Well, even though only 1 person reviewed in the 1st chappie, it was enough to keep me going.
Kira86: Thank you so much, I'm glad you think so :D
So anyway, here's the 2nd chapter! *cough* Frau is 16 years old here *cough*
"Sorry, kid. But I only deliver until the main gate. This is as far as I can go."
"Oh, it's fine. Thanks, mister." I smiled, the emotions from yesterdays encounter with May not yet wearing off.
I walked along district 7, and surprisingly, no one was staring at me. It was too good to be true. And so I walked with a stupid grin on my face, not feeling like an idiot at all. I searched for a place to stay, an hour passed and my good mood was beginning to drop and so I asked a nearby nun with blonde hair for some info.
"Excuse me, but is there an inn here? A place to stay, maybe?" I asked politely
"Oh, you must be lost! Poor lamb! I'm sorry, but there are no inns in this town. But you can stay at the church if you like, I can take you there." She offered, a little too dramatically. Poor lamb? Sheesh. I'm not that desperate.
"Erm, if that's ok, then sure. I'd like that." I sweatdropped, then she suddenly took my hand and preceded to drag me to who knows where,
"H-hey! I can walk on my own!" I yelled
"It's just right around the corner!" she giggled "I'm Sister Rosalie by the way!"
She dragged me in different twists and turns and people started to stare.
So much for my good mood.. I thought
When we arrived at the huge Barsburg church, no really, I mean HUGE, I was awestruck. How the heck did I miss this?
As if reading my mind, she asked "Isn't it huge?" and I nodded. We walked inside the church grounds and I looked around like a kid in a candy shop.
"It's.. Beautiful." I said, still in awe
"Yes, it is, isn't it? Everyone works hard here. The bishops, nuns, even the examinees all help out to keep this place like this. This is called God's territory for a reason, you know." She explained
"Hmm. It's really this peaceful here, huh?" I asked
"Yes. Lots of people take refuge in the church, even criminals, since the military aren't allowed here. After all, everyone deserves a chance at forgiveness."
Maybe it was just me, but this place seemed like.. home. Maybe I never actually lived here, but it was like that in a way.
"Come on, Bastien-sama. It wasn't that bad!"
A tall bishop with black hair and a kind face along with a teenage boy who looked around my age with spiky blonde hair and striking blue eyes came up to us.
"Ah, Bishop Bastien! Good morning!" Sister Rosalie greeted the bishop
"Good morning. Would you mind taking Frau to Jio-sama on your way? I caught him roasting some meat again." He sighed
"Oh come on! The old man'll have my head this time!" The boy named Frau complained, and I stared at him for some reason. When he noticed me, he stared at me wide-eyed.
"Who is that?" he asked, surprised
"Oh, that's right. I forgot to ask your name.. Do you mind telling us?" Sister Rosalie asked
"Oh, uhm, it's.. Claire." I answered. There was an awkward pause with Frau and I staring at each other then-
"BISHOP LABRADOR!" Frau yelled then dragged me with him running away, leaving behind a confused Sister Rosalie and Bishop Bastien
"AHHH! WHAT THE HELL!" I yelled
"BISHOP LABRADOR! BISHOP LABRADOR!" he kept yelling and it went on and on like that; Frau dragging me everywhere yelling "BISHOP LABRADOR!" and me yelling "AHHH! WHAT THE HELL! AHHH!"
We reached a beautiful garden full of different plants where a bishop who I assumed was 'BISHOP LABRADOR!' was tending to the plants.
"BISHOP LABRADOR! SHE'S A GHOST!" Frau burst out, with me confused as ever.
"Oh, hello Frau. Who might this be?" Bishop Labrador asked, his voice soft and kind. He had white hair but unlike mine, it had a violet tint to it. He wasn't that tall(Yet still taller than me), and had deep violet eyes. He had a kind smile and seemed oblivious to everything that's happening around.
"Don't pretend like you don't know! You probably knew before me that she was coming!" Frau yelled, with an anime vein popping on his head.
"I'm right here, you know. Can somebody PLEASE explain to me what's going on?" I burst out
"Do you mind if I ask for your name?" Bishop Labrador asked calmly
"It's Claire."
"Ah, so Claire, you don't remember anything from your past?" Labrador-san asked. It was around 3 in the afternoon and we were sitting in a small gazebo, the three of us drinking tea like nothing weird had just happened a few hours ago.
"I don't remember anything, to be honest." I answered. For the past hours they've been asking me various questions, and the strange part was, it wasn't awkward at all when I answered them. I didn't feel as if I was being interrogated, I actually felt as if I could trust them. So I told them my story, except for my dream.
"You didn't know that you're a ghost?" Frau asked, slightly bored
"What do you mean?" I asked
"Claire, have you ever heard of the seven ghosts?" Labrador-san asked, and I shook my head. The two of them exchanged looks and Labrador started explaining,
"A long time ago(A/N: You can skip this part if you already know the tale of Verloren), the God of death, Verloren, who was hailed as the Chief of Heaven's most perfect creation, had the job of judging the souls of the dead, depending on whether they were pure or tainted." He started "The Chief of Heaven had a daughter, Eve. When her skeleton was found, her soul devoured, the Chief of Heaven accused Verloren of killing her.
"Enraged by the accusation, Verloren escaped to Earth and began looking into the hearts of humans for Eve's soul, tainting them in the process. Realizing the consequences of Verloren's actions, the Chief of Heaven sent seven heavenly lights, the seven ghosts, made from Verloren's fragments, to execute the God of Death.
