There was blood everywhere, coating the floor, walls, and ceiling of the small shack. Their latest victim was a Fallen Angel, one of the traitors who had abandoned the natural law preferring peaceful harmony with demons over preserving the heated conflict between the two peoples. While his entrails were pouring out of the massive gash dealt to his body, blood pooling below him from the wounds she inflicted, his torturer stood before him and frowned somberly. Watching the corpse dangle from the chain his wrists were nailed to via railroad spikes, she stared at the guy who had not confessed to the crimes he committed against his fellow angels—the pure angels who were not Fallen Angels like him. Hastur had said confessions weren't needed because even if these victims' willpower against the pain gave in so they could denounce their coexistence with demons by saying horrible things about it, they were still to be tortured without mercy and sentenced to some hell.
She knew he would not show these poor fools mercy, and although Grora would follow his orders straight to the letter, that didn't mean she was unaffected by the cruel punishment they dealt upon these people on a daily basis. The guy she was instructed to flay with a whip hanging from a hook by the door which she had also used to pierce the poor man's ribcage through his chest was dead. His whole back was covered in severe burns from the hot iron she applied to his back, steam rising up from it which made her eyes water and blurred them while clogging her nostrils. Grora's loyalty to Hastur and her love for him were strong enough to inhibit the melancholic understanding she exhibited towards these people, but small cracks of it like now for instance broke through that tough molding she formed for herself. This individual in particular suffered a few of the tricks that were considered worse than other tools and torture techniques in their organization's arsenal, and it really got to her how bad the treatment was since it killed him. Now he was just a regular corpse.
Nevertheless, Grora would believe in Hastur to the very end when they accomplished their goals and opened Etihw's eyes to the truth so she could one day reclaim her old position as a stern Goddess against demons. She hoped that day would come, whether it was soon enough or far away in the future. The angelic lady could wait, thankful Hastur was around to help her by giving Grora a task to occupy her time while also contributing to their efforts. She was only able to go on these outings because of him and their other compatriots in True Light, their comrades in arms. They'd help provide alibis for her just as she would for them, and they'd all work together to help Hastur's goal of proving the Fallen Angels and demons under Kcalb were really trying to usurp power from Etihw for themselves. United they stood, and together they would accomplish their main objective.
Even if it meant stooping so low as to use guerilla tactics and torture to demonstrate their point. Such cloak and dagger secrecy was below them, yet they were forced to use it which caused some of the other members like her to feel sorry for these people. That weakness was hidden from their leader because he demanded nothing less than full conviction in their beliefs by going to such lengths for those beliefs. They were supposed to excel in that by going above and beyond the duties Hastur entrusted them with, fulfilling their responsibilities straight to the letter without fail. Grora wanted to please Hastur and stay by his side as the second-in-command of True Light, so she was going to do anything to ensure he noticed her devout loyalty towards him and undying will to serve him in that endeavor. She loved him, after all, so she felt it was only natural for her to fulfill that.
Still, this line of work had its drawbacks like the emotions she felt for this poor man who'd died due to the torture. With a sigh of exhaustion, she walked to the wall and leaned up against it. Wearing an apron over her clothes didn't help since the blood still got through it and stained them, and it was even on her face and in her hair as well. Blood was quite literally on her hands. Grora was lucky to have left a spare change of clothes for herself back at their base, but the smell would likely make their foes suspicious of what she'd been up to: butchering civilians from the village.
Beginning to tap her foot against the floor impatiently, she looked at her watch and glared at how long she spent here. Though it was already late at night, she was supposed to be on duty at the castle. Her break was coming to an end pretty quickly, and two of her comrades were not here as of yet. What could've been taking them so long was not hard to determine since they'd probably been held up by guards asking where they were going with a wheelbarrow full of the tools needed to dispose of a dead body like this one. The authorities probably asked about their chary demeanor, asking all sorts of questions that would be given false answers until the guards got too suspicious and began demanding for the truth behind their odd actions. Either that, or they could've simply hid from them; the guys did know the patrol routes and discovered the best hiding spots they could use, so perhaps Grora was worrying too much even though she herself could be discovered in here by anybody in spite of the curfew in effect due to the bloody murders their order was committing.
There was a knock at the door just then which still didn't relieve her concerns, so she asked the usual question required so those concerns could be allayed. "When is light at its brightest?"
"When it is the True Light of heavenly angelic beings who give their all to defeat demons."
