Chapter 14: Bestowed
{Apartment: November 30th, 2020, 9:45am}
"Would you just drop it already?! It was over a week ago!" Yuu stated sharply as the others watched him.
"I am not going to drop it! Why did you use me for a torch in that damn spider nest? I want answers!"
"We needed to see what was up there, now would you please just drop the subject?" the black-haired boy said, arguing as he put coffee on and then set a kettle on the stove for tea.
"That's not good enough! You can use fire by yourself, so why did you use me? Plus! You put me up there with those things!" the sixteen-year-old Curser growled, grumbling under his breath while the others watched what was going on.
"What on earth is happening?" asked Ayato as he watched the boy as he fixed the tea and coffee while on the counter sat the black-haired boy's weapon, rattling in its sheath like a phone put on vibrate.
"Apparently Asuramaru isn't very fond of spiders…" it took a moment, but soon everyone felt realization dawn on them.
"Oh… but, isn't she – "Kimi was cut off.
"You're a damn Demon Queen for crying out loud! Why are you afraid of spiders?!" Yuuichiro asked sharply, folding his arms across his chest as he glared at the sword as it rattled yet again.
"Well you're both a Curser and a Seraph of the End! What reason to do have to be afraid of them either?!" the room remained silent for just a moment, and then the boy spoke.
"Touché," he admitted as the sword quieted its rattling.
"That was…." Started Hide.
"Interesting," admitted Nishiki.
"Are all Cursed Gear like that?" Mitsuba shook her head.
"Nope, Yuuichiro's is a Black Demon Series Cursed Gear, so it has a Demon King inside it," she explained.
"Demon King… tch… more like Drama Queen…" the boy muttered this as he went to get the mugs out onto a trap and the sword rattled again.
"I HEARD THAT YOU STUPID SERAPH!" The boy hissed a bit, wincing at the high frequency of Asuramaru's shout.
"Despite popular belief, I can hear just fine thank you! And would you quieten down? You've made your point, and I apologize so go back into concealment and hush already!" Yuuichiro stated as the sword on the counter began glowing bright green before it vanished and became a small shape before it vanished, going back to it's master as the black-haired boy rubbed his left ear a bit.
"So, because it's a Black Demon Series Cursed Gear, it has a lot of extra sass as you can see," Kimizuki stated boastfully while Mika smirked.
"Really? Because last I checked, you're the only one who still doesn't have an at least half-decent relationship with your Demon." The pink-haired teen heard Kiseki-O begin laughing violently.
"The White Seraph is right! You're the only one who doesn't like his partner! Haha! You keep getting bested by these two…"
"It's not that funny! Stop laughing!" Kimizuki mentally protested.
"Ahh… I don't think I'll ever get tired of hearing them knock your ego down a peg."
"I stand by the notion that the excitement of getting a Cursed Gear is starting to wear thin," said Kimi as she watched pink-haired teen slump a bit.
"All of the Demons within Cursed Gear are very different. Take Gekkoin for instance, when she and Yoichi first met, the two of them didn't get along one bit." All eyes turned to the brunette sitting next to Hinami who smiled just a fraction.
"It's true, she possessed me and tried to get me to kill the others. They had to perform an Energy Exorcism on me in order to weaken her, which meant just about outright attacking me, but now, we're really close," Yoichi admitted.
"His bond with his Demon is what allows him to use his weapon at a higher strength than most people. Asuramaru, Yuu's Demon, also gets along well with him, and the same goes for Fenrir, Mika's Demon. Shinoa's Demon, Shikama-Doji, has an incredibly close relationship with her, and the same goes for the rest of us." the others seemed to accept this answer as Mika handed Touka a cup of black coffee before sighing.
"Except for poor Kimizuki, who is always at odds with Kiseki-O," he said off-handedly as he sat down with his cup of tea.
"What?! That isn't true! Kiseki-O and I get along just fine!" all eyes looked to him.
"Uhuh, sure…" Yuuichiro stated as he took a drink from his cup.
"You sly little… argh!" the group laughed a bit as Nishiki eyed the others.
"So, here's my question: are there only Black Demon Series Cursed Gear?" he inquired.
