Chapter 14: Trust and the Secret of Relinquishing part 1

Disclaimer: ArthurDragonpen does not own Blue Exorcist

A/N: What goes on, my friends? Sorry for the long wait but I had to organize my thoughts. Like I mentioned last chapter, we will be getting an explanation for Sirchade's sketchiness as well as what his connection to the Guardians is. So, have some fun this next chapter! Introducing chapter 14! Enjoy!

Arianne

Sirchade and I sat five feet away from the bed, watching the sword from afar. Observing it, I noticed that there were no signs around it saying, "Ultimate Destruction Weapon" or anything like that. But, just being in the same room with it was putting me on edge. The demonic energy this thing was giving off… scary big. I could only guess how long I could keep it in my room before the demons of the world attacked the entire city, looking for the thing.

"They won't attack the city. But you are right. Now that it is in your possession, every demon within a fifty mile radius will know you have it. It puts you in danger but it also gives us an advantage." Sirchade muttered.

"Care to explain a little louder?" I asked. I had barely caught his words.

Sirchade cleared his throat. "For months, demons who have discovered your identity have tried to exploit your weaknesses and kill you. As your familiars, we have been protecting you from these attacks but also making sure you knew nothing of them. It was all so that you could practice in peace." He noticed my look of outrage but only hissed. I closed my mouth mid-shout and forced myself to calm down.

"Now that the sword is here, no demon would dare try to kill you, lest they get on Carnifex's bad side."

Eyebrows furrowed, I asked, "But Carnifex is a sword. Does it really have a bad side? Are there like spikes of the blade or something?"

Sirchade eyed me for a slick moment. When he deduced that I had been completely serious, he chuckled lightly, "I almost forgot what a riot humans are. Asking the stupidest questions."

If he didn't tell me what I needed to know, we would be soon be repeating a method I used during the Boot Camp that involved a window.

Sirchade sighed. "That sword is not Carnifex but rather his means of summoning. By unsheathing the blade, anyone has the power to call Carnifex into this world to do their bidding. Under oath of course."

"But, I don't get it. Why would the demons be scared of Carnifex? At least give me a reason for that." I crossed my arms and stood.

"Carnifex is what most humans have called the Executioner. He is a demon known to punish the unjust." Sirchade recited as if from a history book. "At least that's how he is. But, a long time after the Gate came into being, a large amount of his essence was trapped within that blade. As long as his essence is trapped, his rules regarding to life, whether demonic or otherwise, are all subject to change without notice. He is the one demon who has had a multitude of masters and each with a different set of morals. Because of this, he's become unpredictable. Rabid."

We both looked at the blade, me with curiosity, him with fear. "While it is sheathed, he is of no danger to anyone. But once he is summoned, he will demand something of you. If you give him what he desires, he will gladly help you in any and all of your endeavors. If you fall short, he consumes your soul. And if your soul is consumed, you know what will happen."

I nodded and began to pace the room. "The Apocalypse begins."

Sirchade muttered under his breath. "So what shall we do with it? Do you wish to keep it? Or…"

He trailed off when he noted that I had quit pacing. Turning to face him, I answered calmly, "For now, there's nothing to do. I'll need time to think it over. Besides, we have bigger things to talk about."

Sirchade frowned expectantly, deciding that it was my time to explain.

I took a long breathe, cleared my mind of all hostile ideas and grudges, and then exhaled. When my mind was empty, I brought the new topic to the table: "Talis."

Sirchade's eyes lit so bright, it almost felt like he held blue flames of his own. I could definitely feel the heat. "There is nothing to discuss. He's a psycho who loves mind games and will kill to get what he wants."

"I know."

"Then," Sirchade hissed, his voice clipped, "what is there left to talk about?"

"Sirchade," I exclaimed, "I need you to do me a favor and leave the animosity for later. Seriously. I'm on the verge of a breakthrough and you're not helping. At all."

