A Zenith Outside the Heavens

by Arrixam

They say he has three faces. Bears one thousand wings. His body is made of eyes and tongues- one to see every living being and for each language spoken. He judges all, decides who is guilty and who is innocent. None may oppose him. He is the Night Angel, the champion who protects from within the darkness. (A trilogy)

1. Chapter 1

"For the last time I am not a part of your stupid club!"

Hyoudou Issei slammed his fists on his desk, nearly knocking over his canned beverage before it wobbled enough for him to steady. He knew Motohama and Matsuda would trouble him as soon as he came back from the student store. They always did this. They would approach him with some horrendous idea of debauchery that would bite all of them in the ass in the end.

"Hey now, don't be like that Ise," Motomaha adjusted his glasses as he smiled passively. "We've been through so much together these past few years."

"Yeah, you're like our best bud!" reaffirmed the bald Matsuda. "You've been hanging with us as far back as middle school. Why are you always like this? We just want to show you the new peeping spot we've just found."

Issei's brow twitched as soon as the class started to whisper to themselves. New rumors about him were bound to spread by the end of the day. He had to deal with this bullshit for years. Years! He thought that it would all stop as soon as he graduated and got into a decent high school. He even chose one where Motohama and Matsuda couldn't follow due to their lack of intelligence. You had to be something of a genius to score high enough marks in Kuoh Academy's entrance exam.

Unfortunately… he underestimated the tenacity of perverts. The two had no problem getting in to the former all-girl's school. They were more than motivated to join since the ratio of genders was 3:1.

"No, you guys end up doing something and somehow I get dragged into it," Issei retorted as he bit into his sandwich. "Which is why I'm staying here and not moving from my spot. The last time I went to the bathroom while you guys were doing your thing— on the other side of the campus no less!— I got caught up in the mix. I've never been your friend; I don't even like you guys. So scram!"

"Now, now, Ise," Motohama waved a hand in dismissal, ignoring the death glare that had sent many running. "You can't deny you've had fun with us. Sure, we've gotten into a fair bit of trouble. But the bounty was always worth it in the end."

"Besides, we've leant you many of our special treasures," Matsuda added with a creepy as hell smile. "You've must have loved them with how long you've been holding on to them."

More whispering among the students…

Issei growled, "No, I burned it all."

The two perverts blinked in surprise.

"Ah, to think Ise would be so shy to admit his tastes and think of an excuse to keep the magazines," Matsuda said with a nod to the fabricated story he made himself.

"No, I, literally burned them to ash," Issei nearly snarled.

"It's okay, Ise," Motohama fixed his glasses as he gave his own smile. "If you liked them so much I'll lend you some from my private stash."

More whispering…

"That stuff was garbage and needed to be destroyed!" Issei was losing his patience by the sheer idiocy the two kept up. You had to try to be this stupid.

"…Oh," realization donned on them as Motohama was the one to speak up. However, Issei already knew where this was going and didn't know why he kept trying every other day. "Then… I guess we can find you something a bit more fitting of your tastes. As expected of the living embodiment of sexual desires!"

"That's our Ise!" cheered Matsuda with a pumped fist.

The students weren't trying to be discreet by this point. They were openly discussing what sort of character they believed he was.

"Listen to what I am saying!" Issei slammed his fists on the desk once more. "You know what? Fuck it. Go on and get started without me. Let me finish my lunch and I'll go join you."

Naturally he wasn't going to do such a thing. And his words would only reinforce his reputation as the most vulgar, disgusting, stain on society. He couldn't even say they would ruin his reputation; no he had long hit the bottom and continued to go deeper into the negatives.

The amount of fist fights he's gotten into were almost daily. Mostly boyfriends who thought had their girls peeked on by the Perverted Trio. Students from other schools in the city went out of their way to hunt him down if the wind so much as blew a girl's skirt. There was so much hate directed towards him wherever he went to the point where he was completely isolated.

It was all because of these two.

"YES! That's our Ise!" roared Matsuda in triumph.

"Good to see you join us, comrade!" Motohama nodded with a victorious grin. "Meet us by the old school building. And be quick."

Issei didn't say anything further. He waved them off as he went back to enjoying his lunch in peace. Or at least as peaceful as he could. The students sharing the room were giving him hateful glares of disgust. Some of them moved seats to be as far away from him as possible. Others outright left the room. But every single one of them were muttering insults, sharing fabricated stories that will soon become rumors— correction, tragedies that was making up the legend that is Hyoudou Issei.

He paid them no mind. He always figured having no reputation was a good thing in his line of work. But having such a repulsively negative one worked just as good; sometimes even better than what a positive one could grant him. No one took him seriously and no one would look his way when something serious happened… unless it involved things like sexual harassment and rape.

…To which he has been a suspect of numerous times.

There were days when he thought it would be best to fake his death and start over from scratch. It wouldn't be too hard. He had already done it before countless times.

Life number 35,925 wasn't far too different from all the others he had before it.

*Scene*

"U-Um!" she tried to cry out to get his attention.

Issei slung his bag over his shoulder, turned, and looked at the girl who called for him on the other side of the bridge. The sun was setting by the time he finished his turn of cleaning the classroom. He would have finished sooner hadn't his partner bailed simply because Issei was assigned today as well. Nevertheless, he simply couldn't care at this point.

It did get his attention to find the young girl at the other end didn't look at him with a condescending expression. Like he was some cockroach. It was a look he hadn't seen in a number of years as his reputation reached to all corners of the city… and probably spreading elsewhere like the plague.

She was pretty, more than most of the girls he had seen before. She had long black hair, violet eyes, fair skin, and a mature figure for her age. The uniform she wore suggested she went to a rivaling school, one located near the city. So she should know who he was and shouldn't be looking at him with such a nervous expression.

It wasn't fear. She was timid, almost anxious to speak with him. He had a long time to know what the difference was.

He approached her but did so slowly to not startle her. He made sure to pay attention to her expressions as he came closer. He didn't want to scare her off in fear of being some victim of a potential rape if she did know about him. When he felt he was at the right distance— not too far to seem distant yet not too close to be intimidating— he answered her.

"Hi there," he began with a blank face. The years had made him stop smiling. Partially because the people of the city would make some news article about him with a photo of him and his 'lecherous' smile. The other reason was simply because of his age. "Is there something you need of me?"

The girl lowered her head but kept her eyes upon his through her bangs. Her lips quivered as she began to fiddle with the grip of her handbag. "M-My name is Yuuma. A-Amano Yuuma. I was wondering… if you would… please go out with me!"

She shouted the last part through a forced gasp as she bowed.

"…Sorry," Issei responded with a small sigh. "I don't think it's a good idea for you to go out with me. You should probably go before someone sees you."

He turned to leave. It would be best he left quickly before another story about him wound up in the morning paper or in the rumor mill. He could already see the titles now. Something having to do with him harassing a defenseless girl. The longer he stayed near her the worse the stories would become. Someone would be bound to run into him sometime tomorrow and demand an explanation from him. Most of the time those people wouldn't bother listening to his response and a fight would ensure.

"Wait!" she called out to him but he didn't stop. "I know who you are, Hyoudou Issei! And I don't care!"

He sighed again as he turned his neck around just enough for him to see her over his shoulder. "That's nice of you, but people are vicious creatures. They won't care either and will come to their own speculation. In this day and age they usually come to the worst possible conclusion and refuse to change it even if evidence shows up to argue. If you know who I am then you already know this won't end well for either of us."

"One chance," she stepped forward with determination. "At least give me that. I don't care what others think. I don't think you're a terrible person. I… I-I've been watching you for some time. You've never done those things they accuse you of. I… I think you're a nice person, Hyoudou-san."

He didn't say anything nor did he move any further. His eyes turned towards the sunset as her words mulled over in his head.

With a final sigh, he gave a response. "…If you're fine with being with me. Alright. When do you want to go on a date?"

*Scene*

"Yeah… I can't go in there either."

This was beginning to become annoying, Yuuma thought. On a Saturday afternoon the two of them had met up by the shopping plaza to spend their date together as promised. Unfortunately, their options were severely limited. Issei's reputation was so renowned throughout the city to the point where he was forbidden from stepping foot in certain facilities. He was banned from the karaoke bar because some girl claimed to have been violated by him with her screams being silenced by the private room's walls. The movie theatres because another girl claimed he had his way with her under the cover of darkness. Every clothing store that had female attire within their inventory because of various stories of him stealing clothes for fantasizing purposes.

"Do I want to know why you can't go into an aquarium?" she asked rhetorically.

"…I'd rather you didn't," he said in his normal blank face. "It involves three girls and an octopus."

Throughout the short day Issei was nothing but a gentleman towards her. He gave her plenty of space, kept his hands to himself, listened when she talked with eyes that never strayed away from hers, and did his best to make this an enjoyable day despite the limited options to entertain them with. When they walked down the boulevard she slipped her hand into his; he, in turn, held hers in a firm yet gentle grip. The tenderness of it spoke of how much he considered her feelings and would never dare to betray her trust.

However, alarms went off in her head. He had a swordsman's calluses. As far as she knew Issei wasn't in any dueling clubs in school. Come to think about it, she knew next to nothing about Hyoudou Issei. He woke up, ran some exercises around the block and park near his home, went to school, and then came straight home to repeat the cycle. At least, that's what her peers had reported.

She was here to further the investigation to see if he would pose a threat in the future. Azazel had warned her someone with a Longinus-class Sacred Gear was within the city. Now, there were a few Sacred Gear users here and there, but none of them was the one Azazel had spoken about.

The investigation eventually narrowed it down to Hyoudou Issei. Why? Because when the system scanning the city produced a visual reading of energy signatures, there was this one black spot that shouldn't have been there. After several repeat scans and coordinating patrols to narrow the search, they had found that black spot to be Issei.

Standing beside him, Raynare couldn't deny he was an anomaly. He simply didn't have a presence. True, humans were such lowly creatures but when it came to Issei she couldn't say he was lowly. He simply wasn't anything. He hadn't a scent, didn't have an aura, and didn't have a sign of life as far as she could tell. He was simply just a walking void.

She needed to find out what this meant. She needed to find out if he would be too dangerous to be left alive.

"Is there anywhere we can go to sit down and talk?" she asked. "I want to get to know you a bit more, Ise-kun. The real you, not the one everyone thinks you are."

He scratched his cheek in thought. "Well… there aren't very many restaurants I'm allowed to visit either. Other than a few fast food joints there's… one place I'm welcomed at. But… I don't think you'll like it."

She pulled on his hand, "Well come on then! Show me! Any place will be fine at this point. If it means we can be together quietly… I don't mind wherever you take me."

In a matter of minutes she argued with herself whether it was a good idea or not. Of all the places he was permitted to dwell at… Issei had taken her to a maid café.

"Welcome back, Issei-sama~" chimed all the girls either standing to greet or waiting tables as soon as he walked in. Normally there would be a few greeters who would call the incoming customer some silly nickname. Instead all of the girls had turned, smiled beautifully at his appearance, and addressed Issei by his name and a heightened honorific.

"…I don't understand," Raynare said after the two of them had been escorted to a small table by the window— a table marked with a Reserved plaque permanently bolted onto the sill. Apparently this was his table.

Issei looked over the menu while he answered, "I have a long history with this establishment. Thanks to my reputation there weren't very many places willing to hire me for help. At first they were very much the same. Now that's not much of a problem. I come in every so often to cook, clean, and get rid of… trash."

"Ise-sama was once a loyal customer!" a maid began to tell her story as she suddenly popped at their side. She pressed her (fake) glasses up, took a seat, and dove into her story with a heavy romantic sigh. "He would at least come in once a week to order meals from us but he never paid for any of the entertainment services we provide. Well, the girls at the time wouldn't want to do anything with him and never gave him the chance anyways. You must understand if you're dating Ise-sama what his reputation brings to the table, no?"

Raynare nodded. She had done her homework on Issei. However, she never got the chance to finish reading the stories about him as there were simply far too many of them with new ones popping up daily. Some were childish, others were bizarre, and certain made Azazel throw his head back in laughter.

"Mizuki-chan," Issei lowered his menu to look at the maid. "I don't think Yuuma-chan wants to hear something so… embarrassing."

"No, I'm quite interested," Raynare countered. Honestly, she couldn't care less but she needed to gain as much information about Issei as possible. Even if it meant she had to listen to this drivel. "Please, Mizuki-san, continue."

"Of course!" the maid gave a devilish smile as she adjusted her glasses once again. A dark glint reflected off the lenses. "Some girls quit after Ise-sama kept coming back even when he never did anything. But Yukari-sama always hired new help and let him continue with his patronage as he was one of our best costumers. Things began to change when a group of foreigners were being a little… rough with some of the other girls."

"Can I have some coffee?" Issei interjected. He had wanted to get the girl away but a second maid came by and placed a cup of freshly brewed coffee in front of him. He looked at the cup and then at the girl with betrayed eyes. The girl only offered a heartfelt smile and walked away, leaving Mizuki to finish her story.

Mizuki gave another romantic sigh, "Ise-sama got up and showed those Americans who was boss. He did it without breaking a thing, no less! He asked if Sakura-chan and Maylith-chan were all right before going back to his table as if nothing had happened. After that, Yukari-sama had a long talk with him and now Ise-sama comes in as help during some of our special events~"

"So, Hyoudou-kun," Raynare feigned jealously as she diverted her attention back towards him. "What made you come back in the first place? I… I thought those rumors were false but don't tell me the maids—"

"Other than a few fast-food joints," he repeated the same words he used before bringing her here, "there is one place I'm welcomed at. That would be here. While I enjoy a home-cooked meal as much as the next, I also enjoy being outside in the environment of society. The food is good and the company is nice. That's all I need."

What a boring answer. And here she thought he was going to blurt out denials like a startled school boy. Instead his response had been mature, if not a little stiff.

"Fufufufu~" cackled the maid as she had yet to leave them alone. "That, and Ise-sama eats here for free. He is the owner of the café after all. As well as five others within the chain."

Issei put his coffee down before he could take a sip and stared accusingly at Mizuki. Raynare cocked a brow at this. A teenage boy still in high school being the owner of not just one business but five others within its conglomerate? One would need some serious finances in order to purchase such an establishment or would need some backing or inheritance. From her reports she found Issei had none of these things as he was from an average family.

"R-Really?" Raynare looked at him incredulously; she didn't need to fake her emotions this time. "So wait… That part about you being hired…?"

Issei sighed as he answered her, "I was hired at first to do those things. I still do it anyways. But I've seen this place grow from a small family-owned business and thought I would like to support it. Eventually I just bought them out. But Suzuki Yukari is still the manager.

"Thank you, Mizuki," he then turned his attention back to the intruding maid before she could blab out anything else. "I know you're trying to help and I do appreciate it, but I would like to resume my date in peace."

"Yes, yes, Ise-sama," the maid got up and waved goodbye at the both of them, but not before turning back to Raynare. "He's a great guy. Everything people say about him is a lie. Please give him a chance."

Raynare offered a giggle and a wink before waving goodbye at the informative maid. "So you're really a gentleman, a handyman, and apparently a philanthropist. Is there anything else you're hiding from me, Hyoudou-kun?"

He returned to his menu as he replied with some mild sarcasm, "I'm also an immortal older than God Himself who stalks the night hunting evildoers and saving the innocent. They call me the Night Angel."

The blood in her veins froze. The Night Angel was a legend only found in the supernatural community. It was a being said to possess three faces and ten-thousand wings, who could raze whole armies with his twin blades, and could not be touched by any force known in this plane of existence. The Night Angel appeared without warning and could vanish without a trace. Countless centuries had gone by with sightings of this creature popping up and powerful figures being eradicated with minimal effort. Even that madman Azazel had a solemn look whenever the Night Angel was brought up in a conversation; he would then ramble on in the story of how he ordered his troops to retreat when word had gotten around the unstoppable monster was approaching.

There was a rumor the Great War was stopped because all three Factions feared the wrath of the Night Angel.

And the last sighting of the Night Angel had been at the end of the Great War. Nearly five centuries ago. There were rumors and whispers about him appearing here and there across the planet such as unexplained murders on powerful figures, but nothing had been confirmed. The newest generation of supernatural creatures took his legend as a myth while the old never forgot and feared his return. But as for the mundane populace… such a legend would never cross their paths.

So why did Issei, a seemingly normal human being, know of the Night Angel?

"Something wrong?" he asked as his eyes looked up from the menu.

She found she had her mouth hanging open. She needed to find a way to recover and to do so quickly. "I… uh… I've heard that term before. I didn't want you to find out and think less of me… but I'm secretly a blogger. I've heard of the Night Angel before on the net but only from a secretive and exclusive website. Are you by chance a member of the site?"

There. Something discreet and reasonable. Anything can be found on the internet these days. Anything. There were even some ludicrous stories in regards to Sacred Gear users. Like one certain story where the wielder of the Boosted Gear was some extreme pervert who grew more powerful the more breasts he fondled. Surely if something as ridiculous as that could be on the internet then something in relations to the Night Angel could be there. Or the name Night Angel at least; it needn't be the same topic.

He blinked, "Oh, uh, no. The name just popped inside my head and I thought it sounded cool. Think about it; a Night Angel. Sounds like a sentai name, don't you think? But if there's an internet series about a guy with the same name then oh well. It's not very original to begin with."

She studied him for a moment, using her menu as a shield to make it look like it had her interest. While his explanation made sense and his emotions played along well to convince her, she could not shake off the feeling of danger raising up from her. It would make sense.

Issei had no presence. None. The Night Angel was said to be able to appear and vanish without warning. It was said not even God could track him. Maybe if Issei had said he read an article about him, or went along with her story, she would have tracked it off as someone else introducing the story of the Night Angel to him. Instead, Issei had given a firm description of the creature and claimed he had done so on the spot.

Further analysis was needed in order to confirm her hypothesis.

*Scene*

"Sorry, I didn't mean to make you wait," Raynare ran up to the street corner after she had excused herself for the washroom. Not that she really had to go or anything, but she did need to splash some water on her face. The more she spent with Issei, the more he was grating on her nerves.

Issei was the perfect gentleman. He was always courteous to her and actually dove into conversations about her as if he genuinely cared. His eyes never diverted away from hers and he never undressed her like all the other mortal boys had. He was seeing her as a person first and a woman second.

He also, masterfully in a way that made her feel like she was running in circles, avoided most topics relating to his self. His hobbies included watching hero-themed anime, reading fantasy novels and some light novels, and, of all things, gardening. He was highly intelligent for someone his age, always strove to be one of the best in academics, and had a decent moral sense of justice but never imposed those values on her. He lived alone while his parents were oversees on business, leaving him to tend to the house and to continue his education with his so-called friends.

That was all she could get out of him. But it wasn't like he was going to elaborate to her, an almost complete stranger despite them dating, regarding all manner of the supernatural. He played ignorance well, a little too well for her taste. She almost believed he was just some tool if her instincts weren't telling her something different.

She had yet to figure out if this young man was really the Night Angel or had some sort of affiliation to the real one.

"Hmm?" Issei looked up from the small piece of paper in his hands. "Oh, don't worry about it. Are you ready to head home?"

"…What's that?" her eyes immediately traced the details of the pamphlet. It was a Devil's summoning sigil. Strange; she hadn't sensed any Devils within the area. They must have one of their familiars around distributing them to the general populace.

"Some girl was handing them out and put it in my hand even when I didn't want it," he said as he flipped over both sides. "The person who drew this put a lot of effort in the details though. Here, do you want to take a look?"

"Um… no thank you," she said a bit more bitterly than she was supposed to. 'Yuuma' was supposed to be a peppy girl. Remembering the persona she was to play as, she coughed into her hand and put a little more oomph in her playfulness. "Why not just throw it away if you don't want it? Come on, Hyoudou-kun. There's one more place I want to go before we head home."

"Yeah, I suppose I should," he shrugged and then tore the tag into several pieces. They walked together to the nearest trashcan, he dumped the pieces into the bin, and they walked away.

*Scene*

They ended up in the local park by the end of the day. The sun was setting and there was no one around to bother them. Throughout their date Issei had received the piercing glares of the populace, some insults, a group of people had asked Raynare if she had been blackmailed to accompany him, and even an officer came to ask them both a series of questions. To find themselves alone at last was a boon.

Raynare sat down by the edge of the fountain to take a breather. The day was eventful. She could suppose she had fun at certain points, but most of it was just so damn boring. There was no thrill. No excitement. Issei was nothing but a kind soul and that in itself bothered her. She might have respected him further if he tried to take her by force. But then again, if he had, she would have killed him. Still, she would have respected him.

However, she didn't know if she could kill him. She never learned anything further since the little information dump he gave at the maid café. Why had he given it to begin with? Was he just some foolish mortal who had stumbled upon this information somehow and used it because he thought it sounded cool? Or was he really in affiliation to the Night Angel?

Or was he the Night Angel itself?

Issei placed the bags of things he had bought her during the date down by her feet and chose to sit beside her, yet still a good armful away to mind her space. "I had a lot of fun today. It was nice, thank you Yuuma-chan."

"Hey, Ise-kun," she began, this time using his nickname instead of his surname. It was to make her sound innocent as she was trying to ask an innocent question. Or at least that was what she was trying to illustrate. "I meant to ask you earlier. If you were that Night Angel person you spoke about in the café, what would you do?"

He looked at her and tilted his head slightly. His large brown eyes blinked in mild confusion and innocence. "Ah. You know I said that as a joke, right? Besides, I'm sure the Night Angel I made up in my head is completely different from the one you blog about."

"Well, I still want to know more about Ise-kun," she returned in a playful tone. "Won't you at least tell me a little something? I promise to not laugh!"

He gave a weary sigh as he rubbed the back of his head. He stood and took a few paces away from her. "Yeah… About that. Amano Yuuma, thank you for the date. It meant a lot to me. But I think it would be best if we cut things off right here."

She blinked. The fuck did he just say to her?

"W-Wha…?" the realization had yet to dawn on her. "Are you… Are you breaking up with me?"

The idea alone was ludicrous. She was a Fallen Angel, a creation of God Himself who turned away from the light all in the name of lust. To any mortal she was the ideal woman! None could deny her beauty. Man, woman, and child would flock to her throughout the centuries just to gaze upon her. Wars have been started at the sheer chance of one of them bedding her.

Even disguised as a human, she was far lovelier than any lowly creature walking this planet. Her beauty was unrivaled, her allure gathered the attention of all throughout the day, even her false words and plastic expressions sang choruses of captivation. He should have had this boy wrapped around her fingers.

"You? Breaking up… with… me?!" she more so asked herself than of him. Something like this never happened before.

He turned to look at her. Her eyes were blazing with fury that would render any mortal running away… but not long before a spear of light would pierce their hearts. However, he was completely unfazed by her glare. A look of… pity flashed in his eyes before it went away and his indifferent expression returned.

"You're not a bad person, Yuuma-chan," he said in a serious tone. "A relationship is the last thing I want with anyone. No good will ever come out of it. You've seen how people treated me. While I'm sure you're capable of taking care of yourself, I don't want to get you dragged in to my mess. People will come to harass you. It's best we leave here before things get any worse."

She still couldn't wrap her head around it. Regardless of his reasons, this mortal was turning away from her. He should be flaunting over her every move, throwing himself to the floor so she could walk all over him, begging to be punished! Instead, his words, his posture, his deliverance was nothing but casualness. He was dismissing her as he would about sharing news of it being a slightly cloudy day. She was one of the Grigori! A Fallen who surrendered her Grace for the pleasures of the flesh! He should be her eternal slave!

"How dare—" she rose to her feet and summoned a spear of light within her hands. However, he wasn't there. She was sure he had been standing there the entire time. She had been staring at him in absolute fury for his rejection. Instead, he was gone.