The air in the room changed a bit at that point. While it wasn't a hard question to answer, it was a bit of a difficult one when it came to explanations. Black Demon Series Cursed Gear weren't the only type of Cursed Gear, or Gear used by the Japanese Imperial Demon Army in general; however, they all wanted to be careful on how they answered such questions only because a longing for power could be a downfall when dealing with Demon Kings, or Demons in general, and if any of the seven new members of the Moon Demon Company desired to gain a Black Demon Series Cursed Gear, then they needed to be warned.
"Well, there are more types, several in fact." Mitsuba glanced to the others on their little team of seven and then to the seven Ghouls.
"Can you tell us? Because, correct me if I'm wrong, but all of the ones that Guren's team uses, are Black Demon Series, aren't they?" asked Kaneki. At this question, Mika shook his head.
"No, Shinya and Guren use Black Demon Series Cursed Gear, Sayuri's is a Dakini Series, ranked just under the Demise Kings Series, which is what Mito's is. Goshi uses a Midnight series Cursed Gear, which is just before the Dakini Series, Shigure's is also a Dakini." Shinoa smiled.
"How about I break it down for you? Okay?" she asked.
"That sounds good…" she nodded.
"Alright, the first type of weapon that basic soldiers gain in the Japanese Imperial Demon Army upon entry, is something known as an Enchanted Gear. It is the most commonly used type of Gear, is has enchantments, and is able to kill Four Horsemen of John, but not much of anything else. Also, each type of Gear is given a Rank which determines its strength. An Enchanted Gear is classified as a Rank Four Non-Cursed Gear," Shinoa explained.
"Oh, okay, so those soldiers that we saw at the gates when we arrived have Enchanted Gear?" Yuuichiro nodded.
"Yea, Mika and I were border patrol for about two years before we became members of the Moon Demon Company, and that was only during the summer of this year," he stated.
"Seriously? Then how come we're being granted permission to take the Cursed Gear trial so soon?" Mika shrugged.
"Guren thinks you can handle it, so I would just go with it," the blonde told them.
"Okay, I guess… so, what's next on the system for the Gear?" Shinoa looked to Hide.
"The next type we have is a Cursed Gear, but only at a Rank Three. That is the Wisdom Kings Series Cursed Gear. It is the most common anti-Vampire gear we have, and is decent in strength, easier to control, and is mass produced in a similar manner to the Enchanted Gear. People using this type of Gear, do have Demons in their Weapons, but they're very weak and normally don't try to possess their users. The drawback on this Gear is that it relies heavily upon the Cursers spellcraft, and their own personal strength, and it doesn't usual come in any other form but a sword," Shinoa told them.
"Okay, so… a Wisdom King is considered the weakest of the Cursed Gear?" the others nodded.
"Yea, it is," Mitsuba stated.
"After the Wisdom Kings, we have the Midnight Series, the same type that Goshi uses. It's not as dangerous for the wielder as it's stronger siblings, but is incredibly powerful in its own right. The pipe Goshi has can affect the minds of many different things, and because of that is potent against our enemies. Midnight Series Cursed gear is a Rank Two, but in the right hands can be just as powerful as a Rank One Cursed Gear." Kaneki absorbed the information, putting it away for later.
"I get it, so the Wisdom Kings are the weakest, then the Midnight Series, but… if those are Ranks Three and Two, what are the Rank Ones?" asked Hide.
"The next one on the rank set up is the Dakini Series, the same kind that Shigure, Sayuri, and Mitsuba here possess. It is a Rank One Cursed Gear, it doesn't have a set design, and is powerful and potent, but not extremely dangerous. The Demons within the Dakini Series are usually fallen guardians or something akin to that, Akane's Rapier is also a Dakini series Cursed Gear." The brunette girl nodded.
"Melusine, she used to be the Guardian of Sacred Streams; however, because she drowned people who drew to close to the streams, she corrupted them and became a Demon," Akane explained, placing a hand to the blue crystal orb upon the black choker on her throat.
"That's her concealed form?" she nodded.
