"Still, I don't understand why neither of us remembers a thing from back then."

As Sucy and Akko made their way downstairs from the building wherein the Order's offices were stationed, they were nigh-constantly talking it out about the most recent revelation dropped upon them. Needless to say, both girls were rather surprised to find out that they not only actually met before, way back in their childhood, but also had an odd soul bond between them established since then.

"Well, I can understand why you wouldn't remember anything, but I don't think I have any actual excuse." – Sucy remarked as she exited into the first floor corridor. – "Then again, given that the memories of my childhood years are a tad foggy, it's unsurprising that I would forget peeking out at some random girl out of curiosity and then diving back in out of fear of getting caught."

"Anyway, you have any idea when are Lotte's folks supposed to come pick her up? I don't really want to have mom worry about me if I end up getting back home too late, you know." – Akko remarked, looking over at her phone – it was nearing evening already, and given how early the sun set in winter, having to wade through the dark cold streets was not something the half-angel looked forward to.

"She did call them a couple moments ago, so they should drive over here at any moment. I guess you won't have to stay in the headquarters for the night." – As Sucy led Akko outside the building, she added: "Speaking of which, she gave us some intel on a certain rogue half-angel who has recently gone into hiding. A former member of the Sentinels. Molly McIntyre, I think. They said she has some info on why the actual Abyss the Sentinels basically turning the whole city upside down just to find a single demon. Problem is, she's hiding out in one of the streets in the rough part of town. Better not drag too much attention to ourselves. "

"Guess I've got work to do all over again. As for you-" – Seeing that the half-demoness already pulled her hood over her horns, Akko sighed and replied: "Okay, maybe you can tag along. Wandering through the city all alone now that it's so darn unsafe might not be the best option for me anyway, and you're probably tired of sitting within the same four walls of the Order's infirmary."

As the two girls wandered through the streets, soon coming to what could be best summed up as the rough part of town, their thoughts still drifted back over to trying to remember what happened back then. Try as Akko might, she hardly remembered much of her childhood, though given the fact that most normal people hardly remember their childhoods all that well when they're 16 or so, this wasn't much of a surprise to her. She didn't feel like there were any blanks in her memories, or like there were memories that were just barely within her reach… She just felt like she was grasping at something she forgot ages ago. Something that she at first thought was completely insignificant, but only recently turned out to be important like no tomorrow.

As for Sucy, her excuse was a tad more mundane – given that most of her childhood was complete monotony, seeing nothing but the view outside her family house's windows and the interior of said house, with maybe the occasional moments of wandering out of the house to get some fresh air, it was unsurprising that something like this would get lost in all that routine.

Yet even she had a feeling that it didn't stop at the meeting alone. That there really was more that she couldn't remember…

"Young ladies, if you don't mind, we need to ask you a couple questions." – A deep voice seemingly coming from behind both girls remarked, startling Akko and leading Sucy to slowly turn around, making sure her hood wouldn't drop right off.

Archangel Sentinels. Those certainly weren't the people that Sucy or Akko needed to stumble upon at the moment, that was for certain. Especially given that it was particularly rare for the Archangels, usually busy commanding squads of their Angel subordinates, to directly get involved in any such business. What differentiated Archangel Sentinels aside from their rank was also the wider degree of access to means of detaining and possibly even killing off any potential targets – compared to their sword-and-gun-wielding brethren, the Archangels instead resorted to usage of nothing but their own holy magic potential, with their weapon of choice being a Holy Amplificator – a gauntlet specifically designed as a conduit for holy spells as to lessen the strain on the user's internal magic reserves.

"Uh… I'm sorry, but I need to head home, and my friend here should also be getting back, so…"

"Young lady, this shouldn't take as long as you think it should. There is just a city-wide interrogation going on, and a certain one of my subordinates felt like you have some necessary information on the person we're looking for." – The other of the two archangels interrupted, his voice being a bit more nasally and his tempo of speech being far faster than that of his comrade.

"Do you happen to have any information on the person known as Reyna Manbavaran?"

As much as Sucy didn't show it on the outside, on the inside she was more than a little shaken up from hearing those words.

Did she hear that surname right?!