Sirchade's fur stood on end and I was so sure he was about to attack me when he somehow found a way to flatten his fur and huffed loudly. "It's good that you have found a way to become more invested into this new life of yours, but believe me when I say that trying to think like him will give you a massive headache."

"Please; I'm well past the headache stage. Plus, thinking about psychos trying to destroy the world makes it easier to forget my own personal problems. And I'd take big picture stuff over drama any day."

If Sirchade was impressed, it didn't show. He took a deep breath as I had suggested and gestured for me to continue. I thought about what I was going to say before I spoke.

"Okay, I'm not saying we should trust Talis. You don't trust him and neither do I. And I understand why. But…" I paused as I thought through the phrase I was about to say. "But I think we're overlooking something."

"Overlooking?"

"When we first met him, I could hardly feel demonic energy within him. And yes…" I said to cut him off, "It could have been because I was weaker before that I couldn't sense the energy. Still, when we first met him, there was no guarantee he was demon or not. Which makes me believe he's a little of both."

Sirchade was already shaking his head even before I finished. "I commend you for thinking about it this far but that is not the case. If Talis were a half-demon, he would give off a vibe similar to Rin Okumura."

"Okay, possession then."

Again with the head shaking. "No, the energy… the feeling… it's all wrong. Possession means that the demon took him over completely. He wouldn't have been able to warn us or help us if that were the case. If that's what you think he was doing, then possession is not the cause."

I frowned. The next thought I had was a stretch and I had no idea if it was real. But, there was something in my gut saying that I was on the right track. "Okay, what about a different type of possession? A type where the demon doesn't forcefully take over. A type where the human gives up control themselves. Is that possible?"

Sirchade's eyes grew wide at the thought and he was very silent but that silence told me all I needed to know.

"So," I whispered, "It is real. There is a type of possession out there that…"

"Not possession." Sirchade amended. "This type of ability, among demons, came to power only a year before the Gate was created. They called it the Art of Relinquishing. And if not for your ancestor's quick thinking, it would have been humanity's downfall.

"My ancestor?" I blinked. "You mean, Tamar? Right?"

"The very same. The First of the Line." Sirchade got his to his paws and paced the room just as I had only moments before. Finally, he gestured to the ground. "Sit down, Arianne. It seems it is time to tell you of your heritage."

Story Time (Told by Sirchade)

It was a time of great rebellion. The forces of humanity were on the warpath, having heard the stories of the miracle Tamer. Most people believed the story was nothing more than utter rubbish. Some couldn't accept the fact that demons could be killed, much less controlled. But even still the rumors flourished and little by little, humanity took notice.

The story I'm about to tell is about a Tamer and his familiar in an era always believed to be the End. But no one could have predicted that it was only a new beginning.

"Was it really the best idea to try sneaking into the colony? I mean, if they find us, won't they notice our 'we don't belong' aura and lynch us in the streets?" A young girl asked her companion, a boy dressed in dirtied black trousers and a cotton shirt. The boy's hair was midnight black and his eyes were a mysterious shade of gold.

The boy smiled grimly. "We've got no time to question ourselves, Jess. An army's on its way to attack the colony and we have the power to stop it."

Jess sighed in reluctance. "Okay, but where did you get that information? How do you know that, Tamar?"

Tamar smiled and gestured to the sky. "The sky is red today."

"The sky is red every day." Jess replied to the vague answer, rolling her eyes. But, she understood why he did it. To say he got his information from demons aloud would no doubt be disastrous. The armies of man would think he's a spy while the demons would see him for what he really was: the world's First Tamer and the last hope for all of humanity.

She was just thinking through the repercussions of someone finding out their secret when Tamar grabbed her arm and stopped. She dismissed her thoughts to get a handle on the situation just in time to see why Tamar had stopped.

The two of them stood in the center of a large clearing and at the edge, hidden within the darkness, were three pairs of eyes that watched their every move.

Tamar was expressionless for all of two seconds before he broke into a smile and greeted the strangers. "Good day to you! Lovely weather, isn't it?"