"They were able to seal him inside Pandora's Box with the power of the Eye of Mikhail, forcing Verloren to forever be reincarnated- his soul never to be able to enter heaven again. The seven ghosts stayed, serving as guardians of the empire. However, even after Verloren has been sealed away for more than 1000 years, his messengers, the Kor, continue to taint the souls of humans to put them under the God of Death's influence." Labrador finished.
"Eh? But then what does that have to do with.." I started but then my eyes widened, I started getting nauseated and then I blacked out.
"Vertrag," That cold voice..
Is this a memory?
"It is time you return what is rightfully mine"
I watched in horror as the hooded skeletal figure was about to devour uncle Fea and without realizing it, I ran from my hiding spot and jumped on the skeletal figure from behind while it was already halfway devouring.
"DON'T HURT HIM!" I cried as I tumbled on the ground, but the enraged skeletal figure pulled me by the collar
"Insolent fool! How dare you distrupt me!" It growled venomously. He threw me on the ground and his form changed to a tall menacing man in a military uniform with white hair and intimidating purple eyes. I tried to stand up but I couldn't, I just lay there on the ground petrified, awaiting my death as the man unsheathed a long sword, slowly approaching me.
I looked around frantically for anything. I saw Tiashe watching with fear from the crumbled building, his green eyes flowing with tears. I met Uncle Fea's gaze as he's struggling to try and save me, when he couldn't even stand up.
'Claire' he mouthed to me desperately. It pained me to see him that way, I looked up and the man was emotionless, staring right at me and raising his sword. It was as if time slowed down, the blade coming at me as slow as possible, the noise around me dimmed.
This is it.
I didn't close my eyes as the blade came in contact with my throat. All I felt was pain as my blood trickled down. I instantly blacked out, but before I did, I saw a faint image of a hooded skeletal figure. It wasn't the one who killed me, I can tell for some reason, but it was staring at me, and I heard nothing except for uncle Fea's voice
"Claire.."
"Claire.."
"..CLAIRE!" Someone was shaking me awake, and on instinct, I screamed bloody murder and attacked the intruder
SLAP! I my hand came in contact with the intruder's face and I slapped hard, mind you.
"ACK! WHAT THE HELL, BRAT!" The intruder yelled, and when I opened my eyes, I realized it was Frau that I slapped. Labrador was there too, and he looked concerned, but I'm not so sure if it's for me or for Frau, who was clutching his left cheek that had a red hand mark burning on it.
"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?" He yelled
"Sorry.." I said.
"Claire, are you okay?" Labrador asked concerned.
"..."
"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked and I nodded.
"After I woke up a few years ago, I started having this dream.." I told them all about the dream I kept having. I told them about that white haired man, the boy with green eyes like mine, how I managed to disrupt the skeletal figure from devouring the man, and the cold man that killed me.
"..Before I died, I saw a hooded skeletal figure staring at me." By the time I was finished, tears were threatening to fall down my face, but I held them back. Everything was silent for a few moments until Labrador decided to speak up,
"Claire.. Did you say that you stopped the skeletal figure from devouring the man?" he asked, a little surprised actually.
"Well, I didn't stop him, I disrupted him, actually. It's kinda like.. it only devoured half of the man, I guess..?" I said thoughtfully "Oh yeah, and I think the man was a bishop. He was wearing clothes like yours." I pointed to Labrador
Frau and Labrador exchanged looks again
"Claire, haven't you ever felt anything.. unusual?" Labrador asked
"Like what?" I asked
"Does your heart beat?" Frau asked
"No, and I don't have body heat either." I shrugged
"Can you show us your hand?" Labrador asked politely, so I did. When they saw the mark on my hand, the two of them exchanged looks.
"This is.. the mark of Vertrag." Labrador said
"Well, there you have it. That's all the proof we need, you're one of the seven ghosts." Frau said bluntly
"..."
"..."
"WHAT?"
"Well, we sensed a presence of another ghost the moment you came here, but it seemed.. different. You're incomplete." Labrador said, in deep thought
"So.. i'm dead?" I asked, a distant look in my eyes
"..Yes. I know it's a lot to take in, but you're not the only one" Labrador smiled
"Eh?"
"Our apologies, we forgot to mention that we're one of the seven ghosts, too." Labrador laughed
"Even him?" I deadpanned, pointing at Frau.
"Why do you find that so hard to believe, munchkin?" he complained
"I'm not a munchkin! I'm not that short!" An anime vein popped onto my head
"Keh, whatever you say." He teased. Labrador tried to ease the tension
"Claire, if you don't mind me asking, do you know your last name?" he asked
"Not really. But I decided my last name as Carsten. I'm not sure why, but I just think that it's a really familiar name, probably someone close to me." I shrugged. I realized it was already around 6 pm
"Ah. Well, it's getting late. We'll see you tomorrow, it was nice meeting you." Labrador smiled
"Likewise."
"Frau, kindly take Claire to her room." Labrador asked, and Frau shrugged.
"Come on, munchkin." Frau called, already ahead of me.
"I'm not a munchkin!" I yelled, trying to catch up to him. "
Labrador smiled. Those two were already getting along well. The flowers comment on how they'll have an inseparable bond. He walked on to Archbishop Jio's room to tell him about Claire.
Frau might just need someone like her in his life.
SO? Whad'ya guys think? I know it wasn't much but I guarantee that the next chapter will be better. BTW, Were the characters a little OOC? Your opinion REALLY matters so I hope you guys review! Thank you for reading! ^^