No, she realized, he had left a while ago. The sun had lowered just enough for the area to darken slightly, indicating she had been lost in her thoughts for enough time. He must have taken her silence as acceptance and wandered off towards home.

"T-That… That brat!" Raynare hissed and then canceled out her spear of light. "I don't care if he's the Night Angel at this point. No one just walks away from me!"

*Scene*

~Kylar, did you have to use that illusion charm on her?~

"Glimmer," Kylar Drake, or currently known as Hyoudou Issei in this period, corrected. "And, yes, I did. She was going to kill me. I couldn't erase her memories; Fallen tend to have higher resistance to Talent compared to humans. Dragging out her sense of time, on the other hand, wasn't impossible. Better than killing her and gaining attention from her superiors."

~If you're going through all this trouble to remain a secret, why not just start anew or, I don't know, ask Azazel politely to leave you alone?~

"Negative attention aside, I happen to like this life. It's quiet. Peaceful even. I worked hard to incorporate the proper background on this alias. We both know that man can't keep a secret. It's a wonder how he's still a part of the Order. I enjoy not having any major supernatural organization breathing down my neck, trying to persuade me to kill some enemy faction leader, or trying to kill me, horrendously failing, and then starting a new war in the aftermath. I like things the way they are. And I don't plan on changing them anytime soon."

~…Can we do something about the perversions, though? Kylar… it was hilarious at first for me to watch you squirm like this… but I think you made it work too well.~

"…It's for the best," he said with a shrug. And a very heavy sigh. There were some days where even he regretted how things went out of proportion. "No one has bothered to getting close to me since the rumors started. Hey, if we're lucky and someone manages to shank me when I'm not looking, maybe Matsuda or Motohama will be taking the toll."

~Ah, your dark humor never ceases to amaze me~ Though it had no physical form in this state, let alone a humanoid figure even when manifested, the Ka'Kari rolled its nonexistent eyes as it expressed it telepathic words in heavy sarcasm. ~That Fallen girl was trying to, however. You may need to take care of her sooner or later. We've seen her type before. She's bound to be back relatively soon.~

Issei frowned as he opened the door to his house, shut it, locked it, unlocked it, and then locked it again— an ancient habit he'd inherited from Durzo and could never rid himself of. "Yeah, I know. When the time comes, I'll deal with her. Hopefully in a way that won't draw attention. I really like not having to fight in any secret wars against the supernatural."

~Kylar, Kylar, Kylar, isn't that all we ever do? Even in our days of peace?~

*Scene*

As predicted, he couldn't so much as walk out of his house the next day without getting a crowd of angry schoolboys harassing him. They didn't give him much of a chance to answer their questions as they already decided he was guilty of blackmailing Yuuma (if that was her real name to begin with) into going out with him. Naturally, they tried to correct him with their fists.

He would then spend half the day trying to get his way out of the police station because, apparently, he was in the wrong for putting seven boys in the hospital all in the name of self-defense. Officer Takahashi, the one always in charge of leading the Hyoudou Incidents (they even had a special file cabinet just for him), would give him a long lecture about self-control. Now, Takahashi was one of the few who knew Issei was anything but a sexual delinquent… as he was the one in charge of the investigations. However, he still couldn't like Issei because Issei's 'condition' made the officer work late hours and get in trouble with his wife.

In response, Officer Takahashi always took his time filing the paperwork to release Issei. For as long as possible. What could normally take half an hour, an hour at most in some cases, would take six hours whenever Issei was involved.

By this point, Issei had long stopped caring. There was no point in arguing against a system he had no control over.

The evening began with the sun starting to set by the time he was released from the station. It was a common occurrence to see him strolling out of the automatic doors at least once a week. And when the sighting stretched out onto the eighth-day mark, even the police became alarmed and looked into what he was doing and why. It was sad when he knew more about the officers' lives than he did about his fellow classmates.

With the day practically ruined, he couldn't do much other than return home and finish his homework. He still had a project to finish, weapons to clean, a garden to tend, the other garden to harvest, and skills to sharpen. This little vacation from his career was no excuse to let his abilities rust.

He was barely halfway when something caught his eye. It actually made him flinch as he knew the feeling better than anyone. Every now and then in a new body he had difficulty adjusting to the new limbs and would often fall flat on his face in a stumbling mess.

Which is what he was seeing right now. Some poor girl had tripped over the hem of her dress and fallen flat on her face. She didn't even try to stop it. Her arms flailed around as if able to grab the air, she fell over, and then WHAM! Face, meet asphalt.

He knew he shouldn't get involved. The same shit he had to go through today will happen the next day if he went to tend to this girl. More rumors would start. A riot would break out. Shit would hit the metaphorical fan so hard it would feel like grenade shrapnel.

"Hey, are you okay?" he ended up asking as he knelt down beside the fallen girl.

~You should really listen to your own inner monologues sometimes…~

He ignored the voice in his head and instead tried to help the girl back up to her feet.

"O-Oh, I'm sorry. I tend to fall… a lot…" the young lady responded in Italian. It took him a second to register her words and to set his mind into her language. Being an immortal did not grant him the ability to understand all languages (unlike most immortals in this forsaken world). He had to learn them through the human method.

…By studying for endless hours, forgetting after neglect, and then relearning them all over again.

"You don't need to apologize for anything," he responded in a flimsy Italian he struggled to remember. "Are you hurt anywhere?"

His eyes widened. He jumped away from her. She was a girl no older than fifteen with long blonde hair, fair and freckled skin, and vibrant green eyes. But her face… the shape of it, the height of her cheeks, the arch of her nose, the thickness of her lips… they were all details this girl shared with her.

With his first and greatest love, Elene.

~Kylar, breathe. Breathe and look again.~

"Mister… are you all right?"

Gods. Even her voice sounded exactly the same as hers. But Issei listened to the black Ka'Kari and reexamined the girl again. He didn't know what he was looking for. Everything about her was exactly the way he remembered Elene… when her face had been perfectly healed by Khali and ridden of all her scars. He never forgot her face. Never. Not even an endless stretch of time could distort his memories of her.

~She's not her, Kylar. LOOK.~

"…Yes, I'm fine," he said. But not in Italian, not even in Japanese. He spoke as if he was talking to Elene all those centuries ago. He spoke in Cenarian, in a forgotten language he had never forgotten to speak just as he had never forgotten how to breathe.

~You're NOT fine,~ argued the black orb lodged inside his core. ~Get your ass in gear or so help me I will slap you! I'll find a way to do it too!~

The girl patted the dirt off her dress and smiled beautifully at him. Gods… even her smile was so much like Elene's. It was driving him mad. "Thank you very much, mister. May God bless you and— oh no! My clothes are flying away!"

Her suitcase had opened as soon as she collapsed. Her clothes had fluttered everywhere and were now being taken away by the wind. She ran past him, trying to gather what she could, hopelessly chasing after things too high from her reach…

…And carelessly running into oncoming traffic.

He pulled her out of the street before a compact vehicle turned her into splattered mesh.

The act made her squeal in alarm and land in his arms. He held her steady, making sure she could stand on her own before releasing her. There was one distinction he could contrast Elene with; this girl was a complete ditz. At least Elene knew what she was doing all the time.

"Um… t-thank you again, mister…" the girl bowed her head in embarrassment. She realized what she had attempted to do and had almost died for it.

He should just walk away. Those passing by on the other side of the street were already whispering amongst themselves. He could already hear the rumors spreading. Oh look, someone had pulled out a photo and taken a picture. He could read the headlines tomorrow morning.

Instead, he patted her head and said firmly, "Stay here. Don't move."

He approached the street, looked at the oncoming traffic, and evaluated his path in order to get all the clothes without them being damaged by any vehicle. He called upon a little bit of Talent to heighten his physique as well as to slicken certain parts of his clothes. The spellcraft was invisible even to the most sensitive of today's magicians. Only the mages of his time could be able to tell what he had been able to do.

Well, that and today's magicians mostly used Devilry. Hardly anyone was born with Talent these days.

He dove for the street, picking up three articles of clothing in one swoop, sliding against the asphalt on his knees and using the momentum as well as his Talent to keep going. He changed trajectory, gathered a few dresses and some undergarments, spun and used a passing car to change his direction, and picked up another set. He jumped forward, skidded on his heels, shifted in a new direction, and picked up the last pair before leaping back onto the sidewalk.

The girl clapped her hands with a large smile on her face, "Mister! That was amazing! Thank you so very much!"

"…Uh huh," was all he said as they went to the suitcase and together folded the clothing back together to have it all fit. He needed to stop. The more he was hanging with this girl the more outrageous the rumors were going to get.

That… and she was still far too much like Elene for his liking.

"Watch where you're going and take care. Enjoy Japan while you're here," he waved off without taking a final look at her. He couldn't bear it any longer.

"Wait!" she called out to him, tried to run after him even. But she tripped and fell again. She groaned in pain but bounced back on her feet with surprising dexterity. It suggested she was accustomed to accidents like this quite frequently. "Mister! Please! I… I'm a little lost. C-Can I trouble you for some directions before you go?"

~…It's only directions, Kylar.~

He scratched his head but nodded.

Her smile brightened as she approached him once again. "Y-You see, I was reassigned to the local church in this vicinity. But I'm not very good at understanding the language of the land and can't read any of the signs… Can you tell me where the church is?"

His brows came together. He was more than aware of the… political control over the city. This was marked as a Devil's territory and most of Heaven's influence had been run out. There were still a few shrines and houses of worship in the city, but all of them had long lost their influence. Most were closed down or in ruins. But… guessing by her dress and the veil she wore… she was probably a Catholic or Christian nun. The only church to fit her criteria…

…was taken by the Fallen.

"…There's one I can think of," he eventually said but chose his words carefully. "But it's been out of commission for a few years now. I think a little before they built the Academy— sorry, you wouldn't know anything about that. Other than that, there's no active church in the entire city. Are you sure you have the right place in mind?"

"Kuoh City," she nodded. "I assure you the church you're thinking of is—"

There was a small grumbling noise. One he was familiar with as no matter how many centuries and lives passed it was always the same.

Her cheeks reddened as her hands went to her stomach.

Issei put a hand to his brow with a headache growing. "You're in a foreign land, you can't speak the language nor read it, you're completely lost, your place of occupation might not even exist, and you're hungry. Wait. Let me guess. You lost your money, right?"

"…It…" she looked away with her face becoming as red as a tomato. "…It was in my pocket when I was on the bus from the airport… Yesterday…"

Oh. And she's been on the road since yesterday. Swell. She hadn't had a meal and probably a good shower since she got here.

He was SO going to regret tomorrow morning.

"Come on then," he said as he lifted her suitcase over his shoulder. It was pretty heavy and didn't have any wheels on it; it was an older model where one would have to carry it on their own or have someone else do it for hire. It also meant she had been carrying it along with her throughout this misadventure by herself. The thing was probably a good forty pounds. The girl couldn't possibly weight more than a hundred, maybe even less. How the hell she managed this long to keep smiling was beyond him.

Fuck. She was just like Elene.

And maybe this was why he was willing to go through hell tomorrow for her.

"My place is around the corner. You can have a meal there and freshen up. Then we can discuss where you need to go."

"W-W-W-What?" she sputtered and bounced around on her toes. "M-Mister! I couldn't! I-I-I only need directions and I couldn't possibly trouble you any further!"

"…Consider this a welcome from my country," he said as he began to walk down the street. "I'm not going to take no for an answer. No offense, but you look like someone who needs a lot of help."

She didn't say anything further as they walked down the road. Her head was bowed most of the time. It wasn't until they were a few blocks away did she finally speak.

"…Thank you, Mister. You're the first to be so kind to me since…"

She let that sentence drift away. It would seem she had her own baggage like any other individual, perhaps a little more than the average. He had learned only those who smiled the most were the most troubled. After all, when Elene had the name of Doll Girl back when he, Jarl, and she were growing up in the slums, Doll Girl always smiled no matter what. Even as Elene, with a scarred face that distorted her beauty and society to shun her, she continued to smile as radiantly as the sun.

…Son of a bitch. This girl was becoming more and more like Elene with every second.

*Scene*

He didn't know what he was doing. He should have just walked away. He should have handed her a few bills and then be done with her. The worst that would have given him was a few rumors about him trying to buy the services of a girl cosplaying in a nun outfit. That he could have dealt with. Instead, he brought her home, told her to use the facilities, and was in the kitchen cooking them both dinner.

He put a lid on the pan and needed to walk away from it for a minute. His fingers rubbed the vein by his temple in soothing circles. What was he doing? Why was he breaking everything he worked hard to achieve for the sake of some stranger? He swore he wouldn't get close to anyone during this lifetime and was jeopardizing everything with this.

He knew the reason. He just didn't want to admit it. That girl, Asia Argento, looked every bit of the woman he had fallen in love with since his earliest days in the slums. From her smile, to her doll-like large eyes, to her sincerity, to even how she carried her faith in the One God like a cloak.

Gods. He missed Elene so much. Centuries, nay, millennia have passed and he could never let her go. He had many lovers in the past, even had children spread throughout all corners of the globe, but she always had a place in his heart above the others.

She was the only one he married, after all.

"Mister Issei?"

He lifted his head to gaze at the nightmare he had willingly lured. Asia was in a similar gown that went a little ways below her knees and shortened sleeves. She looked like a porcelain doll now that all the sweat and grime had been washed away. So harmless. So fragile…

Just like his Doll Girl.

"Sorry, had a bit of a long day," he forced those thoughts away. This wasn't Elene Cromwyll. This was Asia Argento. "How are you feeling?"

Her smile hurt him. "Y-Yes! I feel wonderful! Thank you very much for letting me use your bath! But… I… I hope I'm not troubling you. I really don't wish to intrude. You've already done so much for me and—"

Her stomach gargled again, twice as loud as before with enough ferocity for her to stop talking. It sounded pretty angry.

"…Why don't you take a seat?" he pointed at the table just outside the kitchen. "Dinner will be ready in a few minutes."

"Ah! P-Please let me help at least a little bit! It's the least I can do!"

By this point, he was making a chart in his head between the comparisons and contrasts between his Doll Girl and this Asia. While they were strikingly similar, there were little distinctions that separated the two. For example, Elene would never ask for such permission. She would invade his cupboards and set the table even if it meant intruding within his space. She would make herself useful and wouldn't take no for an answer. Elene was an independent woman. Hell, she wouldn't have gotten herself in this situation in the first place.

She also wasn't a klutz; such a thought ran through his head when he began to ponder what Asia could do to help right now. Handing her some silverware and glass would end in… poor taste.

"…You can help me clean the dishes afterwards," he eventually said. "Right now you're my guest."

"Okay," Asia nodded but never lost her smile. If anything, it grew a millimeter from his answer. "Then please take good care of me."

In a few minutes they would sit across of another at the western-style table with silverware instead of chopsticks. Neither of the two said much to another. It was mostly Asia who talked while she ate, saying how good the food was and questioning what some of the dishes were before and after tasting it. While the girl was starving, she still had the discipline to have fair manners.

He mostly kept quiet because he had difficulty with the entire situation. By no means was he rusty in the art that was table conversations. His job demanded him to seek information by any means necessary. But that was as Kylar Drake. As Hyoudou Issei, however, there was a certain mindset he had to follow else lose the character entirely. Such as, for this instance, being a young man hated by society as a ludicrous lecher and spending countless nights eating alone with his 'parent's away overseas.

Thus, having someone in his home, sharing a meal with him, was so different from his routine he had some… complications readjusting. Kylar Drake was always suave, controlling, fluent, and charming when needed. Hyoudou Issei on the other hand… Actually, now that he thought about it, Issei didn't have a set personality and responses. He never needed to make one for this persona as he never planned on anyone getting close to him.

These were the things he told himself during the quiet meal. However, in the back of his mind, he knew these were all just excuses. The truth of the matter was simply what had been bothering him ever since running into this girl. She reminded him far too much of Elene.

It was starting to become annoying.

"Thank you very much, Mister Issei," Asia placed her utensils down when her plate was spotless. Not even the juices from the meat remained. "The meal was delicious! I can't thank you enough for your kindness."

He nodded in acceptance to her compliments. "You don't need to call me 'Mister' with my given name. Friends just call me Ise…"

Son of a bitch. He did not mean to give her his nickname. And friends?! What friends?! Motohama and Matsuda?!

He grimaced at his careless mistake. He was getting too attached to the girl already. He was really hoping one of those two perverts would be the cost of the Ka'Kari. "Asia, would you mind if I ask you something? That church you're heading towards… are you aware it's run down? And I don't mean it's something you can just fix up. I mean it's literally falling apart and will need some major financing and a whole construction crew to rebuild."

And it was the den of the Fallen lingering around the city. But he first needed to figure which branch of the Church Asia had belonged to. Whether she was a part of the mundane or the supernatural division.

"Well… yes, I have heard that," she admitted. Her smile faltered into a thin line. There was sadness in her eyes. "But I've nowhere else to go. B-But don't worry! I have… friends there! They promised to take good care of me—"

"Are you aware they are Fallen?" he asked, taking a shot in the dark.

He nailed it. Her eyes widened. She looked away this time.

He sighed and crossed his arms. "What you have going on is none of my business, I get that. We all have our problems, our secrets, our baggage. I know you're not an Exorcist here to hunt them down. You're very devoted to your faith from what I can tell and actually believe it unlike most so-called believers that pass through here, so calling the Fallen 'friends' isn't something you were given a choice on. My point, I don't need to know what's going on or why you're here, so I'm only going to ask one question. You only need to answer yes or no.

"Are you in trouble?"

It was the best he could offer her. He was not warming in his statement but neither was he cold. He laid everything out on the table for her to see and gave her options. She was still a stranger to him and didn't need to know her personal problems. He would respect her privacy. She also didn't need to answer the question. And if she didn't, he will still make do with his promise and escort her to the Fallen territory.

"…I… have nowhere… else to go…"

Her voice was so quiet he had to amplify his hearing with some Talent from her first word. Her head was bowed as her arms lay stiff with hands gripping her knees. Tears threatened to fall as every emotion she had managed to dam was starting to break through. She was stronger than most girls, who in today's society would bitch about the most inconvenient of things, but instead she kept a smile no matter how bad things got. However, after given an ounce of kindness, her natural defenses were crumbling apart.

He could see the conflict within her. She wanted to tell him everything. But she was scared— not of him, however. She was still holding herself back as she didn't want to burden him any further than what she thought she was doing. Her morals were compelling her psyche of its necessities that was comfort.

"…The house needs a lot done," he began in a slow tone. "Most of the chores go unfinished since it's just me living here. Laundry, cleaning, and tending to the gardens mostly. The meal you just ate isn't free, either. Plus the water bill for the shower you just took. If you do a few of the chores I think you can pay it off. But not everything can be completed today so I'll need you to stay in one of the guest rooms. I'll have to charge you for that as well. Looks like you'll be staying here for some time, Miss Argento."

He said these things in a stern tone, as Kylar Drake more so than Hyoudou Issei. His demands could not be argued. The look of his eyes practically told her she was now his possession.

She began to cry. But not out of betrayal. No. She had seen through his words and saw what he was attempting to hide under the carpet, so to speak.

Any progress from the conversation was put on hold by a ringing of the doorbell. Not that he could have said anything further with Asia balling her eyes out. He left her to sort things out in her head as he went to the door. He had a feeling he already knew what it was.

And he was right. But the timing couldn't have been any worse.

"…Officer Takahashi," Issei gave a blunt greeting at the man he had seen twice this day.

The uniformed man nodded with his same annoyed expression. This was the normal song and dance between them. And if one were to peer over his shoulder, they would see a small crowd of people gathered at the gates of the Hyoudou residence. Most of them contrived of men— burly angry men— and a few women.

"Hyoudou, we received some reports about you kidnapping a nun off the streets and forcing her into your home…" Takahashi recited as if it were a line from a script. Such in a way it had been repeated countless times and the line had lost its credibility. Which was true, in a sense. "So what's the story… this… time…?"

He trailed off. His eyes flickered over Issei's shoulder, down the hallway…

…and spotted a crying Asia.

Issei banged his head against the edge of the door. This was going to take one hell of a glimmer to get himself out of. And even if he managed to place a charm on Takahashi strong enough to compel the man to claim everything was in the clear, he would have to deal with the spectators outside his house. Issei knew he would have to deal with them as soon as he left his house. And he would have to eventually if he was going to go to school the next morning.

Lord Nysos, there was going to be so much bloodshed these next few hours.

*Scene*

"Well, this is certainly interesting," Rias Gremory began the talk at the front of the school gates with all the students surrounding her. Her fans watched her every move, listened to her every word, worshipped everything about her. She kept them as witnesses and shields.

The Fallen girl waiting at the gate entrance wouldn't dare to make a move in front of so many spectators.

But just in case things did go south, Himejima Akeno, Rias' faithful Queen, stood right beside her.

Raynare turned her head and give a dispassionate glower before turning her attention back towards the school entrance. She was waiting for someone, that boy to be specific. She hadn't been able to find him in his home the day before and so decided to be a little patient and wait for him to come to her. She even tolerated the little Devil bitch who thought she was all high and mighty because her big bad brother was the fucking king of the Underworld.

Rias kept her charming smile up and played along, "What's a girl from a rivaling school doing here at Kuoh Academy, if you don't mind me asking? You should have let me known you were coming so I could have prepared a better welcoming~"

Raynare's brow twitched. The girl wasn't going to go away so she might as well enlighten her. Plus, Raynare was overstepping a few bounds by coming to the headquarters of two High-Class Devils. "I'm waiting for someone. My boyfriend~"

She even went along with Rias' charade and spoke in her Yuuma persona. She hated it, but it had a solid effect as Rias' brow twitched ever so slightly. The red-haired Devil did well to mask her emotions, but she was still so young and so fresh. Raynare had been playing this game for centuries.

"You don't have to keep me company, I know someone like the Rias Gremory must be super-duper busy," she added. "Plus my boyfriend will be here any minute and we're be out of your way."

Rias and Akeno shared a look. They weren't buying the fact a Fallen Angel had suddenly gotten attached to a schoolboy just like that. There were always reasons behind their machinations. Fallen, especially egotistical sorts like Raynare, were more prone to making the boys come to her than for her to wait on them. There was clearly more at play here. It had gotten their curiosity even more.

"Nonsense!" Rias waved a hand with a friendly smile. "It's always great to know members of our Academy are getting along with members of another school. I'd like to wish you both congratulations and wish you well as soon as he arrives."

They both smiled exquisitely at another, like painted porcelain masks. None of them moved, none of them broke characters. But hidden underneath both their facades was something truly atrocious.

Raynare's eyes snapped towards her target. Rather, her ears had caught the attention first. It wasn't hard to trace the wave of teenage antagonism. He practically wore it like a cloak. As he walked down the quad, he parted the sea of people like a certain prophet once did.

Issei walked out of the main building, but not in the same condition they departed in. Heavy bandages wrapped around his face, an eye patch over his right eye, and a sling was wrapped around his shoulder for his left arm. It looked like he had gotten in a mean brawl and came up the bitter loser. Still, he walked in the same casual manner as he normally would. He walked as if the wounds hurt as little as the insults.

Their eyes met. She smiled in victory. He blinked once in acceptance.

…And then turned on his heels and went back into the Academy.

Huh. He thought he was so smart.

"Ise-kuuuuuuuuuun~" she called out. He visibly flinched.

Victory was hers indeed. She knew how to control people. She had done it for centuries. He thought he could run away from her. Not in the slightest, she said! She had used his reputation as a weapon.

He turned back around over his shoulder and glared angrily at her. She could almost feel the words those eyes translated to say 'You bitch'.