It was their order's password, one Hastur concocted himself. Everything about the group's existence was all his idea as their leader. This password in particular had one answer that focused on the traditionalist ideal of conflict between angels and demons. That was the only answer to the question, and it was the correct, proper answer. Others who weren't part of their organization did not and would get it because their order's name was included in the answer. It required both parts of the name, so one word alone wouldn't count towards gaining admittance to this shack. Although the argument could be made that spies would learn it too, the only individuals who knew about the password were Hastur because he thought of it, Grora since she supervised what occurred in here while participating as well, and the associates who disposed of bodies. None of the other members realized it existed, and those who were in this shack with Grora were ordered away to leave before the guys arrived. Even other members besides them were unaware of who was selected to do the job, and regular members were always denied access back into the shack even if they mentioned who they were because of the password they didn't have. That password was a critical key of their organization, so it was valued and protected by the several individuals who knew what it was.
Stepping away from the wall and unlocking the latch to open the door for them, the angelic woman stood aside and held her arm out to welcome the two of them and present them with their latest assignment. "Here you are, boys, a fresh corpse for you to get rid of. Took you long enough."
"Our apologies, Grora," one of them said while removing the tarp from the wheelbarrow. Upon uncovering it, she could see all the hacksaws and other kinds of tools they used alongside a set of cleaning supplies to cover up their tracks and the evidence. "We had to hide longer than we usually do. There were more guards along the route than there normally are. Patrols are the same as ever, but the frequency of how many times they come around has increased since they split up."
"Fair enough," Grora murmured and stepped outside after removing the apron to toss the thing aside within so they could take care of it as well. "I'll be heading back to base via the warp slate now so I can get back to Blancblack Castle in time for work. I trust you guys will do well like always," she then added, checking to make sure they were well prepared for their part of the job.
"Yep, always do," the other guy commented and nodded before they went right to work on cutting the corpse down so they could chop it up and dispose of the remains.
Grora smiled. "Excellent, I'll leave you to it," she said, closing the door before leaving to take the same route they had to come through in order to reach the hidden warp slate because the thing was placed at an area not too far away, but not too close to the shack either so both locations could be safely hidden. That way the authorities weren't likely to discover both in the same place.
…
"So, how did it go? Did they arrive on time, or have they been delayed?"
"Delayed for a short while due to extra guards on the patrols," Grora explained as they've begun to head through the tunnel shortly after she returned and got her things together. "I wasn't informed of that development, by the way; though I can assume Lady Etihw and the Devil kept the matter close to the chest as did Head Fallen Angel. They're probably handpicking the squads they send out and put whoever they personally want on them. A double edged sword if you ask me."
"Indeed," Hastur agreed, walking side by side with his second-in-command while listening to her report on the matter. "It'll be that much difficult to put one or more of our own members on the investigative teams they've got working around the clock. However, that approach will clearly demonstrate they do not trust anyone. The Devil and his Fallen Angel brother are closing in so the two of them can kill Lady Etihw to usurp her position, further ensnaring her until they can commit the crime. We cannot let that happen, Grora, hence why your role is important; you're close to the three of them, and you must do everything you can to ensure you have full access to those fools all the time. Otherwise the chances of our success grow slim till eventually becoming nonexistent."
"You've got my word, I shall endeavor to stay by their side until we can move in and open Lady Etihw's eyes to the truth," the angelic lady promised him, vowing to fulfill her duties to True Light. "I'll not give up, and I will die trying to complete our objectives in that regard. After all, an angel who is pure fights the darkness and those demons and Devils that inhabit its crevices within the shadows." Stretching her arms behind her head and resting them there, she turned to Hastur's presence besides and smiled, grateful for the opportunity to be at his side in their fight to preserve their world's traditional values. However, there was another reason why she stayed by him which she stifled until the time came to reveal it to him when their goal of abolishing the demonic garbage in this world for good was complete. Instead, she decided to ask him about other plans True Light could've thought about enacting for their people. "By the way, what are we going to do after this? Once we revive the traditional values of our people, will there be anything else our order can do?"
"Mm, plenty," Hastur replied and nodded without looking at her, keeping his eyes forward on the path ahead of them as they exited the tunnel. "Once Lady Etihw's been shown the true path of our existence, fighting demons and Devils, that is, we shall turn our attention to other heavens."
"Might I ask why?" Grora inquired out of curiosity.
"Simply put, they do not always take the fight down to the hells and underworlds."
