Ciel Phantomhive wanted to show that he was independent and could stand on his own feet. Climbing the mountain of Purgatory was no easy task. For a demon like Sebastian or any of the other spirits curiously looking over their way, it was a boring but easy task. For a living human, it was difficult. At first, Ciel stubbornly refused Sebastian's help. Afterwards, seeing as how there was so much more to go, he finally relented and sat atop his shoulders. Very much like a little kid. Nevertheless, he still kept his head high and only cast glances at the peasant souls below him. Sebastian was climbing the mountain at a steady rate, as if his shoes could magically stick to the slippery slopes.
"Hold on, that person looks like Beethoven." Ciel said, turning his attention to a particularly old man crawling up the slope.
"Well, he won't answer if you call him," Sebastian grumbled wittily.
Ciel ignored the sarcastic remark. He almost wanted to go greet the man, but he seemed to be walking at a steady and uninterrupted pace.
"Excuse us, stranger." A voice behind them said.
Ciel's eye flew open at the sight of the famous man. He had famous plays and sonnets written, left in the mortal world to torture future English students.
"Do you know how much longer this mountain is?" he asked.
"Not much longer," Sebastian swiftly replied, "I'm sure it will be over for you soon."
"Wi-William Shakespeare. Nice to meet you." Ciel added politely.
The man had a confused look, staring at Ciel.
"Who are you? You don't seem to be one of us." He noted.
"I am Ciel Phantomhive, Earl of Phantomhive. I've studied your plays, sir, and they are magnificently written."
"I don't know what you're talking about, little boy. I'm no William or whoever you think I am."
Ciel shut his mouth. Did he mistake the man for someone else? But surely he would at least know the famous play writer.
"M-My apologies," Sebastian interrupted, "We're visitors to Purgatory. We should let you continue on your journey now."
The man sneered at them, continuing on his way.
"Anyways." Ciel scoffed, "Let's move faster. We should be able to see everyone near the summit of the mountain, right?"
"Were you disappointed, Young Master?"
"I…didn't think he would be here anyways. William Shakespeare was a great man, and he would have gone to Heaven."
Sebastian chuckled lightly.
"No, that indeed was the writer you mentioned. Very few humans go to Heaven. Very few humans go to Hell. Most end up in Limbo or Purgatory."
"Is that so? Where would I go when I die then?" Ciel asked, taking the risk of asking.
"Straight into my belly, Young Master."
Of course, Ciel thought, he was a fool for expecting anything different.
"Where would Tanaka, Meirin, Bardroy, Snake and Finnian go then?" Ciel murmured.
"Hard to say…most likely to Hell, although their sentences may be lighter than most. They would then transcend to Limbo, where their memories are buried deep inside and then here, in Purgatory."
"And Elizabeth?"
"If she were to die now, possibly Purgatory. I'm sure that she will commit crimes as she grows older and be sent to Hell."
Ciel retaliated by taking hold of Sebastian's two cheeks and pulling them with his fingers.
"Off courth, mosth humanths go there anywhaysh. The ruths are sssthwick." Sebastian tried.
Ciel soon got tired of being carried and they had a break. While Ciel sat on the mountain gazing at the other souls, he sent Sebastian to find Jake. With the same line he always used, he set off running around the circumference of the mountain, occasionally forcing a few souls to halt lest they be toppled over. In no time at all, Sebastian returned, bowing respectfully.
"I've asked a few wandering souls and they've pointed me to someone who matches our description perfectly. Shall we go meet him now?"
And so they both walked about 300 paces down and 500 paces to the left. They caught a glimpse of a young man crouching along a ledge. Just like the others, he was dressed in a ragged tunic, and seemed to be made of the same ethereal but warm body as everyone else. Unlike the others, he seemed to have no motivation to climb. Ciel was put down and they approached the man. Various others passed by, staring at them. One even stopped by to tell them that the man they pointed at was like that for a while, and that he wouldn't bother with the journey. They suggested to Ciel and Sebastian to pay him no heed. Ciel ignored the suggestion, watching the man intently. He was sure this time that he had the right person.
"Oh, don't bother with me," the man said, "I'm just taking a quick break."
