Thank you to everyone's support. I am extremely overwhelmed by the interest in my first story. I apologize for any grammar/this-is-so-not-what-happens-in-07-Ghost mistakes.

Welcome to the 3rd chapter. Verloren has just learnt the meaning of family. Will a new member join the family? Find out more in this chapter...enjoy!


One week had passed by rather quickly. With a human body, he was forced to sleep and consume food otherwise he would die from over-exhaustion. Nonetheless, he used every second possible, not daring to waste it.

To begin his search, he decided to find out more about the human's knowledge of the gods and goddesses. Perhaps they saw something he did not catch. It was a little difficult to go to the archives due to his "special status" in the human military. He was careful to be discreet; he wasn't ready to explain to Katsuragi and Hyuuga the truth yet. Besides, he wanted to see whether Kuroyuri was also a warsfeil. Humans were very unpredictable; telling them the truth might bring unexpected reactions.

Through his research, he was more disheartened to find out how little the human perception was. He was appalled to read how the humans said that he, Verloren, had killed her. He had shaken his head in disbelief and horror, and his eyes began to wander from the text. The humans, the creatures he helped, they...they...they hated him. His throat hurt, and he stared out of the window, a glazed look in his eyes. After a while, when his thoughts finally turned to her, he forced himself to continue reading.

He read on about how seven heavenly figures—the seven ghosts—came down to earth and "punished" him for his crimes; they had split his body and memories into two holy crystals protected by the two angels Mikhail and Raphael.

Is that what really happened, or is this another lie? He wondered. If it were true, then...the two crystals—the Eye of Mikhail and the Eye of Raphael—he would need to get them first. The Eye of Raphael was currently with the military, while the Eye of Mikhail was with the Raggs Kingdom.

Another reason to remain with the military, he thought. Much as he didn't appreciate the military's views, he couldn't think of another option. It would be unwise to steal the Eye, since the humans would obviously misunderstand the entire situation and declare war with the Raggs Kingdom...but...how would he get the Eye of Mikhail then?

Pondering this, he continued to read ahead. It was rumoured that the Chief of heaven had the seven ghosts continuously reincarnated into humans to ensure that Verloren remained destroyed. He paused, confused.

I do not understand, he thought, The seven ghosts were sent by him...but why? Before he could think further, a new voice invaded his mind.

"HI AYA-TAN!"

He shut his eyes tightly and opened them again, inwardly sighing. He spent the past two days ensuring Hyuuga's and Katsuragi's protection. Taking half their souls, he gained access to their emotions and occasionally their own experiences. Once that was done, he taught Hyuuga and Katsuragi the power of telepathy. Hyuuga was over the moon with it, and spent every minute talking to him.

"Hello Hyuuga," he thought back, "where are you?"

"I could ask you the same question Aya-tan! Katsuragi-kun and I are looking around for you!"

"I am in the military archives," he silently responded, "I am merely doing some research..."

"We'll meet you there in a minute." This time Katsuragi silently responded. Those two were fast learners; he was very impressed.

It seems like only those two are the only humans that deserve heaven, he thought. Katsuragi and Hyuuga had previously warned him, but he had completely underestimated the hatred and fear from the other humans. How could he love these humans if they did this? Why couldn't they just live among each other in peace? It just seemed odder how he continued to love and care about them. He loved them even though they thought that his perfect creation was a monster?

Did he really send down those seven heavenly beings to kill him?

...Why?

It is not my place to complain, he thought, I must do my duty. I am his perfect creation, not them.

Steeling himself, he shut the book. At that very moment he felt a tap on his shoulder. Turning around, Hyuuga and Katsuragi stood behind him.

"What is that Aya-tan?" Hyuuga asked curiously. He frowned and read aloud, "Religious History of the Barsburg Empire?"

"I was interested whether there was more information on warsfeil," he replied. Hyuuga and Katsuragi seemed satisfied with his answer.

"We should talk outside," Katsuragi said, "There are eyes and ears everywhere inside."

Walking outside, Hyuuga remarked, "I'm excited to see Kuro-tan. I hope he becomes another member of our family."

"I heard that he sleeps a lot," Katsuragi said, "I hope he does well in the exam."

"What does the exam consist of?" he asked.