The three in the bushes were silent, prompting Tamar to continue. "I was wondering if it wouldn't be too much trouble to point us in the direction of the colony."

"What is your business here?" An older masculine voice called out to them. Just five words. They weren't much but they held a lot of weight if answered correctly.

At this point, Jess's method would have been to try and be as vague as possible, in compliance with keeping their identities hidden. But, she already knew that wasn't really Tamar's style. He would tell the truth; just not the full truth.

"My consort and I," Tamar explained, gesturing to Jess and himself, "have come to perform a ritual that, if done properly, will bring humanity one step closer to winning the war."

That might have been a bit too much truth. Even without the mention of demons, there were no humans who had the amount of power that Tamar possessed. His explanation was basically a confession. When the eyes disappeared from the bushes, it frightened Jess greatly. They might be preparing for an attack. And if they were, sure, Tamar could protect them. But, that type of protection came at the risk of exposure.

All of a sudden, the bushes parted and a young girl made her way into the clearing, her weapon – a crossbow – pointed at the ground. Excitedly, she walked closer, her face lit up in a wonderful smile. "He's here. He's come. Seto, Misaka, didn't I tell he'd show up?"

There was a slight disgruntled noise as the other two made their appearance. Despite the differences in gender, all three of their characteristics were predominantly the same. Each had blackish-purple hair and dark red eyes. They all wore silk white robes with weapons at their hips. The three siblings – as far as Tamar could guess—held an air of regality that would have put Tamar and Jess to shame (if they actually cared about such things).

The oldest of the three, aged 20 by the looks of it, grabbed at his sister and pulled her back to create space between the two groups. He scolded her until her smile disappeared and a pout had formed. Finally, he sighed, pulling his head up to eye the two strangers. For a second, nothing but glances was exchanged.

Finally, the middle oldest girl cleared her throat. "Forgive us for the rudeness; we must be cautious, as you know. The colony doesn't take kindly to… intruders." The way in which she passed seemed to suggest that "intruders" wasn't the word that she had originally had in mind.

Still, Tamar took no offense, only smiling knowingly. "Really? Sounds like there are a few exceptions to that rule." He directed this to the youngest girl.

The girl giggled, the smile back on her face. "Yui Kamiki, at your service. This is my brother, Seto, and my sister, Misaka."

Seto and Misaka obviously didn't like having been named. But, it was too late and frankly, they knew they were wasting time. Seto addressed the pair. "Before we can let you go anywhere, I want you to explain your story from the beginning and pray that I believe you. Because if I don't…" The threat hung in the air. But, it wasn't anything new. So, Tamar told them the tale, everything that happened beforehand all the way to now.

Within the lair of General Karau

The general, only a few centuries old herself, was ever happy. Finally, the tool she had trained for many years was ready to earn his keep. Training him for this honor, preparing for their victory. She smiled a malicious smile. The human race would fall at his hand and their commanding leader would make her right hand to his plans. She would be become a queen amongst demons and he would be her sword and her shield. Everything was going according to plan. She called out to the army that had accompanied her on this day, anxious to share the news.

"On this day, we will rise to strike at the force of humanity. We will strip them of whatever power they believe they have and remind them which species is really in charge. That being said, the brunt of the army will cause a distraction by using a full frontal attack. But, that will only be a deception." General Karau laughed at the genius of her plan, deciding that it was time to enclose full details to her army.

"But, one of you will infiltrate the human army and attack from behind. While their armies are fighting, you will lay siege to their lands and burn all to the ground." The general looked gleefully out at the demon forces as they all began to whisper amongst themselves. Just who was she talking about?

"You are my pride, my greatest creation… born to smite my enemies and raised to eradicate the human race… as of now my young child; you are no longer soldier of my forces but rather my right hand knight. Rise and claim your title, Sirchade, Lord of Beasts!"