Cocking her head to the side, Grora wondered what he meant by that and figured she could request further elaboration. "So, some are kind of lazy and others don't always need to fight them. They only take action when necessary, is that right? If so, I can understand why since they do have to care for their people. So much conflict could be bad for them, hence why they need a break from the fighting. I'm sure they'll keep up their own wars and battles against the demonic scum, though it would have to be at their own pace, don't you think?" Her response was reasonable, and Grora was right that relaxation from combat was needed so the angels could regain their strength as they had to recover whatever losses and casualties they experienced. It was only logical for them to do so, yet it seemed Hastur had a different opinion about that when he spoke up to address her remark.
"There can only be rest after the conflict, after evil has been vanquished from existence for eternity, forevermore. Demons and Devils will always be around until the light can slaughter them before their shadows can taint it. Even were we to eliminate those from our worlds, others from a foreign world will most definitely invade ours whenever they see fit for whatever reason they even bother to think up. In fact, they don't even need a reason, or even want to have one at all. It's our goal to eradicate evil from all of existence for the angels, Grora, and heavens in other worlds have proven themselves inferior to the task. That is why we must annihilate those heavens as well so we can ensure the only angels who will support our endeavors are those who take action all the time."
His explanation surprised her because Grora didn't expect he'd be so radical about those other heavens in foreign worlds. When he first brought this matter up to answer her question, she originally thought they would join forces with other heavens—some of them, anyway, because she could agree there were some others that probably wouldn't be very effective in their eyes. In fact, Hastur would probably only side with those that gained his sole approval alone. Surely he wasn't planning on obliterating every single other heaven in existence; they'd lack more allies to serve in the everlasting war against the forces of darkness. "Then who will aid us?" she asked to voice the concern, wondering what his answer would be. "We do need all the help we can get to fight evil."
"Indeed, but we shall not get it from other heavens; we shall obliterate each and every one of them because they are inferior and incompetent to us. Unlike us, they hardly do anything against the darkness in their worlds. That is why they must all die as well, for they are incompetent in that endeavor." That was a harsh comment spoken in a critical tone of voice that bitterly belittled other heavens. Clearly Hastur had no tolerance for them and looked down on those heavens because the whole lot of them seemed to be useless from what he was saying. "If only they were more active…"
Although it was cruel, Grora did not mind too much because it didn't really affect her aside from being a poor choice in her opinion because they could still teach the heavens to keep fighting evil darkness, demons and Devils. But she let the matter drop until a better time when she wanted to address it further since the subject appeared to be making Hastur mad. She did not want him to be angry over anything since anger was an emotion that could blind people from seeing the truth. It wasn't at all like love, a truthful feeling in which people did everything they could for somebody who truly mattered to them, preciously cherished individuals. "Yes, if only the other heavens were more active in the conflict between good and evil…" she murmured in agreement, stifling a blush because she didn't want him to see it yet until they successfully vanquished the darkness. Actually, maybe she could just put out the suggestion now and let him think about it. "We can teach them."
"Perhaps…" he commented, appearing to agree with the idea which made Grora smile as she was so happy that he seemed to consider it. She felt glad to be his second-in-command because she was close to him as a loyal soldier. Yet there was more to it, for she wanted to be by him even after the demons and Devils were all quelled from existence. Only then could they be together not as soldiers trying to preserve their traditional ideal of peace for angels by vanquishing evil for all those they cared about—namely their fellow angels—but as a couple because Grora did love him.
...
Another memory in another dream. That was twice she'd experienced the phenomenon and felt it meant something. Grora just didn't know what it was, pondering if it was leading up to some big deal the Gray Garden would have to handle. It reminded her of how those nightmares Raspbel had affected her until they culminated in the appearance of the demon's doppelganger, Soa. Maybe something similar, yet entirely different was happening to her with the major reveal eventually on the end of whatever path these dreams were taking her on. Something was coming; she felt it was.
These past several days have been nerve-wracking on everyone with the news of a second invasion a year after the first one undertaken by Ivlis. Although everybody was better prepared for the assault since the portals they discovered so far were closed, the castle worked hard to ensure a degree of protection for Gray Village and settlements in other regions was established. For an odd reason which Grora couldn't understand too well, the portals were all situated in spaces primarily within this region of their world. None seemed to have ever been placed in the other regions, as if the invasive force Hastur joined forces with only sought to attack this place. Although the Goddess and the Devil could summon additional reinforcements from other regions, they wanted those guys defending their respective areas if the attackers ever showed up there. So in terms of being prepared to deal with this new threat from whoever wanted to assault them, the authorities only had enough troops to hold out for a while to protect the civilians who would be safe in the shelters constructed for their protection. They wouldn't be able to withhold a siege for too long, but they hoped it would work out with them managing to keep everyone safe with few to no casualties from the conflict.
