Chapter 1
When the day of banishment finally arrived, the goddess of the light commanded the soon to be outlaws to take their physical remnant of immortality with them. They were very small: only two small shards. Rilianne's was crystal clear, while Allen's was made out of a material similar to onyx. The remnants' only purpose was to remind the two of their sin; the objects had little to no power encased within them.
When Neru Akari banished them, their minds went dark. It was at that moment when the two couldn't feel anything save for an ominous chill running down their spines. Due to the male twin being the more dominant one, the two instantaneously materialized on Earth just as the last rays of the sun were leaving the face of the land. When the two former immortals came to, they realized that they were in what seemed to be in an abandoned alleyway. The newly named Rin grimaced and shot a deceitful glare at her twin brother.
"I still loathe you with all my being," She sneered as the final speck of sunlight disappeared. Then she was no more.
Len was surprised when his sister disappeared, but soon after he felt relieved. He didn't want to face another pointless argument with her. The former god of truth always found his twin to be somewhat of a nuisance; someone that was below him and not worth his time. After a hundred years of war, Len almost felt glad to be here.
The young man rose from his sitting position and exited the alleyway to examine his surroundings. The alley led to a street with only a few people. Some were rushing to return home for supper, others were loafing around with nothing to do. Len realized after a short while that he was in a small city. Its nightlife was awakening as streetlamps began to light; bars were opening, and more people were beginning to walk about. There seemed to be some sort of festival happening as people were acting festive and many groups of men and women were shuffling around in strange attire and children were celebrating.
It was at that moment when the blonde realized how chilly it was. A frigid breeze was whipping its way about the street where he stood as he resisted the urge to clutch his arms to conserve warmth. Len realized that it must be wintertime, telling from the weather and the small clumps of snow gathered near the sides of the street. His clothes were different as well: he wore a long-sleeved black chemise with black trousers. He also had boots that were as dark as the rest of his attire.
Len decided to keep walking in search of some shelter and keep himself warm. He realized that he had no place to go; neither did he have any currency that humans called "money". The young man was, in a nutshell, a homeless mongrel. He grasped the realization that if he didn't act soon, he would freeze in the streets or starve.
He heard a clink of metal right in front of him.
His mind was pulled out of the turmoil of his thoughts and worries and looked down to see the origin of the sound. It was a gold coin. Len picked it up quickly and looked around for its owner but could find no one around. The coin seemed to be old and scratched up; it must have been lost a while ago. Len smiled in his good fortune. It was gold, so it must be worth a decent amount. He saw an inn in the distance and headed straight toward it. Perhaps he could afford to stay a night.
When he opened the door, he was greeted with a welcome blast of warmth from a fireplace in the lobby. A buzz of guests in the bar of the inn hung in the air, along with the clinking of beer glasses and silverware.
Len saw the innkeeper at the front desk and greeted him. The innkeeper seemed to be a mellow middle-aged man who eyed him curiously.
"What's your business here, young man?" He asked.
Len approached him with the gold coin in hand. "Excuse me sir, but can I possibly afford a stay at this inn with this?"
The man seemed surprised. "That should be enough to afford you around two nights here. But I don't believe I've ever seen a fellow like yourself around here…"
"Are travelers not common in this town?" Len asked.
"Actually, they usually aren't," The man said somewhat regrettably. "But right now they are. The Festival of Light is going on right now and all of the bars and inns are crowded. I'm sorry, blondie, but this place is filled to the brim as well. It's probably going to stay like this for the next week."
Len frowned, reminded of the goddess that had banished him, and turned away to leave. But the innkeeper stopped him just as he was about to leave the door.
"Hey, for your troubles, I'll offer you a pint here at the bar here," the man said sympathetically. "It'll be on the house."
Len did feel famished… "I'd prefer to pay my fill here, sir," he said as he turned around. "I'd feel bad if I didn't."
"You look like you're a fella that needs some help. Just take my offer."
The young man smiled at the innkeep and shook his head as he chuckled, "I'm an honest man. I'd regret it."
"Then at least take a discount!"
Len appreciated the man's persistence and finally took his offer with gratitude. He headed over to the bar and sat at the only table left, one for two. It was empty.
There were drunkards all around him. Some were playing cards, others were partying as they drank and ate merrily. He didn't really understand what about the goddess of Light there was to celebrate, but he quietly sipped at the pint that the barkeep had given him. Len was secretly glad that he was alone. He needed time to think about his predicament.
A server approached his table to ask if there was anything else he wanted to order. He glanced up at the waitress. She was modestly dressed, with her dress being quite plain and simple. Her hair was an unusual color: a dark teal with a slight gradient of brown. It was tied up in a complicated bun to compensate for its seemly long length. Some hairs were loose of the bun and were messily tousled about her face, most likely caused by a long shift at work.
"I'd like a meat pie and another pint," Len requested. He noticed that her eyes seemed fatigued and empty. A few hours had passed since nightfall. She nodded and left, leaving Len alone once more to sip away the rest of his beer. He was starting to feel a bit sleepy as the same waitress returned with his order.
"Here it is," she said softly as she placed his order on the table. "A meat pie and pint."
The blonde smiled and looked up at the young woman. "Thank you for your service. I appreciate your dedication, milady."
