Chrysalis Heart

by Yincira

AU. What if the story was about the plight of the demons? Nina's more heroic, Azazel doesn't disappear, Belphegor doesn't die, Kaisar's more self aware.

21. Perdition

· · · · · · ·

October 4

· · · · · · ·

"She caused our armored slaves to rebel, she ruined our alliance with Manaria and destroyed the protective field of our castle. Your majesty, we have been loyal to you for ten years without question, but now we must. Our entire world is at risk because of your ... your dragon kink."

While fleeing the castle George clearly had forgotten to snatch his manners along. This was no way to greet one's king fresh in the morning, after he woke up from a poison induced slumber — where did those darts keep coming from?

He'd had this conversation with Chabrol last night already, albeit styled differently. You could have easily subdued her yourself. Chabrol had wanted to know how many dates they'd been on. Four. That was it, the old man had exclaimed, the entire kingdom collapsed over four dates with a pretty girl. The witch truly has seduced you.

Glaring had dissolved that conversation, and so it did this time.

On his own for the first time in seven years, Chris started putting the piece of his armor on; most hadn't been shed so it didn't take long.

The attic was stuffed with regained heirlooms that Kaisar had hunted down over the years, including a bed and enough chairs so not everyone slept on the ground. Most was covered with sheets, which had been turned into makeshift blankets for anyone out of armor. Namely Chabrol and Merlin, who slept like normal humans did.

Kaisar had found Chris first, guiding away searchers. Merlin had gateway'd him to Kaisar's home in lack of a safer place, and brought in George and Chabrol later. After that, she'd fetched about five more Onyx Knights, the rest had been arrested and imprisoned by the gods, or killed.

They fit poorly into the attic, the nine of them. At least, compared to what he was used to. He'd lived in small quarters in his early life, it wasn't a problem.

But Merlin paced last night, and picked it up upon waking. Nerve wracking, that woman. She hadn't addressed him at all. How long until her doubts would add up?

He needed her and her gates now that Nina had complicated everything. If he didn't need something big to draw Bahamut to Anatae, he would simply have her gateway them to Eibos, but no. Bahamut never chased small figures, it only rained destruction in general. To be honest, he didn't even know whether it would follow a fleet, but it was his best gamble.

Now that his plans to tweak his kingdom a little more before his heroic death were moot, there was only Bahamut's release left. He'd put all his resources there, it just needed some planning. Their latest resource just came up the stairs.

After knocking, Kaisar stepped in with a plate of food, took in all the new faces, and said, "I'll be right back. I've sent Felicia off to the slums for charity so it may take a while," he said. "However, she will return here eventually and I urge you to be as quiet as possible."

"Your housekeeper is not loyal enough to keep her tongue?" George asked. "Why would she go to the slums anyway?"

"She adopted a demon," Kaisar said. "She might be sympathetic to the crown."

"And her father is involved with the Sacred Circle," Chris said. "We will keep quiet. After all, our host must make room for his other allies."

When Kaisar left, all faces in the room turned to Chris.

"Kaisar Lidfard has a tunnel to the slums in his basement, it is how I escaped the barrier before," he said, because what else was there to lose?

After a long pause, George said, "I cannot help but wonder whether you actually want us to kill that girl."

"Does it matter? My orders are clear. Though you should not prioritize it over our escape from the city. Don't run off to do it if you have to protect me, we no longer have the upper hand."

"Indeed we do not, and you know why that is. Tell us, would you do it yourself if you could?"

"Yes."

No. Unfortunately.

· · · · · · ·

Someone had left some inconspicuous clothes at the entrance of her cave, and breakfast, which was half eaten by one of Azazel's goats.

"Good morning ... uhm, Azazel?"

The goat tilted his head and ran off. Nina followed across a lot of corners, turned back a few times, and after crossing the same place had to conclude it was some kind of joke.

She found Azazel at the crossroad near her cave, tapping his heel against a wall in impatience.

"Why'd you lead me all over the place?" she said before he got a word in, waving at the goat.

"I didn't." He closed his eyes. "Mugaro figured out the channeling trick that kicks off the link. I still can't do it remotely without focus."

Azazel manifested a snake that reached out sixty meters away or so, before it faded. That was the range, she guessed.

So they were just very cranky animals. "So how are you gonna train them?"

He gave her confused look that snapped to understanding. "Right. I'll keep them close till then. Come on."

They had the cover of the night. Azazel knew a slaughterhouse employing slavery not too far away; he typically didn't target those since they didn't outright kill demons and they always cropped back up. Now though, he suspected they might clean up witnesses of mistreatment.

He was right, judging from the screams. He teleported them all inside, where they found a large factory hall full with meat and corpses. Cleaning up meant disguising malnourished slaves as meat remnants. Bile rose in Nina's mouth, but she still whipped out at the nearest human, knocking a knife out of his hands.

Azazel threw a knife in the nearest human's skull and snatched the next human to slice their throat.

"Azazel, wait! We have to keep them alive. They can be arrested now, there's no point in kill them anymore."

He hesitated for an uncomfortably long time, before throwing the man against a wall.

"I'll talk to the knights, okay? Just stay around for a bit and be seen," Nina said as she looked for something to tie them up with.

Azazel grumbled, but agreed to stay inside.

When Charioce ran the kingdom, knights constantly showed up at the smallest sound of discord. Not today. After a long time, a handful of Manarian soldiers appeared to check things out.

Jumping off her perch on a barrel, she said as brightly as she could manage, "Hello! Everything's under control, don't worry. We just had to free some people whose masters refused to let them go. They were going to murder them, but we caught them and they're ready for arrest."

This was met with a lot of sour faces and the leader saying, "We've been sent to check out a disturbance."

"Guilty as charged, but only to stop a worse disturbance. You can arrest them, right?"

"We shall alert the jurisdiction," the leader said coldly. "You should leave."

They and a few others stayed, while the rest returned to the castle.

Nina was about to follow them inside when one of the departing knights said, "Isn't that Charioce's whore?"

When she whipped her head back they'd already hurried into formation, backs towards her.

Civilians stared at her. Some might have whispered of the red dragon. Threat to the king. Rebel. More than a few of the crowd still admired him despite the war.

Had she murdered the king, someone wondered.

Nina closed her arms across herself. Fingers crossed the bounty hunter's bracelet, closed around it.

She was magenta. She had picked Chris, not Charioce. XVII. She hadn't chosen him, but she had. Fate was cruel, and she could not murder him no matter how much she tried.

A hand on her shoulder snapped her out of it.

"Let's go. We're not done yet."

Oh they weren't. They wouldn't be done until XVII was dead, and Bahamut with him.

· · · · · · ·

"You can't just have that beast in here!" Arduino sputtered to Jeanne.

The unicorn just swished vun tail and cantered further into the castle, undisturbed by human complaints. Curiosity drove Jeanne along.

They reached the quarters of the Onyx Knights. Seven years ago, Jeanne had not been permitted to go around here.

The unicorn pushed past doors into a sickbay full of blackened people, attended to by a swarm of nurses. Their state was utterly abysmal, black veins covering them. Some threw up black bile. What little relief they got was in the form of cold compresses and it appeared to aid little. Only the zommorods embedded in their chest were truly clean.

Jeanne had had an inkling of the parasitic powers of the zommorods, but like this it appeared more like infection.

The unicorn's presence raised concerns about health hazards, while those men still aware enough looked up expecting execution. One murmured something about having served Charioce with pride.

Jeanne was torn between her hatred for these men who had hunted her and her child down and had plunged two realms into disarray, and their misery. The unicorn pushed her to one side, seeing only what had to be healed.

A strange calm fell over all but the infected as the unicorn stepped forward. Vun horn glowed green before ve tapped the nearest zommorod with it. The barely conscious man's breathing steadied, but others became suspicious. One tried to stand, cursing at divinity. Jeanne manifested her spear, and he shut up.