He flashed Ciel a quick smile before turning his head to the ground again. Once a liar, always a liar, Ciel thought. This man was taking an extremely long break. He seemed to be staring at an interesting piece of rock that was the same as every other rock found on that place. Seriously, if he were in the mortal realm people would have locked him up in a mental asylum and even then he would still be staring at the boring rock. He moved his hands in a languid motion, and Ciel wondered how well his sanity was.
"We're here to get you out." Ciel announced, staring down him.
"….who are you?"
"What do you mean? I'm the Earl of Phantomhive, just as I was above ground!"
"Earl…? What is that?"
"Are you not Jake? Jake Hawkins?"
There was silence as the man considered the name, like a chef sampling a dish he is about to yell to the poor contestant at for being too raw or uncooked.
"I…don't know…"
Ciel whipped his eye to Sebastian, expecting an answer. Sebastian stared back, but then tore his gaze away to look down at the lost man.
"Souls on Purgatory don't remember their life beforehand. Their memories are cleared before they even enter. You didn't ask, so I didn't answer. The man you have before you was, once upon a time, Jake. What we have here is just another soul."
"How do we make him remember himself?"
Sebastian shrugged his shoulders in reply. Ciel switched back to the lost man, still staring into space. He was still on his hands and knees, ignoring their presence completely.
"Your name is Jake Hawkins, and you used to live in England." He started.
The man gave a low grunt of thought, but seemed unaffected by anything else. Ciel sighed, how could he get through to this man?
"Do you remember who you are?"
"….I don't know…."
"Should we just kidnap him, Seba-"
Sebastian slapped his hand over Ciel's mouth.
"You must address me as Publius for now…as dictated by the gateskeeper of this realm. I cannot touch the souls here…kidnapping is out of the question."
"Wait" Ciel said suddenly. "Publius, why would this be Jake? In such a short time…and with his history or crime…"
He smirked in reply, "Oh, we are starting the interrogation now? What do you mean, Young Master?"
"Normally…humans would go to Hell…humans who have made contracts with demons would be eaten…humans who's cinematic records are not touched by soul reapers would be still alive…but Jake is here on this mountain."
"Hm…that is what I was wondering as well…If you would hear my theory out, Young Master."
"What is it? Tell me."
"A meeting with a demon says nothing about where your soul ends up. I've mentioned that I scared the other one away before they were able to form a contract. So Jake would either be in Hell or Purgatory. Well, the only other being with access to a cinematic record would be an angel. And from your experience with Miss Angela, you know that angels are able to change cinematic records, right?"
"Are you saying that Angela killed him?!"
"Not exactly…well whoever the culprit is, it doesn't change the scenario. What you may or may not have known is that cinematic records altered by them cannot be judged by the soul reapers. It's the same as a blank slate they can't mark…which is exactly the state Limbo souls ideally become. I would guess that the soul reapers sent him straight here instead of anywhere else."
"And how are we going to get him out? Do you have some revival magic?"
"Who said we were going to save him?" Sebastian said slyly, "I thought we were just here for the information."
Ciel said nothing, but gave a grunt of displeasure. The man in front of them was still scrambling around the floor. This time, it was Sebastian who addressed him.
"What are you doing? Shouldn't you be climbing up to Heaven to be reincarnated again?"
"I…don't know…I'm…looking for something."
"What is it?"
"I don't know…something…"
"What does it look like?"
"…white…I think…small…closed…"
"Whom does it belong to?"
"I…don't know…!" he snapped.
The man's sharp eyes glared at Sebastian, reminding him of the scowl the man usually wore in his life.
"Have you seen it?" the man asked.
The pair stayed silent, and after a while, the man turned back to the solid mountain side.
"I have to find it…I thought I had it." He mumbled to himself. "It was here…somewhere…"
"Tell me about your life before this." Sebastian continued.
"I don't know…I think I had a family…that's right. I had…good food. I had seven little brothers… I had a lot of friends… we were happy…"
Sebastian turned to Ciel with a hand shielding his mouth.
"He is recounting the life he never had. Whatever Angela wrote in." he whispered.
"I was…really good at reading…I worked hard as a blacksmith's apprentice…or was I a hunter? He…gave me magical items…"
The man stopped and rubbed the bridge of his nose, trying to grasp fleeting memories. Ciel and Sebastian exchanged glances with each other.
"A bottomless sack that could hold any number of items…a tablecloth that would serve warm meals if I laid it over a table…a coin purse that never depleted of gold…I…befriended many animals…a white snake that always told the truth…a fairy with a dragon companion…a nature spirit…a brownie…or something…yes…that's it."
