I took a break from writing actually and I have to say that my writing is different. My circumstances are different, and now I have a different sort of aim for my stories going forward. I have revised some of this chapter to reflect a better quality, partially to reflect that changed mindset and also partially because Megami Tensei titles outside of Persona need some more love.
Onto the show.
Abstruse: It was difficult to comprehend YHVH's ways, Nanashi realized. Centuries, millennia, and so forth of the ways of cold pragmatism He implemented in playing both the forces of Chaos and Law had seen humanity at its absolute lowest. YHVH was mysterious in part because of a stern refusal to reveal Himself to humanity the same way that Dagda, Danu, Odin, or even Krishna were known.
Bravado: Gaston held onto the notions of glory and honor tighter than the cusp of most samurai to their swords and shields. With an older brother that had disgraced the family name and run off to the blasphemous underbelly of Tokyo among the wrecked buildings and dead bodies, the family name had taken a large hit and times were trying. Then Merkahbah appeared, singing sweet words that were dipped in poison and perfumed with apathy while offering Gaston Michael's spear. Gaston would put on a brave face, even as Asahi had taken a hit meant for one of the boys and had been cut in twine.
Color: Flynn was raised on fairytales of knights in shining armor who noble, polite and just in everything that they did. That's why the Mikado area was so keen on its population of Samurai, they were seen as majestic creatures that could do no wrong. Nanashi was raised on tales of how otherwise great men and women have died inside of demon domains trying to be heroes and that even family members were familiar to the ritual of trying to throw each other under the bus in order to scare by for another few weeks. Flynn saw a beautiful, lush world full of forests, all kinds of animals, and adventure to be had. Nanashi only had the bedrock of the Masakado barrier and a monochrome world full of grey.
Death: Life as either a Samurai or a Hunter tended to be brutish and short depending on the company you keep—from your demon recruits, to the fellow Hunters or Samurai who could turn on you or leave you for dead at a moment's notice. These two groups of people made forays into hostile territory where being cut apart by spears and claws and seeing your lover's entrails leak out of the wound was just an everyday fact of life. And when the fighting for the day was over, they'd go back and hold a toast for their fallen comrade, fighting harder the very next day. And the body count just kept going…
Entropy: Merkabah demanded a world of silence without individuality. So on one of Nanashi's previous cycles, it was only right that it's equal and opposite Lucifer, demanded a world anarchy and general disorder. It was then that Nanashi discovered humans could do certain things that are worse than any kind of demon.
Finale: In one cycle, Nanashi vaguely remembered siding with Lucifer, then Merkabah in the cycle afterwards, and lastly rebuilding Tokyo from the ashes with the fairies. It was only now that YHVH was unseated from the throne that the boy could rest at ease with Flynn and his Goddess, silently mourning his former comrades.
Guile: The good hunters are those that are able to decimate legions of demons that seem to pop up and kidnap someone off of the streets every few hours. The even greater hunters like Nanashi and Flynn were the ones who knew how to lie, when to lie, and who to lie to, especially the demons. Perhaps, that's why Nanashi couldn't predict the bad reactions his friends would have to him when he proposed going along with Dagda's ideology. This time, the boy-hero opted not to return from the underworld.
Hesitant: Nanashi was no idiot. When Krishna had revealed how Dagda had resurrected him, Nanashi could tell that his 'friends ' (sans Asahi) were somewhere between dejected and absolutely livid that he'd kept such a thing a secret. It had certainly made the next few major fights have an extra layer of tension with them not really sure of how well Nanashi could control his own actions.
Idyllic: It was fool's gold really. He had joined up with Merkahbah in an effort to reconstruct the world into one of ever-lasting peace. Battle after battle had gone by before the herd of dissenters considerably thinned out and throughout it all Merkahbah watched Nanashi with an appraising glare while the boy tried to carve out a niche for himself in the new world of everlasting peace. A world full of fake people, plastic smiles, and nervous energy of being decimated by the Lord's Chariot and its Godslayer. Then, when all was said and done, when Nanashi was begging for mercy where there was none to be given, his world of glass came crashing down. The last thing before Nanshi's soul faded into eternity remembered was a dark chuckle and the eyes of an angered god of knowledge.
Kathenotheism: There were several gods in this turning point in history. In this war for control, each was powerful and usually had their own plots subplots. The Divine Powers as well as Lucifer faction (itself comprised of demons from the Goetia and several old gods) were good examples.