She seemed surprised at his comment and looked at him. "…You're welcome, sir. Is there anything else you'd like?"
Len took a sip of beer before speaking. "Perhaps…could you tell me what the date is? I can't seem to remember."
Again the young woman was bemused. "It's November 25, sir."
"You seem surprised. I'm guessing that you don't really talk to your customers that often," He remarked.
"Yes…" She let out a small chortle. "They're usually drunkards, busybodies, or perverts.
Len smiled again. "I'm also guessing that you're wondering why I'm asking commonplace knowledge such as the date."
"Y-yes," She started laughing again.
"I'm just a lonely traveler. I lost track of the days a while ago," He chuckled, glad that he had managed to cheer her spirits.
"If so, I'm guessing that you're staying at this inn," She replied.
"Actually, I'm not…" He remarked and proceeded to explain his predicament. The young woman nodded in understanding and spoke sympathetically to him. "That's too bad. I know that all of the other inns are crowded as well."
More bad news. Len sighed in response. Today was a good day for sighing…
"I can offer you my abode to stay in for a while," She said. "I wouldn't like someone such as yourself freezing in the streets.
The young man's spirits were also lifted by her kind offer. "Milady, I don't think I can express enough gratitude for your kindness!"
She smiled softly and shook her head. "That's fine. I live alone so I don't really have anything to lose anyway. My shift is almost over as well."
It was a long ways to her dwelling. She lived alone in the forest, half of a mile from the town. Len still shivered, as nighttime is always more frigid than the daytime.
At last the two arrived at her cottage. It was small, with only a few windows. But it was a well-kept place with a small garden beside it with crops of winter vegetables growing within. When they entered, the young lady rushed to light the hearth and lamps throughout the house to invite warmth to the humble abode. Len decided to recline on the sofa for a while as the woman retreated to her room, the only other room in the cottage.
He took the time to analyze the parlor. There was a small area in the corner where a blacktop stove sat with its long fat smoke pipe stretching out through the ceiling. A small clock sat on the coffee table beside the sofa. It read nine o'clock. Just reading the time seemed to be soporific to Len, since he yawned as a result. The furniture in the room was very modest and lacked fancy in any way. The furniture probably reflected the personality of their owner.
The young lady finally and suddenly emerged from her room clothed in a nightdress. When she gazed sprawled over the fabric of the sofa, dirtying it whilst he yawned absentmindedly, folding his hands behind his head lazily. As benevolent as she was, the woman stared at him angrily for a time. It wasn't until she cleared her throat when Len finally realized that he was being watched. He turned his head to face her but remained in his reclining position.
"Oh, I'm sorry, milady. What are you upset about?" He asked sincerely.
She huffed, "How rude it is to just sprawl yourself out upon my furniture! Don't you see? You're dirtying the material!"
Len, surprised and angered, immediately reverted to a proper sitting position and spoke his apologies. "Er, I'm very sorry. I-I don't believe I knew that this was improper conduct."
"I thought that was just common sense!" She vocalized her frustrations. "What kind of man are you to think that the moment you lodge at someone's abode, you can just do whatever you like?"
The poor blonde was unaccustomed to this world's code of conduct. Afterall, he wasn't used to being treated as an equal since his former godly status never called for a reprimand for such behavior. Thus, it made sense for him to be confused and angered.
Len contemplated on what to do for a moment, then decided that the best way to handle such a situation was to just be honest and not uphold any ideals. Act cool. "Truly, I didn't know that such a thing was improper," the young man looked straight in her eyes, enacting a pained tone within his voice. "And I am embarrassed to say that I don't. Forgive me."
The woman was surprised to hear such sincerity behind a simple apology. This man was apologizing as if he had just burned her entire house down; for goodness's sake all he did was put his feet on her sofa!
"…Don't fuss too much about it. It's not too big of a deal…" She puffed while looking away.
"Thank you." Len's wounded demeanor disappeared. "…Oh. It seems a bit silly to ask this now, but I seem to have not asked you for your name."
The lady gawked at him in surprise, realizing her fault. She had let a guest enter her home, and she didn't even know his name. Neither did he know hers. Her expression stiffened as she cringed in embarrassment. "I apologize for my ignorance. M-my name is Miku Caraground…"
Strange name, he thought. "My name is A…no. Len Abbadon."
"Good," She stammered. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Abbadon."
The two shook hands on it. At that moment, the two felt the tension within the room dissipate somewhat. Relieved, Len looked at his hostess again and asked another urgent question.
"Ms. Caraground, where am I to sleep?"
Dumbfounded, she thought for a moment and realized that there was no other bed or cot to be had in this house other than her bed. "The only other bed here is my own…"
The blonde smirked with debonair charm. "Then you don't mind sharing it?"
"You can't be serious," She laughed, ending her sentence with a sharp glare.
Len let out a slight chortle. "No, it was only a jest. I'll just sleep here on this sofa if you don't mind."
"S-sure…"
She proceeded to stare at him in silence for a few more moments, the decided to retreat to her own room for the night.
"Goodnight, Ms. Caraground," Len called out somewhat cheerily.
She looked back at him, her eyes showing an amalgamation of confusion, awkwardness, and curiosity.
"Good night, Mr. Abbadon."