"All Cursed Gear has a concealed form, so it can be on the user's person at all times, but not out in the open. Enchanted Gear doesn't do it though, and the Demon can choose how they want to hide themselves. Mitsuba's is a bracelet, Yoichi's a wrist cuff, Kimizuki's is two rings, Shinoa's is a small pen-shaped object, Mika's and Yuu's are a single earring, and my own is this pendant on the choker I wear. It makes it easier," Akane stated as Ayato eyed the others, spotting the objects on their person before raising an eyebrow.
"We've been around you guys for almost two weeks now, and I'm just now noticing those things…" Mika smiled, shrugging as he did so.
"That means they're doing their jobs. The items aren't supposed to be noticeable," he said.
"Right, so after the Dakini Series, what comes next?" Shinoa held up the small concealed form of her Scythe.
"My weapon's type is called a Demise Kings Series, and Shikama-Doji is one of the best ones I could ever ask for. The Demise Kings is a very small and powerful archetype. It goes up in danger levels as well. It is considered a rank One Cursed Gear, and like all the other Cursed Gear save for the Wisdom Kings, it's color can change from the basic black and green to the color that best fits the user's aura," she said proudly.
"Only you would coddle your Demon…" she gave her boyfriend a long look.
"And you don't have long conversations with Asuramaru?" she asked as he rolled his eyes.
"Fine, I can admit to that." Touka eyed him.
"Then that leaves the Black Demon Series," the blue-haired girl stated.
"Correct! The Black Demon Series is the most powerful and one of the rarest of the Cursed Gear. It possesses Demon Kings and is incredibly difficult to wield. Every person who uses a Black Demon Series Cursed Gear has to be screened before going through the trial of getting one, and can be subjected to extreme torture by the Demons within. If the wielder and the Demon don't form a decent bond, it can become volatile, and dangerous for them. Also, just like the other Cursed Gear, it has multiple levels of possession, and will change it's coloring to fit the user's aura," Shinoa finished.
"So… like Yoichi's is kind of a teal color, Kimizuki's is a pale yellow, and Mika's is a blue instead of green? But why is Yuuichiro's green?" the black-haired boy looked to the Ghouls.
"Because I'm a Naturopath. My aura is green, gold, crimson, and silver with black fragments in it due to my other bloodlines and abilities," he told the group who glanced to one another.
"I heard there are forbidden Cursed Gear from Shinya, is that true?" asked Nishiki.
The group glanced to the side, some having heard rumors about it years ago. Growing up in a city populated by the Army, and having most of their family or friends in the Army as they grew up made it easier to learn about the other things that they worked on. There were four known types of forbidden Cursed Gear that they had heard rumors of, and both Mika and Yuu recalled Guren talking about it with Sayuri when they were fourteen and had just joined the Army. Sighing, Shinoa looked at her half-empty cup and nodded her head, confirming the rumors that the Ghouls had heard of.
"Yes, there are four of them all of which are classified as Rank Zero Cursed Gear. The first, is the White Demon Series. Malfunctioning, dangerous, and white-toned instead of the traditional black of our weapons, they were sealed underground somewhere and possess specific types of powerful and malicious Demons. They were more likely to turn on their users than help them…" the others gaped a bit.
"S-Seriously?!" asked Hide.
"Yes, they were made between two-thousand-four and two-thousand-and-ten. Only two have ever made it out of the underground area, and that was in two-thousand-and-eleven. All the Demons in this series appear as white-haired creatures with pale skin and either blue or black eyes. There's two that have wielders in the Army at current, but I only have ever met one…" Mitsuba stepped in at this.
"The team I was on before this one, their leader is Major Sawano Yukina, she is the only wielder of a White Demon Series Cursed Gear that I've ever met. She has a sickle-chain weapon known as Kuchisake, and supposedly the Demon in her weapon is the Kuchisake-Onna, from our mythology," she explained.
"Kuchisake-Onna… damn… that's gotta be scary." Shinoa looked down a bit.
"The second one, is a Cursed Gear made between two-thousand-and-seven and two-thousand-and-nine, it's incredibly powerful and has a vast array of evil spirits and demons in them. There are only thirteen of them in existence, and their known as the Undead Kings Series. The dark creatures inside those weapons are very dangerous, and are capable of manipulating people with ease. The series was discontinued due to a massive death toll of its users and put under one of our cities around the world," she informed them.