She smiled lovingly at him. "Sweetie! Over here! I've been waiting for you!"

She watched with glee as he began to panic. His head swiveled around, trying to find a new path to escape to. Suddenly, the school entrance was blocked as a hoard of students had rushed out to check if what they had heard was correct. Therefore, retreating back to the main building was out of the question. He was quickly being surrounded by students who were mingling in the quad or walking out to head home, suddenly turning their attention on him. Even students who had left the school grounds came rushing back, closing his last ditch of escape.

He was sweating. Everyone was glaring such hate onto his being she wanted desperately to laugh. But she held it in, barely, as though it were a breath of air she needed to intake else suffocate. But she held it in nonetheless. She would lose if she began to laugh. She wanted to make him pay for her humiliation.

The words were coming. She listened to the stories these children manufactured on the spot. And they were glorious! There was so much hate in their silly squabbles she could almost drink it like finely aged wine. And the boys— they were gathering together, closing the distance towards Issei, rolling up their sleeves and—

"That's enough!"

But then, Rias Gremory had to ruin all the fun. Raynare clicked her tongue. She had forgotten about the harlot.

Rias strolled forward like a ferocious lioness prowling forward to defend one of her own. Students had tried to stop her, tried to plead with her that it was only Issei, but one look at her made them step down. And none of the boys would dare to stand up against the number one school beauty in all the Academy. To do so would place them immediately on the shit-list almost on par with Issei's reputation.

"Are you all right?" she asked when she was in adequate enough space within his proximity. She had heard, indeed, of the rumors before. She knew who Hyoudou Issei was. But to think they would treat him like some monster that needed to be put down… He hadn't even done anything to warrant any malicious intent. His so-called girlfriend only said hello.

"Nothing happened, so I'm fine," he waved it off dismissively, though there was a glint in his eyes that suggested he was relieved. "If it's alright, I would like to go home now."

"Go right ahead," she said with a small apologetic smile. "I'm sure nobody will stop you this time."

He nodded and made his way back towards the gate. He even went the extra length to walk a fair distance around her. She knew everyone was watching him closely, purposely looking for any reason to lash out on him and twice so because she was involved.

A round of gasps unanimously going off made the air shake by their depth. Issei's head snapped towards the hand that had grabbed the hem of his sleeve. Panic crossed his face as he looked into the eyes of the one who stopped him.

Akeno, the King's faithful shadow, had followed Rias into the fray. While all eyes were upon Rias, she went along hardly unnoticed. She had been in Rias' shadow for so long one would know something was wrong if Rias was without her. Still, she was the second most sought-after girl in the Academy and had a small brigade of boys (and some girls) under her command.

She was the one who grabbed his sleeve, to make him stop walking, and to stare long into his one good eye.

"Um… Y-Yes?" Issei gulped as a single bead of sweat ran down his brow.

She didn't move. Her eyes bore into his, almost in a crazed and desperate examination. "You… Are you… You couldn't be…"

"…Akeno?" Rias called out to her friend.

Akeno blinked and realized what she had done. She released her hand, looked at her surroundings and all the students watching the spectacle, and put her same hand to her lips.

Masterfully, fluently, she slipped back into her school persona and gave a small chuckle, "Excuse me, Hyoudou-kun. I needed to make sure about something. Everything is fine now. Have a nice day."

"Um… right…" he said nervously. He gave a small polite nod towards her departing greeting and hurried his way out of the school before another incident could strike up.

Rias watched him leave while keeping an eye on her Queen. Akeno kept her smile up but her entire attention was locked on Issei. Even as he departed and turned around the corner and out of sight, she continued to trace his movements. Rias didn't miss how in the last second she had placed a tracking spell on his sleeve.

Her eyes flickered back towards the gate. That Fallen Angel was nowhere in sight. Rias almost dropped her persona and let the frown slip.

"…Buchou, if it's alright, I would like to request the evening off," Akeno muttered below her breath, only quietly enough for Rias to hear. Many of the students were lingering, discussing what they had just seen. Hardly any of them were going to leave anytime soon. "I've… an errand I've forgotten to do."

Rias almost rolled her eyes. Almost. As if she was going to believe that excuse. Nevertheless, her Queen rarely asked for time off. She could count how many times she's asked so with one hand and several fingers to spare. "Of course. Just make sure you get everything you need, okay?"

"Of course, Buchou. Of course…"

*Scene*

~Hey, hey, Kylar! Do you hear that?~

"Not now," Issei groaned as he wiped the bead of sweat running down his brow. He wasn't in the mood to deal with the Ka'Kari's sense of humor. And the little shit had the audacity to question his!

~That's the sound of your balls shriveling up by a super vacuum. It's called an implosion! They say stars and planets were made by such tremendous force.~

He wouldn't even dare to insult the little cretin. To do so would admit it was right and to admit defeat.

~But I do win, Kylar. Remember, I'm in your head. I hear EVERYTHING!~

His brow twitched in annoyance and thought nothing further on the matter. All of his focus became a tunnel as he blocked out any stray thoughts, any distractions, his surroundings, and focused only on what lay in front of him. Of course, he would never dare to leave himself exposed and so ran a sonar of Talent throughout his body. It couldn't pick up his surroundings but it would warn him a second in advance if something was within his proximity. While most humans, especially gifted ones in the supernatural arts, won't be able to dodge a bullet traveling its adequate speed with only a few meters in advance to know it was coming, Issei could dodge it.

…Most of the time. If he was lucky.

However, as his eyes honed in on his house, if she were wielding a gun, he'd be dead.

Standing with utmost poise and patience at his gate entrance was Himejima Akeno. Her head tilted towards his direction as she gave him a wondrous smile.

He approached slowly, carefully. "Himejima-sempai… You do realize this is my home, right?"

Her smile grew in, dare he say, excitement. "Yes, I'm very much aware."

"…And you do realize who I am?"

Again, it grew. "Yes. I know who you are."

Things… weren't making any sense to him. "Um… and that… doesn't bother you?"

This time, she stepped forward. He instinctively took a step back. In doing so, she took another step forward. "I've no reason for it to bother me."

Her eyes darted behind him. They focused on something. He turned his head around to see what she was staring at. Nothing. There was nothing there except an empty street.

It was just a distraction.

She closed the distance, gripped his jacket in a vice with her hands, and pulled herself close to him. When he spun his head around, when his instincts kicked in to break her limbs and shove her away, he was caught completely off guard. He almost did.

She kissed him. She pressed her lips against his, pulled him closer towards her, wrapped her arms around his body to close the gaps between them, and opened his mouth with her tongue. She invaded every inch of his space, held his torso close to her chest, and ran her fingers through his hair.

She broke away once, in a split second to gather her breath. He tried to say something. He couldn't as she went in for round-two.

He found she was strong. Inhumanly so. He thought about breaking free with his Talent and knew he could. But to do so would harm her. He didn't want to do that. There was no reason for him to break her limbs or shatter her ribs simply trying to break a kiss.

…He also missed this feeling. How long had it been since he's had such physical comfort? How long had it been since he'd felt the warmth of a woman?

No. He needed to shake away those feelings. He couldn't afford to be swept away by them. There was a reason why those rumors about him existed.

"Wmmt!" he tried to get her to stop. "Hmmjma-mmpmmh!"

She finally broke away, but wrapped her arms around his neck and refused to budge. She panted, her eyes were glazed but locked directly on his.

"I've always wanted to do that with you, Kiri-kun."

"…Who?" Extreme confusion swept his face.

"Please don't do this," she said as the tears began to form. "Kiri-kun, I thought you were dead. I thought they had killed you. I know it's you!"

"Himejima-sempai," he tried to pull free but she was unwilling to let go. "You have me confused with someone. I'm not this person—"

"I know who you are, Kylar Stern!" she shouted in outrage, sorrow, and joy all mixed into one explosive cry. "Those stories… I always believed them. I know it's you!"

He almost broke his mask. He knew who Akeno was. He'd always known. It was merely by coincidence he had wound up enrolling in the same school as she. He should have done his research better but it was too late. Still, he kept his head down in the Academy and never drew attention… at least not the sort for her to look into him so carefully. She was living a wonderful life and didn't need his supervision. She had grown into a lovely lady surrounded by a loving family.

He didn't exactly think she would remember those stories. There were only three nights he told her about the wetboy named Kylar Stern. With everything else happening during her childhood he had figured she would remember those instead of the little moments.

But, he knew, it was the little moments that mattered the most. Sitting together and eating a single loaf of bread with Jarl and Doll Girl in the slums… something that would make anyone look at them in pity or disgust was something he always treasured deep in his heart.

It would seem Akeno had done the same thing.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," he denied anything further and managed to slip out of her grip. "Listen, Himejima-sempai, I'm sure your… loved one is still around. But I'm not him. I'm sorry."

He moved away from her and crossed through the gates of his house.

"I know it's you, Kylar," she wouldn't give up. "Do you want to know how? You're wearing colored contacts! Your original eye color is blue and your shapeshifting won't work on the color of your eyes."

He gave her an incredulous look but turned away and proceeded to walk down the path to his door.

"You have no scent!" she shouted next.

He stopped, fully turned to look at her with his brows scrunched. He opened his mouth to say something, cut himself off with a shake of his head, and went back towards the door. He couldn't believe of all the things to distinguish him she chose that little detail. Well, his reaction worked as a way to make her look crazy to any spectator.

She leaned over his fence this time and shouted before he opened the door. "I placed a tracker on your sleeve! Do you really want to know who I know it's you? Magic cannot touch you! My tracker vanished immediately after it touched your clothes!"

"I don't believe in magic, Himejima-sempai," he sighed and entered his house. "Please go home."

He meant to close the door. Her hand was there to keep him from doing it. By the gods this girl was persistent!

"Fine!" she argued further. "The last thing I know it's you! If this doesn't convince you to admit it I will walk away from here and never bring this up again."

His brow twitched. Asia, the nun from yesterday, was standing in the hallway but he was blocking her vision to see what was going on… and to stop the deranged girl from peering inside to see her. He gestured for Asia to keep quiet, to which she agreed with a few nods of her head.

He sighed and opened the door just enough for Akeno to see his face. He leaned against it though, just in case she tried to force her way inside. He even channeled a little Talent just in case.

"You told me it was a curse," she said in a firm tone. "That you wanted everyone to hate you so you would never have to be close to another person ever again. That you would never be allowed to have the chance to get to know somebody. But you never told me why. I know it's you, Kiri-kun, because that's exactly what you're doing now as Hyoudou Issei. You started those rumors. You first called the police and made those reports. You published those headlines. You made the entire city hate you so no one could ever want to be close to you. My King and the Kaichou were always curious as to why and how you had so much influence over the city and turned it against yourself, and now I see why."

~…Busted.~

"I don't want to hear that from you of all people…" he growled out aloud. The statement was vague on who it was directed upon and so either… beings listening to him could take it as either of them. Eventually, Issei slammed his head hard on the edge of the door, stepped away, and opened it for Akeno to come in.

*Scene*

The stew was set to cook while they all gathered around the table. Asia had prepared some tea while Issei gathered a few light snacks before dinner was finished. There was a heavy atmosphere within the room but things had settled enough for everyone to begin the conversation.

And the first thing Akeno did was slap him. Hard. With the might of her Fallen heritage mixed with her augmentations as a Devil's Queen.

"That's for lying to me," she said in a cold and unforgiving tone.

"M-Miss Himejima!" Asia dropped what she was doing and rushed to Issei's side. "Ise is injured! You shouldn't—"

"Oh he's fine~" Akeno waved off her concerns. "His injuries are all self-inflicted; he could have thrashed all those boys who did that to him. Besides, I knew he could have dodged me but Kiri-kun is a gentleman. He took it anyways. Serves him right, I think."

"You know…" Issei wobbled to his feet. He had difficulty regaining his balance as his world was still spinning. "I'm not like you people. I'm still this little squishy creature called a human. Maybe I just wasn't expecting you to hit me seconds after you ate out my face."

Akeno huffed as she crossed her arms. "Well it still serves you right. It's not nice to play with the heart of a maiden, Kylar."

"Um… Ise…" Asia still went to his side anyways despite the… circumstances going on between the two of them. "What happened to you? You were fine this morning before you left! Here, let me heal those—"

"It's fine," he brushed her hands away. "I'd prefer they heal naturally anyways. Causes too much trouble if they suddenly vanish the next day… especially when most of the kids saw me get mobbed. Don't worry; I heal faster than the average person. They'll be gone in a day or two."

"What I don't understand is why you would be willing to do this to yourself," Akeno stamped out. Those who have had the privilege of knowing her for the past few years would find her charming, constantly smiling in delight, and (to the more intimate of friends) rather twisted in her perverse pleasures. However, all of this was washed away by the given circumstances.

Upset could not begin to describe how she was feeling. She had always known about the existence of Hyoudou Issei. The click of students who followed the Two Kuoh Ladies kept them up to date on his latest sexual exploits. She knew he was the enemy of everyone in the Academy, who had been only allowed to remain in school due to a lack of evidence. She also knew he had several charges filed against him only to have them lifted from, just the same, a lack of evidence. Local tabloids belittled his reputation. There was even a report on the news station some time back.

Rias had looked into the depth of his rumors and only found him innocent. But it was the Kaichou, Sona Shitori— or Sitri as was her Devil's name— who managed to uncover the finer details. She had reached into deep pockets of the city's nightlife to uncover it; the necessity to go to such lengths to find anything about Hyoudou Issei was what drove her to follow through. It had turned out Issei had paid several individuals in several departments all over the city to keep his reputation afloat.

He could have done it so he could have been a saint in the eyes of the public. Instead, he had gone the completely wrong direction and made matters worse. He made everyone hate him.

The neglect, the abuse, the constant beatings and harassment from his peers… these were all things he had done onto himself.

"…There is a price for everything, Himejima-sempai," he answered in a cold tone. "I'm only making sure the cost isn't so… grievous."

Her face contorted into both pain and rage. "Don't you dare start calling me that. After all this time… am I nothing to you? What happened to the steward's apprentice who played with me and shared fantastical stories when no one else would?"

"He died during the coup that would result in your mother's death," his eyes glared coldly, more like frozen blades of steel that cut into her. There was also fire in them; but a fire filled with deep hatred that swallowed all warmth. "My teacher stabbed me; over, and over, and over again and again even after my blood drenched the floors of the study and body had gone cold. He said the family could not afford for me to intervene any longer. Your mother died three days later."

"I… I don't believe you…" she said through a hissed tone, barely constraining her emotions. "You're here, aren't you? You are him, the Night Angel. When the family came for me next it was a man hidden in the shadows who led me to safety. You hid me away in a safe house. And it was my disobedience and naivety that got us exposed to the family. But you still protected me—"

"I sold you to Sirzechs," he retorted. "Sold. I did not hand you over to the Devils for better protection. The daughter of a Grigori lieutenant was… invaluable. It's only coincidental he gave you to his sister. It's also coincidental while I'm here doing another job you two happen to be here as well."

Akeno stared at him. Disbelief and acceptance clashed within her mind. The memories of their time together in the Himejima estate could have been looked at differently now that he stated these facts. He did not take apprenticeship for the better sake of his future. He had woven his way inside the family's affairs to learn their secrets and to use them for his own benefit. Even in the stories he had told her, the wetboy Kage— secretly known as Kylar Stern— was a mystical wet-worker who vanquished the wicked in the name of justice.

But justice was anything but kind. It was just, but never fair.

Something within the family could have had them branded as 'wicked'. It could have been anything. From the family's private affairs, to their actions of exorcising demons, to even— Lords of the Damned forbid— the conception of her. She was the birth between the union of a shrine priestess and a Fallen Angel.

She braced the table as the thought shook her core. She needed to remember. At what point of time did the pageboy named Rikiri Kiriguya come to their doorstep asking for an apprenticeship? What was the exact date he told her?

"I only let you in here for closure," he said as he gestured back towards the main entrance. "You have it. I am still alive. Now leave. And don't come back. I will also warn you to keep your mouth shut about those stories. I don't have a reason to kill your master… yet."

"…I still don't believe you," she said defiantly.

"Tell a lie enough times and sometimes it may become the truth," he quoted in a mocking tone. "We're done here, Himejima-sempai."

"…I don't believe you," she muttered again. Her face was red with both fury and pain. Tears threatened to fall out of her eyes but she held them in. She refused to give up, to break down and give in to defeat. "This isn't over, Kiriguya."

"It's Issei now," he snapped and made a gesture for her to leave.

She didn't go towards the door. She stepped deeper into the house, towards the living room, and stood on top of the large carpet sprawled across the center. A glow of red energy sparked from her hands as she began to weave them into intricate patterns in the air. Shortly, a magic circle formed from her artwork which then mirrored itself directly below her feet. The red light increased as the spell of teleportation was beginning to extract her.

She looked at him once in defiance. This wasn't over. She vanished a second after and all trace of her existing within the house had disappeared with her.

Asia, who had felt like a burden during the argument, had occupied herself by setting the table. She had set a place for Akeno but was not wondering if it was a good idea. Nevertheless, she finished the duties she assigned for herself and began to serve the meal she worked most of the day in preparing.

"…Mister Issei," she began in a low voice, calling out to him from the other side of the table. He hadn't moved while she was scurrying around. "Please come and eat. I'm sure… you'll feel better…"

He brushed his hand through his hair, "Not sick or anything. But, yes, thank you Asia."

They sat together for some time in an awkward silence. He was sure she had questions but she wasn't going to voice them out. Some obligation was keeping her from doing so, just as he had never asked anything about her. They had an understanding of another.

But some things couldn't be kept in the dark.

"…Mister Issei?" she spoke up, using the formal address instead of the nickname he had offered. "Why did you lie?"

Between bites, he looked up at her. The same cold-steel gaze struck her.

She flinched, "I-I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to intrude! Please ignore what—"

"What makes you think I lied?"

She blinked. That cold gaze was still there but… something deep within them had thawed out. It still hurt her to look at them as they were more vicious than anything the people from the Church had lashed out at her with. Even being branded as a heretic did not hurt as much as the look in those eyes. But… there was a small flicker of warmth below the surface. That she could grasp at to face the cold.

"…Because I know what it's like to be alone," she answered without care. She drove straight in without fear of him lashing out at her. Rather, at this point, this was her talking to herself. This was something she had denied to herself for a long time. She was using him as an excuse.

"I was… a Holy Maiden of the Church," she began to tell her story. "There was a dog I had found in the middle of the street. A wagon had run it over and it was going to die. I cried my eyes out and prayed to God with all my might for Him to save it. My prayers were answered and the dog was healed.

"The Twilight Healing, they had called it. The healing powers I have… you've seen them when I scraped my knee last night. The Church called me a Holy Maiden. The people idolized me; they came from all over the world just to get a chance for me to heal them.

"…But I never had a friend. The children I played with stopped. The priests who watched over me kept me at a distance. The people I healed worshipped me as an idol instead of as a person. I didn't have anyone to talk to. I was so very much alone I cried myself to sleep at times.

"A week ago, there was a man who was wounded. He came to me and begged for me to heal him. I couldn't leave him and so I did.

"But then the priests and the practitioners began to call me a heathen. They said my power was unholy. The man I had healed… he was a Devil. I was branded a witch and was forced to flee from the Church. I grabbed what I could… T-They… They were going to burn me, Mister Issei. The people who said they loved me!

"The man who helped me escape… he was a Fallen Angel. He was kind and told me where to go. He gave me a ticket for a flight and false documents for me to travel. He said I would be safe from the Church and his followers would protect me. I was so scared but I listened to him because I had nowhere else to go.

"But then… I met you, Mister Ise."

He listened to her story. Questions in his head were answered but he didn't need them. He didn't need to know anything about her. He didn't want to know anything.

But now he did. Now she was just one step closer to him. He could sympathize with her story, could even relate to it on certain events he lived through. He was beginning to have a pact of understanding with this girl.

He couldn't afford that.

"I… I don't know what's between you and Miss Himejima…" she spoke again after a moment of silence. "But I know you really don't mean those things you said to her. I know you're really a kind person! I… I know there's a reason behind it…"

"What's your point, Asia?" he asked with a bit of edge in his tone. He needed to distance himself with this girl as quickly as possible.

She didn't cower this time. Her brows scrunched as she countered with her own ferocity, "Being lonely like this is not worth anything!"

They were both quiet. There was no sign, no flutter of movement in his expression, but his eyes shifted in focus to dangerous levels.

She saw this. But she refused to back down. She firmly believed in her words; she believed in him. He would never do anything malicious without just cause. She believed he was a good person.

He placed his spoon down. It had been crushed in his grip. "A life for a life. If I stay alive, away from anyone else, so too can they. I'm not in trouble, like you, Asia. I am trouble.

"The Himejima family did not kill her mother. I killed her mother."

He spoke in truth. There could not be any argument in his statement.

There was a small gasp coming from Asia. Her eyes widened slightly as his words reached her mind. She tried to deny them, tried to find some fault in his words, in his tone, in the statement itself. She wanted to hold to her beliefs for him. She wanted to deny this evil and keep him in the light.

She could not do so. He had killed Akeno's mother. But… there was more to the story. He had only shared so much to keep her quiet. He didn't elaborate what lay hidden in the darkness.

"…O-Oh…" was all she could say as she bowed her head and went back to her meal. Rather, she stirred the liquid around with her spoon in idle motions. She had lost the strength to eat, let along enjoy the companionship.

*Scene*

Dawn was rising by the time he returned to the house from his ritualistic training regimen. The lights were on, indicating Asia had been up for some time and had yet turned them off with the approaching sunlight. He could make out the smells of various spices and the clatter of instruments coming from the kitchen.

Only, there were two problems. First, he recognized the scents belonging to certain eastern dishes. Asia had no idea how to make any of them.

Second… Asia was sitting at the table.

"Welcome back, darling~" greeted Akeno as she came out of the kitchen with large bowls and plates coating her arms. Her Devil's strength had given her the aptitude to balance all of them.

…The fuck?

"Breakfast is ready whenever you are~" she said sweetly… and he could have sworn he saw a heart-shaped twinkle appear right after she winked.

"…I thought I made myself clear," he said in an even tone. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, Kiri-kun," she giggled with her face blushing slightly. "I love you too."

His mind came crashing to a halt. He tried to replay the last few seconds in his head and corresponded it with the last time she came around. The two didn't add up. There was a wall of sorts between them and trying to make them work together had them both crashing into a great wreck. There was even an explosion, a raging fire, and little metaphorical abstract representations of thought running around in an attempt to put it out.

He looked once at Asia. She wasn't looking back at him. She was struggling to get a grasp on using chopsticks for this Japanese breakfast.

"I…" slowly, almost painfully so, his mind began to reboot. "Did I say anything last night to say any of this is okay?"

Akeno placed the last dish down, cycled around the table, and approached him. She did, however, keep a fair amount of space away from him. Her loving smile never faltered as she began to elaborate. "Oh, everything you said was very cruel and hurtful. So much so in fact I almost cried as soon as I got home. Almost. I was on the verge of believing everything you said and was planning extraordinary ways to make you regret upsetting me… very delicious ways, I might add. But then, after I was extracting the poison out of a nightshade, I had something of an epiphany. More like a small thought that had drifted at the last second. But it lingered.

"Looking at all those wounds you still have tells me something. You would go to such great lengths to push people away. Everyone hates you because you wanted this to happen. Now I don't know exactly what the problem is, but it has to do with a certain price, am I correct? Meaning you don't want me to get involved. Well, Kiri-kun, I'm here to stay. And the harder you try to push me away the more I know you still love me~"

…The fuck?!