The unicorn seemed intent on healing them, and all justice considered, there was no point to suffer if they did not have to. The unicorn left a strong impression the gems were not to be removed lest they die, but some things could be improved.

She wasn't about to bring her child in here to help, but two years on that infernal island had left her with some useful knowledge. The energe of this power rooted inward. Barely had she decided this, or the unicorn moved on. She set two fingers on the now dim zommorod, and look the man right in the eyes.

"Listen to be closely. I will try teaching you a way to redirect force away from yourself. It may help stave off the festering once my friend here has moved on."

It took Jeanne half an hour to have them catch holds of the barest trick; none of them had been chosen for magical potential, though some were more adept. Others refused to heed her. She bit through the exercise and left when the unicorn did.

Arduino had hovered the entire; she suspected he might anticipate the king's return and hope she didn't dissolve his knights entirely.

"Once they are healed, I want them arrested for war crimes," Jeanne told Arduino with a pointed glare. Had she had the option, he'd be on trial too.

"My unicorn will be left in peace and you will accompany me to the king's office. I have a meeting with the king of Manaria and a representative of Valeria in an hour, I need as much information o the city's status as possible. I've missed a great deal in the past seven years."

The way man said yes gave told her it wouldn't be quick.

Well, she had another quick matter to fill time with. Yesterday, Azazel had started breaking out slaves and caused a ruckus, at break of dawn Nina had joined him. And gotten too little sleep, no doubt. Not that Jeanne was different.

She requested Sofiel to retrieve them by gateway, right into her new headquarters. When she arrived there, Sofiel pressed her hand on Jeanne shoulder; she'd be nearby.

This was Charioce's former office. Now she looked at it, it might not have been the best place to invite Nina and Azazel.

Nina stood by as if in a daze, stern yet inattentive. Jeanne had never seen her like this before, and it deeply disturbed her.

Azazel looked like he craved murder, which wasn't that new, but she'd never seen him look like without any of his targets present.

What had happened to her yesterday and before? She wanted find out, but there were more pressing matters.

She took one of the chairs on their side of the office and gestured for them to sit; Nina did, Azazel just kept leaning against his wall.

"Azazel, you've resumed your vigilante ways. I would appreciate it if you didn't break the laws in this sensitive time."

"I am following your damn laws," he said, thumbing at Nina and ... was that a bounty hunter's bracelet?

True, it was legal for bounty hunter to go around, and heaven's system would probably register the criminals now that Sofiel had changed things. But nobody on earth knew that and the laws about how much outside help a bounty hunter could recruit were vague at best. Far closer to heart of the population was the bloody reputation of the rag demon.

"Could you perhaps send someone else to do it? It would help the cause much more if you're intimidating in a political room rather than some phantom they fear they cannot negotiate with. The traders and aristocrats you used to kill are of the same class you now need to get along with."

He glared, but did say, "Cerberus's inner circle might do it."

From what little Jeanne recalled, Cerberus was surrounded by a group of lovely and harmless looking young women. Though, they might just as well be seen as deceptive succubi. Still better than Azazel's bloody reputation though.

"Please do. Now, Nina, the king of Manaria has a lot of details about the rebellions. You took a huge risk telling Anne about it," Jeanne said.

Nina didn't look up. Her hands clamped into her trousers. Jeanne would've liked to drop the formalities right, but no. She had to remain strong.

"Azazel, that barrier must go down and those webs are to be removed from the city. Regardless of whether inhabitants can flee the fire, it remains a threat. Whom is its creator allied to?"

"Cerberus has Arachna, the web's creator. She'll take it down once it's safe. The barrier isn't under our control, we don't even know where Angra Mainyu is."

Hmm. The unknown entity that had been so crucial in taking over the city. Nina, Azazel, Belphegor, and presumably Olivia had met her, but her motivations remained a mystery.

So did the barrier. Why create a threat like the webs if they had that barrier to lock out invaders? Granted, it was apparently possible to tunnel below the barrier, but that raised the question why such a powerful being couldn't account for it. It employed human sourced magic, yet couldn't ensure a new hole was included? There hadn't been any resistance when she had conducted the context force away either. What kind of maintenance was this?

"Are we done here?" Azazel said.

"Yes, you can go." Jeanne nodded at Sofiel to open a gate for them, while Azazel looked none too pleased to be dismissed like a lackey.

Before Nina could leave, Jeanne pulled her in a hug. Nina returned it only stiffly. Jeanne dearly wished she knew how to make her feel better, but this was another thing she couldn't answer.

Sofiel met her eyes. Perhaps she could. Jeanne quietly resolved to get them to talk later. For now, she had to return to managing an unprecedented myriad of decisions when there were no just laws to back up anything.

· · · · · · ·

Belphegor decided the habit of saying "bless you" instead of "chaos be praised" would help a lot right now. Being sociable with humans outside of the red light distract with such a different affair, really. She mentally trained this by finding nice things about people around her : bless Durahanem for organizing ranks in her growing court, bless Rachel for shutting down complaining Red Troupe members. Bless their overlapping skills, really.

Don't bloody bless Malphas though for bursting from the floor while Belphegor was debating over whether or not to give up houses whose owners were dead. The human just straight up ran from the room.

"There's something you gotta see," Malphas said. "Cause I'm a damned architect yet can't tell what I'm looking at."

Since Malphas never went out of her way over trivialities, Belphegor followed.

Azazel had asked her to use her earth manipulation to restrict the castle's underground, something about containing shape shifting dragon enemies. During this she had come across an underground storage attached to a factory on the back of the castle.

Belphegor half expected zommorod storage and braced herself for the unpleasant radiance. Instead, they emerged into a vast cavern without a single shelf or glowing light The floor was far and smooth, while the ceiling cluttered with countless floating chunks of weightless rock, anchored with chains and metal constructs to ground and walls. Most boulders were crude, a few had been shaped into blocks and flat stretches.

Malphas's wards were present already, peering over a table with maps and glowing projections. To her surprise, Hamsa was also here. She joined the table and asked the duck why he was.

"I'm just checking out some stuff for some of the big shots up there, like the piece of the battleship that they took apart. It's in a nearby storage."

"Anyone already figured out what this is for?"

One of Malphas's wards sniffed, uncertain or displeased to talk to her. "Multiple things. We're not sure."

Belphegor went through the maps herself. There was no coherence to the plans, though some were costs and shipment orders. She eventually came across an excited scientist's scribbling into the log started five years ago. Upon invasion of hell they hadn't known Cocytus was built upon a fallen sky island, but they had been oh so thrilled about it. They planned to use the levitating rock to build airships like heaven had, not dependent on the skywhales.

One of Malphas's wards pushed a paper at her. "These are most recent. Tests for attaching an engine?"

Tests for attaching an engine to the rocks to see whether something could be lifted, and the dismissal of this project. Something just outside of the city. The sheer scale of it and the king's requested timeframe made it impossible, and so it had been dismissed. In particular, the lack of forces. He adamantly refused to let demons works on it. And well, even if he wanted to, he'd spent years slaughtering the strongest demons.

She might be able to pull it off if she had enough help, though her own little tribe — still so absurd to think she led one — didn't have much to aid.

A garbled yelp drew her attention. Walfrid had stumbled against one of the doors, stark raving drunk. Nishaol pushed him to the table, so Belphegor quickly gathered up the papers. Please don't vomit, please don't vomit.

"Nishaol, why is he here?"

"I thought he'd be useful, what with this." Nishaol waved her hands around. "And don't you have a bet going?"

Oh. That. Favaro must've told others about it. Since Kaisar hadn't shown up to help the rebellion, she had to take on Walfrid as a ward.

