Disclaimer:
I do not own "Riviera: The Promised Land" or any of its characters.
Aerial Battle:
"What the…Malice!" Ein exclaimed.
The glowing figure was indeed Malice, the fake Grim Angel and once enemy to Ein and his party. She looked exactly as she was when Ein last saw her. Her long blond hair flowed freely in the wind and she wore her blue costume, as always. Her fake Diviner, Skadi, shined with blue light, emanating power despite it was not the Diviner of a true Grim Angel. However, when Ein looked into Malice's eyes, he noticed she seemed different.
"Ein, as a true Grim Angel, I would have expected you to be able to deal with this sort of trash easily," Malice remarked, flicking her head towards over her shoulder at the demon.
The demon was trashing about, clutching a wound that it received when Malice hacked with Skadi across its face. Malice turned and stared at the demon.
"I guess better finish this off," Malice said.
Suddenly, something red streaked across the demon several times and the demon twitched several times. Then, it slumped to its knees and disappeared as it was killed. The red streak had stopped and was now floating above where the demon had fell.
"Malice, you were wasting time. You should've spoken to Ein after the enemy was eliminated," an emotionless voice said.
Ein looked towards where the voice came from. His eyes widened as a painfully familiar figure was revealed.
"L-Ledah…you're…alive…!" he gasped.
Ledah simply looked at him, unfazed.
"As I am standing right in front of you, yes it does seem that I am alive," he answered, striding forward.
"But how…?"
"With a combination of Ursula's little remaining power and by some will of the Gods, Malice and I have been brought back. By the looks of things, it appears that it was not purely an act of kindness. Demons are on the move," he said.
Everyone went completely silent at these words. After a while, Rose broke it.
"Well, we should invite Malice and Ledah to our house first…and then finish discussing this…" she suggested.
Ledah and Malice looked at her.
"I don't remember seeing you before," Malice said. "Are you another Sprite?"
"…" Ledah remained silent.
"Well actually, I'm Rose but was transformed through some magic from Cierra," Rose replied.
Malice's eyes widened but Ledah remained impassive.
"I see…" Malice managed to mumble.
"…hn…" Ledah.
Rose looked at Ledah and said, "Hello to you too."
---
"Lina doesn't understand…why you are here, again?" Lina said.
"We were brought back by the Gods and if you ask us one more time, I will take my Skadi and personally shut you up. Permanently," Malice growled in answer.
"By the way, Malice, are you…do you know that Hector said that you were not a true Grim Angel?" Ein asked.
"Yeah, he deceived you and made you to believe something that was not true," Fia put in.
Malice was silent for a moment before she replied.
"Yes, Ein, I do know," Malice said at last. "As much as it pains me to say it, I am not like you or Ledah. I am not a Grim Angel. Perhaps I am an angel of some sort but not one of the Grim Angels. I am…inferior…to you…" she added, gritting her teeth.
"Inferior? To Ein?" Lina exclaimed. "Malice must be trying to be funny!"
"Yes, although Ein does have his good qualities…" Cierra added.
"…his bad ones outweigh them. Ein is not superior to anyone," Rose finished, slapping Ein on the back of his head.
"Hey! What's that supposed to mean!"
"Yes, I think you guys were a bit mean to Ein," Fia said.
"Just because you're in love with him…" Cierra teased.
"W-what!" Fia stuttered, blushing.
"Fia love Ein! Fia loves Ein!" Lina chanted happily.
"Alright, maybe we should calm down…" Ein said, waving his arms in an attempted calming gesture.
As everyone began to settle down once again, Malice shook her head in exasperation.
"What have I gotten into…" she muttered.
Ledah remained silent.
However, suddenly, the biggest interruption so far had occurred: Serene and her brother had walked in, having awoken.
"Hey, what's with all the noise…" she began, until her eyes fell upon Ledah and Malice.
More specifically, it was Malice that caught her eyes, which swiftly began to fill with killer intent. Next to her, Ares' eyes also widened before they narrowed with pure hatred.
"You!" Serene screamed, reaching for her scythe, followed by Ares.