He gave a small laugh.
"Yeah…it was fun. I don't even…remember what the quest was…probably to rescue a princess ahahaha…"
"No…it must not have been Angela who modified his memories. At least she would have put something more believable than fairy tale creatures." Ciel murmured.
Sebastian held a hand up to stop Ciel from continuing.
"We must proceed carefully now. He won't accept the truth you tell him…he must realize it on his own."
Sebastian bent down so that he was level with the man.
"And what happened? You know that this is the realm of the dead, right? How did you die?"
The man frowned, "Well, that doesn't seem relevant here."
"Do you remember the names of your friends?"
He smiled broadly, drawing into the rock with his finger, although there was no trace.
"Yes…there was a Bard…and Snake…a Phantom…and a Harrier…who joined in my travels…"
"Your story is quite inconsistent, sir." Sebastian replied, "Did you ever meet an angel? Or perhaps a white-haired girl in your dreams?"
The man thought about this for a while.
"No…not at all." He answered monotonously, "That does sound…interesting…though."
"Nowhere at all?" Sebastian pressed on, "Did any maidens fall for you or did you fall for any?"
"No. It's…strange…I never even thought of things like that…strange…any normal person would settle down…sooner or later…"
Sebastian once again turned to relay information to Ciel.
"Of course…Angels don't bother with love, unlike humans." He whispered.
He addressed the man again. "So…this item that you were looking for…how did you stumble upon it?"
The man looked at the palms of his hands, repeating that he had to find it. His expression showed a twinge of anger and he looked around him. His eyes met Ciel's, lingered there and in turn stared Sebastian down.
"It's white…and round…I have to keep it for a friend…"
"Which friend is that?" Sebastian hissed, "What was their name? What did they look like?"
"I…don't know…"
His eyes flew wide and his hands started trembling. He muttered things to himself that no one else could hear. Ciel heard something in the distance and he turned around while Sebastian continued speaking to him. He saw one of the wandering souls further up the mountain. There was something white and blue next to it. He squinted to get a better look. Ciel saw angel wings there, and a golden halo floating there. His eye whipped to his butler, but he was busy. He would have to go there himself.
"Merianna! Hey! Merianna!" He yelled, climbing up the mountain himself.
He thought he saw her turn her head slightly in his direction. But soon she stepped back and unfolded the four wings on her back. She jumped up and flew until he lost sight of her.
"Dammit!" he swore, "Seba-…Publius! Did you see that?!"
The butler nodded. From beside him, the young man grabbed his sleeve, hoisting himself up. Ciel slowly clambered down so that he could rejoin them.
"Who…Who was…that? What was that?" The lost soul muttered.
Yes, Ciel thought, what fortune he had.
"Did you see that too?" Ciel asked, more calmly.
"Was that…what…was that?"
"It was a four-winged angel, sir." Sebastian helped, "Quite unlike other of its species. Have you seen her before?"
The young man's eyes buried deep into Sebastian's trying to find out more. His grip on Sebastian's sleeve was tighter now, almost like he was trying to intimidate him.
"Wh-What else? What else about it?"
"Impractical, quiet, weak, very prone to crying, clingy, impulsive," Sebastian went on, a faint smile on his lips, "simple, naïve, forgetful, lily-livered, whimsical, childish, unsophisticated."
"That's not true…"
"Pardon me, sir?"
"That's…not true…somehow…"
The hand that gripped Sebastian's sleeve so tightly let go and he raked it through his hair. He seemed to be gradually stirring something in his soul.
"Shall we go talk to the man who came face to face with her?" Sebastian suggested.
The three of them set out uphill. The Purgatory soul started compulsively looking at his hands, as if something was supposed to magically appear there. They managed to catch up with the man, who was well-aged. He seemed on edge now that his journey had been interrupted twice by little children carried by strange people.
"Who was that? Who was that you were talking to?" the young man asked.
"How should I know?" the older man spat, "It was some child claiming to be my daughter. All I want is to just be on my way. Are you going to claim to be my son now?"
Before this could escalate into an argument, Ciel stepped in.
"Sir, who was the other girl? One with white hair and four wings?"
"That weird angel? Heh, if she were giving free rides to Heaven, I should have caught that."
"Her name, sir. What was her name?"
