Chapter 2
Netherworld
Kyoko and Asuka looked down at Beryl, they knew it was Lady Raspberyl but, they also knew it was not. "My lady, do forgive us, you just look like our mistress Raspberyl." Asuka said sadly. Beryl looked up at the two taller demons, Raspberyl? Hadn't she heard that name from Lord Seraph? "T-That's okay." She forced a smile. "We're Kyoko Needleworker and Asuka Cranekick." Kyoko said, smiling down at the little angel. "And you are?" Asuka finished for her.
Beryl didn't know weather she wanted to answer them but, as an angel she must show kindness. "I'm Beryl Manora." Beryl answered. "Nice to meet you miss Beryl." The two demons said to her in unison. "…Likewise." Beryl was hesitant with her reply.
She truly did hate demons, no, hate wasn't the word. She was terrified of them for her own reasons. They had caused her so much pain, loss, and fear. They left a scar so deep it will never go away, not even after she dies.
"Kill them all!" A demon with firey red hair screamed. Demons had somehow made their way into Celestia, no one knew how but they did. Beryl had taken her younger brother and her friend Garret's hands and ran, she had no energy to fly from a mission she was on not long ago. The demons had been looking for lord Seraph and her father, Zane Manora. "After them!" Another hissed as it spotted her running off with the two.
As they ran Beryl and them made it to the one place no demon could enter. But tragically her hand slipped, and her brother had vanished form sight within seconds. "Noctis!" She had screamed when she noticed the demon that had the young child by the throat. Garret had to keep her form flying towards her younger brother.
Here she had to watch the terrible things that the demon had done to her brother. Ripping Noctis's jaws and snapping him in half. Pulling out his guts and eating his eyes. The tear hadn't even been able to come from the poor boys eyes before he had been killed by that demon.
Long after the demons were gone she had sat there, with Garret holding her shoulders, tears flowing down her face so fast. She just couldn't stop. How….How could demons get into Celestia? How could they kill him? "Beryl, we need to go and check on the others." Garret had told her. She nodded solemnly as the tears started to slow. He helped her stand and they headed towards her house.
The scene before her and terrified her even more than watching her brother die. Her mothers body was scattered and ripped in pieces all over the place. Her blood stained everything. Her older sister lay there in a puddle of her own blood, her eyes had been ripped out. There was only a small note left behind. Garret picked it up and handed it to the crying angel. She read it, "Come and find us." was all.
"Miss Beryl?" Asuka brought Beryl back to reality. Kyoko and Asuka were starring at the angel who had tears in her eyes, "Are you alright?" Kyoko asked. Beryl nodded, "Y-yeah, just…..remembering something." She wiped off her tears and smiled. "I could make you a thousand cranes to cheer you up." Asuka stated. Beryl just chuckled and shook her head.
"I…need to go, I need to find a place to stay for the night, I should be going." She proclaimed. The two older demons shook their heads, "Miss Beryl, the demons here are ruthless, you can stay with us if you wish? Our mistress always said we must help those who need it be." Asuka said. Beryl starred, "But, aren't you demons as well?" She was now confused.
"Well yes but you see, we're nice demons. We're delinquents." Kyoko explained. "But, delinquents are bad people." She said. "Actually this is where you have it wrong miss Beryl. For humans delinquents are bad, but for us demons, delinquents are completely nice, our lady Raspberyl was the kindest of us all." Asuka countered. Beryl now thought that these two weren't really demons but, she knew they were. I'll just have to test them. She thought to herself.
"Ummm….Okay?" She said. The two older demons smiled, the little angel really did look like Beryl, just a bit different. They wondered what Mao and them would think? More over, they wondered if this little angel was a sign form god that Raspberyl is still alive somewhere.
Netherworld; Castle training grounds.
Dummies of fake demons flew everywhere as Mao fought. He ducked and kicked a dummy upwards, than punching it in it's gut, sending it to splatter along the wall with the other broken dummies.
Almaz just watched Mao fight, "He's been fighting for hours and hours on and on, what is with him?" Sapphire asked her husband as she came into the training room, A dummy had flown in her way and instantly she had destroyed the thing with a gun. "Oops, broke another one." She muttered after she sat down, handing Almaz some tea.
"I have no clue, Lord Mao seems more tired every second, he's even used up all his energy to even use any special attack on the things. Your lucky too, I could have died more than seven times." Almaz explained, sipping his tea. "Wow, really?" She said. Almaz just simply nodded to his wife and continued watching, "I really wish I could read Lord Mao's mind at times." He sighed.
Once Mao had finished and felt satisfied with the dead broken dummies he walked over ot the table and sat next to Almaz, Hitting his head on the table, "I'm hungry." He murmured, he reached for some tea. He lifted his head up and drank it, almost instantly spitting it out, "Yuck! What is that stuff!" He hissed. "Umm, Lord Mao, it's tea." Almaz answered. "Completely nasty." Was all that came from Mao's voice. He than laid his head back down and groaned, "I swear something's wrong sir Mao." Sapphire said.
Mao glanced at her, "Hmm?" He asked.
"Your acting strange."
"Oh that, I'm just bored and all."
"You have paperwork right?"
"Finished it all."
"Oh."
"Anyways, I'm hungry."