Unfortunately, there was one significant problem concerning the portals. Any that had been found were immediately blocked off permanently, yet more were set up in other places. They still hadn't been able to determine why without solid evidence of the invaders' presence already being in their world to begin with. The squads out on patrol couldn't locate any enemies, let alone proof they were here. Furthermore, the portals all seemed to lead to an unrecognizable place they weren't familiar with even though they haven't gone through any due to the fact these portals were closed off to them even if they could be permanently destroyed. While they recognized portals to Fumus' heaven, Reficul's underworld, and Rosaliya's world, these led to a different place. Although it was confirmed to be an otherworldly heaven, they couldn't be sure which one despite Etihw's catalogue of deities which she wrote up herself to determine who their opponent was by narrowing down a few suspects including deities like Siralos and Elux. In spite of this major issue, they were ready.
Yet Grora could not help but feel something was wrong. If the invaders already established a small unit of soldiers in their world, where were they hiding? Certainly not out in the open; their hiding place definitely would've had to be underground somewhere, but the dungeons were empty, devoid of the invasive force. They had to have been much deeper than that, maybe a subterranean network of caverns and tunnels beneath some areas in this region—perhaps even Moreisineum. It was possible, but that place had been permanently sealed off even to anyone outside the area; even Dying Souls Mine was closed off, though both places were still under watch as were other places.
This whole problem gave Grora a headache, particularly because her old boss, whom she'd been foolish enough to think of as her love interest, was involved by working with the invaders. It was terrible, though the angel consoled herself with the idea of Hastur possibly dying in combat if they ever met on the battlefield. She hoped he met his end at last by her hands, but another person finishing the deed instead was also acceptable so long as he was slain for the crimes he committed.
Whistling to calm herself down and settle her nerves so she wouldn't suddenly snap as she really was in the mood to just punch something, Grora crossed her arms and waited for the elevator to come to a stop up at the top floor while listening to a random conversation between two demons. She didn't bother them as she was leaning against one wall, and they let her be to discuss the news. Her ride up was relatively quiet aside from their chatter, and they'd be getting off a floor ahead of her anyway. In fact, they already arrived at their destination and left while the elevator brought her up to hers. Ambling out and heading up to the double doors into the office to speak with Etihw so she could apologize to the Goddess about her outburst yesterday, the angel took the knob of a door in one hand and opened it to step inside. Her eye narrowed upon finding it nearly empty except for one individual: Ater. The Goddess wasn't present and neither was the Devil and the Head Angel.
Slowly stepping forward as quietly as she could be, the angelic lady observed the cat demon and her behavior. Ater's back was turned to her and she was at Kcalb's desk with his laptop turned around towards her so she could do something with it. From the sound of typing, it appeared Ater was busy messing with the Devil's laptop for whatever purpose she had in mind which made Grora scowl in disdain. It figured the kitty was up to something, and she bet it was probably going to get her in trouble, hence why the angel moved forward to investigate the matter so she could submit a report about the cat demon's behavior. Coming up to her now with Ater still unaware of her being right behind her, Grora peered over the girl's shoulder to see what she was up to. Apparently Ater was sending an email message through Kcalb's computer to Fumus and Reficul. While it was only one question, the angel felt she was comprehending the cat demon's motive. From what the inquiry was about, it appeared Ater was asking about a particular word that appeared to be spelled with a slight variation of two different letters: Screvera and Skrevera. The three initials were the same as the ones she saw yesterday in the family registers the kitty was looking through in the library.
Realizing how tender the issue of parental absence was with Ater, Grora figured she would let the matter slide this time even if the cat demon probably didn't have permission to use Kcalb's laptop to send this message. It was certainly rude of her to do so with him unaware, though Grora wouldn't snitch on her this time since Ater really seemed hell-bent on finding her missing parents. Watching her send the email after checking to make sure it was edited with her name signed on it, the angelic lady let out a sigh which startled Ater and made her squeak in fear while jumping away. "A-ah, M-Miss G-Grora, I-I hadn't heard you c-come in, I-I—" she stuttered timidly, scared she'd be busted for this offense when Grora brusquely waved her concern aside. Although Ater would've spoken up to explain herself to the angel, it seemed to be no use even though Grora wasn't angry.