"I don't know! Maro…Maro was the name…or no...that was the ghost. Meri? Merian? Something like that. The kid was said it. Merianna! That's right. Now leave me be."
The man grumbled and turned away from them, continuing on his way. Beside them, the man was mumbling something again, his hands covering his face. Sebastian tapped Ciel shoulder, pointing his finger at something approaching in the distance.
"That name sounds familiar…I think that…I met someone like that before…I…she killed me…She killed me…with that card…!" He started, "And…and she removed my…my memory…she changed it…I forgot about Merianna. Everything…was rewritten…shit…I…"
There were white hooded angels, bearing golden spears. They were quickly advancing to them.
"We've outstayed our welcome here, Young Master. We have to leave. Quickly. With or without him. But considering our situation, it must be the latter."
Ciel protested as Sebastian grabbed him and held him close.
"Jake will have to find his own way out."
They jumped a large distance down the mountain, but the angels did not give chase. Instead, they encircled the lost spirit and his scream rang throughout the mountain, echoing. Sebastian did not stop even when they leapt over the gate to the mountain. Ciel was about to warn Sebastian about the water they were going to dive in, but Sebastian didn't hesitate jumping in.
When Jake woke up, he found himself in the middle of nowhere. There was silver clouds surrounding him, yet he couldn't feel any of it. His mind felt like it was cracking, and finally the spirit-stuff came out of his chest. There, he saw pictures of himself, people that he knew and places he had seen. This was definitely his past. He was sure of it now. He didn't understand why he had accepted the fake one so easily…
"How do you account for this boy here?" a large voice boomed.
It seemed that it echoed everywhere. Jake didn't know where to even look.
"Well, sir…there's was a slight mishap."
It was a female voice now.
"Who's there?" Jake yelled out, "L-Let me out!"
The voices didn't seem to stop to take note of him.
"When we arrived, sir, there was an angel there. Out of all the souls, it was only guarding this one. We tried to persuade it to let it go, but it wouldn't. So we attacked. And when we attacked, it suddenly took hold of the cinematic record and altered it." The female voice stated.
"So you just threw this soul in here? What are we? A trash site for you soul reapers?!" an angry male asked.
"I don't know! Why was there an angel there in the first place? I thought your kind never left Heaven, so explain yourself!"
"Why I-! I'll have you know that every angel in Heaven is accounted for. That one we claim no responsibility over! How do we know this isn't some uprising? Are you rebelling against the word of God?!"
"Calm, Joshua." The large voice commanded. "It is very irresponsible of you, soul reaper. Without even sending him to Limbo…we've ended up with this mess."
"Couldn't we just send him now?" the lady asked, desperate for atonement. "To Limbo?"
"No! No! Send him to Hell! Straight to Hell! An impure soul can't go to Limbo without living out his sentence first!" Joshua cried out.
"Shut your mouth, Joshua!" Jake interjected, even though he was for the most part ignored.
"I mean, he's just a stupid human!" Joshua continued, "It's not like he's a demi-god or some surprise powerful super being we have yet to know about! Just send him to Hell like any other human!"
He heard the clash of metal and metal.
"What would you know, angel? You're all pampered up in Heaven, it's no wonder you look down on everything below you! You know, in Death, we judge each case individually, unlike you angels who lump all humans together in group!"
He caught a spark in the middle of the air, and every time there was the clang of metal, sparks jumped out. Still, he saw no swords or people fighting.
"You know, you say you love humans, but in reality they're nothing but pets to you to coddle!"
Jake facepalmed. Hearing soul reapers and angels bickering like children didn't seem to compute for him. Jake suddenly noticed something tingling at his feet. He looked down to see…well…not his feet. His body was slowly disintegrating into yellow and green flakes. It didn't hurt, but the sight was too much for his brain to comprehend and of course, he panicked. The clashing metal stopped and so did the sparks, but the arguing did not.
"H-Hey! What are you doing? What kind of weird angel trick are you pulling?"
"Are you stupid? That's not even angel colours: gold and white!"
"Order! Order in the court! Whoever is doing that, stop it!"
They continued arguing even when Jake disappeared.
Ciel found himself in the depths of water. His lungs still had air in them and he clamped his mouth. The first thing he wanted to do was panic and scream, but he stopped himself and looked up for the surface. His clothes were dragging him down and his arms were tiring out. Just before he began to give up, something grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled him backwards. In alarm, he opened his mouth to yell, and swallowed water.