At the end of this cry, a white tiger rose from the ranks and marched up to meet his mother. The other demons let out great howls of congratulations. But Sirchade wasn't fooled. He knew they were out for blood. Humiliated to be beaten by their brother of fifteen years when most of them were older and wiser. But none voiced this thought, lest invoking their mother's wrath and losing her favor. They merely growled and howled and clawed the earth as if they were happy about this new development.

Soon, Sirchade was at the front of the army, looking over his brethren, his subordinates. It had always been his dream to please his mother and now he was being given the chance to prove he had what it took to serve on the front lines. His lips curled into a smirk. Or should he say the back lines?

He knelt at his mother's talons. "I am honored to undertake this mission. May I perform to the best of your expectations!"

"I'm sure you will." Karau answered. He could hear the love in her words but knew it was muddled by her usual snark. Showing favoritism would do nothing more than dismember her forces and cause infighting amongst themselves. Which was why naming her youngest son as her right hand worked in her favor. Now, his brethren would hold a deep hate for their youngest brother and will unite to become a force to be reckoned with.

Sirchade knew this also. When it came to dominance, it was a force of wills. Survival of the fittest. And he had no intention of being dethroned. Sirchade roared to grab his brothers' attention and once they all quieted, he spit and hissed, "Mother has given us this chance. Why are you still standing around, you spineless lot? Could it be you're not the army feared by twenty thousand legions?"

They howled and hissed, giving off annoyed signals. But, Sirchade cared not. "Tonight, we must strike their forces summoning all of our bloodthirsty might. We must make sure that they know not to cross us and that they cannot and shall never rise to power!"

The army roared in compliance, their sound echoing off the walls of the lair. Sirchade roared with them. It was a battle of wills after all. And Sirchade was not one to be outdone.

The Colony of the Holy Cross

Needless to say, Tamar and Jess were allowed entry into the colony. Yui already knew that she would have believed whatever story they told however outlandish it was. Misaka would have looked for the truth in his words and compared it to her own knowledge of the incidents in which they had been involved. She believed they were trustworthy as well. It was Seto who was the hard sell. He took interrogation to a whole level, a level that included:

· Glaring at his captives as if this was their last day on the planet.

· Holding a sword in their faces to instill fear

· Threatening Jess multiple times to instill fear

· Sharpening his sword and miming disemboweling to instill fear

· Reading all body language and comparing it to what they said

· And the most taxing of all, believing that their story was rubbish, attacking Tamar, and forcing him to summon one of his demons, which proved their story was real

All in all, they were in the colony and from what Tamar said, they only had so much time left. The moment they entered, Misaka went to gather the commanding officers and the elder of the town. Seto acted as escort and guided them to the War Hall.

Once seated inside, the waited until Misaka returned with four older men and women. The first to catch the attention of the young Tamer was an older man who looked like the Kamiki siblings – red eyes and blackish-purple hair. But unlike them, he wore a black armored robe and held a katana in his hands. His eyes looked to Tamar and Jess. He nodded a hello, and found a seat.

The next to enter was a young woman with billowing red hair and dazzling blue eyes. Like the other man, she wore a black robe but hers was slightly grungy and as she stepped into the room, Jess caught the whiff of quite a few herbs. Rosemary, thyme, sage, rue. She counted them in her head. She must be a medicine woman. She looked again at her before noticing that Seto was also quite obviously staring, his cheeks pink. Then, he noticed Jess openly gawking at him and he glared at her until she looked away.

The third to make their way into the room was an even younger man than that of the first. He was a young adult, probably around the same age as Seto. He wore chain mail armor and held a lance at his side. His emerald green eyes found Misaka first and then looked away. He parted his black hair and sat in the next available chair.

The last of the four was an older woman, older than them all. The wrinkles of time were evident on her face but so too was the spirit of freedom. Her hair was a blazing mix of red and gray. Her eyes looked from Tamar to Jess, slightly calculating but also very welcoming. She wore a blue dress and held an oak staff. This woman… has probably been around for a long time. She knew freedom and happiness at some point. She made her way to the head of the table and sat. Leaning her staff against the table's edge, she took a deep breath. Finally, she closed her eyes. "I am Elder Cradle. From what Misaka has said, the two of you can grant us the gifts of God?"