Before anyone could stop them, they flapped their wings and charged at Malice. Malice reflexively held out her Skadi, blocking a swing from Serene and dodged another from Ares with a beat of her wings. She retreated out the door, defending from attacks by Serene and Ares. Ein and Ledah reached out to restrain Serene and Ares.
"Serene, calm down," Ein shouted. "Malice has changed now!"
"But that doesn't change the fact she murdered the Arcs!" Serene screamed.
Ledah was silent as he held Ares in an arm-lock. Ares struggled furiously but could do nothing to break free of the battle-hardened Grim Angel. It was Ein, who was tired from the battle, who gave up first. Serene stamped on his foot, hard and Ein yelped in pain. Serene broke free of his weakening grasp and swung her scythe in Ledah's direction. Forced to defend against her attack, he drew Lorelei and parried her scythe. Ares broke free of his one-handed arm-lock and immediately flew out of the door, after Malice. Serene took off as well, leaving Ein behind, rubbing his foot.
"Ein are you ok?" Fia asked.
"Yeah, I'll be fine," Ein replied, getting up. "Let's hurry after them!"
Ledah was already running out the door, Lorelei held determinedly in his hand. Ein grabbed his Diviner and followed suit.
---
Outside, Malice was fending off the two enraged Arcs. They took the battle higher and higher into the air, until they were out of range, even to Lina's bow. As the others came out, Ledah flew up without a word. As Ein and his party watched helplessly, as the two Grim Angels and the Arc siblings were fighting in an aerial battle. High in the air, the two Arcs circled around and around Malice, swinging their scythes. Malice parried and dodged among the scythes but hardly ever struck back. After-all, those two were not really her enemies, despite her past actions.
"Hey!" she yelled. "Stop!"
"As if!" Serene yelled back.
"This is for my dad!" Ares shouted, suddenly flying above Malice and swinging down.
Malice looked up, preparing to block with Skadi but Ares was flying in front of the sun. Malice reflexively shielded her eyes and she could not see where Ares' scythe was coming from. She closed her eyes, awaiting the inevitable. Suddenly, she felt something floating in front of her, blocking the sun. She opened her eyes and caught a dark, red cape flowing in front of her.
"Don't let your guard down," Ledah said. "Look underneath you."
Malice glanced down and saw Serene rising up, her scythe ready.
Malice swung Skadi and yelled out, "Trie Noir!"
She slashed with Skadi several times before launching a final strike full of blue lightning. Serene's scythe was knocked from her grasp and she fell down. However, she beat her wings again and righted herself, having not taken any serious injuries. She folded her wings so she plummeted down to the ground. Everyone gasped but sighed in relief when she caught her scythe and righted herself. She looked up and was just in time to see Ledah successfully fending off Ares with a four hit combo, finishing with a stab that actually destroyed Ares' scythe in half.
Serene took off, soaring up. With the added incentive of protecting her newly re-united brother, she rose up alarmingly quickly and prepared to show just why she and her scythe was feared among demons.
"Serene Almighty!" she yelled.
Under the onslaught of one of Serene's combos, one of her stronger ones at that, was something even a Grim Angel like Ledah had to careful of. He blocked and parried while Malice did the same. Serene's final blow was an ice element so Malice took it easily and Ledah's fire element powers protected him to an extent as well.
Serene panted and gasped for air while Ares floated behind her. Both glared at Malice with hate.
"You killed our family…" Serene growled.
"…and our entire race…" Ares added.
"If we let you go, I'll regret this for the rest of my life…" Serene finished, before raising her scythe defiantly once again.
Ares took out a pair of claws he had kept and faced Ledah grimly. Serene readied her scythe. Ledah gazed at them, closed his eyes and raised his Diviner.
"We do not wish you fight or harm you," he said. "We were sent back to help you, as Grim Angels and allies."
"That doesn't clear the fact that she murdered the Arcs," Ares said back.
Malice remained silent.
"What's the matter, Ms Grim Angel?" Serene taunted. "Ashamed of what you had done?"