"That… How… How did you come to that twisted logic?" he tried to follow through. Truly he did. But her way of thinking didn't have a pattern he could understand. And this was coming from an immortal entity who had millennia of understanding human-based concepts, including the troublesome extraterrestrial beings known as women.

"Now come on," she drew close, only to give him a playful push against his chest. "Breakfast is waiting."

*Scene*

The world was frozen. No one could move. Issei hadn't seen such a state of immobility since the Freeze. Seriously. People who were walking and talking suddenly stopped in animation. The passing of vehicles stopped in traffic. He even saw a family of birds hovering in midflight, being suspended in their space without having to flap their wings.

It was all because Akeno would not let go of him as they walked to school. And he had tried his damnest to either get her to leave him alone and to escape her clutches. Neither attempts had worked, even with his prospect of Talent. He was tempted to just turn invisible right then and there, even if it meant exposing his identity to the supernatural creatures always watching as the Night Angel.

Much like with what Raynare had almost succeeded in, the reputation he had built upon his self was working its magic. And Akeno was the greatest of catalysts— no, she was a bloody amplifier. As the second most sought-after girl in all of Kuoh, the city that is, to see her in the arms of the vilest of people brought incredulous dark thoughts.

Issei began to sweat. The amount of dark thoughts these teenagers were having against him were attracting the attention of the ancient and primordial Daemons. The invisible dark spirits were popping out of their dimensions to see what the commotion was. Luckily, there hadn't been a Talented individual except him; the Daemons couldn't invade their bodies and turn them into Ghuls.

But still. Lord Nysos, these teenagers had some dark thoughts.

"Himejima-oneesama," one sturdy third-year approached with his group of friends (plus more) in tow. "Please blink twice if you are being held against your will."

She stopped smiling. At first, they took that as a sign that she was, indeed, being held against her will. However, they stopped in their tracks when something cold shivered not through their spines but through their very being.

…Because the Second Great Onee-sama of Kuoh Academy glared at them through eyes of death. These boys were dead to her. And if they did not retract their words or walk away, her visualization of their rotting corpses would become reality.

"Himejima-sempai is—" he tried to make up something on the spot to turn things his way. Some excuse like he was blackmailing her or she was in his dept. It would have kept the students hating him while, give him a reason to tolerate Akeno's obscure habits, and to preserve her reputation.

He tried this. He couldn't because she slammed her Devil-enhanced elbow into his gut.

"Ise-kun is my boyfriend~" she said sweetly, almost sickly so. There was venom in her tone as it was directed at the group of boys. "I am not being held against my will, I am not doing this because I don't want to, and I am not doing this out of some obligatory reason. I am doing this because I love Ise-kun. Now if you don't mind, I'd like to enjoy what time I can with him before class starts."

She strode past them, dragging a coughing Issei along the way.

On this day, the mythological prowling monster lingering in the darkness had gained a new legend. No woman, no matter how great, fair, and pure they may be, were immune to its hypnotic manipulations. A new fear was born on this day. When it came to this beast— this Hyoudou Issei creature— no one was safe when its attention was gained. Not even the unreachable Himejima Akeno.

*Scene*

The sun was setting by the time she found him on his way home. Raynare had been patiently waiting for him at the bridge where they first met. She pretended to be texting on her phone like any other adolescent snob should be in this day and age.

He looked tired, more mentally than physically. But he still carried himself with dignity as he kept his back straight. Though there was a slight slack in his posture with how he kept one hand in his pocket and his bag slung over his shoulder in the other hand.

He didn't say a word when he walked by her. He didn't even bother looking at her.

She shut the phone and stood up from leaning against the railing. "Why if it isn't Ise-kun~"

He stopped but never looked at her. In a second he continued to walk.

She dropped the Yuuma persona and talked to him how he deserved. "How dare you walk away from me! If you know what's good for you, you will turn back around and face me."

She didn't dare release any of her power into the open air. A mundane human would crumble to their knees at the pressure. If Issei was such, she wouldn't obtain what she wanted from him. No, he was a common human lowlife. If he were the Night Angel, there wouldn't be a need to be walking among their like and biding by their rules. The Night Angel could stand against the united force of the Three Factions— what did the greater divine being need to fear from a bunch of monkeys?

Issei gave a weary sigh as he lowered his satchel down to his side and turned back around. "Look, I've had a tiring day. I'm really not in the mood for any more harassment."

She approached him with a grace humans would fail to replicate. She was a being forged from the fires of Heaven and crafted by the Hand of God Himself. She was perfection made real; being Fallen only gave her a corporeal form.

Raynare looked at him in a dull stare. Truly, there was nothing appealing about this human. He was far too flawed in every feature about him. "You've done me a great disservice. You've humiliated me, Ise-kun."

His brows came together slightly. She approached him further. He tried to move away but she closed the distance before he could move away. Tenderly, in a loving caress, she put her hand over his right cheek.

With a smile as radiant as a new dawn and words as sweet as honey, she spoke almost in a song, "I kill those who've wronged me."

She saw them flash through his eyes— the feelings she desired from him. Disbelief at first, skepticism, followed by doubt in his own thoughts, conflict, then acceptance, and finally fear. He had looked upon the eyes of an ancient entity. No better truth could ever be expressed through a human.

"But I won't, at least not yet," she said tenderly as she gave him a light pat on his cheek and distanced herself. In the tone of Amano Yuuma, in such a playful tone it could have been innocent had it been about anything else, she chorused again in a singsong tune. "I will make you suffer, first. But I'm not going to dirty my hands in silly things like torture. No, no! I'm going to humiliate you a thousand times worse. I'm going to—"

He turned around and began to walk away. The last thing she saw was a bored expression on his face.

She stood there frozen, blinking, unable to process what just happened. She, a higher being, had threatened to ruin him. He, a lesser being, had just turned his back against her as if she wasn't worth his time. A cockroach had just walked away from the boot that was about to crush it.

This time, her power flared. The light around her began to shimmer from her fury. Fuck humiliating him. She had enough of him! With an extended hand, the light began to gather to her grip as she processed a spear of light.

She threw it with the speed surpassing a bullet. It streaked through the air, tearing through the layer and creating a sonic boom akin to thunder.

The spear struck his back, but did nothing further from making him stumble a few steps forward. She had seen something shimmer in multiple colors as soon as her spear made contact. A barrier! Just a simplistic wall of magical energy woven together without a magic circle!

He looked over his shoulder, his expression now more annoyed than fearful. "Why would you think I wouldn't protect the weakest spot in my defenses?"

"You… You're a Magician?!" she shrieked more so in disbelief than anything. This hadn't been reported at all by her peers. There wasn't even an ounce of speculation that he could have been magically gifted. He had no workshop, he had no records relating to magic, he had no ancestry of the supernatural, and he never showed signs of using magic within her observations.

Then again, she hadn't seen him craft that barrier. She didn't' even sense it. It could have been there always without her knowledge. And maybe, just maybe, it worked as a cloaking device as well if it covered his entire body. Maybe this was why he never appeared in any of their scans.

"Not really," he shrugged and decided to turn around to face her. "I'm… Talented."

"Well, whatever," she said in a low tone. Another spear of light appeared in her grip, this one brighter and sharper than the last. "You're clearly not educated in the magic arts. But if you can block my attack then it means I don't have to hold back."

"...While I'm sure your cleanup is reliable," he began to try and talk his way out of this one. "The Devils won't take kindly towards you making a ruckus in their area. They especially won't if you do so in the middle of the day and get humans involved. There's a highway below us in case you've forgotten."

It made her think of her options. He, annoyingly enough, was correct. She couldn't afford to give the Devils a reason to become hostile before their mission was finished. They still needed to find the nun Kokabiel had sent them. Killing this boy right now would cause too much of a problem.

However… "You cannot run forever. Sooner or later, you will be all alone. Night always comes. You will need to sleep."

They stared at another with the sound of the ongoing traffic below them being muffled out by their focus upon the other. He was evaluating her, debating with himself over the potency of her threat. Magician or not, he was an amateur at best if he was using pure mystic energy without a catalyst or a formula. He wouldn't stand a chance against a Fallen who had been through the Great War, even if she was only a pinna.

His expression did not shift so much as his face simply… melted. Like a mask that had dribbled away only to reveal something else, something unknown hidden behind it. His eyes were a blade, sharp and indiscriminate towards those who opposed him. They were aged enough to have Raynare begin to question herself. She scoffed at the idea at first, but something within her told her not to push him any further.

"…So will you, Raynare."

Her eyes widened. How?! How did he know her name?!

She blinked. He was gone. The sun had set a little more by the time she realized she had been standing alone. Her anger flared that much greater. Twice couldn't have been a coincidence; he must have used some sort of magic to alter her sense of time. He must have said those words to open a gap in her mind and slip in some sort of illusion.

She swore, the next time she had the chance, she was going to take it. The hell with the consequences. No one, not even a lowly Magician like him, makes a fool out of her twice!

*Scene*

"Miss Himejima won't be joining us tonight?" Asia asked as they sat together for dinner. He had given her money to go shopping for groceries as well as a map. He had expected her to be gone for some time, presumably to have gotten lost, but he was surprised when she came back less than an hour later with everything he requested.

He barely had enough time to end the conversation on the phone by the time she entered the hallway. In time, dinner was prepared and they gathered at the table for each other's company.

"Himejima-sempai has her duties as a Devil," he shared with her. There was no point in hiding anything from her, especially when Akeno had outright admitted to being a Devil plus not denying from him about her Fallen heritage. Asia was a member of the supernatural side of the Church; she did have a Sacred Gear after all.

"Tonight it'll be just you and me," he finished. There was a bitter taste in his mouth as soon as he began to eat. Her cooking was exceptional and he knew she would never poison him— that, and he knew how to distinguish the taste of most poisons. No, the bad taste was coming from the fact he was beginning to like Asia. This taste was a result from guilt.

"Tonight will be our last night together," he said through hardened eyes.

She stopped eating to look at him. "Am… Did I do something…?"

Those eyes. God fucking damn those eyes! They were not of the same color but everything about them reminded him of Doll Girl. Those eyes looked at him in fault. She was blaming herself for something she knew nothing of and was worrying about ways to make it right.

"Do you still love the Church, Asia? Do you still pray to your One God?" he questioned.

"Y-Yes," she gave a slow and steady nod, never looking away from him. "I pray to the Lord every night before I go to bed. And… the teachings will always be a part of my life. Even if I am no longer welcomed, I won't stop practicing."

He nodded in acceptance. "Good. I've gotten in contact with some people that owe me favors. Tomorrow I will take you to the bus station and you will get on. The driver will take you to them and they will take you into any of the Church branches of your choosing. You will be receiving a pardon from the Pope and be permitted acceptance back into the Church. Just make sure to not heal any Devils next time."

He had to cash in a lot of favors he kept in reserve for important or emergency situations for this. They were a lot of things he had to get from other immortal creatures residing inside the 'holy' den that was the Vatican. They were things that took him a century— some several— to gain. But it was worth it.

He didn't want Asia to be a part of his life any further.

"You mean… I can't stay here…?"

Of all the things… His brows came together at this. He was giving her what was wronged of her, of a life that was stolen without her control, and she was asking for this? To stay with some strange man she had but a few days to know? She didn't know anything about him. He had refused to share anything with her and had taken great care to avoid her at all times except dinner. He kept an eye on his mannerisms and kept his responses short, cold, and reclusive. He didn't want her to get close to him nor to give her a chance to.

Of course, it had happened anyways.

"I won't be here," he replied. "I've been compromised. I'm leaving and never returning. And even if I do, you will never be able to find me. I'll be someone else. So if we ever do meet again, Asia Argento, you won't be able to recognize me."

She sat back in her seat. "Did… Did I do something, Mister Issei?"

She asked again, unsure of herself. Her distant tone suggested she was simply asking the question out loud, not fully expecting an answer.

The dinner tasted like water and crackers after that. Very stale and flavorless. But the guilt would wash away in time. It always did. There were countless others before Asia who had the misfortune of knowing him. Some had been closer. Some had become lovers. And always, always, always they wound up dead. Even those he abandoned would be used as his substitute whenever he made a mistake. If there was so much as a sentimental feeling towards them, they were to be marked as the next sacrifice for the Black Ka'Kari.

Such was the curse of being the Night Angel.

Such was the life of Kylar Drake.

He put his fork and knife down when someone knocked on the door. Banged on it, more like. They refused to go away. He knew the group of children would try to harass him about Akeno. Well, since this was his last night in the city as Hyoudou Issei, he might as well go out with a bang. Maybe even use some Talent to lay off some steam. He's had three years of pent-up aggressions from his own misadventures.

…There was only one person at the door, however.

The Black Ka'Kari inside him stirred. This man was sopping in sin.

"Why hellooooo there little Devil worshipper~"

*Scene*

Akeno delved into her work as was the norm. Her clients were usually perverted old men who had frustrations due to their age. Their wives being moody or losing their attraction, the local girls never wanted to have a one-night stand with some old geezers despite their wealth, or the brothels were simply too unclean for their taste. Now, she wasn't the sort of Devil to let them have their way with her. That was someone else's department. Her job was to… curb their appetite, so to speak.

Take now for instance. Her current client was the CEO of a major corporation with its main office out in Tokyo. While he could hire the best prostitutes or sway the finest of ladies with his charm and financial prowess, such pleasures have become dull to him. And while he could summon the succubae of the Underworld, one does not start off with the most potent of vices off the bat. Something light was in his need.

Naturally, he still didn't know what he had asked for. Akeno was anything but light in her duties.

She, literally, walked all over him. Strangely, he was a repeat customer. He had summoned the succubae on a few occasions but continued to call for her services because no other being on this planet could stimulate him like the way she could. She always pushed him around, stepped on him, insulted him, and, every now and then, struck him with some of the instruments she would bring along. And he loved every part of it.

"Did I say you could lick my feet?" she whispered softly but with such authority she truly fit her role as a Queen. She pressed his face back down to the ground with her bare foot as she sat in his office chair. It was made of such fine leather but sadly couldn't compare to anything the Gremory clan had. It didn't even compare to the chair Rias used in the Occult Research Club back in the Academy.

Most Devils would feel sickened at this play. Oh, before this man she could make herself feel like a higher being with how she treated them. Real Devils didn't play pretend like this exercise. But she enjoyed every part of it just as much as the man simply because it was humiliated him, made him suffer, made him squirm as she continued to tease him and never gave him an inch no matter how hard he struggled. She loved how he was constantly at the breaking point but never allowed him to continue. Twice he had tried to have his way with her when his mind had broken but she put him in his place. This cycle went on and it was almost time for him to snap for a third.

She licked her lips at the idea. Oh how she wondered how she was going to put him down and punish him this time. She loved this part of her job. They were so much better than the exorcisms of dark spirits.

There had been a lot more of them lately, oddly enough. Especially today. She had five contracts from the local Shinto priests for assistance. But there was always a little bit of time for… fun.

At this thought, her smile increased as she pressed her foot down harder.

*Scene*

While her Pieces were fulfilling their duties and gathering contracts, Rias Gremory sat behind her desk and went over the reports she and Sona had been working on for the past few months. The mundane populace had spread rumors about some black humanoid monster appearing out of seemingly nowhere and frightening the locals. Ever more curious, the sightings had only taken place when there was some petty crime about to happen or was in the process of. Some of the criminals had mentioned they had spotted this creature, others had claimed it was the creature that attacked them, and some of the captured were just left rambling mad about its features.

Without a doubt, wherever there was a trace of evil, this creature had appeared. Did it devour the evil? Was it some sort of dark spirit devouring evil and sin in order to make itself more powerful? Had it reached a level where it had obtained a sort of corporeal form for the mundane to see traces of it?

Neither she nor Sona could come to a conclusion. If this dark spirit, assuming it was a spirit in the first place, was after evil essence in general then it would have assaulted them with their high reserves of demonic energies. Sona believed this creature was biding its time and was of high intelligence. It could have been gathering its strength in order find the opportune moment to strike.

This theory was reinforced when the Archduke had sent a mission for Rias and her peerage to remove a Stray Devil that had invaded her territory. She gathered her forces and went straight to the last seen location in order to investigate, track its movements, and then hunt it down.

However… when she got there… the body of the Stray was already dismembered.

There wasn't a single trace of its demonic essence even when its corporeal form remained. It was as if all of its demonic energies had been… devoured.

After the incident with the Stray, she always made sure to keep an ear to the ground in all the supernatural affairs going on in her city. She had been lax in her duties due to the lack of excitement, but now was a time to be on alert. She and Sona pulled their resources together and set up a network to share information with another.

However, they met several roadblocks on the way. Information on certain particular fields and departments within her city were blocked off from her access. It had nothing to do with her being the official overseer of the Devil's territory of Kuoh. No, this was something the denizens of the city itself had decided upon and had set up their own network without her knowledge. Some other individual had penetrated her home and had set up a base of operations.

And they were doing one hell of a job in keeping her in the dark. Informants that she once thought were reliable had given her shifty knowledge, some had gone missing, her familiars were blocked passage from certain buildings as they were sealed with powerful magic protections, and several other problems continued to knock her off her feet.

She couldn't even investigate the happenstance of the Fallen lingering within her territory. Whoever was in charge of this third-party syndicate did well to keep their affairs in the dark. But, in doing a crosscheck, any information regarding the affairs of the Devils was kept just as mum.

Basically, no information regarding the supernatural was being uncovered. She had to resort to the tabloids, messages on the internet, and some rumors spread through ear.

That's right. Her 'reports' contained nothing but newspaper clippings.

And, just like any other night, she hadn't made any progress at all in uncovering any of the mysteries she swore to solve. She was doing poorly as the overseer as this had been out of her control far longer than she realized. She couldn't even deal with the dark monster if she couldn't gather any information outside of public access.

"Buchou~ I'm back~"

Rias looked up from her desk and removed her fake glasses. Yes, fake. She only wore them because they worked as a sort of trigger for her mind to get into focus. "Akeno? That was… fast. The sun only set a few hours ago. Are you sure you're not overdoing it?"

Akeno cackled with a hand over her lips, "Ara, ara, Buchou. I'm perfectly fine. Is there anything else I can help you with or can I retire for the evening?"

Ah, so that's what this was about. She had plowed through all of her contracts in order to get off of work early. Normally they wouldn't finish until midnight. She capped off the night with three hours to spare.

"Akeno, while it's great you've reacquainted with your… childhood friend—"

Truth be told, Rias didn't know anything about Hyoudou Issei. Akeno had given her a vague story about the two of them and played her word games to avoid any deeper questions. In fact, Rias didn't know if they were childhood friends. Her search through Issei's records indicated he lived in Kuoh his entire life, went to school in the local establishments, and entered Kuoh Academy for the sole purpose of receiving a higher education. If any of these records were true, he shouldn't have been Akeno's anything.

Something didn't add up. Especially when the boy had his hands in several entertainment businesses, media centers, and… red-light establishments. Official records said people under different names were the actual owners and managers, but her dive into the machinations of her city told her otherwise. The boy was rich, impressively so for a mundane human.

Something didn't add up.

"…You shouldn't push yourself just for his sake," Rias continued without pause. "You saw him earlier this morning, joined him for lunch, and then waved him off the school grounds at the end of the day. Don't you think you're also smothering him?"

Akeno's smile grew. Never a good sign. "Oh Buchou~ I haven't had the pleasure of smothering him with his pillow yet."

"That's not what I…" Rias shook her head. Why would she even bother? "I guess… so long as you don't lose your breath and can keep up with your duties… I can let you leave early. But don't become a burden to him."

"Why Buchou, you're not worried he might have his way with me?" Akeno teased. "I'm quite the dainty flower in a weak state having seen my first love risen back from the dead. He might take advantage of this."

Rias shook her head again. "If he does then I'm sure you're more than capable of handling it. But if you are a… dainty flower and he takes advantage… I'll deal with him myself."

Akeno cackled, "Well then, I'll make sure to have my wits about me. I can't have you taking what I deserve away from me. Hmm… I do hope he tries something. Now do I let him or punish him first…? Have him push me down, tear off my clothes, and ravish me? Or do I fry his skin, peel off the muscle, and—"

"…Akeno," Rias called out bluntly.

"Oh, dear, did I say that out loud?" Akeno questioned with a knowing smile and a playful tone. "Excuse me, Buchou. Have a pleasant night and wish everyone off for me~"

*Scene*

"Tape," Issei called out and extended his hand.

Asia, hesitant at first, pulled a good length of the duct tape and handed the end for Issei to measure how much he needed for himself. Finding an adequate amount, he bit off the end and brought the material around to finish his project.

The Exorcist who tried to storm his way inside chose right now to spit a wad in Issei's direction, who had predicted would happen and had moved easily to the side. "FUCK you shitty ass fucking Devil whoremonger loving shit—"

Issei brought his hand around and slapped him. With the amount of bruises and cuts covering his face, the slap sent jolts of electricity that even the Exorcist's apparent torture training had failed to protect him from. He was rendered quiet enough for Issei to seal his mouth shut with the strap of tape.

To call it a battle would be laughable. It was furthest from a battle. The Exorcist had made the mistake of heavily underestimating Issei. He assumed there was nothing special about him. Hitmen of the art would always research their target. Even if this character had, they would find nothing special about Issei. As far as most thought, Issei was a normal mundane human.

So when the Exorcist charged in with a small dagger aimed at the abdomen— in a particular spot that would hurt but wouldn't kill— Issei whiplashed three hits to shatter his knee, break his grip on the knife, and plant his palm straight into his face and effectively breaking the nose.

The Exorcist tried to fight even after being disoriented. Issei could have knocked him unconscious, but he had been wanting to let out some steam. Last day 'alive' and all that. So he smacked the Exorcist around a few times, making sure to leave the guy conscious.

He'll admit, the guy was pretty tough. He still had the fire to fight. And Issei wanted to smack him around some more but Asia begged him to stop.

They resorted to tying him up in one of the dining chairs. All of his weapons had been stripped and sprawled in an order across the kitchen counter, far away from the Exorcist's reach. There were the exorcism blades and guns of light, a few number of daggers, a pistol with twelve rounds and one in the chamber, and three grenades— fragmentation, concussion, and flash-bang.

He could interrogate him. He should do such. But he would be calling one of his people instead to handle this mess. He already had to deal with Asia and for making a new identity while continuing his ritualistic duties as the Night Angel. Vacation or not, even officers and doctors weren't exempt from fulfilling their oaths.

There was also the blood at the main entrance he needed to wash away. He couldn't sell the house with the door and hallway stained in blood.

He eyed over his prisoner and his bindings. The tape was wrapped in specific spots all over his limbs to suppress his more dominant muscles from moving. If he could not lift them then he couldn't gain any leverage to squirm free, let alone burst through the tape. Still, countless similar occurrences have made Issei almost as paranoid as his master— possibly twice so due to the madness and fear of death. He made sure the tape was reinforced with a weave of Talent.

"Keep an eye on him and shout if he tries anything," he told Asia. He also pulled on her arm and placed her behind the couch, giving a gesture to tell her to not move from the spot. If the Exorcist managed to break free, there would be that split second the couch would provide as a hurdle for him if he came after her. And that would be more than enough time for Issei to charge in. Leaving her be, he made his way to the utility closet and began to pull down the necessary things to clean the blood, including the toxins and chemicals he tucked away in the secret compartment.

Down the hallway, he dialed a number on his phone and put it between his ear and shoulder while he began to mop. It rang only once, but the receiver did not say anything. Issei spoke in a very low tone in Alterian— yet another ancient language humanity had forgotten but something he could never let go. "There's a small disturbance at my location. An intruder. Extract him from the premises with discretion and get rid of him. I've been compromised. I can't act out any further from this. Proceed with the schedule as planned afterwards."

