Concrete Jungles
As the first rays of the morning light filtered into Loki's room, his alarm clock went off, it's loud ringing waking the teenager. Loki grunted as he swiped at the clock with his hand. The clock is knocked onto the ground and stops. The display showed 8:00 am, however.
"Ugh," he moaned as he sat up, "I shouldn't have stayed up so late. I ain't gonna be in tip top condition today."
Loki get off his bed and undergoes the morning procedure of brushing his teeth, brushing his hair and getting dressed. Pair of loose fitting jeans and a
"Now, for breakfast," he said, "l recall there was a convenience store not far from here. I'll go down to grab a pie and chocolate milk. I gotta buy school supplies too."
Obviously, his parents wouldn't approve of the act, claiming it was unhealthy. But what they don't know won't hurt them. Besides, it wasn't like he was going to eat pie and chocolate milk every day. Just today.
Okay, maybe a few times in the future. That stuff is breakfast worthy of a god.
"Alright," he said as he picked up his bag, "time to go."
Loki exits his apartment and heads towards the elevator. The door to his right opens and the girl from last night came out, her mother trailing behind.
"Hey kid," Loki said, "did the demons bother you again?"
"Nope," she smiled innocently, "they're all gone."
"Good to hear," Loki replied, "well, I gotta go."
Loki resumed his journey to the elevator. To think that in this day and age, there exist people who can see into Purgatorio. People with such spiritual powers are now rare. In the past, there were many who can see the angels of Paradiso and demons of Inferno. Some honed their skills in the Dark Arts, became close to Inferno and eventually became Umbra Witches. Others had affinity for the Light and Paradiso, and became Lumen Sages. Some do not develop an affinity for either, and become regular sorcerers and wizards. But the vast majority never realize their potential and remain as mundane humans. That wasn't the problem these days. The problem was that many don't even have potential. It was refreshing to see a modern human who can see into the other dimensions from the Trinity of Realities.
But it was more of a curse than a blessing, as that girl found out the hard way. Demons tend to harass those with spiritual powers, and angels weren't any better, in behavior or looks. Few angels of Paradiso looked human and only one, the First Sphere seraph known as Joy, looked like a human who isn't disfigured.
Stepping into the elevator, Loki exhaled.
"Boy," he said, "I think I should switch the chocolate milk for coffee or something. I got a feeling that the demons I dealt with last night won't be the last ones. Must I balance demon hunting with study? Not that I really need to study."
Well…being a God of Chaos does have its benefits. For one, he can use Remembrance of Time. Defined as supernatural occurrences that allows individual to view things from the past as they truly happened, untainted by history. Like a photographic memory, only god-tiered. Using the ability, Loki memorised every page of every text book and notebook he read or wrote. No exam or assignment could stop him. They were originally created when Aesir decided that existence should be preserved despite the unending flow of time. He created them from his observations of the human world to try and remember every detail of human life. As time passed, even he forgot where he placed all of them.
The elevator dinged as he reached ground floor. Stepping out of the elevator, he deliberately avoided eye contact with the cranky receptionist. Her bad attitude didn't help business.
Loki walks out of the door and looks up and down the street. The apartment block is situated on a street, near the outer edges of the city. Not far away, Loki sees a petrol station. Not a convenience store, but he will get what he needs there. Loki walks slowly to the petrol station. He is in no rush, after all.
Loki takes a pie and a cup of coffee before walking to the counter.
"Just these," he said.
After paying the man, he turned to walk away. That is when he saw a very strange sight. A woman in a tight fitting jacket, short pleated skirt, high heels and stockings walked in. Her outfit is primarily blue and black. Glowing blue strips are placed at various points in her outfit. A large antenna like construct protruded from a headphone like structure which covered her ears. The strange thing about the woman is that two of the strips ran down her face from under her eye, starting at her cheekbones and ending at her jawline. That and that her eyes looked like camera lens, with no whites, giving off a creepy-ass aura. Her skin is also white and plastic in texture. And she walked with a mechanical, slightly jerky gait. A large golden clock is fixed to her chest, its antiquated design out of place with her futuristic features.
The android paid scant attention to the staring Loki and proceeded to walk through the petrol stations store. She stopped in front of a fridge and bent over slightly. The android opened the freezer and took out the six pack and scanned the barcode before returning to the front.
The storekeeper was obviously confused as well, "Umm, how can I help you?"
"Paying for number one," the android said, her voice surprisingly human, though synthetic undertones can still be heard, "and this."
The storekeeper looked out. The car in the lot is a third generation Chevrolet Camaro. It was primarily black, though blue coloured streaks are also present. The android swiped a card and proceeded to press the buttons on the machine.
"I won't take the receipt," she said as she turned around and exited.
Loki continued watching, dumbstruck, as the machine left the store and headed to the car. It opened the door and entered the front seat. The man in the car revved the engines before driving off.
"Technology," Loki said as he exited the store, "she is a masterpiece of engineering. I wonder who built her. Unable to get a real woman?"
After finishing his breakfast, Loki felt much better. Caffeine is such a powerful substance. The ex-god proceeded to shopping for necessary supplies. Notebooks, pencils, pens, all that standard stuff. Maybe a laptop. That would be nice. No, he didn't have the money. At least not yet. High on his priority is to get a job. His parents weren't high in the tax bracket and his scholarship didn't cover the costs of everything.
Walking through the store, Loki picked up the items he needed. But just as his hand made contact with a notebook, another hand did as well.
"Huh?" he looked up.
"I got this first," the other person snapped.
