "Enlighten me."
Dohnaseek: "Metatron tore off her wings. A Fallen Angel's rank is determined by the number of wings he or she possesses. She has none. By depriving her of her wings, Metatron has, in effect, stripped her of her status."
Minato: "Meaning?"
Raynare: "Meaning that I am just a worthless piece of trash"
The owner of the voice finally looked up, her once beautiful face lined with bitterness.
Dohnaseek's features tightened.
Dohnaseek: "I did not say that, Raynare."
Raynare: "Oh spare me your pity. I can't fly. I can barely cast a light spear. I can barely do anything. I'm no more powerful than a mortal now."
Mittlet: "Hmmm, I like this Raynare. She's a lot less haughty than before."
Raynare: "Shut up, Mittelt."
At once, the child's face lit up with malice.
Mittlet: "Oh? Are you going to make me Raynare? What are you going to do to me now that you can't use your powers? You are trash. Remember those words were yours, not mine."
The former Fallen glared at her oppressor in hatred, but could do nothing and finally looked away. He could see the tears of anger that were threatening to form in the corner of her eyes.
Mittlet: "See? I like this Raynare. She knows her place."
Dohnaseek: "She was once your comrade, you could at least act cordial."
Mittlet: "So? She lost any usefulness when she got her wings torn off. We should have just left her in that damn church to rot."
Minato: "For someone marked by the Light for redemption"
He interjected before an argument could start again
Minato: "You have substantially gotten off on the wrong foot."
That shut her up. He turned to Dohnaseek who was still glaring daggers at the youngest Fallen.
Minato: "If she is this weak, why have you not taken her away to recover?"
Dohnaseek: "Well"
The man suddenly appeared uncomfortable
Dohnaseek: "We were hoping you would help with that."
The corners of his mouth lifted upwards into an unpleasant smile. This was going to be interesting.
Dohnaseek: "A Fallen that has lost her wings is vulnerable. The angels have always hated us. The same goes for devils. If either side finds out what has happened to her, they will not hesitate to take advantage of her condition and terminate her. We were hoping you would grant her a place to stay temporarily. "
He wondered idly if the man had gone mad.
Minato: "Why would I do that?"
Dohnaseek: "You are Metatron's avatar. You are his Voice just as he is the Voice of God. If she cannot be protected by you than there is no place on this Earth where she will be safe."
Is that what they believed?
Minato: "She tried to kill me."
Dohnaseek scratched the back of his head uneasily.
Dohnaseek: "We were hoping you would look past that."
Minato: "She tried to kill my friend."
The man grimaced.
Dohnaseek: "We were hoping you would look past that as well."
He gave him an impassive look.
Minato: "You hope too much."
A dry, bitter sound made them turn. Raynare was laughing, though from the look on her face she might as well been crying.
Raynare: "Kokabiel promised me the world, he promised me so many things. He tempted me with forbidden knowledge, weapons that would wreathe the world in fire, things that even angels would desire. And I refused them all. And then he tempted me with love, and I fell willingly,"
The woman pawed at her stomach, where Metatron's blade had slid,
Raynare: "Look at me now. Cast down. Broken. Battered. And now beholden to the tender mercies of a human."
Minato: "And do you regret all of that?"
She turned to glare at him, and to her credit she did not flinch when he met her gaze with a cold smile.
Raynare: "I do not regret loving, but I regret everything else. I regret becoming Fallen. I regret doing all of those dark deeds. I regret not spitting in his face as I should have done when he first approached me. But what good is that? What good is regret now that the deeds are already done?"
Minato: "You would be surprised, it was regret that saved your lives, after all."
They stared at him.
Minato: "I asked him to kill you"
He said, completely unperturbed for it was true
Minato: "He asked me to spare you. I agreed, and here all of you are."
Raynare: "But my wings……they were my judgment."
Minato: "It should have been your life"
He countered and she fell silent.
Dohnaseek: "Who are you?"
Dohnaseek asked again, but this time his voice was trembling
Dohnaseek: "Who are you to cast judgment upon us? Who are you to have an Archangel plead for our lives? Who are you?"
That was a misrepresentation of events. He did not judge. He merely accepted. And Metatron did not plead. It had asked, and he had agreed. In the silence that fell, the man's eyes continued to grow wide until they lit up with realization.
Dohnaseek: "Nephilim"
He frowned.
Mittlet: "Nephilim?"
Mittelt laughed, though her tone sounded far from sure
Mittlet: "Is that what we're resorting to for an explanation? Legends and old stories?"
She turned, saw the look on his face, and all the haughtiness within her vanished in an instant.
Nephilim.
It was a title, and nothing more.
Sandalphon had called him that when he drew it forth from the fusion of the ultimate Moon Arcana.
Raphael had planted its diamond pommeled blade into the ground and kneeled to say that word to him.
Gabriel had smiled at him when he called it forth from the Arcana of the Empress, and sang that title to him in its soft, melodious voice.
And Metatron. Metatron whom he had made from fusing the greatest of Archangels, whose rank amongst the Heavenly Host was second to none except God Himself. Metatron, whose pride as the Voice of Heaven was renowned almost as much his hatred for the demon. Metatron, who showed only indifference to those that were lower than it, had stared at him behind its gleaming mask when it first appeared in the Velvet Room, summoned by a being that should have been all rights inferior to it.
Metatron: "Nephilim"
It had said, and then bowed its silver head in deference.
He could still remember Igor smiling that crooked smile as they both beheld the heavenly being that floated before them.
Igor: "I have been the Proprietor of the Velvet Room for many of your years"
The old man had said, fingers steepled under his chin as they always were
Igor: "And have seen the unlimited potential humanity has to offer. And this"
Igor swept a hand towards the angel of silver and steel,
Igor: "Ranks among the highest peaks"
The smile turned into a leer
Igor: "You, my friend, have been a most interesting guest."
He had no idea what it had meant then. He still only had an inkling now.
Nephilim. Only a title and nothing more.
They stared at him, the Fallen Angels. Even Raynare, who no longer appeared bitter, who had lost her baleful, harsh expression. It was to her that he nodded to.
Minato: "She can stay."
He hated how the iron tone of authority had crept into his voice.
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