He shut the phone and tucked it in his pocket and went back to work.

It didn't take him very long to clean up the blood. Years of paranoia mixed in with experience of vanishing without a trace had made him a master of several brands of espionage and stealth. In a number of lives he was the head butler of prestigious families as well as the lowliest of janitors for the sole purpose of learning better methods.

He wasn't surprised to see Akeno sitting in the living room, patiently waiting for him in one of the spare sofas with her mirthful smile. That smile was especially twisted tonight as her eyes did not so much as examine as they did appraise the bindings he put on the Exorcist. It grew when she saw him approach.

"I'm impressed, Kiri-kun," she began in a playful tone. "Perhaps you could demonstrate your techniques on me some time? For educational purposes, of course~"

He didn't humor her as he began to put things away. He didn't bother to greet her either other than a small glance in her direction, merely to accept her presence.

Most of his attention was locked on the Exorcist. The man didn't try to fight. He wiggled around here and there, testing the strength of the bindings and evaluating his options. Most would try to tug at every inch to find a gap, grow tired, and then try again once their captors were away. But not this man. He was sitting quietly, accepting his place, but also looking for a way out of it. He was a schemer who had been trained to deal with these situations with precision. He was waiting, observing them all, and absorbing every piece of information about them to be used later.

He should knock him out before he became a problem. Drugged him, maybe. Perhaps just kill him so he wouldn't be a problem in the short future. The man was drenched in such sin little droplets of it dribbled onto the floor as if he had come in from a storm. However, through the eyes of the Night Angel, the man was not guilty of anything. He had killed but never murdered— at least not in the Exorcist's eyes.

Whatever. It wouldn't be his problem in a few minutes.

"What are you doing here?" he asked Akeno when he had put things back where he belonged. He locked, unlocked, and locked again the secret compartment quick enough for ears to believe it had been a single lock with multiple tumblers.

A dainty brow rose but she played along in her own unique way. It was beginning to become tiresome to him. "I can't visit my boyfriend in the late hours, exhausted from work, and hoping he doesn't have his way with me in my fragile state?"

A normal man would have taken her to bed by the silky tone of her voice. A teenage boy, rich on hormones, would have jumped the gun or fallen on their knees. Akeno was a seductress, a natural one at that. She had a body many would have killed for— both figuratively and (he knew a few who would) literally. She was given the perfect physique of a Fallen, the mystique of a Devil, and the flaws of a human to make her beauty transcend both her supernatural species. Not many Fallen and Devils alike could compare to her.

But she was going to have to try harder than relying on natural charm to seduce him. The courtesans in the red-light district had a better chance. They knew how to charm people of all kinds. Akeno only relied on what was given to her on birth and never needed to sharpen her tact. And why would she? Beings of both genders had flocked to her by simply existing. But, in the end, she was simply a teenage girl who was trying to warm her way into the heart of her first crush.

A crush. There was no real love between them.

He ignored her as he went back to his work. There were things he needed to gather before he left. Now that this had happened, odds are the Church was going to send reinforcements to check on the status of one of their Exorcists. He would need to report shortly and if he didn't alarms would go off. In probably an hour or so his home would be stormed.

"Gather your things," he told Asia. "We're leaving in ten minutes."

Both girls remained where they remained. Asia blinked in confusion, startled at the sudden command. The color in Akeno's face washed away by both the sound of his voice as well as the words that left his mouth.

"…What," the Fallen-Devil stated more than questioned.

"Now," he barked, making Asia jump where she stood and rush up the stairs. This time, she did not stumble once.

"…Kiriguya, what's going on?" Akeno slowly stood up. She looked at him expectantly. He didn't answer as he went towards the back into the hallway and opened another closet. He pulled jackets off the rack to get to the back wall. With a bit of Talent, he punched a hole and began to pull down the plaster and wood to reveal a safe behind it. As he began to fiddle with the combination, Akeno slowly approached him. Her shoulders were shaking as her smile was gone.

"Kylar…" she said in a low voice but firm and demanding. "What's going on?"

He was pulling piles of money, jewels, and trinkets rich in magic into a small bag. He shut the safe…

…And brushed right past her without batting an eye.

She grabbed his arm with enough force to snap it in half if he were a lesser man. "DON'T IGNORE ME!"

With Talent, he pulled his arm free, making her stumble forward by the inhuman strength he displayed and she had been unprepared for. His eyes were cold, colder than she had ever seen of him. They were void of all life and drank any essence and concept of it. Colcytus failed to compete.

It made her take a step back out of fear.

"I don't have time to deal with you," he said. "I am leaving. If I am ever back in this city or in your presence, I will make sure the next time you don't recognize me."

"…Why?" she asked, the question escaping her lips even as her mind was at a blank.

He stared at her. His hands tapped in a rhythm against the handles of the bag. He noticed this and forced himself to stop. "You need to stop this. Love will destroy you. And you don't love me. You think you do because I showed you a sliver of kindness when you were young. You think you love me because I got you out of there. You think you love me because I sent you off to a master who happened to be compassionate. This is an illusion— you are lying to yourself.

"Ask yourself this. What makes you think I even remotely like you?

"Do you know anything about me? My preferences? What's my favorite color? Movie? Music? Do I even like any of those things? Do I care for them? How about what defines me outside of the hero of the stories I told you? Did you ever get to know me? Who is Kylar Stern? And did you know his real name was Kylar Drake? For that matter, who is Hyoudou Issei? Would you have cared for him if he had been exactly who he was supposed to be? Would you have cared for him if he was some misunderstood child given false pretenses against his name?

"No. You wouldn't. Instead, you flaunt over a phantasm. A fictitious character you've idolized from childish stories and never learned about the person behind the character. You've never learned that I do not like you."

He broke his gaze and went back inside the house. He left her petrified as he went around the house to gather things he could not leave without. If the Church was going to storm the place then he could not afford them to find some of the more obvious of his hiding spots. True, they would never be able to reach the safe house down below, but they would be able to uncover many things before then. He needed to take out as much as he could carry.

Asia came down ten minutes after, exactly the time he told her. She hadn't the time to adjust to her new vacancy and so most of her things were still packed in her trunk. Her eyes were red as her cheeks glistened from tears she had smeared. She had cried, probably while packing, and had wiped them away just before coming down the stairs.

"…Mister Issei, I'm ready," she said before spotting Akeno, who was still mortified by the main hallway.

Akeno had seen her. At first, her face continued to stare in a blank. But then, her stony expression slowly contorted into distrust. Dark thoughts and guesses cycled through her mind as she came to the most believable of explanations. She couldn't understand why Issei was running and so fabricated a story of her own. It was not a benevolent story. Her face turned, eventually, into one of distain and then absolute loathing.

After all, he was leaving with Asia and not her.

The lower levels of the house were torn apart by the time he was done. He returned to the main room with a backpack, a duffle bag around his shoulders, and two smaller bags with one in each hand. "Good. Let's go."

He went first towards the door. However, and this he somewhat expected but couldn't inwardly groan, Akeno had blocked his path. "I'm not letting you go until you give me some answers—"

"Listen to when people are talking to you!" he roared out, letting his anger seep through. His threatening tone made her twitch but she refused to budge any further. "I owe you nothing, Himejima. You, on the other hand, owe me your life! Now get out of my way or I will—"

His eyes flickered over her shoulders. He felt it before he saw the shimmer. A wave of magic collapsed over the house— very subtle magic the mundane and lesser magicians wouldn't be able to detect. His fingers fiddled at his sides, feeling the pressure of magic that had enveloped them all. He detected weaves of suppression. They were to keep noise from leaking out, an illusion for the house to appear the same if damages were to be made, and another to have those outside divert their attention away. It was the standard barrier every supernatural organization had used when dealing with matters on the mundane world.

"Fallen?!" Akeno turned towards the doorway.

He grabbed Asia's arm and nearly threw her behind him. She gasped at the suddenness and fell down when her feet slid on the wooden floor.

The door blew open. Issei turned, crouched, and brought his arms over his head and torso to minimize the damage. Akeno had raised a barrier of her own through her Devilry. It was large enough to cover the entire hallway but hadn't been quick enough to block the first layer of splinters.

"Well, isn't this a surprise," greeted Raynare as she stepped over the bottom half of the door.

…Today was just not his day.

"You have no right to be here, crow," Akeno sneered as she raised her hand. Lightning began to crackle through her fingertips.

Raynare's eyes narrowed at the threatening gesture. A lance of light materialized in her hand as she pointed the tip in her direction. "I have as much as you do, bat. That magician is mine. Stay out of my way and I won't have to hurt that pretty little face of yours."

Akeno blinked. She then began to snicker. "Magician? Him? Oh no, Fallen Angel-san, Kiri-kun will outright destroy you. But you're not worth his time."

The sound of glass, plaster, and wood exploding as well as a small quake below their feet came from the back of the house. Someone else had infiltrated from the backyard. The sound of several feet rushing forward could be heard.

"Issei!" Asia screamed in alarm as a team of three other Exorcists in dark cloaks ran towards her. They each had a blade of light in one hand and a steel dagger in the other.

He crashed through them before they were halfway at Asia. The shoulder-tackle into the center Exorcist made the enemy be blown back down the hall. Still using his momentum, he brought his leg around and swept the one on the right off their feet. The force alone made the bone snap in two.

The third Exorcist was quick enough to gather his bearings and bring his light saber around. The weapon blazed with holy magic that was more than capable of harming a human just as much as any metal blade.

Issei spun, ready to strike down the Exorcist but then shifted his execution when he saw the blade of light flashing towards him. Instead of a fist, he opened his hand and clasped his fingers around something.

The Black Ka'Kari listened to his command. It slivered through his veins, seeped through his skin, and manifested in a black blade.

The blade of light was devoured as soon as the Ka'Kari made contact. With nothing to interfere, the Ka'Kari continued to travel and stabbed into the neck of the surprised Exorcist. Issei twisted the blade so the head would turn and the blood would be spilt away from him and Asia. Still using the swing of his arm, he spun around and stabbed into the second Exorcist he had felled. It slipped perfectly between the ribs; the Exorcist shuddered once before lying still, their lifeblood seeping out onto the floor.

The first Exorcist, rising to their knees, was hunched over with a hand at their chest. He wheezed as his chest was caved in, but he kept a firm grip on his weapons and glared defiantly at Issei.

"Issei! Don't!" shrieked Asia.

But he was already moving. His Talent had him closing the distance between the two in an instant. The Black Ka'Kari devoured both metal and light weapons with utmost ease as the Exorcist tried to put up a defense. His stance had been superb and would have blocked exceptionally had it been a normal weapon. But the Black Ka'Kari devours all.

It cut cleanly into his flesh with no resistance. The Exorcist dropped dead.

The engagement had been no more than three seconds. His eyes flashed towards the three on the floor, using a split second to examine their conditions and make sure they were dead. Satisfied, the Black Ka'Kari seeped back into his skin.

Asia remained on the floor, staring up at him in absolute horror. She had seen many a great number of wounded. She had healed soldiers, victims of assaults, and those horrifically wounded in accidents. But she had never seen any of them hurt in front of her eyes.

She had just witnessed murder. She had just seen Issei cut down three men with a wound they will never be able to recover from. It shook her. It went against her very nature. It made her sick.

But she was not looking at Issei in fear. No. She was looking at him in sorrow. It broke her heart to see anyone throw away such an aspect of their humanity to kill without hesitation. To remove that which made them what they are: life itself.

Issei's lip twitched. Those eyes of hers. Damn those eyes. How many nightmares had he lived through when he wondered about Doll Girl looking at him through those eyes? Those accusing eyes who made him question what he was doing with his life.

~Kylar! The Exorcist! He's Talented!~

His head swiveled around, eyes shot wide open. The Exorcist strapped to the chair didn't rip through the tape. Instead, he had torn the chair apart with limbs of wood stuck to his joints. He shot out of his imprisonment and crossed the room in an instant. He crashed against Issei, who had an instant to brace himself, lock his knees, and remain on his feet as he was shoved backwards.

The Exorcist picked up one of the dropped daggers and continued his charge. His eyes kept locked on Issei's hands, expecting his black blade to come out at any second as he went through motions to cut into him. He was skilled, exceptionally so. Empowered with physical augmentation Talent, the Exorcist was able to keep Issei dancing around.

But Issei was hardly pushed. He had been caught off guard but his reactions had been honed to impossible levels even before being bonded by the Black Ka'Kari. He dodged and deflected the slashes, using some of his own Talent to make himself faster and stronger. The Exorcist had been trained well in close-quarters combat and had experience in using his Talent. This wasn't just some fluke where he would have a burst of strength. He had a glore vyrden, the glow of his eyes to absorb light and therefore refill his Talent, and a conduit to channel the life energy into augmentations.

Being in the company of another Talented individual wasn't impossible. Rare beyond a means of measurement, but not impossible. Issei knew how to deal with him.

The Exorcist saw an opening. He went for it. With a fist dodged, with Issei overextending himself but a fragment, with his eyes widening at the realization, the Exorcist closed in and brought his dagger around. The blade cut into his jugular.

Only for the image of Issei to disappear into black shadows.

The Exorcist's eyes widened.

Issei was at his flank, his enhanced fist driving into his side. The Exorcist's cloak had been reinforced to withstand phenomenal force common when facing the supernatural. But it did little when Issei drove enough power to have the wooden floors cave under his feet. There was a loud boom as his fist made contact, and the Exorcist was airborne immediately after.

He crashed into the fireplace, the glass sliding door shattering and marbled tiles surrounding it cracking by the impact. His eyes widened and stared into open space. He was dazed from the concussion, tried to get back up, but couldn't find the motor functions to do so.

Issei grabbed what he could— the splintered leg of the chair— and went to finish him.

He stopped. Asia had jumped between them. Her arms spread wide open to act as a wall. "Issei! Stop! Please! No more!"

His eyes flickered to the Exorcist behind her, to over his shoulder at the small skirmish Akeno was having against Raynare, to the windows and every other point of insertion within his defenses. It had hardly been five minutes since the confrontation began. His support wouldn't be here until another five.

He needed to get rid of his intruders.

He would not hesitate. The last time he hesitated…

He ignored her words and kept going to finish the job. Asia backed up, drawing closer to the Exorcist even if it meant to use herself as a shield.

A shield she became. The Exorcist jumped to his feet, grabbed her by her hair, and pressed the knife against her neck. In a swift movement, he ripped the tape off his mouth and brought his hand back to pull on her hair.

Issei stopped moving. His eyes narrowed in disgust.

"Well, well, well," cackled the Exorcist. A twisted smile grew as he pushed the dagger closer, drawing a trickle of blood. "Well shit, shitty Devil lover. You like sacrilegious nuns as well? Go figure. Not as delectable as the forbidden fruits of the Church, but, hey, if you like rotten apples, whatever. Now, drop the stake."

His brows furrowed this time in annoyance. His fingers rapped on the makeshift weapon in his hands in a rhythm as he thought. T-T-Tap. Stop. T-T-Tap. Stop.

In the end, the tossed the wooden leg to their feet.

"Good, good," the Exorcists smile grew. "Now be a good boy, lie face down on the floor and— Hey! What the shit?! The fuck are you going?"

Issei had moved from the center of the room back towards the kitchen. With almost a lax care, he picked up the confiscated handgun on the counter, turned it over to examine, removed the safety…

…And pointed it at the two of them.

Asia gasped.

"H-Hey!" The Exorcist could not believe it either. He would have called it a bluff. But the cold, dead look from Issei told him otherwise. "Don't fuck with me here. I will kill her if—"

There was no warning. Issei shot three rounds at them.

The first round pierced through the arm holding on to Asia, releasing her, but the bullet landed within her left shoulder. The second bullet struck through her right shoulder and nailed into his chest. The final bullet clipped the side of her neck and plowed into his collar.

He fell back; she fell forward. Their wounds were far from fatal and only the shock released them both.

"Y-You shitty ass crazy mother fu—"

Issei wouldn't hear it. He fired three more rounds into the Exorcist. Three rounds through the skull. There was no getting up from that.

Asia was sobbing on the floor. Her arms were crossed over her shoulders with her Twilight Healing glowing. Her wounds closed but she continued to cry. She was looking up at him through eyes of betrayal.

He also knew they weren't because he had hurt her. It was because he went against her plea to not kill.

"Kiri-kun!" shouted Akeno from the hallway. She was on her knees, hand clasped on her waist from a burn wound. Raynare was moving away from her and bringing a pair of light spears in each hand. Her wings fluttered, pushing her forward in a gust that blew away most of the loose furnishings. She moved far faster than any human could.

Raynare, a supernatural creature of pure energy given a corporeal form, was unreasonably more powerful than any mundane human could possibly become. Only the likes of Heroes, the gifted, those born with blood of the supernatural creatures, or acolytes of a divine protector could hope to compete with her.

Issei was none of these things. But he was Talented.

The spears of light dissolved into dust which was then absorbed into his skin at the instant touch to his torso. For a second, his skin glowed with power before it reverted back to its normal hue. Raynare hadn't seen how he had killed the Exorcists and had no clue to his potential. She had a moment to blindside him with dense spears of light to penetrate any invisible magic barrier he erected around his self. She did not expect her divine powers to simply vanish into nothingness.

The second impossible thing happened. Her momentum as well as her superior breed should have had her wrecking him into mush. He, instead, brought his fist around and made contact with her fist far too fast to be humanly possible. The ground below him cracked by the pressure of the blow. Her head was stopped as her jaw spat blood and teeth. But her body continued to travel and she was flipped around.

She crashed onto the ground, skidded, bounced, and then crashed onto the sofa before stopping painfully by the furthest wall.

A normal gun wouldn't have killed her. He picked up a dagger from the counter instead and wove a reinforcing spell on it to withstand the density of Fallen skin. The blade was now sharp enough to split the flat of paper while durable enough to not break under the strain he was about to place it under.

Of course, things continued to impede him from finishing the job.

Asia, once again, stood in his way. But instead of acting as a wall to keep him at bay, she ran into him and threw her arms around him. She sobbed heavily, "I-Issei! Please! Don't hurt her!"

Don't hurt her!

Something triggered in his head. Pain surged through his mind as a memory forced its way to the surface. He had said those words once. He had brought Doll Girl before his foster father, Count Rimbold Drake, and made a deal with the man to grant her a better life. This was against the orders of his master; Durzo Blint had been there instantly. He had feared Durzo would kill her for his insubordination and so threw himself before his master. He was nearly beaten to death until Count Drake stepped in.

The memory made him hesitate. He swore to never do so. He hesitated once… and it had cost Doll Girl, his Elene, the beautiful face that had named her rightfully so.

That hesitation made the enemy move.

Streaks of lightning from Akeno flashed over his shoulder to stop Raynare. Her spears of light blocked them. A silver shadow blurred past her, moving faster than any of them had been. One might recon it to a silver, humanoid bullet.

~He's not just Talented! He's a—~

Issei surged his Talent out, making his body glow with unrelenting power. He tried to push Asia aside even if it meant he would take the attack.

He wasn't fast enough.

Asia gasped when she felt the pain. Two large blades pierced through her from her back. It had been masterfully marked to avoid any fatal wounds, but the thickness of the blades alone would have her bleed out once they were extracted.

The blades had traveled through her body and had cut into his body and extended out of his back. His lower intestines and stomach weren't so much as punctured as they were carved in half. His body convulsed unwillingly as blood forced its way out of his mouth.

The Exorcist had been the assaulter. His arms were no longer of flesh and blood. They were of silver, molded to be flat like blades.

He wasn't just Talented. He was a Ka'Karifier— a being who bore one of the seven Ka'Kari. Issei had known there were three Ka'Kari he hadn't been able to retrieve. The Red, which had been tossed into a volcano and was now deep within the mantle of the Earth, the Blue, which had been tossed into the ocean and had made up the endless storm within the Bermuda Triangle, and the Silver, which had simply been lost throughout the centuries.

This Exorcist was bonded to it. He bore the Silver Ka'Kari within him. He had absolute authority over all forms of metal, could transform any part of his body into any metal of his choosing, and was impervious to death through any metal instrument. Three bullets to the head had no effect on him. He had played dead, waiting for the perfect chance to strike.

…Just as he had when he was first captured, Issei realized.

"Kylar!" Akeno shrieked from the hallway.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," the Exorcist clicked his tongue in amusement. His twisted smile never left. "Such a shame. Always knew there were others like me, but didn't think I'd have to kill him. Too bad. See ya later, shitty heathen lover. Well, no, I won't. You'll be burnin' in hell.

"Don't know what yours makes you immune to… But to make sure you stay dead…"

The world went dark after silver flashed before his eyes.

*Scene*

Akeno screamed. Her soul screamed. Every fiber of her being screamed at the sight before her.

The Exorcist had withdrawn his transfigured arms of steel out of Asia. The girl dropped to the floor like a rock and began to bleed profusely. His next move had been in an instant. Kylar had tried to move, she had seen his body twitch to defend himself, but it hadn't been quick enough.

The Exorcist turned his sword-arm into a bladed hand, to which he swiped it not across his face but through his skull. Pieces— pieces!— of Kylar's head splattered everywhere.

She didn't know how long she screamed for. The world had gone dark as her mind replayed the horror over and over again, never truly understanding what had happened and never fully accepting it. She didn't know how much time passed. Eventually she had to accept what had happened occurred in reality. This was real. This was really happening.

Kylar, her invincible hero, was dead.

The Fallen and the Exorcist were arguing back and forth by the time she snapped out of it. They were arguing about the condition of Asia's body. The girl was bleeding out but was trying to inch herself closer to Kylar's corpse. Her eyes were shedding heavy tears as her Twilight Healing was activated. The wounds on her were slowly closing only due to their radiance, keeping her in a perpetual state of bleeding and healing. Her only desire was to heal Kylar.

Akeno looked down. She did not know when it had happened. Her body must have moved on its own.

Kylar's corpse was in her arms. His blood was staining her uniform. Smearing all over her skin as she held it close to her. Asia was trying to draw nearer to fix what couldn't be repaired.

Blind rage consumed Akeno. Her vision was nothing but red and black as her demonic energy spiked. Lightning surged from her pressure, tearing apart her surroundings in its wake. She glared in vengeance upon Raynare for wreaking such childish havoc in his peaceful life. Towards the Exorcist who had taken the final blow of her beloved. But most of all, to Asia.

If Asia hadn't been there, he wouldn't have had such a burden. Kylar would still be alive and would have annihilated them both. Instead, he had tried to protect her. She prevented him from doing so.

A hand on her shoulder made her stop from wasting every last of her reserves to obliterate the territory. She would have destroyed the house, and possibly the block, and possibly end her own life, but that hand suppressed her power. It made her stop with its authority.

She did not know when they arrived. Rias, her King, had appeared with Kiba, her Knight, and Koneko, her Rook. They surrounded Akeno and formed a protective wall while Rias knelt at her side. Her azure eyes looked upon the opposing side in a tyrannical glare, ready and willing to strike them down.

"Mmm~" moaned the Exorcist as he licked his lips. "Those eyes. The look of wanting to kill me is so strong I can't help but be at half-mast. Can I kill you next, filthy Devil-chan?"

"Freed, that's enough," Raynare sniffed in arrogant disdain. She looked at Rias with the same displeasure as she had when standing at the front gates of the Academy. "Well? What do you want?"

"You attacked my Queen," Rias hissed. "I'm here to defend her as well as make you answer to me. I've been tolerable of your actions so far, Fallen Angel-san, but you've gone too far."

"Hmph," Raynare gave a mocking snicker. "Please. I've done nothing to go against the treaty. My business was with that."