"It'd be better if Malphas pacted him, but—"

"Forget it, I'm already doing enough," Malphas snapped.

Nishaol gestured. "You hear. Now, Walfrid used to be an airship captain once, using a chain system to remote control engines. He was pretty creative, maybe you know something to do with him?"

Belphegor narrowed her eyes at the timing and the papers in her hands. "As a matter of fact, yes, I do have some mechanical plans."

Walfrid managed to turn his gaze up and slurred, "Got no gears there."

Nishaol patted him on the shoulder. "Not yet."

Before Belphegor got another word in, Nishaol was at the door.

"What was that about?" Malphas asked.

Belphegor showed her the plans. "The king was inquiring on whether Dromos could be relocated."

"Not getting paid for that," Malphas said.

"Well, we'll find you payment," she said. She needed all the help she could get. More workers. And secrecy.

Chaos, she didn't know much about inventing engines. What were they going to use as fuel? How were they going to get it atop the ...

"Hamsa ... might the inventory for the missing parts be ... adjusted?" Belphegor asked.

Hamsa shrugged. "They might be."

· · · · · · ·

Kaisar marched through the crowded halls with purpose, answered only to superiors, and never let on to his anger and disappointment.

The castle was in terrible disrepair. Between automatons, dragons, fires and explosions many parts had collapsed. This all should have been avoided. Jeanne and Azazel dragging their war out, it wasn't right. They only made things worse. This was ... it wasn't right. None of it was. They should have made an exception since Bahamut was vast approaching.

He knocked on the door of the Orleans quarters, was let in, and relaxed only within these familiar walls. No suspicions on his presence. He made his way to the captain's room to find not one but two people. Dias and Athos; perhaps there was confusion on appointed leadership now. Didn't matter.

"Captain! What happened to your hand?" Dias said.

"I had to part with it for a little while. You see, ..." Kaisar held out the latter Charioce had written. "Our king and kingdom require our aid."

Dias took it, and showed it to Athos.

Athos smirked. "We have a lot of work to do. Dias. Are you in?"

Dias glanced at Kaisar, who nodded in turn. Good man, he could always be relied on.

"Where is Allesand?" Kaisar asked.

"You haven't heard? Someone broke his legs. Nobody believed him he he said it was the pink girl, but after that reveal she did? There's an arrest warrant for her. We're not sure what to do though, she's always in company of the rag demon."

"I see. Your caution is wise, They are dangerous."

How petty of her, to take revenge like that.

· · · · · · ·

Past night fall Azazel flew to the old church, Nina still trailing him. Her flight was unsteady still, but she managed open air well enough — hardly anything to bump into other than him. Which happened a few times, so inside she just used the ladder. Thus, Nina ended up inside what once had been his and Mugaro's home.

"We didn't see Mugaro all day," she said while closing the hatch. "Let's make sure we do tomorrow."

By now Azazel looked very confused at her presence.

Well, he hadn't withdrawn his invitation, though she hoped he wouldn't make a deal out of it. She didn't want to go back alone. Or at all.

"I'm pretty sure I'm not going to change into a dragon. I don't feel anything," she said. "So I can stay, right?"

He shrugged it off and turned to the fireplace.

She unhooked one of the boards covering the windows so she could lean out. At sunset the mist turned golden, but there was less of it now. Rita had dismissed the curse as a sign of good will. With that went the illusion spell, putting an end to paranoia about humans who might secretly be demons. She wished people could've learned from it, but they hadn't.

Mugaro's music carried across the last flares, bringing healing one more time. Song and lyre joined in, no human would guess part of the orchestra was demonic.

Azazel leaned against the wall, tall enough to look out over her head. He didn't stay there for long, though, which she was both glad for and regretted.

"Close it up once we turn on the light," he said as he dropped himself on bed. There he stayed to listen.

Peace for tonight.

Now that the city was a distant concern, it was so easy to think about her little bubble again. There wasn't anything bigger to think of than the fact this crush had also grown out into a unwieldy thing. Other than the looks, he didn't fit her romantic fantasy at all. If there wasn't so much grime and suffering around them, what would it even be? And he was so irritated with her crush on XVII and oh spirits. If there hadn't been any Chris, she might've moved on to another nicer guy who actually was a random citizen.

"Aren't you going to ask about yesterday?" She kind of wanted him to.

"I thought you'd tell me if there was anything related to him that I had to know."

"Well ... it's not really crucial or anything, but I thought you might like to know I broke up with him. And uh, that's why I'd like to avoid crowded places. A lot of people know now the rumors were true. People from the hills saw us together, people from the castle ... I can't stand to hear them talk."

"What do you care for them?"

"I can't not, okay? It's ... they're right.. Not the whore thing, but I did feel affection for him. It's worse in the mouth of the people he's hurt. They know I felt that despite the pain he caused ... "

You. And Jeanne and Mugaro. Everyone else less.

Her throat tightened. She wanted to cry, but the more she pried the more she felt ... no, it wasn't a void of emotion. It was all rock stuck together. Unravel one bit and she might get an avalanche, and cave her in along the way. Counting her breaths, she scrambled for words.

Azazel found them before her. "It's not pride, is it?"

"Pride before myself at most," Nina said. "I want to be better than this and they remind me I wasn't. They call me a whore, as if that's the worst I did, but I do get why the demons are angry, and all the humans he hurt too. Besides, you're angry about it too, right? You can say it."

"Of course I am! No point swearing at you."

"So ... are you just tolerating me, or—"

"What is it with you? I can teleport and you spent weeks chasing me. You never even got close to finding this place. Tally that, shut up and sleep."

He turned over, and that was it.

"Sleep well," she said anyway.

She lay awake a long time after crawling under the blankets. It still smelled a little of Mugaro. It got her mind off of Azazel, and into a more grim direction. That night she dreamed of Mugaro's corpse frozen below an endless cape, right below her hands yet unreachable. Only Chris was on her side.

· · · · · · ·

October 5

· · · · · · ·

For the first time in over two years, El Mugaro got to eat breakfast with nur mother. Too bad it wouldn't be a cozy, but the castle of a tyrant. Still, ne bounced out of bed, hurried to dress, found Azazel away (he probably wouldn't breakfast in Charioce's place anyway) and hopped through the waiting unicorn's gate.

On the other side was a table with a rich breakfast, but also open sky and ruins. They were within the ruins of the amphitheater.

"Mugaro!"

Siem, Arai and Kiprio came running to pull nur into a side room. There ne was presented with a bucket of hair dye; not demon blood this time.

"We'll pretend you're just same random child, alright?" Arai said while Mugaro dyed. "Your mother said so when she arrived before."

Oh, of course. Kiprio proudly displayed a drying spell he had learned in school. Adva and Tipa's magic necessitated it, but they'd been learning lots of other stuff too.

All along they eyed the food that had been prepared; it wasn't the stuff scraped together in the slums. Nur mother must've brought things from the palace, and given the size she expected more than two eaters.

The children on the other hand expect such fancy things not to be theirs, all were so young they'd only ever known life under the yoke of humankind.

"You can eat already. Really, there's enough," ne said. "I'll go find mother."

Permission given they didn't waste a second; even with all nur healing powers, starvation had a way to settle in the bones.

Various demons and a few of Malphas's wards manipulated the rubble into new walls. Even a few artists were around, but ne passed over watching for spotting nur mother. Jeanne stood atop near a broken pillar, speaking with a small goddess.

Upon taking notice, she opened her arms and new fell into the hug. Warm, no longer desperate, more like before when they didn't fear the world. There were more hugs than ever before, they had a lot to catch up to.

"We won, it'll all get better now, right?" At those words her smile faltered a little, enough to know it wasn't all right yet.

"We'll make it so," she said. "It's why she is here."