"Spare me the damn explanation, Ater, and just tell me where Lady Etihw is, alright?" the angel inquired, surprising Ater somewhat even though the cat demon was still afraid of her wrath. It made her blink rapidly as she too began to wonder where the Goddess was. She could've checked Etihw's schedule which was on her desk, or perhaps direct Grora to it so she could calm down. An alternative—albeit one that wasn't really okay—would be to simply say she didn't know, and that was the one Ater seemed to go with to try and avoid her tormentor's rage for now. "Well, are you going to tell me if you know or not?" Grora demanded to make the cat demon speak up after silent musing on how to word her response. "If not, just point me to somebody who does, alright?"
"W-wait, y-you're not here t-to hurt m-me…?" Ater swallowed heavily, feeling as if she'd be beaten for putting forth a question instead of answering Grora's which she corrected herself on. "I-I m-mean, I-I d-don't know where Lady Etihw could b-be…" Hesitating to finish that statement, the kitty took a couple steps back until she was pressed right up against the wall. Both of her arms were drawn close to her chest, and she trembled while attempting to speak clearly even with a tone of voice that sounded shaky due to her quivering speech and stuttered words. "T-try her schedule."
"Sure, whatever," the angel took her up on the suggestion and walked over to the Goddess' desk, finding Etihw's schedule there which said she was in a meeting. "Figures…" Grora muttered under her breath and sighed in exasperation, frustrated that she had to wait for the Goddess to come back. Catching Ater still standing by the wall out of the corner of her eye, petrified with terror, she turned back to the cat demon and addressed her while leaning against the desk. "What, you've got a death wish right now for once?" Her question was along the usual lines of things she asked Ater, yet this time it came across in a casual tone without the malice known to be there when she talked to the cat demons. Although it wasn't her business, she thought she might inquire why this certain kitty was in the office by herself. "You mind explaining why you're here, or will you leave now?"
"U-um, I-I'll g-go, I-I just came in to deliver a few pictures s-some of the children drew to Kcalb. They wanted him to have them," Ater briefly explained as she tried to regain her composure in the angel's presence. It was a good answer, one Grora actually believed as she saw the pictures on the desk as well and even took note of the fact that Kcalb had a bulletin board near his desk for them just as Etihw had one for hers. "H-he wasn't in, s-so I just left them on his desk for him."
"And thought you'd send a short email to a God and another Devil?" Grora inquired, her tone indicating it was a rhetorical question that proved she caught Ater doing something she might not have received permission to do. Despite the fact Ater already realized it, the inquiry caught her off guard anyway as she tried to think of an explanation for that too. Yet it was hard because she'd be lying, and Grora believed she really was doing something behind Kcalb's back with the Devil's lack of awareness of the matter being a contributing factor to his reaction once he found out. Still, the context of the email didn't appear to bother the angel since she merely brushed it aside. "Look, I don't give a shit about what's in it, but you'd better not be doing something without permission. Otherwise I will have cause to punish you and report your sorry ass directly to Sir Devil myself."
Swallowing another lump in her throat, Ater believed she might as well tell the truth since she was caught. "N-no, i-it wasn't with p-permission, I-I just thought t-that…" Again she stopped herself from continuing, wondering if it was a good idea to continue this conversation with Grora.
"You'd look to other worlds for answers to a simple question regarding one name?"
Ater nodded nervously, fearing that Grora would snitch on her. "Y-yes."
"A name not in our registers," the angelic lady remarked and got right to the point. "I have seen you looking through those family registers in the library, Ater. I shadowed you. Do you have a particular reason why you feel this name—or word, for all I know—is connected to your family?"
"I-I d-don't know, I-I was just—" the cat demon tried to explain when Arbus came in.
"Yo, Ater, what's taking you so long? The children are asking for you," her sister remarked. "They've been wondering why you're not back yet, so I've been sent up to fetch you from here."
"A-ah, t-thank you, Arbus," Ater commented and smiled, still feeling nervous. This time it was about how she would relay what she was doing to her twin sister, unsure of how Arbus would take it. It had to do with their parents, after all, so maybe she shouldn't have if Arbus wasn't in the mood or even interested to hear what she had to say. Perhaps she had given up on them, but Ater's thoughts were interrupted when Grora suddenly spoke up to address the other cat demon about it.