She pointed at Kylar's body. Akeno squeezed it harder as she gritted her teeth. Rias' grip on her shoulder tightened at the feeling of her demonic energy going out of control again.

Raynare continued, "Your servant got in my way. Besides, the magus was keeping something that belonged to us. We had every justification to attack him. Or do you want to say we're the ones in the wrong? I'm sure the Grigori would love to listen to your complaints."

Rias' face did not change. She continued to glare in barely repressed aggression. "…What business did you have with Hyoudou-san?"

"That's none of your business now, isn't it?" retorted the Fallen with a sneer. "We've abided by the rules. No innocents were drawn into the crossfire. Nothing from the outside was alerted to our presence. The world keeps on spinning. Now, are you going to keep arguing or can we get what we came for and be on our way?"

"Rias, you can't," argued Akeno through nothing but anger.

"…I apologize for the actions of my Queen," Rias said through forced politeness. No one in either party would believe it, but to hear those words was a victory of itself. "However, I expect you to take responsibilities for any… extreme grievances you've enacted tonight."

"Rias!" Akeno squealed in betrayal.

"Akeno, that's enough!" her King so commanded.

A victorious smile spread over Raynare's face. It would have been beautiful hadn't her lips been cracked with teeth missing. Nevertheless, she accepted Rias' words with pleasure. "Very well. We will provide for the repairs of the territory as well as the— hmph— closed casket."

Akeno's body shook in rage.

"Freed, get the girl and let's be on our way."

The Exorcist, Freed, groaned like a child. "Whaaaaaaa? Man. What a cockblock. Fine, fine. But, hey! Can I at least have some fun with her when we get back? I don't think my heart will heal unless I rape her~"

"…No," the Fallen refused with a level of disgust only a woman could have for another of their kind. It mattered not if they were two different species.

Asia tried to fight his grip, but she was far too weak from her wounds to do anything. It wouldn't matter; even at her best condition there wouldn't have been anything she could have done. Her wounds were mostly closed, though some blood still seeped through as Freed tossed her over his shoulder.

They began to exit through the back. Raynare looked over her shoulder once to stare at the Gremory group before leaving the territory. Freed followed after her, but not before blowing a kiss to Kylar's dead corpse and saying a prayer.

Akeno's shoulders shook harder as her frustrations was released. The target of her ire was gone but now she had another problem to deal with. She looked up at her master through eyes of heavy tears. She couldn't even see clearly.

"Rias. Please. Save him."

Rias had never seen her Queen like this. Not since the first day they met when she was still grieving over the death of her mother. Just like that day, Rias wanted to make all of her problems go away. Had it been a normal death, it could have been possible.

The Evil Pieces could resurrect the dead, yes, but only under certain conditions. The soul had to be lingering still within the physical realm with the body in able condition to operate. Most diseases and fatal wounds that had been their death would have gone away after resurrection. But there were just as many limitations. Curses or magic beyond the level of the King could not be undone. Some diseases would keep the body dead or would later kill them even after becoming a Devil.

Or, like in this case, the body was beyond repair. The boy's entire head was spread throughout the room in chunks. Simply gathering them together in one pile wouldn't have been enough. Painstakingly putting each piece back together like a puzzle would not have worked either. Even if they did, and they resurrected him, the damage was simply too great. He would not be the same if it worked. His brain and its membrane had been damaged.

Rias could not find the words to explain all of this to Akeno. She opened her mouth once but could not speak. Eventually, she had to look away. She could not grant the wish of her dearest friend.

Akeno lost her strength at that. She began to weep, clinging the body of her admiration close to her.

"You two…" Rias looked over to her Knight and Rook. "Go home. We need some time alone."

Kiba wanted to say something. From wanting to protect them in case the Fallen returned to wanting to comfort Akeno in her time of need. But Koneko tugged at his sleeve to get his attention and shook her head. He stared, searching for something in her amber eyes, and eventually nodded. He looked once more at Akeno, at the impenetrable and zealous Queen he respected just as much as his King, and wanted to say something before he left.

Koneko tugged on his sleeve again. Now wasn't the time for any words. Words at this time would do more harm than good. In the future she will need them, but not now. Those were the things a simple tug had told him.

He relented and obeyed his master's command. Their King had prepared a magic circle in the den, to which they entered and vanished into their respective apartments.

Rias let Akeno cry for some time. Not because Akeno needed this, but because Rias didn't know what to do. She didn't know if she should try to pry Akeno away from the cold body, to come to her side and hold her as well, or to maintain her distance and let the Queen release her emotions. Eventually she chose the latter. She busied herself with searching upstairs, finding a closet, and pulled a few sheets out. She took her time coming back down the stairs.

"Akeno," Rias called softly in a heartbroken voice. She put the sheet over the body, breaking the stare her Queen had locked on the gaping wound at the neck. Akeno blinked and then looked up at her master in… Rias wasn't sure what expression it was. Betrayal? Surprise? Self-loathing? It was a mixture of all of them and yet no words could describe it in clarity.

"…Let's clean you up. And then we'll take care of the body."

At first, Akeno clasped tighter to the corpse, unwilling to let go as if it would disappear the moment she released it. Rias put her hands on top of hers and gently made her let go. The body was eventually lain flat on the floor; Akeno could not look away from the blood on her hands. She could not stop shaking. Rias took her hands and pulled her up the stairs. She was going to use the facilities here; she had a feeling Akeno wouldn't be able to leave the house until the body was taken care of.

She managed to get Akeno undressed and into the shower. She slid down the wall and released a sigh of woe; she could hear her Queen's sobbing.

Rias scratched her brow. She truly didn't know what to do. Her peerage had seen death numerous times. But she hadn't. She had done her best throughout the years to nurture them back to sociable conditions; but she knew better than to believe the darkness, the taint, the corruption they had lived through hadn't twisted them. Akeno looked so… alive when her childhood sweetheart had been discovered. And now that light had been ripped from her once again.

Rias decided she should at least clean the body. Then they can decide what to do with it afterwards.

However, her heart froze as it shriveled up in her chest. She took the last step on the stairs, turned the corner, and planted her feet on the ground.

The body was gone.

A trail of blood lead out through the front door.

*Scene*

In this realm, within this Antechamber of the Mystery, he will always be one person. He was not Kylar Stern, Kylar Drake, Hyoudou Issei, or the countless others he had gone by throughout the ages. He was not even the Night Angel.

He was Azoth, the little boy who had broken free from the slums— the identity of the one he could never erase, no matter how many, how immaculate, or how detailed the mask he wore covered it.

The Antechamber of the Mystery was a special room, if it could be considered an existing place to begin with. It was pure white, a void of white spreading in every direction at an endless length. There were no walls, no ceiling, no floor, and yet Azoth knew it was a room. Flickers of strange beings circled around him, whispered incomprehensible things, secrets floated in the air, but no matter how hard he tried to focus on them they always vanished when his attention was drawn towards them.

He sat at the throne, one leg crossed with his chin resting against his knuckles and elbow propped against the rest. Behind him stood two doors. On the right was one made of wood, plain, unimpressive, and mundane in every sense. The one on the left was immaculate, perfection made real, ethereal given physical form, and forged out of a gold substance not found anywhere on the planet.

For a fragment of time— a second, a minute, an hour, it mattered not as time did not truly exist in this realm— the golden door distorted into one of black and fire before returning to its perfect visage.

One door led back to the real world. The other would lead to the afterlife and his Judgment.

There was once one who sat on this throne before him. No, to call it a throne was silly. It was but a decorative chair now. The real ruler of the Antechamber flew around in the white void.

The Wolf made its presence known. Azoth had laughed a number of times after the transformation as the ruler continued to desire to be called the Wolf. Others called him something else. But he was king, this was true. None could defy him as he had evolved from the Reaver, to the Dark Hunter, to the incarnation of the greatest force in nonexistence. After all, this Dimensional Gap which housed the Antechamber was his domain and none other can exist within its confines.

The people of this day refer to him as Great Red.

The dragon flew at an immeasurable speed. It could have been instantaneously, it could have been at a calculable length, it could have been as slow as a crawl; it was always impossible to tell inside this lawless domain. Regardless, the enormous red beast flew through the white void as soon as he sensed the appearance of Azoth. It did not matter when it had appeared before him; time, once again, was immeasurable here.

The Wolf, the Great Red, the Apocalypse Dragon, gave something of a toothy grin. If a snarl with a feral growl that created worlds with its voice alone could be considered a grin. Without a doubt, this creature was the Wolf. That toothy grin and those golden eyes were all the proof he needed.

That, and he had been there on the day Ezra the Mad and Garoth Ursuul the Reaver had split in two. Ezra had transcended into a purely magical entity of dreams, this Great Red. And the Reaver had become an even greater killing machine; it had evolved into an incarnation of obliteration itself and sought to remove existence itself.

The One God feared it as Trihexa.

Azoth stared back at the Wolf. Words needn't be said. Countless times have they met like this. Azoth would die, he would return to the Antechamber of the Mystery, and he would be offered the choice to return to his body or to move on to the next life. In here, there would be no interference. No argument to be made. It would be entirely up to Azoth to decide for himself.

And always, he would return to the living. He would this time.

But before he would return, he needed to know.

"Who is it this time?" he asked of the Wolf.

Great Red shut its eyes and huffed in a sigh. It had been watching; it had always been watching. The transcendent being had known about his efforts to keep the magic of the Black Ka'Kari from choosing anyone. Even the Ka'Kari hadn't wanted to choose. But it was beyond their means, including its own. It was a power beyond comprehension, older than creation itself. And, maybe then, did it come from the nothingness of the Chaos which is why nothing could reject its power. Great Red could use his power to extend the curse, but at a great price and Azoth would need to pay for it. However, the curse can never be diverted. Prolonged, yes, but never removed or placed onto someone else.

The price would always be the one he cared about the most. He had been careful to remove as many attachments as possible. He had fabricated a mundane life in order to stay out of the supernatural. If he needn't have to fight, the chances he could live would be that much greater and therefore no one else would need to die in his place.

The Wolf did not speak. It did not need to. It no longer needed to for communication.

That girl, Asia Argento, will die next so Azoth could live.

It did not matter if Azoth chose to move on to the next world. Asia had been marked. Even if he remained dead, Asia would be right after him shortly.

Azoth released a heavy sigh. Countless times had this happened to him. Countless time had his heart been broken by his own mistakes. Someone, a girl he hardly knew but couldn't deny he had cared for, was going to die because of him. And for what? Because she resembled Elene? Because she had her smile, her compassion, the fire in her eyes for all that was righteous?

He could never forget. Elene had been claimed by the Black Ka'Kari just as countless others had been. Lovers, friends, families— anyone with a spark of companionship had been claimed by his so-called treasure.

He always asked himself if it was worth it. Letting those he loved die so he may live. Countless times he had asked himself this. Countless times he had grasped at the handle of the otherworld door and fully accepting he would decent into the darkest pits of the Underworld for his black soul.

But just as many, he always chose the wooden door.

For he was Azoth. And Azoth was he.

Without a word, he rose from the throne.

*Scene*

It was night when he took that breath of life. An inhale of rich and painful air after being suffocated. None could truly understand how it felt. Some had claimed to know what it was like but they had never been as dead as he. At death's doorstep, shaking the Reaper's hand, but never dead and then coming back.

His eyes fluttered open. His mind flashed at full alert. Sleep was gone in a blink. He went through a list in his head, trying to figure out where he was, his conditions, his health, and the last thing he remembered all in an instant. Less than a second, humorously at a speed of thought because it was a thought, the information was obtained.

He was in one of his safe houses, lying flat on one of the beds with a single sheet covering him up to his chest. He kicked his feet over, stood, and went straight for the mirror above the sink.

His persona of Hyoudou Issei was gone. The Ka'Kari had reset his body back into its original form. He had his ruffled black hair, fair skin, and icy blue eyes. His facial features were also completely different. While Issei was moderate in his looks— average at best, uninteresting in every sense as he was supposed to be— Kylar was much better looking.

He let a smile seep through. He thought he was good looking. It couldn't get any more vain than that.

He splashed water on his face and let it air dry. An old clock working on cogs hung on the wall on the distance. Kylar always made sure it was maintained to the most accurate millisecond— yet another perfectionist trait he had inherited from Durzo. This clock, however, displayed not just the time but the date as well.

He had been dead for twenty hours. The sun should be setting at this hour.

He needed to move quickly.

His gear had been meticulously prepared in advance, as it had always been. He quickly changed into the wetboy grays and blacks. Tights, leather bindings, light armor, and a cloak with a hood. His boots were made of a synthetic leather and tree sap that was nearly silent on every surface he stepped on. He wove strings of cotton through the flutes of daggers and tucked them in sheaths full of poison, placed several throwing daggers and darts in special holsters around his body in easily accessible locations, strapped a pistol at each hip, a sewn-off shotgun within his cloak, a short blade to his back, two cords of wire string, smoke pellets, flash bangs, and finally the two swords he would carry out no matter what job he took.

The first was a large silver blade almost as long as he was. It was a broadsword he needed Talent to lift and swing nimbly. The second was a much smaller blade— a straight sword sealed entirely in a lead case. Not even its hilt was exposed.

The first he had known as Retribution, the blade of his master Durzo Blint. But Durzo, the previous wielder of the Black Ka'Kari, had known it under a different name. It was the Staff of Law, Iures, capable of remembering, replicating, and sharpening any spell it is exposed to.

The second was a blade Kylar had a rough history with. After all, he had tossed it into Ezra's Wood just so the madman could regenerate his arm. It was known as the Sunderer, the Sword of Power, Curoch. It was the magic sword, a weapon of limitless power as it could destroy anything and grant anyone at the level of Archmage and higher enough Talent to wipe out the surface of the planet a hundred times over. It was the only weapon other than the True Longinus that could kill Kylar permanently. It was the only weapon the Ka'Kari could not devour— let alone touch.

It had taken him centuries to grow his Talent high enough to wield the blade. It had taken him centuries after that for it to accept him as its master.

Being an immortal has its merits.

He strapped Iures to his back while placing Curoch at his hip. He was ready to move out. And he was about to until something else caught his eye.

There was a plate of food with plastic wrap covering it on one of the tables outside the weapon's room. There was also a small note folded neatly to the side.

Kylar read it, looked down at the plate of food, and then read the note over once more.

He will have to give Officer Takahashi a raise. He was too considerate for his own good. After all, one could not storm a small fortress on an empty stomach.

There was more than enough time for a quick bite.

*Scene*

"We are ready to infiltrate, Master Diodora," said his Bishop.

"Finally, I can end this little farce," Diodora Astaroth pressed his fingers against the lining of his suit, creasing out any imperfections within the fabrics. "This one has been trouble. But she is more than worth it."

Diodora and his peerage were gathered at the bottom of the hill hidden in the trees. Once they crossed through the bounded field the Fallen had erected there was going to be hell upon them. But he had been prepared, most prepared indeed. His peerage was stacked to the brim with anti-Fallen weaponry Shalba had provided him with. Not that he needed them to begin with. A small flock of low-ranking birds like them wouldn't stand a chance against him. He could storm their base and wipe out all of them on his own, but heroics needed to be delivered with a flourish. He needed to showcase his deeds, enter the domain immaculately, and rescue the nun girl as a Prince Charming. He couldn't dazzle her if he was soaked in the blood of his enemies and wounded himself.

The sun was setting with the orange orb hidden beyond the horizon. Night would be upon them in less than an hour and their full powers will be awakened. Under the cover of darkness, Devils were at their peak and could triumph easily over a few crows who lost their Grace. The small brigade of Exorcists the birds had recruited were of little consequence; his peerage could handle them on their own.

He did find it extraordinarily annoying to have to go to such measures to acquire this piece, Asia Argento. He had gone so far as to scar his perfect body for her sake, having her heal him, and thus having her excommunicated from the Church. He had been waiting for her and would have given her a place to reside with open arms— to ravish her, to make her scream, to drown her in pain and pleasure until her mind shattered and all she would want was his cock.

But then, that bastard Kokabiel had arrived. The Star of God made Diodora flee with his presence alone; he knew he couldn't stand up against a ten-winged Fallen, especially one who had been one of the Guardians of the Gates. But Diodora would not give up, never! He kept his ear to the ground and waited until Kokabiel had left the girl to her own devices. Unfortunately, by the time Diodora deemed it safe to move towards her again, she had relocated to this dreadful land.

Worse, she had been dazzled by a human boy. He could not play out the rest of his script if she was infatuated with this boy. So, Diodora researched him— in what he had expected to take weeks had taken him less than an hour. The boy had one hell of a reputation; and dare he say Diodora grew nervous the maiden would lose her purity to this heathen. He had to act quickly before things went too far.

He leaked information to the sides of the Fallen. One thing led to another and, well, the boy's corpse is now headless. Asia was taken captive by the Fallen, and now Diodora could finish his plan. He had even written a new script. He was going to use the boy's death to consul Asia, whisper her soft nothings to heal her broken heart, have her see him as her savior and perhaps as a new lover. And at the moment she would start to love Diodora…

…He will rape her. The look on her face and the symphonic pitch of her screams at that moment would make all of this nonsense worth it.

Ah. It was you.

Something whispered right into his ear— a voice that did not belong to any of his peerage. He spun, conjuring a blade of darkness with his magic to strike down who had invaded his space. There was nothing. Nothing had been at his side. His peerage had jumped in alarm at the suddenness and drew their weapons. But after a moment of silence, of using spells to sonar their surroundings, there had been nothing.

He must have imagined the voice. Strange. He had no reason to be imagining such things; he was quite healthy of mind, if not a little perverse in his hobbies. But, he was a Devil. He was the incarnation of Lust itself—

Rapist.

A coldness washed over him. It was not from the weather, not from some foreign magic, and not from some significant presence such as when he nearly ran into Kokabiel. It had come from himself. A guilt? No, he was guilty of nothing. He did not regret anything. And yet… he could not help but recall every instant he captured the heart of each member of his peerage, ravaged them, bent their hearts, souls, and minds, and made them his eternal slaves of the flesh.

It bothered him. Why did it bother him? He had no reason to be bothered by this! This was his right! He was a King! He was free to choose whom shall be inducted into his peerage and his right to do with them however he pleased.

Why was he questioning himself over this?

Diodora shook his head.

Why was he questioning this at all?

"…Master Diorora?" One of his Pawns asked out of concern.

"Quiet!" he snapped and brought his hand across her face. It was a moment of anger, a moment he had lost his charm. Diodora never lost his cool. So why a simple question he programmed into them had triggered this reaction? They were to only think of his wellbeing, of his happiness, of any way to please him. It was why they were going along with this mission without question to add another girl into his ranks.

Liar!

"Who's there?!" he shouted. The voice hadn't been imagined. It wasn't even a voice to begin with but an invasion of his mind. It traveled through the wind and had whispered directly into his ear. Some acoustic spell as far as he could tell.

His peerage were at the ready again. They knew not what he was shouting at— nor did he— but they stood on guard and surrounded him. Protecting him was their priority. Even if it meant at the cost of their lives.

Why? Why, why, why?! Why was he having these thoughts?! Why was this accusation making him feel such pitiable regret? What was there to regret?! That he never looked at any of the girls as people?

Don't be silly. They were all human. Disgusting lowlife breed who resembled Devil-kind. Their only purpose is to be used as resources. Devils extracted them for their sins— he was doing nothing different as he had a zestpool of their Lust to drink in.

Then why did he take the time to always know them? To learn how to sway their hearts? Why be infatuated with them to begin with? If they truly were such lowlife human beings then surely he could have just taken them by force. Why seduce them, betray them, and reave in their heartbreak instead of simply drinking in the pleasure of the flesh? There was more in there he craved from them.

Ridiculous! There was nothing! They will always be nothing!

I judge you. I judge you, Diodora Astaroth!

Ice filled his veins as he stared into the eyes of a beast the likes he knew not where from. Such beasts were found in the Underworld humanity had shared to scare their children. But not this one. This one was a beast even he, a Devil, a being humanity was terrified of, had found to cower before.

Eyes of blue flames stared back. Not into his eyes, however. They stared into his very soul. A Devil does not carry such a thing. And yet, Diodora could feel this creature look into his core, the depth that made him him. It was reading his everything, judging, and not liking what it was seeing. Every wrong Diodora had ever done was being read. Things he refused to believe were not wrong were being exposed to this creature.

This was not why he had squealed in freight. As humanity told the stories of Devils to frighten their children, the Devils had told their children an even more frightening tale. He recalled a time when he was afraid, had nightmares when so young, but scoffed when such a fantasy couldn't have possibly been true.

But true it was. And he was staring into the eyes of the beast all his kind feared above all else.

The eyes of the Night Angel was judging him.

And it looked through the Face of Justice.

*Scene*

Kylar had used the invisibility of the Black Ka'Kari for only a split second to travel through the first layer of the barrier around the Fallen territory. The anti-magic properties of the ancient treasure had allowed him to slip through the wall of magic undetected. But eventually someone would notice his presence. He thought about coating himself in the Black Ka'Kari for the entire operation, but then the little shit would eat at his clothes, his armor, and his weapons. It was called the Devourer for a reason.

Plus, he really hated how it always devoured what material he had around his crotch. By this point he knew it was doing it on purpose.

There was no way to be stealthy for this operation. There was no strategic point of entry. The windows were stain-glass and there was only one main door. The bell tower had long been collapsed and so trying to infiltrate through that way was out of the question.

Still, he made sure to be as stealthy as possible. As he made it to the church entrance, he pulled out a throwing knife and leaned against one of the doors. He slowly opened the other one, in a painfully slow process so none would notice it creak open let alone hear it. Putting the flat of the blade at the edge, he used its surface as a mirror to peer inside.

There were three people. One sitting on a broken pew with her back towards him, another sitting upon a windowsill with her legs swaying and head turned away to converse with the third, and the third was a man standing by the altar with his arms crossed and a quarter ways turned towards him. They were all Fallen.

He studied them close, using the benefits of the Ka'Kari to enhance his eyesight with some Talent for his hearing. At the same time, he pushed the door open more and more. Slowly, slower than a crawl, slower than a snail's pace. The door made no noise even from its rusty hinges. None of the Fallen noticed the difference as it opened an inch, two inches, three, four…

Twenty minutes it took him to open the door just to squeeze through. He called upon his Talent to enwrap himself in the shadows. He was not invisible like whenever the Ka'Kari enveloped him; he was merely one with the shadows through an illusion charm. But his movements were precise, elegant, swift, and silent. He did not gather their attention even as he slithered inside, slid under a pew, hid behind a pillar, crawled towards another pew, crawled under the third pew…

He sharpened his throwing knife with a weave. He waited under the darkness, keeping an eye on the three of them. The little girl had moved away from boredom towards the bottom step of the altar stairs. The man shifted in his stance but remained where he had been. And the women he was currently squatting behind relaxed her posture further by throwing her arms across the edge of her seat. They all continued their idle chatter of their boredom for guard duty, of how they didn't expect anyone to interfere, and questioning another as to why the Fallen Angel Kokabiel wanted Twilight Healing so much.

"Hey, Mittelt!" The man barked in a gruff voice. His eyes turned towards the door. "You were the last one to get in here! Go close the door right!"

The girl, Mitellt, looked scoffed and challenged the man with a look. Her sarcastic gaze went towards the door, making sure to show her annoyance with the rolling of the eyes, and then blinked when she saw the door was indeed wide open. "I did. Damn place's been falling to shit before we even got here. Whatever, Dohnaseek. Just hold on…"

She hopped down the single step she stood on, playing the part of the child her figure masqueraded. But her eyes spoke of an ancient maturity the likes no mortal could obtain. Though her expression was annoyed, it was nothing but a mask she had used in a persona. Still…

She passed Kylar. She did not even look his way. Her great age had made her arrogant.