"Well, it's not much of an exam," admitted Katsuragi, "You're thrown into a room with other students and are asked to kill a criminal. If you survive and kill the criminal, then you pass."

"Has anyone tried to survive but not kill the criminal?" he wondered.

"Firstly, it is a criminal that has done a grave crime, for instance murder. It would not make sense for that person to live, because they'll just go around and kill more people. You might as well destroy the seed before it blossoms into something more dangerous. Secondly, the only way to survive would be to kill the criminal," Katsuragi answered.

I suppose it makes sense, he thought, joining the military does mean duty and devotion towards the country. Katsuragi's analogy on the seed was also valid, but...

"What if the criminal is innocent?" he pondered out loud.

Katsuragi looked at him curiously. "Well, the justice system is very tight," he responded, "I don't think the judges are the type to make a mistake."

Yes but humans are known for their greed, he thought, they will do just about everything to ensure their own life is fine. He thought back to the different souls he had met when he was working—they begged, pleaded, and even attempted to bribe him, but he was unfazed.

"Well, the exam is tomorrow!" Hyuuga happily said, "It'll be tons of fun! We can visit District 3 afterwards!" He remembered looking at a map of the Barsburg Empire—it had been split into several districts bordering Antwort and Raggs. The Barsburg Church was in the 7th district, while the military base and academy was in the 3rd district.

He felt a hand on his shoulder. Looking up, he saw Katsuragi giving a small smile. "Don't worry Ayanami-sama," Katsuragi said, "Everything will work out in the end."

Looking at both humans' faces, he was at a loss for words. These two... He thought, so special.

~0~

"Welcome to the Military Exam!" a female officer greeted. He and Katsuragi nodded, while Hyuuga winked at the officer.

"Admiral Miroku-sama told me that you three are here to observe student #2949," the officer said, "The observation window is further down to the hall, at the left." As the three started to walk down the hallway, he couldn't help but overhear snippets of conversations.

"..warsfeil I've heard..."

"black magic...devil's servants..."

"here to convert another person...shame...bad..."

"Ignore them," he whispered, sensing Katsuragi's anger, "They know nothing." Arriving at the observation window, he saw a large barred entrance.

"That's where the criminal is kept," explained Hyuuga, "I remember our exam...you, I, and Katsuragi-kun had to do all the work."

A buzzer went, and some students filed in. "There he is," Katsuragi remarked, pointing to a small pink-haired human. His long hair was neatly braided, and he slunk at the back of the group.

"He doesn't look like one," Hyuuga remarked.

"Patience," he replied. The buzzer went again, and the barred gates opened. A large creature lumbered out, shackled. The students immediately began to summon their zaiphons. The criminal bellowed something obscene, and a student angrily threw his zaiphon towards the criminal. As if the student was a fly, the criminal lashed out his hand; the student went flying towards the wall, and they heard a sickening crack.

Closing his eyes, he could sense the student's soul leaving his body. "The pass rate is 3%," murmured Katsuragi, "This is the real test to see whether these students can become soldiers. If they can't face the fear of death, then they are useless."

He kept his eyes closed. 3% pass rate...could Kuroyuri do it? He could faintly hear the screams of the younger human students.

"Look!" Hyuuga excitedly whispered, "Kuro-tan is doing something!" Rapidly opening his eyes, he watched the small pink-haired human raise his hand; red zaiphon appeared. Hurling the zaiphon, it travelled towards the wall behind the criminal.

The criminal turned around and laughed; "You missed!" he gleefully exclaimed, but his laughter swiftly diminished when the wall began to collapse behind him. There was a deafening roar, and the entire window was clouded with dust.

After a few minutes, the dust began to clear and they saw the slumped form of the criminal, while Kuroyuri stood over him. Hyuuga let out a whistle, and Kuroyuri turned towards them; his eyes widened when suddenly the pink-haired human also collapsed.

~0~

He, Katsuragi, and Hyuuga stood around the hospital bed, anxiously waiting for Kuroyuri to regain consciousness. "Does he do this often?" Katsuragi questioned.

"His attacks are extremely powerful as you saw," he replied, "It must take a lot of energy for him." Hyuuga looked at him, a gleam in behind his shades.

"Aya-tan's noticing something else," Hyuuga playfully remarked. Katsuragi glanced at him, an eyebrow raised.