She was a white haired goddess, young and donning a frilly blue and white dress; El Mugaro was pretty sure one of the friends Nina had made.

"Aurora, right? Nice to see you here," El Mugaro said.

"Oh, esteemed Jegudiel, it is an honor. We were not aware you were here," she said, before Jeanne discreetly nudged her.

"I came for my friends and I stayed for them too," ne said. "So why are you here?"

"I maintain the mausoleum of Vanaheimr and came to see how Nina was doing, and I appeared be expanded on my old job."

"We're going to replace the amphitheater with a mausoleum in honor of the victims of Charioce's reign. A monument to peace and reminder not to revisit our past," Jeanne said. "Heaven invokes the imago to reflect visions of all the fallen gods, perhaps you could help with this, dear?"

"I can only look at it, Rita and her mist can put it places," ne said, but Aurora was already nodding.

"I can handle that. I've seen much of what you've done, there are many uses for accessing imago magic. No offense to the esteemed archangel, but I cannot help but wonder why he never used such a talent much," Aurora said.

Ne just shrugged nur wings. Michael remained an opaque entity, and not one ne wanted to dwell on.

Taking Jeanne's hand, ne said, "Come, let's go eat before my friends leave nothing. Aurora, do you wanna join too?"

"No, I have eaten already on the expectation I'd leave soon. I shall be satisfied to work here." Aurora bowed and passed a gate of her own. El Mugaro hoped she wasn't avoiding demons.

Slower than normal, Jeanne and El Mugaro walked back. Once away from workers, she said, "How's Nina doing?"

"I'm not sure. We physically healed her, but I don't think everything's right. She looks a little like when Azazel did when he was so sick. I mean on the astral plane."

"I will keep an eye on her, but you too. As I see her, I cannot help but worry you try to hide pain too," she said. "And you haven't been able to talk for so long. I don't have much time, but please, tell me what you can."

So ne told her all about nur new powers, of the strange things ne saw, and eventually of the people around. She listened, she had nur look at her sword, and did not do a good job at hiding her worry.

"Mother, what's on your mind?"

"Well ... What did you think of Gabriel sending you out?"

"I wanted to go! I just don't like some other stuff, she was really strict. She taught lies sometimes."

"... if Merlin wasn't such a risk you would go to war again, wouldn't you?"

"Yes," El Mugaro said as firm as ne could. "Mother, please don't stop me. Only I have the ability to take down the zommorod plague."

"You're a child still," she said, doubtful already.

"So are a lot of the people dying, mother. Who have already died." Tears started to prickle in nur eyes.

That was enough for nur mother to pull nur closer. Ne embraced her in return, but between the sobs there wasn't an answer yet.

"It's been long, El. You're allowed to rest and grieve, you don't have to face more danger. Not right now. Don't jump at anything. Alright?"

Ne nodded against her shoulder, wanting to hear more than the uncertainty in her voice.

· · · · · · ·

Merlin stepped out of her gate, cautious still. Athos and Kaisar had arranged for a gap in guard patrols, small enough for her to slip by and work on a few spells in the hangar.

· · · · · · ·

Sofiel made an attempt to find evidence of Charioce's plans concerning Dromos in the financial management records, and all she determined was that human government was atrocious. If only dismantling Dromos wasn't such a priority, she'd fix it. Formally, that was the goal anyway.

Informally, Bahamut was coming and she needed a reason to keep Dromos intact without setting off Odin making an ill timed grab for power.

So she went to Augustin's little church to try contacting Gabriel. Turned out he had pacted with El Mugaro to become a hallow who really wanted to discuss the rewriting of sacred texts — which Sofiel did not recognize. There was a strange, unspoken doubt in the man's eyes when she told him not to bother and wait for all new instructions.

Gabriel would not be in favor of even more adjustments to religion. She promised nothing, but then the man expressed confusion over the rules against lust and Sofiel had to explain that under certain conditions, yes, heaven might have orgies and no, there wasn't a good reason why humans couldn't except health reasons. Then she had to explain STD. This barreled them right into why heaven didn't share its intense magic and technology for the sake of people's health; El Mugaro had told him ne wasn't the only healer and there were hospitals in heaven.

It took her an hour of answering questions before even getting to the topic of tuning into Gabriel's private channels, and then it turned out that Mugaro had overhauled the entire magical atmosphere of the church to enact healing music.

Using the god damned black bible. She'd have to rebuild her entire beacon just to be able to transmit.

This sent her back to the castle where she hoped the Manarians might have something, or one of the gods who would arrive on Valeria's behalf. A ship would do.

There was a ship just docking inside the hangar, perhaps—

Urlain stepped out. Perhaps not.

"Dalua Urlain, welcome. What brings you here?"

Urlain gestured out the window, across the river. There lay the mass of Dromos between castle and the remnants of the heavenly ship. Charioce had started taking the latter apart.

"Lady Gabriel sent me to reclaim our battle ship," ne said. Sofiel's heart sank. Any other time Gabriel would have passed that task to her.

"And to inquire after your plans, since you no longer deem it fit to inform our leader of it. Just why did you turn Jeanne d'Arc into a saint?"

Oh no, there it was. Sofiel stood straight and declared, "It was pertinent to our efforts to overthrow Anatae and as you can see, my was call was righteous. The stolen matter is ours to reclaim."

But of course, Urlain already knew this.

"You must understand we have concerns of her independence, especially after learning that she had brought Azazel to heaven, hid him, and we are fairly certain she sent her child with him. Our greatest defense against the evils of Charioce, vanished. Now Reinier edges into erratic behavior too by going along with this war while we struggle with Odin."

"Dalua Urlain, exactly for that reason we should not be at odds," Sofiel said. "Perhaps it will ease your mind to know that lord Michael supports Jeanne —"

"Oh, does he now? Do you have proof of this other than the birth of El?"

"Well, no, but it was three years later—"

"The afterworld is holy even to the purest of us," ne said. "I find it very difficult to believe he would contact Jeanne d'Ar and not lady Gabriel."

"The unicorn did it," Sofiel said, aware of how silly that sounded. This would probably be a bad time to mention ve was devouring zommorods as they spoke.

Urlain just raised an eyebrow. "Any other strong tales?"

Might as well. "The key chimera, Amira, astral projected out of Bahamut to warn us of its imminent return, and Charioce did something to prevent us all from sensing it."

"Ah, yes, that rumors seems to go around this castle. Apparently Ninati sprang it. Odin would have a field day with it, which would destabilize Gabriels's position. But perhaps not yours."

Sofiel just barely restrained the need to slap a hand to her face. "Why would you assume such of my intentions?"

"Perhaps you are just foolishly exploiting a sensitive situation. Perhaps that halo you gave yourself obscures your reason with pride."

Sofiel's eyes flicked up, seeing just the edge of the spiked circle. Oh dear. It appeared at intervals ever since she had sanctified Jeanne, so far without rhyme.

Halo did not obscure reason in any way, but of course, that's not what Urlain meant. Urlain saw independent behavior at a dangerous time.

They parted with only stiff congeniality, and more trouble on Sofiel's mind.

· · · · · · ·

Nina stepped out of the gate atop the Azazel's ruined church, accompanied by Aurora and a stack of papers. After jumping through the hatch she caught the bundle before taking note of her surrounding.

The closet had been shoved aside to make room in the middle, where one of the goats sat. A bag of treats was next to them, which got a smile out of Nina more than it did obedience out of the goat. Azazel looked sour while the goat's tail busied itself with cleaning its own wings.

"No luck? By the way, we have a visitor," she said. "She's a friend from Vanaheimr. Also Cerberus wants you to sign these. I have no idea what any of this means."

She dropped down the paperwork before catching two bags of food that Aurora tossed , so they got very crumpled.

Aurora hadn't moved form her spot, let alone did she come down.