"If those are the first two… then what are the other two?" Shinoa shook her head.
"We don't know much about the others save for their Series names, but if you want more information, you'd have to ask Guren or Shinya," she told the group.
"What are the other two then?" Yuuichiro took in a steady breath.
"The Ragnarok Series, and the Oblivion Series. Not much else is known about them other than the fact that they're extremely dangerous. The Ragnarok series is said to hold Deities, and the Oblivion Series is supposed to hold fallen angels, but nothing about that has been proven," he said this with finality, choosing to speak nothing more on the topic, and the Ghouls and humans of Anteiku took that to heart.
"So, what about us learning how to use Cursed Gear? How do we do that?" Mika smiled.
"You pick your weapon, grab it, and the Demon takes you into their world. You have to outdo them, otherwise your body is theirs," he stated.
"O-Oh…" the others smiled, knowing that Mika was just psyching them out a bit, but at the same time, they knew that being informed was the other's best weapons against the Demons they would soon be facing.
{Lieutenant Colonel Ichinose's Office: 11:01am}
Shinya stood by the window, awaiting Guren to fill out more paperwork as he watched the sky churn into a dark gray, signaling snowfall or rain as he watched. The scratching of a pen filled the room alongside the sound of smooth jazz music, Guren's favorite to listen to when he needed to relax or focus and didn't want to be distracted to greatly. The blonde-haired twenty-five-year-old shook his head as Guren set aside a few more papers, approving the slight alterations the tailor had made for the Ghoul's Kagune to come out of their uniforms without damaging the clothing before he picked up a letter that Shinya had dropped off from the section office earlier that morning. The sound of the envelope opening caused him to look towards Guren who was reading the letter, a cigarette held between his lips for only a moment before it dropped, and he shot up.
"Hot damn!" he said.
"What? Did you got burned again?" the Lieutenant Colonel rolled his eyes.
"Really funny Shinya, but maybe you should read this!" the man shoved the letter in his face and Shinya took it, and began to read it over.
Dear Lieutenant Colonel Ichinose Guren,
We have reviewed your application for a specialized Unit to be formed under the jurisdiction of the Moon Demon Company, and have found it adequate. Your candidates for the Unit must be registered by December 9th, 2020 at 10:45am in order to complete this request. The forums will be delivered to their addresses within forty-eight hours, and must be filled out and signed by you personally before they arrive at the Section Office on the above-mentioned date and must not be late.
The here forth known, Anteiku Unit, will be instated as a branch unit of the Moon Demon Company, under your jurisdiction on December 12th, 2020, at 9:15am post the completion of the forum process and registry.
Sincerely,
Head of Section Offices,
Lieutenant Major, Kannoue Jun.
"Well, that was fast," Shinya stated.
"You bet your ass it was!" Guren took the letter, looking at the dates before filling them in on the calendar.
"That's only ten days away though, and the group from Tokyo doesn't possess a Cursed Gear, they'll never pass the registration without one," the blonde mentioned.
"I know… so we'll be bumping up the date for them to try it out. Is that new Gear ready for testing?" Shinya smiled.
"Of course, it is, but… are you sure you want to send them into a Cursed Gear Trial with not even a lick of training?" Guren shrugged.
"What are you getting at?" he questioned.
"Well, just that this is a bit reckless for even you…" the man sighed.
"I know it is, but with how things are going… we don't have time to waste. The kids have been reading up on curses and enchantments and I've had the others tutoring them while they've been recovering with Sayuri checking in on their work. She said they're doing fine and getting the basics of it," the Lieutenant Colonel explained.
"It's not like you to do anything half-assed, so I should have suspected as much. But I am still going to ask, are you sure the ones you've picked for certain Gears can handle it?" Guren smirked.
"I'm certain. Each of the seven kids we got out of Tokyo are best suited for the Series I plan to send them into in order for them to form their contracts. We'll be doing these all at once to cut back on time, but the chambers aren't far from one another, and it'll be us and Yuu and Mika's team watching over them," he pointed out as Shinya sighed.
"Fine, I'll bite… now, as for your two boys… have you told them the truth yet?" Guren frowned.