"Hey, Arbus, question for ya," the angel began to speak up. "You know Screvera, right?"
Arbus blinked, confused by the question Grora posed to her. "Eh? Screvera? What's that?"
"Yeah, same word, two different spellings with only the second letter being different," the angelic lady went on to clarify the inquiry. "One's with a 'c', and the other's got a 'k'. Know it?"
Arbus shrugged and shook her head. "Nope, can't say I have. Why?"
"Ater's been wondering about it," Grora answered and pointed her thumb at the cat demon with white hair. "She just sent an email out on Kcalb's laptop without permission to other worlds."
"Oh," Arbus smirked mischievously, wondering what sort of trouble her sister got into now as she moseyed on over to the other cat demon and sidled on up to her. Her gait appeared to be an alluring trick the black haired cat demon always used to get attention from others and whenever a particular matter held her interest so long as it was related to mischief. She and Ater only sauntered that way to try and look innocent despite the fact it only made them look more suspicious to others like Grora. Now it appeared this matter was of great interest to Arbus, and she wanted in on it since she wanted to play a role in whatever it was. "Naughty, naughty, Ater. You've done something he will get mad at you for. Don't you know Lord Kcalb hates it when we don't listen to anything he's telling us? Why haven't you informed me of this latest joke? I could've helped cover for you, and I still can if you let me in on this. Come on, just say the word and I'll help you however I can."
Feeling as if she didn't have any choice in the matter since Grora ratted her out to her sister, plus she couldn't downright lie to Arbus because she deserved to hear the truth as they were sisters, Ater swallowed a third time and took a deep breath after clearing her throat. "U-um, I-I've merely been inquiring about our parents," she stated truthfully, hoping Arbus would take the notion well. Although she was aware of the fact her sister would've said to not bring them up as she always did whenever the white haired cat demon mentioned them, Ater still maintained that hope because she felt sure a sudden revelation or answer could make Arbus more open to the subject of their parents. Yet it appeared even she was wrong about that from the face her sister made—one of annoyance.
"Haven't I told you numorous times we were forbidden from talking about that, Ater," her sister scolded her for bringing up the matter once again. "You need to give it a rest, they shan't be here simply because you want them to come. Lord Kcalb promised us he's doing all he can to look for them, so we can either choose to believe in him or face the facts however depressing they are."
"N-no, w-we still need to put our faith in Lord Kcalb!" Ater protested, not wanting to make her sister mad by harping on the issue even though she was still pointing out ideas. "B-but we also need to help too because they're our parents! I-I mean, think about it, Arbus. W-what if we weren't born in this world, but another? Could that mean our parents are from a different world and we've been brought here? Though what if they came here and then gave birth to us?" She raised a bunch of good points, some even Grora had to agree with because they did make logical sense from where Ater was approaching the issue. Unfortunately, that didn't mean Arbus wanted to dwell on them.
"So? What difference does that make if we were born here or in another world? We have been told us many times by Lord Kcalb that he was not able to locate them in worlds he checked yet, but he's still searching for us on our behalf. I get this is a sensitive issue for you, Ater, but you need to let things be and maintain your happiness instead of getting all worried and sad over this."
"B-but we can't, Arbus! We still have to check and help out too, right?!"
"I know, but Lord Kcalb wants us to be happy. Wouldn't our parents want us to be happy?"
"Y-yes, I-I don't dispute that, Arbus, though we still need to find them!"
Arbus sighed, apparently realizing she wasn't getting through to her sister regardless of the statements she made to her. She shut her eyes and did a facepalm, frustrated that Ater wasn't even listening to her. "Look, just forget it, okay? Dwelling on it won't make things any better, alright?"
"I-I can't forget, Arbus!" Ater continued to whine, tears forming in her eyes as the angel's tolerance for this sappy display wore thin. Still, Grora watched the argument as her hated enemy's persistence started wearing her twin sister out. "W-what if our parents don't want us at all? Do you think it's possible they might also be dead?" Such questions hurt Ater by frightening herself into paralyzed fear because she was terrified those situations were potential realities. "I-I've a lead—"
"It is what it is, Ater," the black haired cat demon murmured somberly, possibly since she'd already come to accept those horrible beliefs as likely scenarios. Although they both acknowledged those theories, the two of them handled and reacted to them much differently than the other. While Ater was driven to tears amidst her fright and sadness, Arbus more or less seemed to let things be; a perspective her sister didn't agree with because it implied that Arbus didn't care what happened, or she already came to terms with whichever theory might've been the case. Maybe both were, so that too was a dark idea which was actually worse than the notions on their own. "We just have to wait and see, but we cannot let such issues weigh us down when we've got to lead happy lives. Do you understand what I'm saying, Ater? Besides, how do you know if whatever lead you've got can be trusted? For all you know, it could just be driving you on a wild goose chase somewhere else."