"He won't bite," she said. "Or scratch or anything."

"Oh, I'm sure you'll be alright ... but well, because of him I did have to add a few people to the halls of memory."

Oh, right. Awkward. Spirits, that had gone so wrong. More than one life for hers.

Aurora excused herself quickly, so Nina did her best not to dwell and plopped next to the goat.

"She's going to make a mausoleum where the amphitheater stood. It was Jeanne's idea, or Cerberus's. I dunno whether they had the same idea at the same time. The papers are formalities cause Anatae's laws won't let demons be recognized as citizens, but they can be signed up as foreign visitors. Or refugees. Some folks from Valeria figured that out, so you're the leader. Want me to write out your name in local alphabet?"

But he just put the papers aside. "What was that about the mausoleum?"

"You know. The memorial. It works in the same way the bounty system does, something with imago, except it isn't put on papers but in light."

He looked away. "You understand your uncle is dead, don't you?"

"He met you. I know."

"There's something about that. I didn't want to do this already, but ... dammit. Come along."

He brought her had expanded far below the city, and Cerberus had set Arachna to work on hiding tunnels. They passed three such hidden doors before they arrived in the dungeons below the castle.

Nina's chest tensed as she stepped into the cramped tunnels. Worse than the caves of the slums. She itched to run, it stood out more when she wasn't on a power rush.

Get out.

She managed to stay. Her feet could move, but didn't. The world was frozen with her, if she moved more than steps it might get worse.

It wasn't like this before, why now? Nothing had changed.

When Azazel started talking it was a little better, but what he said was hardly pleasant.

"I didn't think about killing myself in the future," he said. "But I considered doing it in the past."

Oh no, he still wasn't altright even with Mugaro back. What could she even do to help?

"Why did that come up?" she whispered.

"He thought I'd gone soft because of you and Jeanne. He was wrong about why. You'd have learned from Aurora how I killed him, so I'm telling you now I still can."

He held open the door of a spacious but low hall. Between broken racks and bars lay a swarm of humanoid legs and arms, all zombified like Rocky. At Azazel's presence, they twitched into as much standing as they could.

"They're rooted in my magic, but Rita cast the spell and they don't obey yet the way my serpents do. Or the goats."

He sent one of those serpents into the nearest arm. "Shift."

At once, the arm transformed into a massive, familiar dragon leg. Purple and beige patterned, padded like her own.

An arm of Ladislao.

"If you remove a lost limb from the radius of transformation before the light breaks, it won't transform back," Azazel said. "An ordinary god or devil will permanently lose a limb if they are cut by a supernatural weapon. But the way your tribe uses transformation acts like reconfiguration."

He voice was dispassionate. Business as usual until he asked, "Can you hate him at least?"

"I ... "

He made other parts transform, filling the space with dragons legs at his command. All parts of those who'd hunted her down.

Her gut twisted, but she couldn't let it matter. During the weeks she'd tried to hunt down Azazel she'd seen a corpse or two. Most died quickly, a few were tortured to death. She hadn't felt anything bad about that because they were strangers to her. They had no faces living in her mind.

She made herself look at them. Her uncle's death hurt more than the others, one of whom she'd never even seen before the castle.

"I don't hate my uncle even now, but ... I'm trying not to care."

"So what about the blond brat who tried to kill you?"

"Allesand, I think? He was someone I knew, even if just by face. That made it like ... a person. A very annoying person, but he felt more real." She lost a hopeless little smile. "I guess that's why fate wanted me for XVII, it's that simple for me to care and forget."

Once words ran out the pounding of heart remained. The dragon didn't stir at all. Just one beat, and another. She couldn't tell whether she'd gotten stronger or weaker. She wanted out, but she had to stay or she wouldn't find out.

"Why'd you bring me here? You could've just told me this."

Now he faced her. "I hoped you'd get angry at last."

"I was angry before," she said. "I drove myself into becoming dragon by it. I broke the field, I helped the invasion ... and I got beaten down. I've got nothing left."

She sat down, elbows on knees to support her chin. Dispassionate, she watched the crawling humanoid limbs and the twitching dragon legs. "Nothing."

Azazel could look almost ugly when he was so contemptuous.

"What? You really thought bringing me here would make me hate him, or XVII? Then what about you? Even if I could just flick my hand and make myself feel hatred for bad people, I don't think I want to."

He scoffed. "I don't give a shit whether you hate me. If that's what it takes to get you rallied against him ..."

"What, you really want me to try hating just cause people kill?"

"You should."

"No. No, I can't. There's gotta to be another way to make my dragon self do what's right. Just steering my emotions different isn't good enough. Not like this," she blurted. "I don't want to hate you, I'd ... I'd throw a lot of myself away like that too."

"So you're going to stay like this forever, living with whatever shit others throw at you?"

"It's not happening, Azazel. I can't ... I don't tick like that. No matter how many people die, I can't fly on everlasting rage. No, I'm just going to ..."

Deep down, something escaped.

Her own laughter sounded unnatural to herself, feeble from disuse. She picked up one of Ladislao's arms, holding it up as if displaying.

"I always write letters to my mother, but I'd have to show this. Hello, mother, look who I brought home. Uncle. And uncle again. And look who is here! Uncle. He's a swarm of zombie limbs now, because Azazel killed him when he tried to carry out my boyfriend's command to murder me. Ex boyfriend, but the command already stood before I broke up with him. That's actually more likely to happen than me having a rage fit." She tossed the arm over her shoulder. "We should accept that I'm very bad at hating people."

"Fine, then find something else. Anything to make you kill him."

"Dumping him and blowing up his kingdom's as good as it's getting on emotions."

"How about rationality?" That word didn't sound right in Azazel's mouth, or her own for that matter. "Don't you have any damn standards?"

"I did raise my bar, but I just ran right into you."

"Then raise it further."

"Not happening, Azazel." Nina almost added she wasn't talking about the moral bar, but swallowed those words at the last second.

She might not hold it against Azazel — one beloved face walking around for murder was enough and she was secretly, morbidly grateful — but others would. Azazel understood that already because he hid these.

"Is Jeanne up there? I need to talk to Jeanne. Can you teleport me there?"

· · · · · · ·

Jeanne relieved Sofiel from duty, and she would have gone found herself another task had one not burst through a servant's door.

Ninati Navrátil had found her way into the castle somehow, with the urgent words, "I have to tell you something."

"Nina—" Jeanne started.

"Sofiel, I'm sorry I with held information that could've allowed us to ambush XVII. And Jeanne, I'm sorry I brought him to the slums while Mugaro was there."

"Apology accepted," Sofiel said. "Are you alright?"

"Is there anything else I did wrong?"

Jeanne hesitated before she said, "Well, yes ... You breaking up with Charioce before most of the government confirmed preexisting rumors about the king and the red dragon and I have no idea how to present the rebellion to the alliance now."

"Sorry. And I'm magenta."

"And you told them about Bahamut," Sofiel said. "I'm afraid to say it's cast us in a difficult position. Your credibility does not help, and well, we had reason to avoid the gods learning of this. We'd like to know what you—"

"I'm really really sorry for that too."

"Nina, I'm not angry. You didn't know. But you've been rash a number of times, and I wish you'd hold back a little until you can discuss your plans with others. I'd rather have you talk with us than apologies." Jeanne tried her best to sound soothing, but Sofiel could tell she was tired.

Nina cringed. "Yes, there actually is another thing ... uhm, how do I put this? You remember how I said I had bad taste in men? I ... uh ..."

"Is it about Azazel this time?" Jeanne asked.

Nina's smile was all too apologetic. "A little ... a lot."

That expression turned manic rather quickly. "Something's very wrong with me. Do you have time?"

