I was supposed to be thrust back into my chambers at the Royal Castle, sitting on my double water bed, sipping a heavenly coffee, waiting for another bombshell to land on me like all the other ones ever since this story began.
Instead, I found myself in full battle gear, a heavy load of feathers stuck to my back. I look at the new part of my body. I was yet to understand how to move or use them, so I let them hang back and looked around me.
It was only then that I noticed the noise.
Loud cheers filled the sky, cries of glory that forced me to protect my ears.
The sky was full of winged men and women, each wearing a chunk of fashioned metal. The demons formed an endless line of soldiers, their armors pitch black, lit only by rubies on their wrists, chests and feet. I did not fully understand the meaning behind these locations. Do daggers grow out of these jewels when there is an enemy about to strike them ? Did they have magically stored secret extra weapons inside ?
For all that it's worth, I could not stare for much longer. Their red eyes were the only parts shown of their steel-covered faces. It seemed like they all looked at me, challenging me to kill myself before I land in their hands, lest my death becomes much, much slower, and much more painful.
I looked around at the angel ranks, not surprised that I was one of them, thankful that I wasn't put on the frontlines.
The armors were all white, not a single jewel on them. They were exactly the opposite of demons, only that their opale eyes did not show, drowned in the white gleaming color of the sun. Lightbulbs. Lightbulbs to blind their enemies, to cover their blind spots so the demons don't know where to strike. Their essence is constantly moving inside their bodies, running away from the potential sword wounds.
I had no idea how I knew this. Have I already become a full-fledged angel?
I could only hear the cheers of the enemies. The angels remain silent, still as statues, waiting for the battle to begin.
Where was Noah in all this? I searched for him with both my eyes and my heart, desperate to find a friend among the enemies, but he was nowhere to be found.
Noah, Noah, where are you?
I half expected him to answer before I stopped myself. We are back to reality, and the Great War is about to happen again. There is no way we can still telepa—
Hitori, I found you. I see you.
My blood froze. My heart stopped beating for a split second, before remembering it is his unfortunate job to keep me alive.
I was not happy to hear that sentence in my head.
I was terrified.
For the voice I heard was far from being gentle like Noah's. It sounded more like a mocking, playing, hissing sound of a snake that closed in on its prey.
Hitoriiiiiii , the voice repeated.
I fooouuunndddd youuuuuuuu
I recognized this voice among millions.
Belleth.
Belleth came to get me.
*****************
Back when Noah used to attend high school, way before Hitori arrived, he never paid much attention to the human lessons. He memorized them all at home anyway, when he was one year younger than all the students. He only looked forward to one subject: History. Not because he could sleep without being told off, not because he knew all the answers and did not need any homework, but because he found the teacher quite amusing. There was a sentence that he always said while talking about wars in History of mankind.
Then, all of a sudden, all hell broke loose.
Now, of all times, Noah hated that sentence. It was happening before his own eyes. Hell.
Weapons clashed, armors broke, chests opened, heads fell down the floor. There came a time when the body parts reattached themselves with some sort of golden powder. Is this the immortal essence they have been mentioning? The angels and demons did not stop fighting even after a presumed horrible death Noah averted his eyes from.
This was an endless war. An endless bloodbath. He made a mental note not to ever call them angels and demons ever again.
Zombies. They were Warrior Zombies.
Why were they fighting when Noah wasn't ? Wasn't he going to be their ultimate demon soldier and eliminate all their enemies? Why was he still floating here and getting away with it? Where was the angel Queen ? Where was Belleth himself?
Something was very strange about this new reality he found himself in.
Something....unreal.
Noah was sure of one thing: he had to look for Hitori to make sure he wasn't going insane. He scanned the endless lines of soldiers, even though he knew finding someone in the middle of chaos, no matter how big they were, was nearly impossible.
He tried to reach her with his thoughts, but he only heard a strange laughter in his head as a response. Echoes from a conversation happening very far away, as if he was listening in without his consent.
What are you doing here? What do you want from me?!
Was that...Hitori's voice?
Don't be mad. It was just a joke!
Keep your jokes to yourself then, and get out of my head!
Noah could say the same thing about what he was listening to.
Oh dearie, you should be grateful
Something about the second voice was familiar. That playful, nonchalant yet extremely suspicious voice...He could have sworn he had met this person before.
I am here to help, not intrude your silly little telepathy with your boyfriend. In fact, I let him listen in.
Who was talking to Hitori? Who? Noah wrecked his memories for the answer.
I am here to show you lovelies, what has been happening here for decades without anyone knowing.
The answer came to the boy in the form of an image. A pointy-bearded, red-eyed, hat-loving demon. The very same who gave them the only way to communicate with each other in a safe world.
Typhon.
How do you, of all people know what has been happening?
It was the exact question that came to Noah's mind. He was grateful that Hitori said it.
Because I am one of the Oracles. Why else would I know something as crucial as this? , the demon declared.
His laughter echoed over and over again, like a broken tape stuck inside Noah's mind. For the first time since he met Typhon, he realized one thing:
For a very long time, Hitori and himself were a laughingstock to the gods of this world.
Look at them fall in love and think it's of their own will
Look at them make decisions that aren't their own but ours
Look at them get manipulated by everyone they meet
At that moment, after Typhon's laughter had finally quieted, Noah swore to himself something he was sure would never be the Oracles' influence.
He will destroy every last one of them, using the very same powers they gave him.