We all knew what she was referring to. But still we were surprised when Tamar looked in his pack and pulled out a moderately light book and laid it upon the table. "Seto, Misaka, and Yui all know just what this book is. But, it seems there is still more to explain. So please bear with me. Jess, would you help?"

"Of course." She gave him a light smile.

He nodded and began his explanation. "I don't know too much about this book. Who wrote it, what language it's written in, or even any of its real origins. But there is one thing I do know: this book was brought down from the heavens by an angel."

Everyone's eyes widened at this revelation. Even the Kamiki siblings. Yes, they knew of the book but Tamar had decided that admitting such a thing out in the open was poor judgment and had waited until they were within protected walls.

The Healer's eyes looked from the book to Tamar's protective hand hovering over it. "Angels? So they do exist."

The purple haired man in the corner scoffed. "Like hell they exist. That's nothing more than a story."

The healer turned to glare at the man, who only huffed and turned away. The elder took her cane and called out to them. "Asuka," she asked the man, "don't disregard something before you've heard what has to be said. Ell`oe, I approve of your strong fighting spirit but now is not the time. And Takeru," She gestured to the boy on Seto's right, "have you nothing to say?"

Takeru only nodded and the elder nodded her understanding. Turning to Tamar and Jess, she replied, "You may continue."

Tamar and Jess looked at each other and nodded. Jess answered. "Thank you, Elder. To answer your question, Ell`oe, angels do exist. And to answer yours," this jab was directed towards Asuka, "if demons exist, what can't angels?"

Asuka's face turned red and he rose to speak but Jess cut him off. "Of course, this discussion is past. So let's get on to the real point. The only way to gift the army of the Holy Cross with angelic power is to tame one of the tainted. A demon."

Tamar picked up where she left off, saying it in a bit of a rush. "The ritual for doing so lies in the Book. And with the army that is coming, it seems we'll have the chance to tame one."

That was when Takeru raised his hand. "I have a question. For years, our forces have had the hardest time fighting demons much less killing them. It takes a platoon of at least eleven to kill one. But now you say that an entire army is converging on us as we speak?"

Jess frowned. "Not really. From what we've calculated, they'll strike around nightfall. Still, that leaves little to no time. If we want to survive, we'll need to put our plan in motion soon."

Yui was only slightly following the conversation. "Plan? What type of plan?"

Jess turned to her and explained. "From what we've figured out, there is a massive force coming closer. That force will execute a full frontal attack on the gates. They know that you'll go to defend those gates and will mostly likely use all of your troops to do it. But, that's only part of the plan."

Tamar laced his fingers together. "Based on the speculation of one of my demons, they'll probably send a stealth team in from the back to infiltrate and destroy you."

Asuka looked thoughtful. "Then we shall send a team to stop them."

Tamar and Jess exchanged looks of worry. Jess tried for a reassuring smile that just didn't seem to work in this situation. "Okay, right idea, wrong execution. I'm not saying that your army won't be able to handle what they throw at you. I'm sure you're all very capable. But, you'll need every soldier you have as well as any volunteers you can muster if you stand any chance of winning this fight."

Misaka gasped. "The two of you are planning on taking that mission alone, aren't you?"

Tamar neither confirmed nor denied. But, by this point, it was sort of obvious. Seto was looking at the two of them in shock. "Are you two insane? There's no way you'll live through that type of battle. They'll tear you to pieces."

Takeru concurred. "We should send some warriors with them to protect them. If they're going to be performing this ritual, they'll need time right?"

Elder Cradle was silent. But Jess was not. "Speaking of which… there is something that is required for the ritual to be a success."

The elder blinked. "And that is…?"

"A s-"

"A whole lot of room to work," Tamar hastily said, talking over Jess, who abruptly shut up.

Yui frowned. "What do you mean?"