"I'm sorry, I am more than busy," Jeanne said. "They expect me to manage the Orleans Knights and cover various duties as regent pro tempore. Will you be alright speaking with Sofiel instead?"

"Don't let me stop you, go save the kingdom!"

Jeanne threw Nina a thankful smile, while Sofiel gathered up energy to open a gate to her ship. Nina launched through it, just to freeze on the other side. Eyes wide she stared at the ship.

Sofiel had decorated her private quarters with curtains, lights and a ceiling to imitate the bronze sky above heaven. The floor was soft, all really a giant pillow, though there were higher spots to sit or lean on. It muffled sound even in a magical way, no staff or creature could listen in. Aroma filled it designed to calm. Ninati wasn't immune.

"It's lovely," she said. "You should design more of heaven."

Nina let herself drop on the floor and giggled when she bounced a little.

Sofiel took a seat, and Ninati collected herself to sit down opposite of her with an unusually serious, if forced expression. Sofiel almost felt like she herself was the one under scrutiny.

"What's wrong with me? I keep falling in love with mass murderers."

The second Sofiel resolved to help, visions took for like memories recalled. Ninati Navrátil was the hinge of a monstrous love triangle.

Holy sun and above. She could almost see mirages of the others standing by. On one side the human tyrant committing genocide on her own people, whom she herself had barely escaped alive from. On the other side Lucifer's right hand, a fallen angel who had waged bloody war on heaven. Put a relatively innocent girl in the middle and unbiased advice would be a challenge.

But Ninati had no use for Sofiel's tastes when she was full of bleeding wounds thanks to one side. What she had a need for was insight.

"Why did your halo just go all bright?"

"I am ... working, apparently. It helps me think. Now, when you asked me about whether you were in love, what did you expect to learn?" Sofiel asked.

Nina shrugged. "Whether it was real. If not, I'd just get over it like with other triggers."

"If I'm not mistaken romantic relationships aren't just new to your life, but you have a poor concept of it to begin with?"

"It's that obvious? Yes, I got left out of it at home. People outgrew me whenever I lost time, and besides, I can't do dragon style courtship. I had my fairytales, especially the real one of my mother and father. Unlike fear or anger, I didn't like having to flee from these feelings, I wanted this, so I danced to the poems and the legends, and it it people proved their love by great deeds of devotion.

In the stairway of fire the prince goes to ask a favor so he can prove himself worthy to marry the princess. I was going to tell Mugaro one version where it's for the entire earth, but it wasn't the version I cared for the most. I liked the version most where love was the conquest of trials in just one name, and then there the marriage like in all stories, and the perfect happily ever after.

Maybe my parents just looked perfect cause I knew so little. My mother hid the truth about my transformation from me for years, I never knew why ... what else did she hide? Maybe it wasn't perfect at all. So I don't know anymore. What to expect of romance. Chris... I mean, XVII is ... whom he is, and I think I also like Azazel, but it's so different. I don't know what to make of either. What is true, what matters the most?"

Nina clutched at her bracelet. A bounty hunter's bracelet. How had Hamsa arrived here? Oh well, that could wait.

"If you feel it then it is real, but that doesn't mean it's meaningful or healthy. A feeling does not constitute the entirety of a relationship, there are so many other things to it too."

"Oh, I know that now. I accidentally compared him to Azazel, and that set a few things in contrast. For example, Azazel was bad at talking at first, but he got better while XVII, well, he talks about himself a lot, but not really with me. It was when we had breakfast on a pretty balcony, I had a nice dress and he looked great, and it wasn't enough. It wouldn't last me to have only an aesthetic and a hobby. We can't just be the prince and princess, we have to be people too, right?"

Nina might know, but she didn't understand enough. All her baggage lay on her back unrecognized. Without clear source, Sofiel heard the echo of Nina's own voice, That's all I get? My destined love is based on a hobby, and in return, I just have to survive him?

Noted facts to Nina, but buried under the greater crisis.

"I commend you for knowing you deserve more, but it concerns me that this is what has made your hope for Charioce run dry. Your lack, rather than what you do receive from Charioce. It is more than just having to survive him the way you survive an avalanche or a fall. What did he do to you that you don't want in a loving relationship?"

Sofiel didn't actually need to be told. In between what she'd heard since her arrival in Anatae and Jeanne's stories of life on the labor camp she knew enough. Did Nina?

"Uhm, why is this important? Does it help me change into a dragon better? I mean, people are dead because of it, and Azazel's been through hell. Well, you know what I mean. All because I spared XVII. He is like that, I know, but when it was just us outside of the kingdom he's so courteous. I just want to know what's wrong with me to stop thinking about him."

"There is something wrong with you, but it is not your fault. You did nothing to deserve slavery and starvation, or even a kill on sight threat. Nina, you are in an abusive relationship."

"I broke up with him. And he never did anything bad to me during the dating, it's all the rebellion versus kingdom stuff."

Oh beloved order, there it was. She didn't cling to her fairytale by excusing his evil, but tried to see it as a tragic story of beloved enemies that stood as star crossed equals. Discontent as she was with her lot, she didn't fully accept her lack of agency.

"In heaven we do not let loved ones oversee prisoners no matter how much we trust them because of the inherent power dynamic, a concern well beyond favors. Even at the kindest intention, it would scar a relationship. Charioce XVII has engaged with you both personal and in name of his grander scheme. So he has done his harm through his political rank, what of it?

To be a leader of nations is to engage with others within a greater framework of the power within a smaller relationship," Sofiel said. "One does not need to exploit that advantage. Whom I appoint reflect much of my values and inclinations, even if they are not me. As one ruler about another, Charioce XVII's reign is nothing but abuse of power. You are his victim. He owned you and starved you and threatened you. Whether or not he did so on a domestic or legal level does not matter. You know Chris and Charioce are one, so you must accept that there isn't princess Nina and rebel Nina who stand separate with the wounds."

Nina pulled her legs up so she could hide her face behind her knees. It wasn't unusual for a victim to refuse to acknowledge they had been abused; the idea they lacked that much power was frightening.

"Well, I did try to assassinate him—"

"You responding to the suffering of others with defense is no excuse for the abuse you suffered. Caring for yourself isn't selfish, and you can be angry over what he's done to you. It might even make you stronger."

"Azazel just said something like that, but that just drove home my problem. My uncle tried to kill me so Azazel killed him, and showed me the remains of him and the other three. It was only my uncle I felt really bad about. I looked at those pieces, and forgot what he'd done to me. I'm telling you, something's wrong with me. At the same time, I can't resent Azazel for killing my uncle. I know what he did too, and I don't care enough either. He's killed many too. I'll lose my mind," Ninati said more frantic with each word. "The fate of the world hinges on my romance and everyone I'm in love with is into torture and mass murder, and I can't trust my feelings."

"We're not talking of the world right now. Whatever issues you had with Azazel pale compared to what problems exist with Charioce." Sofiel took her hands. "Maybe your heart is confusing, so train and trust your mind. Your feelings are not all you are."

Sofiel set Nina's hands together, and brought forth her magic. "Let me show you what I see within you : little selfishness. Less than is good for your survival."

From their hands a light shone that unfolded in a flower of butterfly wings, translucent, shimmering in Nina's pink light.

"How can it look like this when I love horrible people? It's not even just Azazel and XVII, there's more ..."

"Your feelings cannot be a sin or virtue, only your actions can be. This may lie at the root of it, but in itself it is nothing to feel shame for." The edges of the petals were sharp for that reason, and grew wider. Placed within context of the world, her love had the potential to cause great harm, or to unite against it. There was no one answer even as simple as she was. "You're trying to grow kindness into compassion, that earns you love from some and scorn from others. Romance alone does not define that, nor whether you find comfort in the darkness. What will you do with it?"

"And what do you think I should do?"