Sapphire sighed. Almaz yawned and Mao glared, "What?" He almost yelled. "Nothing Lord Mao." Sapphire giggled and than left the room. Almaz watched her walk away with a smile, than he turned to Mao. "Lord Mao, can you please tell me what is wrong? I've never seen you destroy all the training dummies in just seven hours nonstop." Mao looked at Almaz boringly, "I swear, something is wrong…I can feel a strange yet familiar presence somewhere."
"Oh?" Almaz questioned. Mao nodded with a yawn. "I see, that's strange." He said. "Agreed, I know, why don't you be useful and go check it out?" Mao said. Believe it or not, this wasn't a command, this was just a normal friendly request. Mao must really be tired. Almaz thought. He nodded, "Yes lord Mao." He said as he left the room.
Mao watched his friend leave, "My stomach hurts." He said as he held his stomach.
Almaz walked past many demons that he knew, he was heading towards the old academy, looking for Kyoko and Asuka, maybe they knew what was going on? As he neared the room he heard laugher from a voice that made his eyes widen. He ran towards the door. It wasn't who he thought it was, was it? He knocked on the door, "Kyoko! Asuka!" He yelled, not really panicked but astonished. Kyoko answered the door, giggling like mad, "Oh hello hero, please do come in."
He nodded and entered. Quickly he glanced around the room that the two use to share with Raspberyl. His eyes landed on the little angel on the best who was admiring Raspberyl's old forty-eight affections books. "Oh hello hero, we didn't know you'd stop by today."Asuka said. The angel closed her book and looked up at the boy.
Almaz's eyes were wide as he stared at Raspberyl, "Miss Beryl? I thought you died. Me and the princess were so worried about you!" He cried. Beryl stared at him in confusion. He wasn't a demon, he was a human, and one that she use to look over as well. "I…I'm sorry?" She said. She knew who Almaz and his princess were but, she had never met the man, how does he know her? "It's me, Almaz remember? The fake hero you use to look up too? Than became a hero when he opened up sir Mao's heart?" He asked.
Kyoko and Asuka shook their heads, "This is Beryl, she's an angel, not our Lady." Asuka said, Beryl just starred at Almaz, Why is a human in the Netherworld? She thought.
"W-what!" Almaz exclaimed once Kyoko and Asuka had finished explaining who Beryl was. He looked over to Beryl and kneeled down. "Please forgive me Miss Beryl." Beryl just starred at the human.
Now I feel weird. She thought." You…May rise." She said, not really sure why he bowed in the first place. Almaz stood up and smiled at her, "I'm Almaz Von Almadine Adamant." He said. Beryl smiled, "I'm Beryl Manora." She said happily as she shook the humans hand. It was nice to meet a human since they were just wonderful creatures, one of gods creations that she loved so much.
"We've told Beryl a little bit about our lady and how she looks like her." Kyoko said. "I didn't even know there was a demon like me." Beryl said, though she did know just, refused to admit it. "She seems to love this book as much as our lady did." Asuka said, pointing at the forty-eight affections book.
Beryl opened the book to a page marked "embrace." She grinned widely as she recited something that lord Seraph had taught her and a few other angels. Almaz glanced at Beryl, he saw her reading the book and smiled, she was looking at a picture of everyone hugging lord Mao.
"Where could he be? He's been gone for three hours, it doesn't take that long." Mao yawned as he ate something, "I don't know sir Mao, Almaz will be back soon." Sapphire assured him.
"Hero?" Asuka asked. Almaz finished telling Beryl everything about a picture marked 'Sacrifice.' and looked over too her, "Yes?" He asked. "Please, don't tell lord Mao about this. It's best we wait till he meets her on his own." Kyoko said. "Sure thing." Almaz promised, than the time caught his eye, "I got to go okay? See you guys soon?" He asked and the demons nodded, "Bye sir Almaz." Beryl called as he left. This is fun, maybe I should spend time here for a while huh?
Beryl thought.
Celestia
Garret walked into the palace and walked towards lord Seraph. "She's with the demons now my lord." He said. Seraph nodded and smiled, "Thank you Garret. Now we shall watch and see which she is more fit for no?" He questioned. Garret nodded kindly, "Yes sir. Though I assure you, Beryl will fit more as an angel than a demon." He replied.
"That's nice to hear, we shall see no?"
"Yes my lord."
"That's is all."
"Goodbye."
Netherworld
Almaz walked into the castle panting, he had run the whole way back. He found Sapphire and Mao waiting for him. Mao, with a scary face, and Sapphire, with her -Care-to-Explain? Look. "I didn't find anything lord Mao." Almaz said kindly. "Oh? Than where were you the whole day exactly?" He and Sapphire asked in unison.
"I had asked Kyoko and Asuka if they knew." He answered. It was true, just, not the whole truth.
What none of them knew was the fact that a certain chef was watching them all from afar. Especially the little angel, he was keeping close eyes on them all. "Master!" Someone called form behind the old man. He turned, "What is it?"
"We've found out what happened to Gavin!" Gavin was this certain chefs apprentice that he had been teaching for over five years now. "We are ready to go and look for him.
He finished.
"Which sounds better? A hot and warm dish? Or a cold and soggy one? You answer me this." He asked.
"The warm and hot one of course."
"Your wrong, the soggy one. Only when you wait will your dish be perfectly delicious. Boom." He said.
"Ah yes, wise words master Champloo."
With this the chef waved off the boy, "The time is coming, darkness may enter your hearts once more our hero's. What dish will you cook to save the life of your soon to be loved friend? Only once will you be able to have this second chance." He than turned and vanished.