Tamar regarded her. "The ritual can only be pulled off by the strong of heart. When I enacted this ritual the first time, every single companion of mine, minus Jess, was killed. They weren't strong enough to be present during the ceremony and so they died. Because of this, I'm asking that you please move your residents to the front of the city and far away from the ritual site. It'll be the only way to save them."

The elder looked to the two of them in intrigue. "Is that all?"

Jess and Tamar shared another look. Then in unison, they replied, "Yes, that's all."

The elder looked to the occupants of the table. Then, she sighed. "Asuka, tell your troops to prepare for battle. Ell`oe, go find the other medicine women and have them stock up on herbs. Takeru, assemble your team and set about moving the residents to the front. I shall take care of the rest." All three rose from their chairs and left without so much as a word, as if arguing was no longer an option. Who knew, maybe it wasn't.

The elder turned her eyes towards the siblings. "As for you three… Seto, join the army's ranks. Misaka, the medicine women await. And Yui… you must stay safe amongst the residence."

Yui was already shaking her head. "No, I want to help you all fight."

The elder smiled. "You're too young, child. Maybe one day, you will be accepted into the ranks of the military but for now, do as you're told."

Yui pouted in disappointment but she knew no amount of pouting would change the elder's mind. So, she huffed and ran out. Misaka and Seto gave a quick apology before walking out after her.

Elder Cradle stood and regarded them silently. "I wish you the best of luck with whatever plan you come up with." She gave a thin smile and exited the building.

Tamar let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding. At least it went better than the last couple of times. At least they had been willing to listen to reason, even if that reason wasn't very logical.

"Why didn't you tell them?" Jess's voice was barely above a whisper but it carried just fine.

Tamar's eyes darkened. "Don't tell me you enjoy telling people that a sacrifice must be made to stabilize the ritual. We've done it three times before and each time I hated it. To know that their deaths will always be on my conscience is something I will regret for the rest of my life."

Jess was silent as she remembered what she had thought earlier. Tamar tells the truth just not the full truth. She mused, "Without a sacrifice, the ritual will probably fail. So how are you planning to compensate for that?"

"I'll have to give up a big enough amount of my life energy to pull it off."

"No, Tamar, no," Jess stood from her chair and slammed her hands on the table. "There's no way that I'm allowing you to potentially kill yourself for this goal."

"Jess, that's what we've been doing for the past two years. Killing ourselves. And for what? Freedom." His voice blazed with fierce rage but also growing exhaustion. He sagged in his seat tiredly. "If we don't complete the Pact by the end of this year, we'll lose all of the ground we've gained in point blank time. All of God's gifts: gone in a heartbeat."

Jess frowned. The Pact was taking its toll on Tamar. Even a child can see that. And she were being honest, Jess would admit that the Pact had even backed her into a corner. But, they were too close to quit now. And they both knew it. "Fine. You can risk your life but you're an idiot if you think I'm letting you do this alone."

Tamar opened his mouth to object but no sound came out. He had realized, along the way, that he knew better than to try and talk her out of it. Once she made up her mind, she was adamant until the end. "Alright, so that's the new plan."

Jess nodded. "It's a suicide mission but we've had our share. This will work. It has to."

The two sat in gloomy silence as time counted down.

Little did they know, a young purple haired girl was standing outside the door, listening in.

A/N: Hello! Wow, a lot to take in, huh? Sirchade was actually Queen Karau's son? To tame a demon during this time, a sacrifice must be made? And perhaps the most chilling question is this? How will the Kamiki siblings proceed? And which Kamiki sibling is it? Yui or Misaka? Looks like this flashback of mine will take more than one chapter. Perhaps two or three combined. But don't worry, everything is still going according to plan and soon, the forbidden technique known as the art of relinquishing will be brought to light. Plus, by next chapter, you'll get a look at Tamar's 3 tamed demons. So until then, please review, favorite, or follow and I will see you soon.

ArthurDragonpen, signing off!