"Even so, we still have to try Arbus! How do we know whether it's true or false unless we try?!" Again, another good point which Grora commended Ater on; she really seemed to think this through in spite of losing her nerves over the endeavor due to the stressful pressure it put on her.
"It depends on where you got your info and who gave it to you," Arbus countered with one good point of her own. "Do you even know how you acquired it, or are you trying to make it up?"
"I-I…" For once in the debate, Ater was subdued by the inquiry because her sister doubted the validity of the clue she found. The white haired cat demon couldn't argue with that, fully aware of the fact her source probably couldn't be trusted. The only reason why was because of the strange lich demon she encountered in Dying Souls Mine whom was likely associated with that six-headed worm thing Soa was also most likely connected to. By that logic, the lich demon and Soa could've known one another as well. It made sense to not trust them after the Doppelganger Murders, though Ater still felt she needed to at least confirm if the validity behind Skrevera because the former had referred to her as such. She wondered if it was their family name—i.e. a surname—or a place they were from. In any case, the cat demon wondered if telling her sister was a good idea or not because Arbus could've probably rejected it based solely on the fact her source was likely untrustworthy.
"Well?" the black haired cat demon encouraged her onward to receive a response; although she continued to wait for one, a few minutes of silence passed before she sighed. Without a source, she could not comment on its validity whether it was from someone or something. The fact Ater's silence appeared to serve as the answer implied she herself was unsure of it and that she might not have even had one to begin with. To Arbus, Ater was likely making up stuff out of desperation, an idea that only sprouted in her mind because of her sister's apparent reluctance to talk about it. That was why Arbus sighed and took her sister's hand. "Just drop it, okay? If you won't share it, I can't comment on it. Let's just forget this whole conversation ever happened and get back to the daycare center. The children are probably wondering what's taking us so long, and I won't let them wait."
"B-but Arbus—" Ater tried to protest once more in vain before Arbus turned to address her again, pointing a stern finger at her sister to end the debate for good regardless of what Ater said.
"No buts, Ater, we're leaving now. I do not want to hear another word of this from you as I want to be happy, not harp on something that may or may not prove where our parents are or the fate that could've befallen them. If you'd like to live your life to the fullest and stay happy, I think you'd do well to let things be instead of trying to jam something upon us and force it to stick. You are not to bring this up, ever again, do you hear me? If we've made no ground, face the facts to get over them in time until something is actually discovered as to where they are and what happened; I swear, I will not allow myself to be dragged down into misery just because you can't give up. If you truly want this to consume you, feel free to be my guest and let it engulf you whole; just don't expect me to get pulled into your despair all because you can't deal with their absence, alright? As this is a harsh statement, I do apologize for making it, but I can't help but worry when you're like this, Ater. You're my twin sister, and I'm concerned you're letting this consume your life whole."
"She's right, you know," Grora piped up to rejoin the argument and put her two cents from a different party into the affair to side with Arbus' logic. "Don't count on me to side with ya, Ater, because I can tell your sister's got a point even if you've got some good ones too. It bugs me since I'm doing this for your own good when I really want you to rot in oblivion for all I care, though it really is unhealthy to concentrate on such matters. Take it from me, I was used by Hastur until I've opened my eyes to what he was really like, yet not once have I ever let it weigh me down until his return. You can't change the past, but you can accept it before throwing the bloody garbage away for good unless it comes back to bite you in the ass. That's also a cold matter, one you should deal with only when it comes up instead of concerning yourself over it all the time, Ater. Besides, why attempt to change something with nothing when you've got nothing to base your search on?"