When the little girl was at the door, furthest from Kylar, and so all three were furthest from supporting each other, Kylar acted.

He brought his hand around the mature woman's mouth, quickly and forcefully, and pulled her head back. The action surprised her and left a moment of shock for her mind to lag in its reaction. Natural defenses kicked in as her body began to rise to pry herself away from his grip.

But it was too late. He brought the knife around with his other hand and spliced open her neck. Her lifeblood gushed out, her hands shot up to clasp around a wound she could do nothing about, and she fell forward onto her knees. In a second, her body collapsed into the pool of her own blood, twitched once, and then remained lifeless.

"Shit! He just killed Kalawarner— oh crap!" cursed the little girl Fallen Angel.

He dashed towards the man, Dohnaseek, next; a set of magically enhanced daggers in each hand. His body was low as his Talent propelled him forward.

The Fallen conjured a spear of light and threw it at him. It did nothing— the light shattered into dust and had then been absorbed into his body. Dohnaseek's eyes widened; it was the last thing he did.

The two daggers plunged into him. He made sure the twist the blades to carve deeper wounds into his intestines. The Fallen Angel fell back from the force. He looked up at him in a myriad of emotions, but could not voice them as she was choking on her blood. He would be dead in a matter of seconds; even if the blood loss would not kill him, surely the poison will.

He wouldn't wait for that. He leapt back, landed on top of a pew, drew the short sword on his lower back, and moved quickly towards the last of the Fallen. This one he had saved the last since she was furthest from the core of the base. She wouldn't have had a chance to alert his companions if she chose to run. But Fallen were crafty as all of them had been a part of the Great War with centuries of battle experience to boast. This one would be no different as she would fight above mortal standards. Yet, it meant nothing to Kylar. Her death was already formulated.

The Fallen did not fight back. She immediately fell to her rear, her eyes flashing wide with fear and recognition. Desperate to flee but lacking the mentality to do so, she crawled backwards until her back was against the other door. She could have simply spun around and ran out the open but she wasn't of right mind to do so.

Kylar leapt from pew to pew, more so running with long strides than jumping. It would only take him three seconds to cross the distance with his Talent and to stab her.

"Mercy! F-Face of Mercy! Please!"

Kylar stopped just as his sword was about to pierce her chest and rupture the heart.

His eyes narrowed. This girl, this Fallen, either was part of the Order or knew of it. She was asking for his Mercy.

Kylar read her— read all of the sins this girl had committed. They were many— there were many— but her heart was layered with guilt. She had spent the rest of her life after the Great War doing all she could to repent.

She was flinching, her arms crossed over her face, head turned away, and eyes shut tight as her body shivered with fright. As time drew out, she began to realize the dolorous stroke hadn't been delivered. Her heart continued to beat. She cracked an eye open, turned her head slowly, and lowered her arms slightly but kept them up in a guard.

They stared at another. She in disbelief, confusion, and hope. He in patience, waiting for her next words to decide her own fate.

"You… devoured the light. You are the Night Angel, aren't you?"

Kylar did not answer. He kept his blade's tip pressed against her chest. "Where is she?"

Mittelt's eyes flashed towards the altar. "T-There. There's a secret stairwell behind the altar, under the rug. Raynare and the remaining Exorcists are performing a ritual to extract a Sacred Gear from a sister. It will kill her."

The girl spoke believing the Night Angel will judge her for this. Judge her for being unable to oppose her superiors, to risk her everything to save the girl. Instead she chose to cower, to hide her head, and put a blind eye to the situation. But in her heart she hated every bit of it. To oppose them would mean death and she knew she wouldn't stand a chance against a group of Exorcists, let alone Raynare. Worse, if she managed to save her… there was Kokabiel to deal with afterwards.

The Night Angel did judge her. He brought his blade around in a flash of silver.

But he did not kill her. He brought the flat of it to Mittelt's temple. The girl was out cold. This was his mercy. She would be found and her superiors, if they would bother to investigate, would know she had tried to stop Kylar but had been rendered unconscious. But that's the thing when dealing with the Fallen: they were a fickle group who ruled with an iron fist. Either her superiors would be understanding and grant her mercy… or they were cruel and put her to the blade. Her chances to live after this were but a flip of the coin.

Kylar would leave it to Fate. Perhaps she wasn't being so bitchy today.

*Scene*

It wasn't difficult for him to find what he had been looking for. There was a labyrinth of tunnels and hallways within the bottom of the Church. It was a crypt used to bury the dead but had long been sealed after an overflow of corpses. He would have to look into the history of the land to see as to why there was such a need for such a labyrinth.

He simply followed the channel of magic leaking. It was a sliver, about as flimsy and thin as a ribbon, but visible through the eyes of the Ka'Kari. He followed the flow, taking his time while checking corners and his back for anyone doing patrols. The hallways were far too quiet and he had yet to run into anybody.

He came before two large doors made of solid stone and carvings of sigils. They weren't from any school of magic he had known about, nor were they from any religion. They were simply… equations, in a sense. Numbers and symbols drawn onto the doors in a formula. Its only purpose was to keep any impurities outside, such as corrupted energies or malevolent spirits. The influx of spiritual energy, of prayer so very much like the taint of Vir, was coming from behind these doors.

The door was sealed shut from the inside. But he had dealt with bigger, thicker, and more reinforced barricades before.

One fist pounded against the door, creating a spider web crack with a boom from the impact. A second combo from his other fist made a large dent in the door. Bringing both fists back this time, he planted his front foot forward and thrust his fists together. The door was blown away as if an explosion had shattered it.

Magic of the Faith swept through him like a wave. He walked passed it, ignoring its potency that would render a mortal mad or a Devil significantly weaker. The Black Ka'Kari drank it in as he took a few steps forward. All eyes within the room were upon him as he made steady steps down the stairs. Their eyes widened as they saw his body begin to glow in a nexus of color, a veil of pure magic originating from their works coated every inch of his being.

He grimaced. This was a ritual chamber— a room carved out of stone to keep magic from escaping and to keep interference at bay. It was large, spacious enough to fit a good legion.

…Such as the legion of Exorcists who had been chanting hymns until he broke open the door.

Those at the front looked at another, pondering what they should do. Those in the back, closest to Kylar, turned towards him and drew their weapons. Kylar paid them no mind.

His eyes was locked at the head of the chamber. Stationed at an elevated altar was a large cross. Asia Argento hung from it with chains binding her in place. Her body glowed in an eerie unnatural light with most of it being focused at her chest. She was wreathing in pain, shedding tears and tossing around against her binds to break free. She would fail, of course.

Hovering above the ground with her wings exposed with one hand to her chest and body turned towards him in mild surprise was the Fallen Angel Raynare. "…Who the hell?"

Kylar continued to watch, not doing anything further. His head turned here and there to keep tabs on the Exorcists slowly approaching him. They were hesitant as his body was breathing in the magic of their faith like an immaculate divine being. But while they took their time to decide how to approach him, Iures strapped to his back was reading and recording the mechanics of their spell. It would memorize it, define it, and could be accessed in an instant if Kylar could produce the same amount of Talent equivalent to the magic the Exorcists were producing.

He could.

Raynare had watched long enough. "If you're here to save her, you're too late. The ritual is already complete!"

He knew. He knew there was nothing he could do to prevent her death. Prolong it, possibly, by arriving sooner. He could have ignored that Devil outside, drained every ounce of his Talent to powerhouse his way through here, and maybe forced the ritual to stop with Curoch. But it wouldn't save Asia. If this ritual didn't kill her, surely something else would. Such was the curse of one marked by the Black Ka'Kari.

Asia screamed once more, louder and higher and pitch as the ritual reached its escalation. The light coming from her increased, flared, and then died. Asia slumped forward, her eyes glazed as her body shivered from fatigue. Something warm glowed within Raynare's hand. A green light he had seen just enough to recognize it. The twin rings of Asia's Twilight Healing Sacred Gear was now in her hands. Raynare brought them close to her heart, embraced them lovingly, and they merged in with her flesh.

The rings appeared on her fingers momentarily.

She began to laugh. "It's mine! Finally it's mine! At last, I can become a—"

I judge you.

Raynare stopped smiling. Kylar had waited long enough. His Talent surged through his body, enforcing the light of the magic circling around him, making his body glow like a living sun. But his eyes glowed in a different manner, piercing, cold, and like an inverse sun.

He took a single step down. All in the room backed away as they felt his presence. His eyes read them, peered into their souls, and saw them for who they were. No one was immune to his gaze no matter if they averted their eyes or not. Their sins were his to see. And he judged them.

I judge all of you!

He put a hand on the lead sheath. Two flicks and the buckles and gears were undone. The sword was not even exposed, but barely a crack in its seal no thicker than a hair, and magic far more potent than anything they could produce leaked out. It began to warp the air, making it dense.

Another flick, the lid came off and exposed the hilt. Another wave of magic swept through them. Their weapons of light curved, bent, and bowed before it. It was not drawn and yet did it have such an influence over the magic of the room.

Kylar drew Curoch from its sheath. It was a blade of crystal, shining in a radiant of colors of the mortal spectrum and some no words could ever describe. Magic itself bowed before it as if Curoch was the rightful king. And perhaps it was. For Curoch was the Sword of Power, the Sunderer.

Murderer!

Exorcists fell back in fear, fell on their knees and begged for forgiveness, or simply stood frozen.

Liar! Betrayer! Traitor! Adulterer!

More Exorcists fell at the accusations. No, not accusations. They were truths. All of their sins were exposed to this being. They could not deny them. They could not hide them. They could not defend their selves. They were guilty of their sins.

Slaver! Molester! Rapist! Thief!

Wave after wave they fell. Some remained standing in defiance, though few. Those standing sweat, shook in fear, or accepted their fate. They knew there was nothing they could do to oppose this creature.

The Night Angel looked at all of them through the Face of Justice.

Sinner! Sinner! Sinner! Sinner! Sinner! SINNER!

I JUDGE YOU ALL!

Talent flowed through Curoch. The sword lit up.

An explosion of blue flames swept throughout the room, flowed through the chambers, out of the labyrinth, and could have reached as far as the outskirts of the church from above.

Screams filled the night as the Exorcists were being burned alive not in holy flames but from their selves. Their own magic of the faith was turned against them. What coursed through their veins became mystic fire used to purge them. As it had filled the room, it burned everyone until there was nothing left but hollow corpses and piles of ash.

The only ones immune to this was Kylar who so wielded Curoch, Asia who hadn't any magic energy active, and Raynare who hadn't used any of her own reserves else taint the ritual.

Kylar sheathed Curoch and sealed it. The room instantly became sterile as no magic remained. Even the glow of his body vanished. If magic was a fuel, Curoch was the lighter. Nothing mystical remained after its purge.

"…Mister Issei…" dazed and tired at the edge of death, Asia still shed tears for him. Three drops fell.

Raynare lowered herself to the ground. Her eyes were wide as her lips trembled. "W-What? No… I-Issei?! You… You're the Night Angel?! But… But I saw you die… You… You can't be him… No. You're not him! Who are you?!"

"You're not a bad person, Yuuma," Kylar spoke in the voice of Hyoudou Issei. It made her eyes widen further. He continued, using the same words he once said to her. "I don't want you involved in my mess. It's best we left things here."

He continued to approach, this time drawing a hand and releasing Iures. The silver blade shimmered in a faint light as it began to replicate the weaves of the ritual used tonight. Kylar fed his Talent into it, feeling the drain take its toll but never losing his stride.

He stepped over the bones and ash of the obliterated Exorcists. His eyes were dead, forever locked with Raynare's.

"You are neither clean, nor are you tainted," he continued, reading her sins like a book. It made her take several steps back. He began to climb the stairs, one step at a time, with casual ease. "I do not blame you for anything you've done tonight. It's my fault. I killed Asia tonight. But I cannot excuse you had planned this all along. I cannot judge you for your sins if you are… balanced.

"But I am the Night Angel. And I have come to you with the Face of Vengeance."

*Scene*

Rias sure as hell didn't expect anything like this when she gathered her peerage for the night. The body was stolen, Akeno was sure of it. She had begged for her King to retrieve the body from the Fallen, only for Rias to turn her down and think reasonably. But there was no point in arguing with her hectic Queen. She came to a compromise to go into the Fallen territory and investigate. Nothing more, nothing less. They had waited until the sun set and night came.

Two Fallen were dead at the service hall of the church. There were signs there had been a third… given some of the feathers littering the ground had a different energy signature than the dead two. But the third was nowhere in sight. Her peerage immediately went on edge and went further into the church. Perhaps there had been some sort of internal struggle. If so, then Rias would use this opportunity to kick them out of her city and use this as an excuse should the Grigori question her.

Akeno led the way, stating there was a heavy saturation of magic underground. She led them through winding hallways of the crypt.

Rias nearly had her arm pulled out of its socket by Koneko. The Rook was muttering incoherently, her eyes dilated, her body sweating, and continuing to pull Rias. She said something about danger ahead. Something powerful and far beyond their capabilities.

Then, a wall of blue flames washed over them.

Rias felt… nothing. No pain. No warmth. But the layer of blue wickers was surely of mystic origins. She could grasp it in her hands, could mold it like it was clay but would slip through as if it were made of smoke at the same time. It was an essence she had never seen or felt before.

Kiba was thrown off his feet, however. The sword strapped to his side shattered into motes of energy. He gripped his arm as a sizzling sound made his skin bubble. He roared in pain and clasped his hand over the wound.

As quickly as it came, the wall of energy vanished. It had taken the signatures of foreign magic along with it as if it had cleaned the area entirely. A deep fear swept through Rias. What if they had been using magic? Would this thing purged them as well? Kiba had sustained a horrific wound for simply having a manifestation of his Sacred Gear at his side. Surely if they had used even the slightest bit of magic… what would happen?

Koneko was squatting, her knees up to her chest and arms wrapped around herself entirely. She was shivering. "C-Chakra. No taint. No corruption. No evil. No good. Raw, pure, chakra! B-But… to have that much…"

Koneko, a Nekoshou, had a natural sensitivity to the life energy. Even if she had never practiced in her senjutsu and had abandoned her heritage, she was still aware of the existence of the energy. But to frighten her this badly…?

She had sensed the danger before it had shown itself. Whatever lay at the end of the hallway was a true monster. They should leave while they could.

Rias would have given the order… if Akeno hadn't gone ahead on her own.

*Scene*

Akeno ran forward. She did not know why. This power, it couldn't have belonged to him. It was so much, so thick, so dense, so rich in its purity it had to belong to a god! But within its purity she found it had to belong to him. All beings had a signature. But this thing? This was pure energy in its most base form.

It lacked a signature. It was simply chaos made real. A void. It was him!

She ran until she arrived at her destination, nearly tumbling over the wreckage and nearly missing the steps in her suddenness. She could have been leaping into her death but she knew this wouldn't be the case. The creature to have made such an explosion of raw magic was not her enemy.

Her eyes lit up. Her speculations were true.

He had a silver sword nearly as tall as he was in one hand, lifted so easily despite having a human body. It glowed in mystic energy the likes she had never felt before. It was warm, like the embrace of a loved one or kiss from the sun's first rays.

His other hand was lifted, extended towards the Fallen Angel collapsed on her knees. His hands were twirling as weaves of energy flowed through his fingertips. The Fallen Angel kept her hands over her heart— a faint light flickered between bright and dim beneath her hands.

"No! You can't do this! You can't take this away from me!" she cried out. The light flared; she jerked forward and clasped her hands tighter against her chest.

"Just like how you couldn't take it from her?" Kylar, Issei, the Night Angel, whomever, had ridiculed. "Yet you did. I am taking back what rightfully belongs to her!"

Like gripping invisible strings, his hand curled into a fist and pulled.

Raynare screamed, not out of pain but out of defiance. The light in her chest grew. Her back arched against her will. Something shot out of her chest. Kylar caught it.

The Fallen Angel fell forward on her knees, gasping for air and sweating profusely. Her arms shook in a struggle to keep herself upright.

He moved away from her and walked towards the large cross hanging at the top of the altar. The nun, Asia Argento, had her head bowed as the light in her eyes was fading away. But she continued to look at him through heartbroken eyes.

With a single stroke of his silver sword, the chains shattered and Asia was released. He caught her gracefully and lowered her to the ground. He knelt down, placed his sword down, and grabbed both her hands. Tenderly, he slipped a pair of rings onto the index fingers of each hand. For the last gesture, he kissed each hand and whispered something soft to her. Akeno could not hear what those words were.

"Giving those… back to her… won't save her!" Raynare spat as she began to get back to her feet. She was struggling. The furthest she got was up to her knees before falling back down to the floor.

"I know…" Kylar said in acceptance. In grief. In tiredness. He looked down once more at Asia and stroked a strand of hair out of her face. There was a gentleness in his eyes Akeno hadn't seen since his days as a servant for she and her mother. "I take full responsibility for my mistakes."

The ice returned in his eyes when next he stood. He moved around Asia, who tried to stop him in a weak voice, and took steady steps towards Raynare.

The Fallen stared back in defiance. She would not quiver in fear if she had before. She would not give him the satisfaction.

He would not kill her. He brought his foot around and kicked her across the jaw. Her body tumbled back, slamming hard against the unforgiving steps. She hadn't the strength to stop herself and so rolled uncontrollably until her body hit the bottom.

It was far from over.

Raynare gasped as the wind was knocked out of her. Kylar had jumped from the top and landed on her back. But there was more. Her punishment was not yet complete. He bent down…

…And gripped each wing by the root.

Akeno couldn't help but smile as she knew what was to happen next.

"WAIT!" The Fallen girl began to panic. She squirmed, finding new strength as desperation kicked in. She tried to throw him off, but his foothold was firm and continued to press her flat against the ground. She tried to claw at the ground as if there could be enough leverage for her to pull herself free from his grip. "NO! PLEASE! I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY! DON'T DO THIS!"

"M-Mister… Issei…" Asia gasped with as loud of a voice as she could. She had turned to her side with a weak hand barely lifted off the ground as if trying to reach him.

It was by this point Rias appeared. Kiba and Koneko came in her shadow; the Knight carrying Koneko as the Rook was still too frightened to move on her own. She had her hands wrapped around his neck and wouldn't dare to let go. They all saw what was transpiring.

"SOMEONE!" Raynare had seen them arrive. She screamed for them. "PLEASE HELP ME!"

Rias moved forward to stop it. Enemy or not, no one should suffer such a punishment. For any of their kind— Devil, Angel, or Fallen— to have their wings removed would render them… mortal. But Akeno grabbed her hand. The Queen will not allow her King to interfere against a force beyond her rule.

"Rias," Akeno spoke in a firm yet sickeningly sweet voice, "don't ruin the best part of the show."

The Gremory King would have retched her hand free and would have proceeded as planned… hadn't the next words of the punisher shake her core.

I am the Night Angel.

The only sound being made at this point was the shrieking of Raynare and her screams for forgiveness.

I am Mercy. I am Justice. I am Vengeance.

I judge you, Raynare. You have wronged an innocent.

I judge you. I sentence you. You will crawl on this earth for the rest of your days!

There were no words any of them could find to describe the horror they bore witness to. The gushing sounds of bone and muscle being ripped out of the flesh, or the abyssal screams of the victim who voiced her pain. Nothing. They could only watch as he tore her wings out of her back with blood and sinew spraying everywhere. His body was drenched in her blood, coating his cloak and splattering across his face.

He never looked away. His eyes continued to bear down at the wound he had inflicted on her, on the scar she will live with for the rest of her existence. Her kind will look at her in wonder, in fear, will talk about her, will shun her, and will forever be a story to be told throughout the ages.

Kylar looked away once Raynare had passed out from either the shock or the pain. It didn't matter. His head turned up the stairs to glance once more at Asia.

The blonde nun was staring back at him. Permanently. She had moved her body towards him, trying to crawl over the first step. Her right arm lay extended forward and rested against the next stair. She lay there, lifeless— her last attempt at life was to stop him.

He continued to stare at those lifeless eyes…

He did not wipe off the blood from his face as he bent over and picked up the body of Raynare. Carelessly, with no respect for her being, he threw her over his shoulder after tossing her wings to the far end of the chamber. He climbed the stairs, with the body of Raynare swaying and bouncing in his steps, and picked up Asia's body with her lifted under his arm as if she were luggage.

He stared once at the Gremory group; his eyes as lifeless as Asia's. There was no emotion in his gaze.

Before any of them could act, he simply vanished from both sight and trace. It was as if he never existed in the first place.

*Scene*

Rias couldn't sleep that night. How could she? She had just bore witness to the judgment and execution by the Night Angel. The Night Angel! A being she had thought was just some fairy tale!

Then again, Devils and Angels were considered fairy tales to the general public…

She sent everyone home after the incident. Rias sat at the small desk in her room as she wrote everything she witnessed in her notebook. Every small detail was recalled and recorded. She did this so when she drafted the report first thing in the morning she would know what would be needed to tell Grayfia. And Grayfia would then take this up with Rias' brother, the current Lucifer Sirzechs. The matter of the Night Angel being real and within her city was beyond her means of operation.

She recalled that magic-devouring flame… It had consumed the lives of all the Exorcists within the ritual chamber. Their bodies were rendered into hollow husks, burned alive from the inside. At the slightest touch would their shells collapse into… dust. Would her brother be able to do anything about that? Or would it devour his Power of Destruction before he could do anything?

She sat back in her seat; it was at the darkest hour by the time she finished her recordings. There were no lights on as she sat in the darkness, only a sliver of moonlight seeped through the curtains just enough for her to see through her Devil's vision.

The sound of a page turning could have been as loud as thunder.

She jumped up from her seat, spun, and called upon her Power of Destruction through her fingertips. There, sitting on the edge of her bed, was a man encased in pure black armor— no, his entire figure was made of a black metal. His face was covered by a volcanic glass, melded into a theatric frown. His eyes were… alive. They were made out of blue hellfire.

Rias lashed out more out of panic than anything. Orbs of red and black energy flew out like missiles at the intruder.

They did nothing.

The orbs of Destruction simply sank into his skin, absorbed as if they were nothing more than gentle rays of sunlight and not anti-material Devilry.

This creature paid it no mind. He closed the light novel, uncrossed his legs, and stood with a grace no earthbound being could replicate. He may as well have been a phantom with the way he glided across the room and placed the book back onto her shelf.

His head turned… and she could feel his eyes read everything about her.

"I have another for you, Rias Gremory."

His hand extended out towards her. She took a step back, not knowing what he was about to do. The shadows warped like a fabric around his fingers. With a pull, the darkness was wiped away.

The body of Asia Argento was revealed; she was lying on the floor in a clean white dress with her hands folded across her chest. Her face was tranquil… as if only sleeping.

"…What do you want from me?" she dared to ask.

The Night Angel's mask warped from Anger to Joy. "What I have asked of you for each member of your… family."

"What are you talking about?" she asked.

Nothing changed. He did not shift in his stance. He continued to stare at her.

His words cycled through her head. Her eyes widened. "…No. You… You were the one responsible—"

"For saving them, Gremory," the Night Angel corrected her thoughts. He became smoke, dissolving into black mist before reappearing dangerously close to her. It made her step back further but she landed on her desk. He stepped closer. She could feel the heat of his breath as his mouth was nothing but tongues of blue flames. "Your Rook I had… reasoned with diplomats of your kind to cease their hunts for her. Your Bishop I have threatened his kind into ignoring his existence. Your Knight I have escorted out of his prison on that winter purge. And your Queen I had delivered to your brother. Ask him, if you must."