Malice opened her eyes, this time they were filled with anger.
"I've had enough of this," Malice said. "Your survival is not essential to the victory against the demons. Do not test me. Even if I am not a true Grim Angel, I am still a warrior fighting for the Gods nonetheless."
"If you're not a Grim Angel, how do I know you really want to just kill demons?" Serene demanded.
"If you're not going to trust her, then perhaps you can believe me," Ledah said. "I am a true Grim Angel. My Diviner, Lorelei truly is forged from what I gave up: my emotions."
"Well…I believe the "giving up emotions" part, what with the way you talk and everything…" Serene muttered. "But didn't you Grim Angels try to destroy Riviera before?"
Ledah signed and said, "You knew we were falsely ordered to do so. Then how can we get you to trust a Grim Angel…?"
"Serene!" a voice suddenly yelled.
Everyone looked down to se Ein, supported by Laddie and Rebecca the Harpuia (both of them have wings and can fly…right?).
"Serene, please…" Ein pleaded.
Serene's gaze immediately softened.
"Ein!" she shouted. "What are you doing up here!"
"Ein, she's right…your friends may not be able to support you for long and if you fall, no one can save you," Ledah retorted.
"But I have to stop you guys," he answered. "I gave up my wings to become a Grim Angel and I received Einherjar in return. Serene, I am also a Grim Angel."
Serene fell silent at those words.
"You trusted me before and you followed me to fight against the Accursed," he said. "You followed me when I fought against my old friends, Ledah and Malice. You even followed me to face Hector and you lost your life, for a time."
Serene dropped her head, remembering all that she went through with Ein.
"I…I was devastated for a time. I fought against Hector, knowing that even if we won, you wouldn't be with us, with me…"
Serene looked up, her eyes producing tears.
"But Serene…please…we should all live peacefully with each other, in this world we fought hard to protect," Ein said. "Also, I…"
Serene looked into Ein's eyes and said, "…yes?"
"Serene, I…" Ein began, beginning to blush. "I…I lo…WHOA!"
Suddenly, Ein fell as Laddie and Rebecca tired at last. Serene flung her scythe away, which was fortunately caught by Ares, and dropped after Ein. Malice, closest to Ein, flew down after him as well, reflexively letting go of Skadi, which was caught by Ledah, who was a bit behind. Soon, Serene caught onto one of Ein's flailing arms while Malice took the other.
"You idiot…you could've just yelled from underneath us," Malice retorted.
"T-thanks, guys…" Ein mumbled, as they lowered him to the ground. "So…I take it you guys aren't fighting anymore?"
Serene looked surprise for moment before raising her eyes to meet Malice's.
"No, Ein…Not anymore…for your sake…" she mumbled.
"Cool!" Ein exclaimed.
"But promise me you won't do something that stupid again," Serene commanded.
"Yes, Serene…"
"We may not be there to save you next time…" Malice remarked.
"Yeah, thanks again and…" Ein began but suddenly stopped and his face went red.
Malice and Serene looked at him, confused at his sudden silence.
"Ein, what is it?" Serene asked.
"Ah…um…you're…holding my arms kind of tightly …"
They both looked down at their arms and found that…they were holding Ein's arms tightly to their chests. More specifically, Ein's hands were pressed against something that was making him blush quite a bit.
Serene and Malice dropped him and slapped him. He landed in a heap and fell down, rubbing his cheeks.
"Hey, you were the ones who…!"
"Ein's a pervert!" Lina screamed, as the other girls ran up and stood in a ring around him.
"But…"
"No buts this time Ein…" Fia growled.
"Yes, your actions ARE getting out of hand…" Cierra added.
The girls converged upon Ein and started to slap and punch him. Ledah and Ares landed, both holding Skadi and Serene's Scythe respectively. They let go of the winged Sprites they were supporting, who thanked them with blushes on their faces.
"Ein must have become quite strong…" Ledah remarked. "If he goes through this everyday and survives…"
Ledah watched and shook his head, as Ein was struggling to stay conscious among the wraths of six disgruntled females.