He felt wood, grabbing the sides of whatever he was on. He coughed all the water up, grateful that his lungs would breath air again. He felt that he would double over and vomit, but soon his coughing calmed. Ciel looked up finally to see the Undertaker, casually waving from the other side of the small raft.
"Hey there, Earl…" he creaked.
"Undertaker…!"
Ciel looked around. They were on a small wooden boat, and in the distance, docks and various industrial factories. The ocean around them looked deep green, and Ciel was glad to see some colour in it and not a dull grey.
"What are you doing here, Undertaker?" Ciel asked, eying the mysterious shop keeper.
"Hmm…well…I was running out of coffins…"
He laughed out loud when he saw Ciel's expression, slapping his knee and rocking the boat.
"Heeheehee! Just joking around, Earl. I think it's is a lovely afternoon for a swim, especially since it will be intensely hot veeery soon…" he said cryptically. "Where is your butler?"
Ciel only realized that Sebastian was not around. He touched his eye, realizing that his eye patch had disappeared as well. He called Sebastian to him, but there was nothing after a while. He called again, but there was nothing. The Undertaker stayed silent, taking an oar from the side of the boat and starting to push them over to the docks.
"Perhaps your butler met with some intervention." He suggested.
Ciel paid him no heed. He stayed silent for the trip, peering over the water and even dipping his hand in. His clothing was all cold and it clung to his skin, but it was a warm day at least. His journey replayed in his head and he sighed. It was all useless. He gained nothing and brought back nothing from the trip itself. What happened to Jake now? The screaming still echoed in his head. They couldn't seem to help him at all. And where was Merianna? Why was she there?
"You can stay with me until your butler comes." The Undertaker offered.
"No…I need to get back home…I'll call a carriage."
"Merianna. It's time to stop. We made it." She heard.
Merianna did stop and let Maro down onto the ground again.
"W-Where are we now?"
She didn't hear a reply. Instead, she heard water being poured and plates clattering. She tried to focus her hearing a bit more. There was the sound of a cat screeching, causing her to yelp and jump. There were small tinkering sounds and a guttural voice said something that she could not hear. She heard Maro too, making small unsure sounds from somewhere near her.
"Sit, Merianna." The guttural voice said.
She wondered if it was a beast trying to communicate with her. Her arms searched underneath her and found something to sit on. She sat, feeling it bend under her weight. Her arms were folded nicely on her lap and she listened intently for more instructions.
"So God sent you down here to seek me out. I hear that you want to finish your mother's job."
She nodded in reply. The voice cackled wickedly. It startled her and made her legs tremble.
"There's a plate of warm cookies in front of you. Why not have some? I'll have my servants here feed you."
She felt something being nudged against her lips, but she turned her head away.
"…No thank you…I'm not hungry." She lied.
"No? That was quite a journey there. There's no use lying to the master of lies. Go on and eat."
She repeated again. Knowing from ancient myths, if a being ate food from the netherworld, they would be trapped there. But impolitely rejecting the offer was another faux pas. Even though she was lying, it was better than being impolite and having a vengeful spirit on her.
"Hmm…well, you seem like a clever girl. I'll make you a deal." The voice mused, "I'll send you back to the mortal realm…that's where you want to go, right? You won't have to do any work for me and you'll get back safe and sound. Hell, I'll even throw in a free visit coupon back here!"
He laughed at his own joke. Merianna, having read about characters like this, knew two things that were important. One, that they couldn't force her to do anything without her free will. Knowing this, she felt a bit more relieved and secure. If she had her sight, he would surely be using it against her. Second, there was always a catch in the deals they struck.
"And what's the catch?" Merianna quickly cut in, feeling bold.
"Oh, just that thing sitting on top of your head."
He means the halo…Merianna realized. She already had her decision made. She had promised Maro the halo, and was intent on keeping it until then. The halo was also the ticket to Heaven. If a vengeful spirit had his hands on it, he would wreck it for sure. Not that she particularly cared about how Heaven was, but she would preserve it for Maro's sake.
"I can't…sir…I've already promised it to a friend."
The friend that had been silent for quite a while now. Merianna was worried that Maro had left her.
"That's…quite a promise…especially when you've been sitting on her for quite a while now!"