Rias blinked. Koneko was a Nekoshou, a rare breed of her kind who were natural born wielders of chakra. When her sister had become a Devil, she had gone mad with her power and had killed her King. The Devils feared her power and sought out to purge all of their kind. Koneko was probably one of the few left alive.

Gasper was a Damphir, a crossbreed between a vampire and a human. He was a daylight walker and one who had a powerful Sacred Gear which could stop time itself. His kind wanted him dead. When Gasper had been resurrected as her Bishop it was still within their rights to claim him as one of their own. But then the vampires suddenly backed off and agreed to leave him be if and only if they were to never see him again.

Kiba had been the victim of the Holy Sword Project— a nameless orphan taken into an institution run by the Church and subjugated for experimentation along with his peers. The experiment failed, the research was leaked, and all the evidence was to be removed. Kiba was the only one to survive from the purge.

And Akeno… her family had killed her mother as she was had bedded with a Fallen and bore her. The family of spiritual exorcists and shrine priests had tolerated her existence for a great deal of time. But then something suddenly changed and the family had tried to kill them both. Rias wasn't sure what. But one day Sirzechs came with Akeno and asked Rias to take care of her.

The Night Angel stepped back and gestured a shadowy hand towards Asia. "This one is in need of your… charity. She is of pure heart, sinless— one who is born but every hundred years. She has been wronged and is in need of a second chance. My authority does not grant this. There is not much that can bring the dead back to life… but your Evil Pieces is sufficient.

"Grant her this chance, and I shall provide all that is necessary. And, one life for another, I shall answer your call. Whisper my name in the darkness and I will hear it. What is your answer, Gremory?"

Rias didn't know what to say at first. "…And the Fallen? What about her?"

The Night Angel did not twitch. He remained as stalwart as before. "She is mine. She will repent until her soul is cleansed."

"Then I will make a deal with you," Rias found her charisma and dared to counter his offer. She stepped away and strode forward with the determination one required as a King. She will not bow to anyone even if her opposition was the Night Angel. "Deliver the Fallen onto me and I will resurrect this girl. You needn't have to do anything for me—"

"You misunderstand something, Gremory," the Night Angel's mask shifted back to one of Anger. His eyes glowed with his power thickening the air. "This is my city. I have permitted you vacancy here because you and the Sitri Heiress are of pure heart. Do not alter my perceptions of you. Do not question my judgment. The Fallen is mine. Leave and never return to the surface world if you disagree with this."

Rias grimaced. This was his city? So, that black entity wandering around the night had been the Night Angel all along. Things began to make sense. It wasn't some dark spirit feeding off of sin. It was he purging sinful creatures from criminals to Stray Devils.

"…Fine," she couldn't argue against this creature. It hurt her pride as a King, but there was nothing she could do. This was a being no force on this planet could defy as he was not aligned to any Faction. She turned towards her dresser, opened a wooden box, and pulled out a Bishop Piece. "I will resurrect Asia—"

When she turned around to tell him this, he was already gone.

…As well as her journal.

*Scene*

Akeno nearly skipped in her steps on this morning. Kylar was alive! She could barely sleep as she had been too excited for the next day like some little girl over a holiday. There were a few reasons why she had forced herself to sleep. The first was to appear before her beloved at her most beautiful— she couldn't see him if she had bags on her eyes and was drifting in thought from fatigue. And the second had been because she was considerate. She knew Kylar would be too busy dealing with the aftereffects of last night as well as recovering from his battles.

She did, however, wake up exceptionally early. She planned on slipping into his bed and warming his sheets while he slept. Maybe even do a little more while he was too tired to resist.

The thought, her mood, her smile, and her heart all combined dropped to the floor as soon as she stepped out of the magic circle and entered his living room. Or, at least, what had remained of it.

The floors and the walls were repaired. There was no sooth or gunpowder, no blood, and no debris from the close quarters brawl a few nights ago. Everything was spotless as if nothing had ever happened.

And all of the furniture was gone. Everything was gone. Not a single article of anything remained in the house. It might as well have been a model home the realists showed to new clients.

She didn't understand. Why was everything gone? No one should have known he was the Night Angel. She had kept quiet about his life and hadn't told a soul. Not even Rias knew. The Fallen had invaded his home and had called him a magician. They didn't know who he was.

"You know," a voice came from the hallway. "This is considered breaking and entering, young lady."

He was an officer, dressed in the fine-pressed uniforms and a cap. A middle-aged man with a hardened face who had aged gracefully. People his age would covet his good looks as he was decently dashing, at least to Akeno he had some sort of attraction but wasn't the best judge to the more experienced. It simply wasn't her cup of tea.

She put up a charming smile, "Oh, excuse me officer. I had a key from my boyfriend and—"

"I'm going to stop you right there," the officer put up his hand. "There's already too many holes in that story. Besides, I saw you teleport in here, Devil."

Her smile did not falter. It shifted to a more dangerous one with but a twitch to the edge of her cheeks. "Oh? Aren't you the officer constantly harassing Ise-kun? Might I ask what you're doing here?"

Officer Takahashi, if she recalled correctly, stepped out of the hallway but did not approach her. Instead, he crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. "Making sure we didn't miss anything. And, guessing by the fact you're here looking for him, it would seem he missed something of crucial importance."

She immediately recalled Kylar telling Asia they were loving on the night of the attack. He was prepared to go until the Fallen girl showed up. Akeno's heart sank further. "…He's gone?"

Takahashi gave only one nod. "The team packed up while you were all distracted over on the outskirts last night. You're not the first to come running looking for him. I doubt you'll be the last. You'll probably hear about it shortly. Hyoudou Issei will be moving over to the Americas with his parents. He will be attending school there, getting in trouble, and wind up missing."

"Where is he going? Really going?" she asked, almost demanded. Her hands were curled into fists as it was all she could do to suppress her frustrations.

"That's not mine to say," Takahashi shrugged. "Do you understand why he does this? Little girl, do you understand why he's leaving in the first place? Do you know what he is?"

She answered without hesitation, "He is the Night Angel."

If he had been surprised, Takahashi did not show it. He simply nodded. "He is human. The Night Angel must be for the Night Angel is the only one who can judge and execute all beings justly. He must always be among his kind, able to sympathize with them, able to walk in their shoes, able to live their lives and see the world through their eyes. The Night Angel must know what it means to love for he is death. And death must always be unbiased but never different.

"Some might say he stands above us all. But nothing could be further from the truth. He is bound to the earth and suffers more than any being ever could. He is constantly reminded of what it means to be the Night Angel. It is why he lives among humanity but distances himself. It is why he must watch from a distance but never interact. It is why he can love but never be loved back."

"…What are you saying?" Akeno could not understand. "I love him! Is it not good enough for him? Did he have to leave because of me?"

There was a weary look from Takahashi. "Yes, but not for the reasons you think. It is not my place to say why he had left but… I can say this. He kept you at a distance because he loved you. He tried to get rid of you because he was afraid. And since you would not leave no matter what he tried, he chose to flee instead before it was too late. Simply looked at what has happened to Asia Argento and you will understand."

"But I don't!" she roared. "That nun died because the Fallen got to them! Kylar had been… dead? Wounded? I don't know! They tore him to pieces because she got in his way! And now you're saying she died because of him?! If you're trying to say I would have been a burden to him, I'll have you know I can take care of myself."

"…I doubt that," he said in a humorless voice. "If I pull, you'll be dead."

She didn't understand. To show his threat, he flexed two fingers.

Akeno's body tensed as an invisible force bound her in place. Something constricted around her neck as her arms were locked in place. She tried to budge, but any movement made the bindings at her neck constrict further. The tiniest twitch made her gasp for air.

She could see a shimmer in the air. A faint light thinner than a hair. Strings of light had been wrapped around her legs, wrists, and neck. Each line led towards his hands.

He relaxed his two fingers. The pressure was gone; she couldn't help but rest her hands on her knees and gasp for air. But she never averted her eyes away from him. She tried to grab the wrappings still tugging around her, but her fingers simply phased through.

"Who are you?" she demanded.

"There are six champions," he chose to say instead. "Michael, Azazel, Sirzechs, Yasaka, Cao Cao, and Tiamat. The six champions defend the realm of light. They protect the world and all its entirety from falling into chaos. But there is another champion— a seventh. This seventh protects in the shadows, bathes in the darkness, and protects the light from within the darkness.

"…They say he has three faces," he gave a small scoff, more a huff of air than a laugh. "He bears a thousand wings and his body is made entirely out of eyes and tongues."

She would have called it stupid if she hadn't heard of this before. The legend of the Night Angel was parallel to God's Angel of Death.

He continued, "The Night Angel is that seventh champion. He is Mercy, he is Justice, and he is Vengeance. But we are his eyes and his tongues. An eye to watch every being living on this planet. And a tongue to speak in every language. And we are this thousand wings to keep him lifted. This is what our Order was founded upon. We are Legion for We are Many and all that silliness.

"But if you simply must know who I am…"

The sound of fluttering wings reached her before the sight of them did. Wings appeared at his back. Twelve of them. And all of them as dark as the night which drank in the light of the room.

"They once called me Azrael. I am neither a Fallen nor an Angel— I am simply… different. I am the seventh archangel who reaps the souls of all existence. I serve no one but the Night Angel, the only man I can look at as an equal in this lonely world. Not even God Himself do I answer to.

"But if it's all the same to you…" his wings sank back into his body as his magic repaired his ruined uniform to its pristine shape. "I'd like my identity to remain a secret. I'm happily married and satisfied working double shifts at the police station. I haven't been involved in the game against you Devils for almost fifty years and would prefer to not be again anytime soon. Consider this my request for telling you what you needed."

"…And that's all you're going to tell me?" she questioned. "I don't care about any of that. I know about the legend of the Night Angel! And I don't care about these… champions of whatever. I want to know where Kylar ran off to so I can give him a piece of my mind!"

Takahashi— Azrael— gave a weary sigh as he adjusted his cap. "That's not mine to give. I am sorry for this— I really am. I once had a lover who ran off on me, left me at the altar and everything. But I can only do so much for you. If you love him as much as he loves you, try to understand where he's coming from. There's a reason why he had to leave."

"To which you never iterated," she growled.

"So I didn't," he shrugged but then quickly flicked something her way with his thumb.

She snatched it out of the air and looked it over, but not before giving him a wary look. It was an earring. One made out of gold with some sort of white material interwoven within the metal. She could not tell if this substance was metal of crystal. Even an analysis spell could not define its properties. It was as if it did not exist in the periodic table at all.

"That's a set of two, by the way," he explained as he stood away from the wall and moved back towards the hall. "He has the other one. But they'll only work if you both put them on. Don't hold your breath waiting for him to put his on. As I've said before, he's had many running after him and only one has bonded with him. Hold on to it. I guarantee he will be coming back for that one. It means a lot to him. Don't take this the wrong way but… I'd suggest keeping it in your underwear if you don't want to put it on. Place it in some jewelry box and he'll steal it when you're not looking."

She didn't need to take his advice. Without hesitation, she placed it on her right ear. Magic surged through her mind but felt nothing more than a slight tingle. Nothing further happened. And, true to this words, she could already tell by its power there was nothing she could do to undo the binding. There was deep and potent magic in this small metal.

"Suit yourself," Takahashi shrugged once more before fixing his cap once more. "Oh. One last thing. If you want to tell him anything, simply say it aloud in a populated area. One of us will let him know. Just don't hope on him responding."

With that, he excused himself and left the empty house.

*Scene*

Days had gone by. Akeno was furthest from ecstatic to find out the nun had become Rias' newest Bishop. But she was a good Queen and welcomed her… as much as was politely possible and demanding from her position. She still wouldn't forgive the nun for getting Kylar hurt.

She did not dive into her work as a Devil as much as she used to. The fire had withered away. At first she went to her normal clients to blow off some steam, but when said steam went away she was rendered into a worn-out mess. She only took jobs that required her magical expertise. Rias had been disappointed at the loss of clients, but understood her Queen's feelings and said nothing against her choice.

Days became weeks.

Akeno had moved from being mad with Asia to… tolerable of her existence. She was still passive over the Bishop and instructed the girl over the new duties as a Devil. She couldn't even find any joy in watching Asia fumble with her jobs. That smile of hers and positive attitude was grating.

She found out she simply couldn't like Asia.

In time, Akeno had moved from frustrated with herself to accepting. She knew there were beings on this planet that were so unreal. The Night Angel had to be able to judge all of them. For example, if she were to fight against Sirzechs Akeno would lose faster than the speed of light. And Kylar had the responsibility of judging him should the current Lucifer astray from the… light.

She continued to say things aloud, messages to deliver to Kylar. Whether they were heard by this Order, Legion, whatever, was unknown. Most people just looked at her as if she was crazy but she played it off with a smile… and a sinister look that sent the bystanders running away. Her messages had been daily at first. Then every other day. And as the weeks rolled by, they eventually became weekly.

At this point, she no longer tried. A month had gone by and Kylar had never responded. There wasn't even a sign to say he had received her messages.

She once tried to get a hold of Takahashi, growing impatient despite the short amount of time. As it turned out, there never was an Officer Takahashi. Any and all records about the man were wiped from the servers with no officer being able to recall his existence.

Bloody Fallen and their damn clean-up magic. They had to be so thorough!

It wasn't until the second month ended did Akeno start to lose hope. He wasn't going to be coming back anytime soon. The Night Angel was an immortal being who could outlive Devils and their ridiculous timespan. If he wanted his earring back then he could wait for almost an eternity. With the way he pushed everyone away there was hardly a chance he would find anyone special to need it back. The odds of him putting on his pair were just as slim.

Her hope washed away one day when she took a detour on her way to school. She stopped by the Hyoudou residence, somewhat hoping he would be there. Instead, she saw a trucks parked in the front with a crew unloading boxes and furniture. A middle-aged man and women were busy directing them where to place each item— no doubt the couple who had bought the home.

That was it then. He really wasn't coming back anytime soon.

She joined Rias at the school gates, who had been waiting for her patiently. They talked to another, made teasing jokes, gossiped, and played the part as typical teenage girls like how they were supposed to be. Akeno had always been exceptionally well at pretending. Rather than seeing this as a loss, she chose instead to think of it as… things going back the way they were. The excitement of a lost love returning and then leaving was a romantic story. But that's all it was.

A story.

The fantasy had ended and she would return to her normal life. They needed to find a way to get Rias out of her engagement. Things were heating up between the Gremory and Phenex families as of recently. Apparently both families were growing impatient despite how they both agreed Rias would marry Raizer Phenex after she finished college.

Akeno sighed. What a drab life. She needed to kill someone to bring the excitement back.

The teacher entered the classroom moments after the two went to their respective seats. They stood, bowed, and sat back down. Their homeroom teacher than gestured for someone to enter the classroom.

Akeno couldn't believe it.

"This is our newest student," said the teacher as she began to write the newcomer's name on the board. "Go and introduce yourself."

"Hello everybody," greeted Kylar fucking Drake. "I am Garuwashi Lantano! I came all the way from Argentina. My mother lives there and my father is from Japan. I'll be here for the rest of the year so—"

Akeno stood. Her desk cracked from her sudden spike in demonic pressure. "You!"

Kylar, as well as everyone else, turned their heads towards her. But unlike everyone who was frozen in fright or shocked at her breaking her character, he simply gave a bored, almost expectant, blink.

"…Me?" he said in a dry, almost sarcastic, tone.

She moved. Not caring how everyone was looking at her. Not caring or even remotely hearing what Rias was trying to say. Akeno was only seeing red as she stormed up the front of the classroom…

And delivered her meanest haymaker across his face. The collision was almost as loud as thunder as his body flew backwards until it crashed against the chalkboard. There was even a large crack from the impact.

She moved forward again, grabbed him by his shirt, and lifted him up from the floor. She even shook him. "What the hell are you doing here?! Do you have any idea what you put me through?! I thought you were gone! I thought you were never coming back! And you just waltz on in here as if nothing was wrong?! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!"

"A-Akeno!" Rias had her hands gripping her shoulder and tried to pull her away. "He can't hear you! He's…"

Akeno blinked. Kylar couldn't hear her because he was unconscious. His face was practically caved-in and he was bleeding in the back of his head. She may have put a little too much in her punch.

"Woops," she cackled with glee. Her smile returned. The fire had returned! Her sadistic nature was fed and Akeno was back at her peak. "Sorry, Buchou. Can you do me a favor and clean up this mess I've made? I promise to pay you back with extra work at club duties. I shall go see to… Garuwashi-san's wounds."

She didn't carry him. She dropped him like a rock but kept a grip on the collar of his uniform. With a little bit of a bounce in her steps, she began to drag him out of the hallway.

Rias, meanwhile, could only watch her Queen. Her mind hadn't caught up with reality just yet.

"Wait a minute…" one student said aloud. "The Garuwashi?! Isn't that the same guy who had like a hundred girlfriends?"

"It's gotta be!" another student said. "Yeah, yeah, I heard those rumors too! I mean, there's only one Garuwashi of Argentina. Seriously, what Japanese person lives there anyways?"

"I heard the guy knows the secret to seduce any girl," one of the female students said this time. "To think it was true. I mean, did you see the way Himejima-oneesama was looking at him?"

"He said his father was from Japan. Do you think he came here once and… No! W-With Himejima-oneesama?!"

"The Queen of Kuoh has been defiled?!"

Rias couldn't help but bring her palm to her face. Great. Just great. Yet another Issei. And to think she had nothing left to worry about now that the boy had moved to America. Now she had this delinquent to deal with. Except she wasn't sure if he was better or worse than Hyoudou Issei. Garuwashi Lantano had the inverse effect compared to Issei.

Wait. That wasn't important right now. Rias needed to wipe everyone's memory and repair the damages Akeno had wrought.

*Scene*

"Start explaining," Akeno crossed her arms and gave him a threatening look. "Now."

They sat together on the rooftops of the school. Kylar had faked his unconsciousness but did complain about being wounded so badly. Akeno refused to heal him and so he had to use his own Talent to do so. Healing magic of his style was… uncomfortable. The healer had to feel the pain of the healing process at a rapid pace equivalent to the degree of the wound and how long it would have taken to naturally recover.

"I would have if you had come to me discreetly," he sassed back. "Look, it takes time coming up with a new identity. Even longer when you have to deal with the cleanup of a previous one. Both need to be watched carefully during the creation process, reviewed, and then fill in holes before things advance too far. I had to come up with an entire life with documentations, people to bribe or memories to manipulate, pictures to fabricate, networks to—"

"I get that," she snapped. "What I don't understand is why put me through all of this only to come back so suddenly? Do you understand I was expecting to never see you again until I was on my deathbed? Some several hundred years away? If you had planned on coming back all along why didn't you just tell me?"

"That's because I didn't plan on coming back," he said and looked away from her. His eyes traced outwards over the horizon. "Azrael told me what he told you. I also know what he didn't tell you. I was prepared to leave; I had a completely different character ready. Technically, on record anyways, that person already exists and is the heir to a family house in China. But I didn't take it. I didn't relocate. I chose to stay because I thought of something.

"I'm tired, Akeno. More tired than you could possibly understand. I am so tired I am beyond feeling it. It's simply who I am now. I didn't come back here because I finally hit some wall and decided to say the hell with it all. No. I've hit that wall a few generations ago. It's why I came up with Issei's character to begin with."

"…To push people away," she said. "But why? Kylar, I think I have the right to know."

He sat there, leaning against the fence at his back. He didn't say anything as his eyes continued to stare forward.

"There is a price for everything," he said, using the words he had told her before. "I tried everything I could to make sure it wasn't so grievous. But I failed. I killed Asia and I was afraid I would kill you next."

"…That Fallen killed her," Akeno stated. "She told us everything. But I'm sure you already know this. Your 'eyes' are everywhere, apparently. I'm sure you also know she never told Rias your identity."

He looked once towards her. His eyes were not cold this time. They were… aged. The things they had seen and experienced could not be measured by her standards. "The price for my immortality is love. Those who I love are marked by what keeps me alive. When I die, those I love are chosen to die in my stead. I can come back from almost anything. But there exists nothing that can prevent their deaths.

"I killed Asia Argento because… she reminds me of someone. Someone special I can never forget as she shaped me into who I am to this day, no matter how many eons have passed. There's something you should know as well. Do you remember when I told you my teacher stabbed me when I was a servant for your family?"

She recalled. Her brows creased. "…Who did you love then, Kylar?"

She knew the answer. She just didn't want to believe it.

"She was… a dear friend," he would not share her name though they both knew who he was talking about. "I was there when she took care of your father when he was wounded. I was there when you were born. I had promised her to protect you always. I altered my body to appear younger, applied myself as an apprentice, and began to live with you and her.

"Your family did not kill her. I killed her. They were only going to send you both away. Things escalated. There was nothing I could do. The magic of my treasure is absolute. A fight had broken out… and you know the rest."

Tears had fallen down her face.

"…I don't hate you," she said. "I hate him. That man. If he had been there to protect her—"

"Something else would have killed either of you," he said through a harsh tone. "Another Fallen, some stray dog one day when you're playing, some incurable illness, a god-fucking meteor out of the sky— anything. The deaths… the world itself seems to enforce them. I've even seen some of the happiest of them take their own lives. Do not blame your father. I am responsible."

She wanted to grasp at the notion it was that man's fault. It was something she had kept burning in her heart all these years. She didn't want to let it go.

He knew she wouldn't listen further. He went back to his original subject, "I… came back to Kuoh… because I hit a second wall. I'm still terrified of dying one day, waking up the next, and knowing I am still walking on this planet because someone I loved took my place. But, did you know, I always have a choice? Whether to come back at all, I mean. Yet, even when I die, someone else will die along with me. I choose to come back because I can never wish this kind of life upon someone else. To think someone else will continue living because they killed their loved ones makes me sick. I've already fallen into madness and sanity in cycles countless times."

"You're diverting away from the topic, Kylar," she said. "What is that second wall you came to?"

He waved his hand. "I know, I know. Right. That second wall. It's actually the earring you're wearing."

Her hand immediately went towards the jewelry dangling by her right lobe. It had caused her a great deal of trouble by the morals committee. But her King had managed to make a deal with the Student Council to turn their heads away from it.

"It's acceptance," he elaborated. "I am the Night Angel. You know this and accept it. So many have tried to manipulate me, have tried to make me use my gifts for a 'greater' good, have tried to warp my way of thought to fit their morals or for their own gain. For both good and bad reasons. But… there have been few who have accepted me for who I am. You would be one of them."

"…And the others?"

"Dead," he said with a shallow shrug. His eyes expressed his tiredness further. "I'll give you one guess how."

Neither of them laughed.

He continued, slowly, unsure of himself, "Akeno, are you sure? You now know everything about me. You know if I stay there is a chance you will die because of me. I—"

"Do you really need to ask?" she scoffed, slightly offended. "Kylar, I had thought I was a burden to you. That I was some weakling who couldn't defend herself whom you had to protect. Now I see it's the other way around. My word, and Rias said I had problems."

This time, she gave a humorless snicker. "I am not afraid. And I'll have you know I don't know everything about you. Did you really think I would forget about what you said to me the other night? I want to know the real you. Not as Hyoudou Issei, or as this… Garuwashi Lantano. I want you, Kylar Drake.

"I love you. I want you to love me back just as much."

She moved closer to him. Her hand placed over his in both comfort and to make sure he wouldn't run from her. He didn't. A slight blush coated her cheeks as she inched slower.

They were so close to another. Their eyes locked, gazing into another. Neither moved. She thought she was going to have to take the full advance and do all the work on her own. Inwardly, she sighed and accepted this. At least he was going to allow her this much.

Her heart fluttered when this wasn't the case. A soft moan escaped the back of her throat.

He closed the distance and kissed her.