"I cannot command you, only wish. You deserve to explore what you need in peace, without the weight of the world on your shoulders. If you cannot escape what exists between you and Charioce, or Azazel, then take this question : what are they doing with their love for you? If you bring together your light, will anyone burn out or exalt? Will you?"

"It might be easier if you showed me theirs."

"I would not even if I could, not the way you are still. You tend to smile away your pain too easily by looking others ways, I will not add to that."

"It's just to see what could've been. I'd like to know whether mine was any similar to XVII's, or whether it was all fate's machinations."

"Perhaps if he had not been king or you had never gotten involved with the rebellion, you might have had a healthy relationship," Sofiel said. "But that did not happen, so whatever I say I would affirm its need to exist in a world where you cannot undo the harm he caused you. This man who owned you once and aims for your life out of inconvenience, has he ever even done anything to express remorse? The barest morsel you could ask for?"

She laid the flower in Nina's hands, who held it closed. The roots grow out across her arms, sprouted further until they left a crown on her head. Just dimly, Sofiel imagined a flame over her head.

"Is he worth this? Is he worth you?"

Nina sat back, letting herself sink deep into the pillows as she held her gift closer, a mirage less so than insight. The magic dissolved in her. It wasn't only relief that brought tears to her eyes and shaky sobs to her shoulders. It would be a long time before she was better, but tears might be her first step.

At at that thought, something clicked right into Sofiel. Her own first step, there was no going back now from her own new direction. It was right to be this way, a goddess of something other than faith, and at the same time felt so wrong by heaven's creed.

· · · · · · ·

Kaisar and Athos peered over the guard plans together. Jeanne had entrusted him and Dias with overseeing order within the castle and warned them not to let the other two kingdoms meddle to much. It was a convenient to excuse for certain changes to patrols.

· · · · · · ·

October 6

· · · · · · ·

Olivia's tools measured things Rita could not read. Out of frustration she turned to her other project : what the hell were the zommorods? It was Belphegor's project, more technical than medical, so she only focused on the gaps Belphegor lacked : organic knowledge.

The people who made the collars never had a problem with the rocks latching onto them, so something had been different there. Just, what was it?

Rocky could practically fly now, but at the same time every use of that damn rock blackened him more. Without a host body to gain something from, he wouldn't last long. Sheesh, what was Kaisar's problem? He better get his ass back here.

When given a pen Rocky revealed Kaisar had received a spell instruction to form orbs better, which built on preexisting qualities. That was their best shot for experimenting right now.

Rachel and a few of her Smaragd Guard volunteered to help. Lining up six of them in a secluded cave, Rita set them over a stolen piece of Dromos — sure was handy to be able to sent a zombie arm into the river, have it turn into a dragon claw, and toss a pried off piece of Dromos close to the river bank. Rock stood atop of it to give directions.

The Smaragd Guard managed to produce a very shaky sphere over the material.

The black matter bulged up, but stopped. At Rachel's poking, it spiked and moved like ferrofluid, albeit less rounded. Straight green lines crossed it, but it would not take new shapes.

"It's like I should be able to control it, but I'm not giving it the right instructions," Rachel muttered.

"Are the shards in your arms asking for instructions?" Rita asked.

Rachel shook her head. "Not one wit. This one's different."

They kept going until Belphegor came to ask, again, just to be disappointing, again.

"We figured out a lot of things that it's not," Trismegistus said. "We're not learning strictly speaking new things. And to be honest, all we're doing now is teach Rachel my alchemic control tricks. You can stop peaking in every time you're between tasks."

"I wish you hadn't taken on a tribe," Rita said. "The more thinkers we have the more progress we could make."

Belphegor stared at the writhing mass for a bit, then at Rachel and said, "Kolraun, could we perhaps combine your plant magic? Make a pact with Rachel. Could you?"

"Maybe, but I'm busy with the food supply. Cerberus already planned out everything to do, and she's understaffed. Though, if she could skip hunting down food ... "

· · · · · · ·

The minister of commerce had to approve new market additions to be breached. One didn't just go to another kingdom and trade there, all was regulated very tightly. So when the man got a request in inexperienced words for a demonic market right here in Anatae, he declined.

Of course, there was no king to add authority to this anymore, but in absence of such, the ministers still worked. Both the kings of Manaria and Valeria insisted they continue their work as before; their objections to Charioce's reign differed right now, but their support of the continental alliance did not. Anatae had to remain functional.

That left the demons with growing homeless numbers and not enough food. During Olivia's reign they'd plundered the lower city or tried to grow their own gardens, both beyond its limits now demons in the castle and upper city had been liberated. Jeanne spent an hour arguing with the minister to approve the trade with no success, and no support from anyone more experienced in the commerce field.

So she stepped on her unicorn and returned to Valeria, where the small demon town around the mines did have permission to trade.

The town was still as quiet as when Lucifer had moved in. Neither Arligau nor Mirin were in the vicinity, though after some searching she found Arligau in a relatively new building, surrounded by papers while a younger demon translated human writing for vun.

She expressed her concerns, and was swiftly informed that with the war, all resources had gone to the army and they were barely scraping by, but yes, technically there could be trading route. Just, ve saw no point in it, you see, Lucifer was still here. Had the tension escaped her?

No, but she hadn't dwelled on it.

Lucifer hadn't said anything but they all felt it. His plan had always been to wait until humans burned themselves out on Dromos before striking. Now he did the waiting a little closer to the source and he just happened to control the nexus. And she had an excuse to go talk to him, so she descended into the mines.

His room was still in the same place. At her knock a mundane, "Come in" sounded, poorly fit to the power.

He didn't even look up from his book. "Did you have a good reason to disturb me?"

"I've been looking for Cerberus's companion, Coco," Jeanne said. "She has been cooperative, but suspicious for his disappearance in my presence, I would like to appease her. Are you perhaps aware of his whereabouts, or should I begin checking slave traders?"

"How strange," Lucifer said. "Cerberus is one of the very best teleporters, and with their small size her dogs may take multiple leaps without exhaustion. Have you considered the dog died?"

"She would have noticed, I'm sure. I believe they share a soul?"

"So, you have been told. You are doing quite well connecting with demons, does that not concern you?"

"I have come to believe that demons do not embody sin," she said. "Your right hand, Azazel, has himself made a strong case for it. Not merely through deed, but though magical evidence."

"You take that in so easily. I see why someone like you would appeal to Michael," he said. "An unwritten slate with the right potential. He would not need much effort to make himself your everything, and now you cling to what other angels give you in his stead."

The way he said that would have had her burst out in defense of Michael, had this one been anyone else. She pressed her lips together, his words free to fester.

"If you like scraps so much, perhaps I should give you one too. Walk with me," he said. "We must discuss something anyway. You see, I found a familiar face."

Without hurry, he led her into one of the unused mining tunnels. The unicorn followed at a tense distance.

At the end of his chosen tunnel, Coco lay in chains at the very end, shivering like a leaf. Just as Jeanne would run ahead, the unicorn pressed vun nose in her back, urging her to stay put.

"Cerberus has failed to tell me a few things," he said. "I wonder whether there is more."

"I swear, lord Lucifer, she sent me out to find Jeanne, I simply wasn't able to report back! I—" Lucifer's power flared invisibly and Coco burst into golden flames, sending howls of agony echoing.

"Now now, we've been over this. Lying is no good," Lucifer said the fire diminished. Coco could only whimper on the ground.

"Lord Lucifer, it's true. He stayed to advise me when I dealt with political upheaval in heaven and to aid with the evacuation," she said. "After sustaining injury the unicorn crafted that new body. He hasn't been able to teleport since then."

"That appears to match what he told me." He faced her with a dim smile. "But you see, I consider it lying to leave. things. out."