Merianna suddenly jumped up from her seat, bumping into what seemed like a table and laid a hand on it to keep from falling. The spirit laughed at his antics.
"M-Maro?! I was sitting on you this whole time? I'm sorry…Why didn't you say anything?!" she gasped.
"Hahahaha! I'm the ruler of this whole place. Whatever I say, goes. If I say 'Be a chair!' then you shall be a chair. Do you not enjoy my hospitality?"
Merianna felt ashamed of herself, and Maro didn't answer to her. Merianna kept mumbling her apologies, and Maro's name. She heard a quiet "it's okay.", but didn't feel very relieved.
"I-I…I just want to finish my job!"
"And what do you expect me to do then?" the voice hissed.
"I'm here to finish the task you set my mother to do, that's all."
The voice laughed hoarsely for a good minute or so, but the voice suddenly dropped.
"How are you going to deliver my cards when you don't have them?! I left them in your mother's care and what happens? Her idiot little rape daughter gets them all torn up!"
Merianna's heart skipped a beat, her arm reflexively touching her hip where the pack would normally be. Of course, there was nothing there. She remembered them being torn in front of her face. Deep in her memory, the cinematic record that popped out of the white container came alive. How could she have forgotten until now, when she was most desperate? She remembered the story of the prince who was locked until he could remake the magic quilt he had accidentally burned…
"I…I could re-re-make them…!" she uttered, her confidence failing.
"I really ought to thank you, Merianna." The voice droned on, "I was just waiting for those young boys to grow up. At such a tender age…and already thieves and cutthroats. Hmm…it was a gamble, really. They could grow up to be even better thieves…or grow up with all that nonsense put into their head to become better people. I really do appreciate your work, girl. Bringing me so many additions to my kingdom…"
Merianna was wiping the tears away, sniffling pitifully.
"S-Stop…Please…I didn't…mean to kill them."
"Why don't I reward you?"
"N-no…I don't want it…"
"I'll give you your sight back, to show how much I appreciate it."
A heated hand suddenly pressed against her forehead, and she felt it burning. She screamed and tried to pull the hand off her head, but she had no hands to grab it with. It felt like wildfire coursing through her eyes and all throughout her head. When the hand finally relented, her head fell forward, and something pulled her arms forward. The hands held onto the cut off point, enveloping them with the same intense heat. She couldn't pull away as it felt like her flesh and the spirit's hand melded together.
"There…doesn't that feel better?"
Merianna looked down at her hands…No, it wasn't her hands. They were dark red with horrible sharp yellow nails. She could see the veins popping out from underneath the skin and the part where it seemed to be consuming her arms.
"Now your hands are as bloody red as the blood that stains them."
"Nnnnnnoooooooooo!"
Her legs buckled from under her, and she used her arms to hide her face. She collapsed into hyperventilation and uncontrollable sobbing. She could hear the spirit laughing in her face, bashing her with more insults. That's right…the "permission rule" she thought gave her the advantage only came into play if the spirits were in the mortal realm. She, however, was going again Lucifer himself, and in his home territory. She had no point from the very beginning.
"It's very seldom that boys at such a young age die and arrive here. And to hear them screaming every day…cursing your name. How else do you think I would have recognized you? What did they call you again? Blood-Eyes? Ahahaha! Raise that cute little face of yours and look into this mirror, I made those eyes just for you!"
She did raise her head, but only to look at the face of the spirit. She saw only…
"Do you like it? Of course, I can change my face to whatever you prefer…would you rather see I fashioned my looks to match that sweet little pet you love to protect so much instead your lovely father once more? Why don't you give me a little kiss?"
"N-No…!" she uttered, wanting to shield her eyes.
Instead, she forced her hands away from her face and at her side. All the better that she couldn't see them. She imagined how she looked from her opponent's point of view, and lifted her chin to meet his eyes. Instead of seeing the face of her would-be father, it was Jake's. She reminded herself again and again that it was Lucifer. Her legs were trembling underneath her.
"Oh, you don't want to go hide in your shell anymore? You think that you can take me on?" Lucifer growled, "Let's recount how many sins you have, and how many your friends have. You, Merianna…have slaughtered an entire church full of innocent boys. They really trusted you, girl. They needed a mother figure in their life…and instead you left them in your delusion of a better life. Not only them, but that poor boy as well. You may not know, but humans go through this stage of heartbreak…all those feelings of love well, turned bitter and sour. He couldn't give them any better a life than he had himself! You've led them on a merry good chase, you!"