"No, not really." – This wasn't really a lie on Akko's part – she didn't know much about Sucy's mother after all.

"Well then, have you heard the news about Missus Manbavaran's daughter having currently returned to the city, apparently seeking her out?" – The more imposing of the two Sentinels asked.

Huh. Guess they really are that lacking in intel.

"That's it, we're getting out of here." – Sucy remarked, taking Akko's hand and attempting to lead her off… Only to find Akko being dragged in quite the opposite direction by the stronger of the two archangels.

"Resisting Sentinel interrogation, as well as assisting resistance to it, is a punishable offense, young lady. We just need to ask your friend here a couple questions, and I assure you, if she is innocent, we'll let her go shortly. So let her go, and don't disrupt our work." – The fast-talker explained.

"I swear, I don't know any darn thing regarding either of the demons you're going after! Why do you have to be so bloody stubborn?!" – Akko shouted, trying to wriggle out of the Archangel's grasp.

Unexpectedly to Sucy, she felt a familiar feeling of rage welling up within her. Kinda not unlike what happened back then, moments before…

Without any restraint, Sucy immediately fired off an abyssal flame bolt at the Sentinel's hand, making him let go of Akko from sheer shock… And in the process, Sucy's hood dropped back, revealing her horns.

"There she is!" – The more talkative Sentinel remarked, not wasting any time and quickly firing off a shackling spell at Sucy. The mauve-haired demoness barely managed to dive out of the way to avoid getting ensnared, with the spell hitting the snow and leaving nothing but a mark. As Sucy looked back around, however, she noticed that the more imposing of the two Sentinels seemed to have recovered, and now had Akko shackled, the brunette's hands positioned behind her back.

"Not so fast, Abyss-spawn." – The more imposing Sentinel remarked, showing that the ethereal chains in his hand actually connected to Akko's shackles. – "You make any sudden moves, and I'll break the girl's hands. Put your hands up, and let us safely deliver you back to the headquarters. "

"We assure you that, after you help us track down your mother, Reyna Manbavaran, we will let you out of the city safely. As for the traitor, she will likely serve a prison sentence as a demon collaborator. Such are the laws of the city. "

The words of the other Sentinel made Sucy freeze on the spot.

No… No, they wouldn't dare separate them like this again!

Unconsciously, Sucy bared her fangs once more, scowling at both Sentinels.

As much as she didn't want to unleash her more brutal side, it seemed that she had to go the extra mile.

For Akko's sake.

The demoness covered her face with her hands, keeling over as she felt the familiar pain from her body reconfiguring itself to accommodate her incoming transformation. Her wings once again burst right out of her back, starting out as mere bones before abyssal matter coated over them to take proper form, her skin took on an ash-gray tone, and the claws on her hands elongated so they were at least the length of her entire palm each. As Sucy moved her hands off her face, the Sentinels saw that the demoness' previously normal eye was now completely red, practically glowing, and it seemed that she gained a second row of shark-like fangs, her mouth now twisted into what seemed like a constant feral scowl.

"By the Nine, it's a bloody Lilim we're dealing with here! Asiel, we need to call for backup, pronto! " – The less professional of the two Archangels remarked, backing away.

"Don't freak out just yet, Usiel. It's just one feral Lilim against two trained Archangel Sentinels, we can handle her easily enough. Backup won't be necessary. " – Asiel remarked as he began charging up a holy bolt. – "I guess if you aren't going with us voluntarily, we're taking you by force."

Everyone looking at Sucy at this moment could swear that her scowl has briefly shifted into a wicked grin.

A sudden flash of gray. A few stray holy bolts fired off… And nothing. Every single one of them just dissipated upon hitting nearby walls. As Asiel turned around to face his comrade, he was rather mortified to find Sucy ripping him to shreds with her claws, before putting her hands together, conjuring a large ball of abyssal flame, and slamming it right down upon what little was left of Usiel, leaving him as little more than a burnt spot on the ground surrounded by molten snow.

For the few moments he had before Sucy shifted his attention to him, Asiel wondered if this was what his predecessors had to deal back then, during the Great Angel-Demon War.