"See, even Miss Grora agrees it's bad for you to think about unpleasant things," Arbus said and nodded at the angel to thank her for the input before turning back to her twin sister. "Now let's go, you don't want to keep the children waiting to get worried and cry, do you?" Her inquiry made Ater shake her head, though the white haired twin didn't say anything and looked down at the floor in shame as Arbus led her out of the office and waved goodbye to Grora. While Ater was thankful her sister cared for her and that the angelic lady had provided good advice for once rather than see the need to beat her, she couldn't help but feel conflicted over the issue. Her heart was tugging her in two different directions: towards them because she did want to be happy for them, and towards her parents because she wanted to be happy knowing them. Both options had their pros—satisfying both parties while satisfying herself—and cons—abandoning one for the other, even if both parties became happy in the long run if their parents were alive and wanted to see them. Ater did not know which choice to make, but knew both were dangerous double-edged swords that were to be handled with care. If she screwed up, she might unintentionally cause harm to everyone and herself as well.
…
His arrow whizzed through the air and made contact with its target, a wild troll he and his angelic friend had been eyeing for a while ever since they first saw it an hour ago. The beast wasn't much of a match for the steel arrow tipped in poison, and the two hunters strode forward to collect their victory after turning to smile at one another in satisfaction. One of them, the demon, brought a large dog along with him for the trek and let his pet sniff out potential prey they could catch and bring to the village taxidermist after slaying the creatures they encountered. "A good specimen; an interesting catch," the angel remarked to the demon and adjusted the position of his glasses. "This one's bound to be a scary trophy for the Halloween attraction later this year. It'll be a nice touch."
"In the dark, yeah, but let's get it over to the taxidermist for now," the demon commented, kneeling down to tag the troll after slinging his bow. With that done, they each took one end of the corpse and picked it up to take their catch back to Gray Village since they were done when the dog perked his head up and turned in the direction behind them to stare off into the distance. Only trees could be seen as they were in a small forest to the south, but the hunters realized something grabbed the animal's attention. "What is it, boy? You hear anything else? Not that we need anything more."
"I'd say we should go and investigate," the angel suggested, looking to his friend. "It might be one of the squads since I can hear somebody else talking over there. It's faint, but nearby."
"That, or maybe one of the enemy units on a patrol of some kind. We should be careful as we never know when that second invasion that's been on the news lately will occur." The demon's dog turned to them and stared at his owner while they set the troll down for now. Placing a finger on his mouth to emphasize silence, he quietly whispered a command to the dog so his pet could be quiet and remain there while they tread softly through the grass and leaves to avoid making noise.
Using the foliage and trees as cover, they went prone and gazed upon a force comprised of angels setting up a portal by a cave entrance. From the looks of it, there were ten angels there and none of them bore the Gray Garden's crest upon their military uniforms. Instead, there was a crest depicting a sun. Once the portal was constructed, the foreign angels all entered the cave while the hunters both looked at one another and quietly snuck away to withdraw and inform the authorities.
…
A possible lead on Siralos' forces already in the Gray Garden has been discovered, so the time for a possible conflict with his soldiers in this initial skirmish is approaching. While the authorities are focusing on that particular issue, how will Ater be able to handle hers? Is she planning on going through with the deal she made with the lich demon, or abandon it for the sake of Arbus and their happiness? A conflict is coming, one that will determine how the two matters are handled and whether these issues will both intertwine along the way or not.
Also, Grora's memory in this chapter was inspired by a part from a manga series that I like called Alice in the Country of Hearts/Clover/Joker/Diamond. I don't remember which volume in particular the part comes from, but I do know the part in question features Pierce and Elliot at a location where the former has finished his duty as a cleaner for the Hatters, a mafia/mob styled faction in the series by eliminating a member from a rival mafia syndicate.
This particular moment from the manga was inspiration because it will help portray what kind of order True Light is. We know it is a radically traditionalist organization that maintains violent conflict between angels and demons in a world that abandoned the natural law pertaining to this conflict, that of good versus evil. However, this also shows that True Light is a chaotic good institution in the sense that it follows the idea of ends justifying the means found in consequentialism that was used to develop Hastur. In a way, Hastur appears to be molding the organization to be based specifically on himself, and that's a likely purpose based on the fact he alone decides everything within the order. It's a good theory, though we also know Hastur used True Light as a scapegoat organization that would've taken the blame for their actions based on his. From this, we could speculate that he did this on purpose, but you'll have to see if this is the case or not later on in this story as the plot progresses onward.
Disclaimer: I don't own Alice in the Country of Hearts/Clover/Joker/Diamond as the whole series is owned by Quin Rose, the creator of this entire series.