"I…still have them to wait…for me…I still have friends…to protect…up in the living world. And I won't make that mistake again!" she yelled out. "I mean…I am an angel…and human…I can make mistakes too…and I regret them…but I need to keep living so that I can fix that!"
She took glances at Lucifer, who had a sneer on his face that no one in her lifetime would ever show her. Her hands were sweating now, grasping the skirt of the thin ragged dress she had on. She needed something to grasp after all. She was scared, traumatized, but courageous. She might not have had the edge to bite back at Lucifer, but all she needed was to just not let him bring her down.
"S-So you can keep saying all you want! Go o-o-on ahead and tell me all the mistakes I've ma-made, but I've…! I've already heard all those stories al-already!" she cried out, "A-And I'll keep learning these stories…until I can retell them over and over…If I died now…who would keep the memory of us alive…?"
Her body shivered with the memory of them wanting to live, grabbing at her with desperate eyes.
"I…probably don't deserve it…this life…b-b-but! I am a storyteller! And I will ca-car-carry on their stories with me! In my heart! I…I won't run away from them anymore…Yes…I did kill them…But that won't hinder me anymore…!"
To her surprise, Lucifer clapped.
"Looks like you've got more human in you than angel."
He wiped a hand through his face, dispelling the face he had on. The face he had on was incredibly handsome and young, although it was beaten and worn. His golden hair was matted with bits of dust and dirt trapped in it. With a wave of his finger, smoke appeared and formed a divan. He sat and with more of his infernal magic, a curry bread appeared. He put it in his mouth and lounged on the divan, as if the whole scene had not happened at all. Merianna was at a loss of words.
"Sure. I hope you fix me up a new deck. Good luck with that even." He said through bites of food.
"…Excuse me?"
"You know, I've always personally hated angels…Pretty hypocritical since I was one myself. But humans…I guess they're okay. I really don't know what God was thinking when he put all this emotions crap into them. Either it was experimentation or idealization. Eh, your lot are pretty interesting when you aren't brainwashed by things like good and evil."
Merianna looked at the world around her. It was like an Italian palace now, whereas she could feel the brimstone and lava all around her before. Even Maro was sitting on what seemed like a throne, huddled with her legs up on the seat. The walls were a deep mahogany red, covered in red and yellow banners. The floors were polished with velvety carpets underneath her feet. It seemed that every time she turned her gaze away, something from the hell before would turn into a splendid part of a palace. Her gaze wandered back to Lucifer, who was now putting his feet up and drinking from a glass of wine.
She had to admit he looked pretty handsome. But she stayed her fluttering maiden heart upon remembering all the terrible things he said.
"So…are you gonna get to work or what?" he asked, swirling the liquid in the glass.
Merianna glared at him in response. She held her tongue, but mostly out of confusion.
"The forge is outside, you dumbass. You think I would keep one in here?" he snapped. "Yeah, I've got someone there to tend to it. I don't want you to blow up this whole place. And take that spirit there with you. Hell, what am I? A babysitter?"
Maro leapt off her seat, scurrying over to Merianna and clamping on her arm. Merianna only caught a glance of Maro through her peripheral vision. She was focused on this devil.
"Um…Thank…Thank you…" she forced out.
She looked at Maro, who was still clutching her arms against herself. Nodding, she was led out the doors. Surprisingly, it behaved just as any normal door would. The moment the two stepped out of the threshold, Lucifer's living quarters dissolved, leaving them in what looked like a blacksmith's forge. Merianna, now with sight, looked at Maro more closely. It was her first real look at her friend.
She had brownish dull hair that was unkept and greasy that barely reached her shoulders. Her eyes were green, Merianna noted, and very large on her face. Merianna was taken aback at first, but remembered Maro's state. Anyone not used to seeing dead souls would have been surprised too. When Maro noticed her examining her, she stepped back and hastily turned around. Maro's body was a translucent grey that faded around her knees. Her feet were barely visible.
"Una…Uh…it's…you…you can see again…!" she commented, still turned around.
Merianna didn't know how to reply. She was a bit worried about why Maro suddenly seemed so shy and anxious. The least she could know was how her friend looked.
"Don't…Don't look at me…"