"I'll explain when he wakes up," he silently said. At that moment, they heard a small groan.

Kuroyuri slowly opened his eyes, blinking blearily. "Hello there," Katsuragi greeted, "Are you well?" He moved his hand towards Kuroyuri, but to his surprise, Kuroyuri slapped his hand away.

"Don't touch me," Kuroyuri snarled, looking at the three. Katsuragi shot a worried look at him and Hyuuga, taking a step back.

"Uh oh," Hyuuga thought, "Kuro-tan doesn't like us."

"Well done," he quietly began. Kuroyuri looked at him, suspicious and angry.

"You have brilliant control over your wars," he continued, "How did you learn that?"

"Who are you?" Kuroyuri hotly asked, "What do you want from me?"

"We are like you," he simply replied, "Lost." He placed his hand over Kuroyuri's chest, where the young human's heart was. Kuroyuri at first struggled, but suddenly his expression changed. His face, at first contorted with anger became...peaceful. He closed his eyes, and his mouth slowly widened into a smile.

"I know it hurts," he said, "You feel so lost, so alone, so angry. I know. We're here to help." He slowly removed his hand, and Kuroyuri opened his eyes. The young human stared at him, wondrous yet apprehensive.

There was a deep silence as the pink-haired human continued to look at them. He noticed that the young human was no longer angry and suspicious.

"You have it too?" Kuroyuri finally asked.

"Yep!" Hyuuga replied this time. Opening his hand, he summoned a small ball of the black wars. Flickering his hand, the wars disappeared.

Kuroyuri looked down at his clenched hands. "I thought it was just me," he whispered, "I was the only one with red zaiphon...everyone immediately stayed away from me." His voice cracked as he choked out, "I thought..."

Katsuragi placed a comforting hand on the young human's shaking shoulders. "It's ok," Katsuragi gently said, "You're no longer alone." Kuroyuri looked up, his eyes shining with unshed tears.

He thought his heart leapt to his throat at that moment. He wanted to wrap his arms around the young human, telling him it was alright, nobody would ever hurt him again, he was there, he will...

"Welcome to the family Kuro-tan!" Hyuuga happily said. He popped another candy apple into his mouth at that moment.

~0~

"When I was younger, I was poisoned," Kuroyuri began, "since then, I have had serious problems digesting food and I have remained...the same height." He cringed a little. Hyuuga gave a small snort but immediately sobered when he glared at him.

"After that, there have been continuous attempts on my life," Kuroyuri continued, "But I had decided after that to refuse death! I would live, showing everyone that no matter what they do to me, I will still continue on!"

Inside, he gave a small smile. The young human did have many painful memories, but his adamant attitude was formidable. No matter how much he has suffered, he still finds the strength to continue, he thought, what an amazing human.

Kuroyuri turned to him, and gave a huge smile. "What is your name?" Kuroyuri asked.

"Ayanami," he responded. The human's next words stunned him.

"I love you Ayanami-sama!" Kuroyuri proclaimed.

He froze, staring at the pink-haired human. For once, he was speechless, devoid of both words and thoughts.

"Hey! I was going to say that!" Hyuuga retorted, "Besides, Aya-tan is mine!"

"Ayanami-sama is important to me too!" Katsuragi shot, "Don't just proclaim him for yourself!"

He numbly watched the three humans fight. "I don't understand," he finally said. Hyuuga, Katsuragi, and Kuroyuri looked at him. "Why did you say that?" he finally asked.

"Because it's true," Katsuragi said, "We care a lot about you. You have been the first one to think about us. You helped us, giving us strength and courage to face the world. You're my inspiration."

"You're the first person to have ever said something kind to me," Kuroyuri admitted, "When you placed your hand, I felt so peaceful, so happy. I want to be like you one day!"

He felt as if he could sprout wings and fly at that moment. Their words...

"We love you," Hyuuga said, "No matter what you say or do, we will follow you forever. After all...we're family!" He winked, and popped a 2nd candy apple into his mouth.


Verloren learns the 2nd meaning of love. Who comes first now, Verloren's new "family", or her? Is Verloren starting to change? For the better or worse? Who is changing him, his "family" or the military?

Find out in the next chapter.

Thank you for reading.