The other person is a woman, in her early twenties. She is very tall, at least two metres, with long white hair which reached her back. Dressed in an elegant outfit of long black pants, high heels and a coat which exposed her shoulders, she appeared very lady like.
"Wait," Loki said.
"For wait?" the woman asked.
"You're Jeanne!" Loki exclaimed.
"What?" the woman asked.
"Bayonetta's friend," Loki replied, "Jeanne. What are you doing here?"
"Yeah?" the woman asked, "And who the hell are you? How do you know my name?"
The woman is Jeanne. She and Bayonetta are Umbra Witches, the last two known survivors. Five centuries ago, the Umbra Witches and the Lumen Sages fought in a series of battles known as the Clan Wars, triggered by the birth of a child with parents from either side. The girl was Bayonetta, or Cereza, as she was known by those close to her. The Lumen Sages were wiped from existence, but the Umbra Witches fared little better. Balder, who survived the conflict and was possessed by the evil god Loptr, started the Witch Hunts. And thus the Umbra Witches were wiped from existence by paranoid people. Except for Jeanne and Bayonetta, of course. The former disguised herself and escaped while the latter was sealed away.
"I am Loki," Loki replied, "we met at Noatun. Remember how we kicked Loptr's ass?"
"It's you," Jeanne muttered, "wow, it's been fifteen years already. You were born here, right?"
"How'd you know?" Loki frowned.
"Bayonetta saw one of cards float out of a pram," Jeanne answered, "and figured that you'd be around. But man, it's been a while. Want to catch up over a cup of coffee?"
"Any more coffee and I will go hyperactive, love," Loki smiled, "but okay."
The Umbra Witch and Chaos god sat in a café. The former had a latte while the latter a hot chocolate.
"So," Jeanne asked, "how is the human world? I do recall you saying you want to take a break, now that humanity didn't need you anymore."
Loki snorted, "Humanity never needed me in the first place. It is better for them to stumble and pick themselves up than for them to live under the thumb of me and Loptr."
Jeanne sipped her coffee, "Pity Loptr didn't share your beliefs."
"Weeell," Loki said, "he is pure evil, so…"
"You didn't answer my question," Jeanne said, "I am interested to hear your opinions on humanity."
Loki grimaced, "Humanity is highly polarised into those who are very good. Saint like people who are better than the Angels of Paradiso. And those who are as evil as any demon from Inferno. Of course, there is a wide spectrum in between. It is a real pity that overall, humans lean to the evil side."
"It is understandable," Loki takes a sip of his hot chocolate, "because five hundred years ago, I escaped into the future. Meaning that for five hundred years, humanity was influenced solely of Loptr. Usually, this wouldn't mean much, but Loptr has been using the evil in man's heart to grow stronger while increasing the evil in mankind's heart. Rinse and repeat, we have modern humanity. I must say, humans are smarter than I imagined. Building these great constructs that rival the architecture of Paradiso."
Jeanne nodded, "An honest evaluation. How has it been for you?"
"I reincarnated myself into a rather poor family," Loki shrugged, "but that's okay. I've been blazing my way through school and got a scholarship."
"Ah," Jeanne seemed impressed, "which school?"
"The Saint Aquinas High School," Loki replied, "that new flashy school which finished construction last year."
Jeanne leaned forward, "What a coincidence. I am going there to be a teacher."
Loki gave her the "what-the-fuck" look.
"Don't look at me like that," Jeanne said, "I have been a teacher for centuries. I am highly qualified. I have degrees in three countries right now."
"Okay," Loki smiled, "I'll take your word for it. How's Bayonetta going?"
"Very well," Jeanne said, "Balder appeared in the dreams of the Vigrid elite and told them Bayonetta is his daughter. She inherited the Ithavoll Group and is currently living in Isla Del Sol."
"That guy," Loki laughed, "really cares about his dear sweet child, eh?"
"Bayonetta is his daughter," Jeanne responded, "of course he'd care."
"So," asked Loki, "what is the new high school like?"
"It is named after Thomas Aquinas," Jeanne explained, "who is the patron saint of academics. So I guess it will be an uptight and upright Catholic school."
"Damn it!" Loki cursed, "I thought I was going to have a fun high school life now that I moved from my parents!"
"Tsk, tsk," Jeanne shook her head, "you are a naughty boy."
Just then, the android that Loki saw earlier sauntered past them, carrying a lot of stationery and catching the attention of many.
"What the hell is that?" asked Jeanne.
"A machine of sorts," Loki said, "shaped after the female human. A creation of a mad scientist who can't get a girl?"
"If the said scientist is rich enough to do the research necessary," Jeanne said, "and to actually build something that sophisticated, he'd be rich enough to have a fucking harem. No, I say the creator is a mad scientist trying to push the boundaries of engineering."
"Well," Loki shrugged, "I hope he doesn't create an army of Terminators bent on annihilating mankind. We'd be hard pressed to beat them all."
"Anyway," Jeanne said, "it was nice talking to you. I have to go now."
The Umbra Witch stands up and walks away.
Jeanne walks to the carpark of the shopping centre. As she straddled her motorbike, she saw the machine again. The robot is accompanied by an Asian man. He is very tall, about the same height as Luka, and made the android look like a child. She looked down to her motorbike, but a glint caught her eye. Both the man and the machine carried antiquated golden watches.
Jeanne continued looking until they both entered the car and drove off.
Jeanne shrugged and revved her motorbike before riding away in the opposite direction. She isn't going to judge another person for the choice of company he prefers.