Another flash. Asiel couldn't even react as the chain currently controlling Akko's shackles disappeared as soon as he lost concentration, but that was the least of his concerns.

"Let go of me, you demon filth! I-" – Those were Asiel's last words before Sucy decapitated him.

As she stood up and admired her "handiwork", the transformed demoness' eyes soon met Akko's.

The expression on the half-angel's face was that of pure fear. She honestly didn't know how to react to the events that just transpired.

Suddenly, a whole rush of past memories flooded Sucy's mind. Amongst them… Were those same red eyes, eight years ago, looking at her not with fear, but with curiosity.

And then it was back to the present. With Akko frozen in fear, sitting on the snow and slowly backing away.

As Sucy looked over at her blood-stained claws, she realized just what she had done just now.

She just killed two people in front of Akko. In the most violent way possible, too.

"You're a monster!"

"You are little more than a beast! An abomination!"

"Filthy Abyss spawn!"

As those words flooded the half-demoness' mind, spoken in her own voice, she covered her face once more before letting out an ungodly anguished screech, and soon flying away at inhuman speeds, trying to get as far away from Akko as possible.

She just didn't want to accidentally hurt her now that this happened.

"Sucy! Wait! Don't go!" – Akko shouted out, seemingly having recovered by the time Sucy flew off.

"Suuucyyy!" – As Akko shouted that out, she soon felt a familiar surge of holy energy. This time, the holy energy seemed to concentrate at her chest… Then at her shoulder blades…

Next thing Akko knew, a pair of wings seemingly made out of light had transpired behind her back. Quite frankly, the brunette was rather amazed by this turn of events, but she figured she'd gawk at her own transformation later – right now, she had a more urgent matter to take care of.

As she flew upwards and took a look around, it wasn't long before she managed to track Sucy down, who was currently flying through the city at downright inhuman speeds, being visible to others as little more than an ash grey blur. As Akko flew after Sucy, she could swear that the streets the demoness was heading through were… Strangely familiar…

"Hey! I'm here again!"

Huh? That voice… It sounded strangely familiar.

Before the horned girl could comprehend what was going on and hotfoot it back to home, she was soon approached by the all-too-familiar little brunette with a bob cut.

"I am so glad to have got to see you in person! You know, you really had me wondering when you're going to get out of that crummy old house of yours!" – As the other girl took some extra time to look over the half-demoness, she gasped: "Whoa! Are those horns real?"

The mauve-haired girl immediately covered her horns up and looked away. She didn't even have time to be amused at the fact that the person she met up with for real only noticed her horns after getting a proper look at them.

"Hey, you don't have to be ashamed or anything! There's no one else around, so I'm sure it wouldn't hurt for me to have a look! I promise I won't tell anyone about you!"

Reluctantly, the horned girl sighed and quietly complied, staring into the ground and barely uttering a few words: "I'm a freak."

"No you're not! I think those horns look cute on you! Are you, like, some sort of demon? You don't look all that scary, though… Everyone I know told me that demons are those ugly creatures that kidnap children if they wander out of the town, but you don't look like the kidnapper type! And even if you were, it doesn't seem like you would be strong enough to carry me off somewhere!"

Gee, that other girl was such a chatterbox… But at the same time, the demoness somehow appreciated her company, so she merely giggled at the other girl's sense of humor. Seems like the tension was slightly alleviated prior.

"Sorry I didn't get to properly introduce myself. My name's Akko, very nice to finally make your acquaintance!" – The brunette remarked, shaking the other girl's hand like no tomorrow. – "And what's your name? Or should I just keep calling you the Horned Girl?" – Akko giggled at her own remark as she finished that sentence, grinning.

After a few quiet moments, looking off to the side and uttering nothing but incomprehensible grunts, the half-demoness quietly introduced herself as well: "Sucy. My name is Sucy."

It wasn't long before the girls gotten a tad more talkative, and began talking it out about various thing. From Akko's school days, to Sucy's odd home life… They discussed a lot of things, up until Sucy got worried that her family might go looking for her and start asking questions, and soon ran off, not explaining anything to Akko…

But at least telling her that she hopes to meet up with her again.

It was by then that their soul bond was already getting quite strong, even if either of the girls were yet to realize it.