"Depends on what you mean on the truth." Shinya shot him a glare.
"The reason that their eyes were turning red in Tokyo! We all saw it! Not to mention, Yuuichiro's physical changes and the power both he and Mikaela put out during those final fights! There's more going on here with their Gifts and the Seraphic Forms, and I know we agreed to not tell them unless we needed to, but I think that time has come!" Shinya stated sharply.
"The Seraphic traits are going to mature more now that they're getting control, we can't change that. However, I can agree with you that they should know the truth about how dangerous their Psychometric Gifts are becoming…" the blonde huffed.
"Psychometric Gifts and those like it have always been dangerous. Or did you forget the real reason that Mahiru ended up like she did?" he questioned.
"No, I haven't forgotten. I'm more worried about how they'll handle the truth about what kind of limit there really is with that Gift. Naturopathy and Abjury have their own drawbacks, which makes it harder for them to die, and slows their aging processes… but couple that with their Seraphic Traits… those boys are practically immortal…" Shinya shook his head.
"But they're not genuinely immortal! Both Yuu and Mika can be killed! I know what's coming in the spring, as do you… don't just sit on your hands until then! You've got to tell them how dangerous it is if their eyes turn red!" the blonde pleaded.
Guren looked down, listening to the pleading words of his friend. the others of his team had done the same, reminding him of how dangerous it would be for Mika and Yuu not to know how limited the Psychometric Gift could truly be, and what the highest risks were with it. For the most part, it didn't have many drawbacks, save for a price to pay, just like most Gifts did; however, there was one major problem with Psychometry and the Gift Exact which was its sister ability, and while the routes of how one could end up in the ultimate price for those Gifts were quite different: they both ended in the same results.
"I know the risks, Shinya, but with so much going on…" the blonde looked down.
"If their eyes turn, they'll end up just like Mahiru! Do you want that?! think about this Guren! The Seraphs of the End can't be gambled with!" Shinya snapped.
"I KNOW THAT!" Guren turned, glaring at the other.
"Guren…" the black-haired twenty-six-year-old sighed.
"Listen, I'm well aware of the risks here, and I have every intention of telling them before their next mission. Let me handle this situation with the Section Offices, and then, once that is finished and their first mission is assigned, I will personally inform them of what to be careful with, alright?" Guren stated.
"Fine, just please don't forget…" the other shook his head.
"Like hell I will! Those two brats can't go and die on me any time soon… let alone become the thing we're fighting," he said as Shiny a nodded.
"Agreed, now, shall we go inform the others? I'm sure they'll be getting some weird questions from our fourteen kids soon." Guren laughed.
"No kidding, well, let's get this show on the road," he said as he pocketed the letter and walked out the door with Shinya trailing behind him.
{….}
Far from you, but I could never, abdicate, I'll fight forever….
{…..}
Author's Note: This was mostly an information and plot development chapter, as well as an explanation for why things are moving so damn fast. There is a serious plan developing for the Spring, but no one is sure as to what is really is. also, we learned a bit about the different types of Cursed Gear. Some of these, I did make up on my own such as the White Demon Series, the Midnight Series, the Demise Kings, Undead Kings, and the Ragnarok and Oblivion Gears.
I created Yukina Sawano with the intention of her being an odd-ball character with a strong Cursed Gear, but didn't think a black Cursed Gear suited her, so I created the White Demon Cursed Gear, and looked into mythology and found a lot of creatures associated with white, the Kuchisake-Onna's kimono is said to be white, and blue is the color of a corpse's skin, so I stated that most of the White Demon Series Cursed Gear's Demons have white hair and either blue or black eyes instead of red eyes.
Shinoa's scythe, Shikama-Doji, isn't given a Rank in the Manga or Anime, so I created the Demise Kings Series for her scythe to have a rank, but is a very tiny type of Cursed Gear, and there aren't many of them.
Naturally, the Ragnarok Gear and Oblivion Gear will show up a bit later, and you'll get to see other Demise Kings and others, but those Undead Kings can stay underground, wherever they are, I don't think those things will come out.
Well, let me know what you guys think, and I'll be looking for your reviews.
Sincerely,
ShadowDragon94.
Chapter 15: Ketsueki Fusa.