Myriad: The amount of reasons why Nanashi sided with anyone faction or person, aside from the Divine Powers, is as plentiful as the amount of demons in his compendium. At one point, a life of stability and egalitarianism sounded strangely appealing to a 15-year old boy who only knew fighting or strife. A world where might makes right sounded equally appealing for the same exact reasons. He at one point figured the bonds between himself and his friends won over anything else Nanashi wanted at the time, being truly happy and able to maintain a sense of self without worshipping an idol so frivolous. Finally, he sided with Dagda because after several repetitions, he just wanted things to be over with and appease the Great Will to let him have some sense of permanent Nirvana.
Niche: Everyone had a specific role or specialty that helped the team along. Whether it was physical attacks, filling enemy demons with a lead bullet, or some support role, everyone played a part. Asahi had recently run into trouble when she discovered that what she could do was very easily replicated with a demon or two. Eventually Asahi came close to breaking down when Gaston was hounding her about her usefulness to the team (until being silenced by a punch to face, courtesy of Hallelujah), Nanashi decided to teach the girl Hama and Mudo spells to make more use of her affinity to magic. Gaston was somewhat impressed if the frequency of his complaints diminishing was an indicator. the rest of the team also seemed silently grateful as well.
Onerous: There were times when keeping their ragtag team of misfits together was increasingly hard. The infiltration mission to Mikado being an example as everyone grew panicked at the revelation that Nanashi was the only one who could summon demons. It was also hard when hordes of angels practically flocked to them one after the other.
Pragmatism: Getting the higher-tier demons had been a luxury that not too many Hunters lived long enough to experience. With half of the Hunter Association gunning for him, Nanashi had opted to retrofit most of his lower-tier demons with resistances and better attacks than waste time he didn't have scouring Tokyo to find a way to be worthy to summon some other mythical beast. It wasn't the flashiest of methods but damn if it wasn't working.
Quietness: In the nightlife of the streets of Tokyo, background noise would always be factor that they'd all have to get used to. So when the expedition team stepped out of the elevator and they discovered that silence and darkness to greet them, more than just a few hairs on their necks stood up. That's when they got a notification that a fiend had shown up in the room they were in. There was a struggle, there was the bored laughter of a misshapen demon with a skull for face, there was the squelch of their bodies being ruptured and turned in ways they shouldn't be. Then there was quietness again, along with a tiny dripping sound from the leaking of blood.
Stare: The old universe had faded. Replaced with a new world and a fresh breeze that ensnared Nanashi, Flynn, and the Goddess. They had fought through with valor in contest of blood, fire, and steel to have the new universe be realized, with countless corpses hitting the floor and their lifeless eyes staring back at them then nothing at all. Then the mighty three turned to stare at each other.
Thalassophile: When Flynn and Issachar were kids, their only respite aside from each other and dreaming to be chosen as Samurai was gazing at the lake. Flynn would often dream of one day breaking away from the classist society he was bondaged to and be as free and bountiful as the pure lake that he gazed into.
Unfettered: He was sad and angry. He was sad and anguished that he traded blows either with his friends that he'd almost literally went to Hell and back for or even Dagda (cynical, bastrard that he was, Dagda did raise more than just a few good arguments about their approach to things. Yes, their blood would stain his hands, yes he would endure cold lifeless eyes staring back at nothing in particular as they breathed their last or even one last grand speech from the old jaded Celtic god of knowledge himself as he faded into oblivion. The thing is, none of that would ever stop Nanashi. He was hurting, he would be for awhile, but he was ready.
Vinal: Fusing Dionysus had led to Nanashi and Asahi to sneaking a few drinks in their downtime. The logic they worked out was that if they were old enough to slay demons and start experimenting with each other, they were old enough to take the next few forays into adolescence. Nozomi in particular disagreed, the fact that she was a closet wine fanatic honestly had little to do with it. Gaston just flashed a wolfish smirk and shook his head at the commoners before him. Toki and Hallelujah merely quirked their eyebrows as being part of the what amounts to the Yakuza and a guild of the toughest humans on Earth meant they've already had their own customary first drinks. Navarre just sobbed in corner.
Zugwang: Being a leader and making choices between people (and deities) with opposing ideals meant making decisions were someone would get hurt. Dagda wanted Nanashi to transcend, to experience and build a Nirvana where humans would be independent of gods and demons. It would undoubtedly cost Nanashi the trust of all the people he fought with and came to love over the past month since the Divine Powers incident started. Danu would rather have solidarity between humans and the fairies to improve upon the world that already exists, a true utopia (even if it would be temporary). However to follow Danu would invoke Dagda's ire and Nanashi was sure that power that was keeping him alive and able to control his demons flawlessly would be put in jeopardy. Damned if you do, damned if you don't. So he took the path of the Divine Powers.
Like I said earlier, if you guys have any suggestions for missing words or have other suggestions for this story, let me know. Hopefully I didn't seem too biased here. Until next time!