"I did not—"

"I meant your beast too. One cannot be part of this without seeing a little. Whether this little dog, or your patron deity. But I do not need to be told because once my sworn siblings all have let me down when they turned a blind eye to the crimes of Apólytos Deus Mortis. The fate of the human child, Miguel, was but the last straw of a long line of depravities. Have any of your new angels told you what was the beginning of my rebellion?"

"I know scarcely who Apólytos even is," Jeanne said. Sofiel had told her a little about her when mentioning political foundations, but a lot of the laws were beyond her expertise.

He pointed at the unicorn. "Have you noticed the similarities between that horn and the zommorods?"

"Yes, it's similar to the power of Dromos, but without the injuring properties."

"Dromos is merely the name of its weapon state. The true source grows upon Kujata," he said. "An old relic from a world gone by, that we cannot rebuild anyway. The unicorns were persistent to try anyway. Holy only because the new world can interpret them as little more than that, but then again, there is no such thing as spiritual holiness."

He flicked his hand at the unicorn, throwing dark force across the tunnel. The unicorn cried out, a long even sound as ve buckled through vun knees. Lucifer's clawed hand held Jeanne in her place.

"When Apólytos Deus Mortis discovered that the unicorns drew from the same power as the accursed force of Dromos, she ordered them slaughtered," Lucifer said. "At the time I agreed with her judgment in public, but in silence questioned it. My first question. The last time I do so, it was her sentence of a cursed boy whose only friends could be the demons. Between that innocence and this monstrous being that is nevertheless also innocent, all meaning of holiness and purity died."

He flicked his wings and the green force broke from the horn, twisting and morphing into solid matter full of eyes, horns and bones.

"The only thing truly pure is Kujata, one who bears yet is protected against the world. The more complicated a system becomes, the more integral failure and pain are. It needs destruction."

"Do you believe that is why Bahamut destroys?" Jeanne asked, more accusatory than the fear that crawled into her gut. She'd rather demand he stop this right now.

"I do not care to philosophize over the inevitable. When we arrived on this world, Bahamut behaved first and then it did not," he said. "Should it come to my doorstep, I will retaliate. Its reasons are destruction, that is all."

The unicorn cried out again, head pulled to the ground under the weight of malformation.

"And you, dear saint, have given yourself to another god you do not understand. I thought perhaps you should try educating yourself before you come to me about what I do."

Finally, he dropped his hold on the unicorn.

"Be polite when someone gives you valuable knowledge."

Through gritted teeth, she said, "Thank you for the information, lord Lucifer."

The claws stopped digging in her shoulder. "Well then, I better go home."

As soon as he'd teleported away, Jeanne was at the unicorn's side.

The pulsing force didn't feel venomous like Charioce's variant, so she tried conducting its flow. The unicorn didn't want it sent away, but rather inward. Already restoring vunself, Jeanne could do little more than aid. It was met with gratitude, and ... satisfaction?

Once the unicorn was back on vun feet, Jeanne manifested Joyeuse to cut Coco free, only to realize the poor dog was gone too. Lucifer must've taken him.

The unicorn bristled, letting her know it would take time to recover. No answer to what ve truly was, or desired. As if she was alone.

· · · · · · ·

When Azazel entered Cerberus's lair with a few freed demons, he found it strangely empty. After getting Al Miraj to escort the newcomers somewhere better, he called Mimi out. She informed him they might have a way to find Charioce happening in Rita's laboratory. On the way there, Mimi explained that to work around Merlin's ability toe rase raw scent trails — Azazel suspected she'd riffled through Martinet's files, or he'd learned from her — they were going to cobble together various magic.

Rita had used equipment that Belphegor had snatched from Olivia's workshop under the amphitheater, somehow, to knit together different magic styles. When prodded, Rita also explained a lot of the stuff was observatory and did similar as Mugaro, but while it could see less, it registered more and in terms of use unlike Mugaro's untranslatable senses. They'd put Mugaro's access, Sofiel's interpretation and Cerberus's identification together in one spot, leaned heavily on each member's magic sensing abilities, and directing it at a specific topic.

Azazel expected some item relevant to Charioce, but it was Nina. Specifically, using Nina's goddamned thing for him.

She stood alone in the middle of a cave, the walls lined with junk machines and sizzling vials. Mugaro waved at him before turning attention back to a glass sphere in which Cerberus twirled magic, while Sofiel quietly argued with Rita.

Belphegor sided up to him, that excited look on her face. "I'd never have imagined we might be combining different magic through technology, isn't it amazing?"

"We might have to fight Charioce soon, focus on that."

"Oh, we will. Everyone useful is on their way already, but this might take a while. We're still tinkering. You better sit down.

He didn't sit down. The other continues working, and grew bored quickly. So was Nina.

Eventually he tried to go into trace to summon his goats. Without aid it didn't work so well — something about energy channels — and the most he got through was that the goats had to come here.

Like fog they slipped into the cave. Nina in her boredom coaxed them nearer. He left them free to do so, just training his link to them without zoning out. Nina was relentlessly soft with the creatures, ruffling their fur and letting them bump against her. Like nothing was wrong.

She was probably distracting herself again with happiness.

"I think I'm seeing something," Rachel said, picking at nothing in the air close to Nina.

All but Rita at the controls came closer.

"Maybe we should have some black bible mist across the city regardless," Belphegor said.

"No, if the fog rises they'll be suspicious. I'll carry the black bible and we'll take a local mist. Can your water shapers achieve that?"

"They're with me now," Mugaro said. "Mimi, could you call them?"

Making this crap work involved so many people, it barely seemed useful at all. Get a move on it already.

Once they had the mist going, the humans technically saw more, but it wasn't useful because of course.

"I might be seeing something, but it's really," Rachel said.

"Me too," Mugaro said.

Cerberus sniffed, then glared at him. "Get out of here. Take your stupid mind linked goats. You're standing in the way."

Begrudging, he found a wall outside to lean against. That's where Favaro found him. "What are you doing out here?"

"Mugaro, Cerberus and that pink angel are combining powers to track down Charioce through Nina. My hatred for him is so powerful it gets in the way."

"Really? I'm pretty sure the pink one's a goddess of love. Cerberus has been complaining her being here is like an airhorn hollering, community relevant, employ. I bet that's cause love's pretty handy for community, and if you're being also loud ..."

Favaro had always been weird, not to mention a liar. "Don't waste my time with your nonsense."

"Yeah, you're worse than Kaisar."

"Don't compare me to that nitwit!"

The door burst open. Nina frantically looked around, surrounded by a hazy kind of chain.

"It worked? What does it look like?" Cerberus asked. "I only smell something."

"Just a red thread," Favaro said. "Hey, anyone else seeing a red thread?"

"Yep," Rachel said, and the rest of the Smaragd Guard tuned in; most of the humans did, for some reason.

"What do you see?" Azazel asked Nina.

"Butterflies," she whispered, her other hand covering her stomach. "Red butterflies."

She seemed to snap out of a trance and declared, "Guys, I'm going to run as fast as I can. Keep up with me."

· · · · · · ·

Merlin woke up to a nightmare turned prophecy. For the first time since her betrayal of fate, she received a clear vision : the red dragon leader the enemies right here.

"Everyone! Wake up! We have to leave, now."

She practically threw her magic into a gate. Charioce was on his feet right away, followed by his knights, but the old Chabrol and the forest dragon took longer.

"How do you even know that?" Chabrol grumbled.

"I had a clear vision," she said, locking eyes with the forest dragon. "Though I not know why."

The old dragon just raised an eyebrow. "I guess fate's getting desperate."

"We will simply speed up the process," Charioce said.

This wasn't part of the plan. They were supposed to detonate at a quiet night hour, when the Orleans Knights had commanded an inspection to keep as many forces away. They should have had a quarter of an hour or more before someone noticed the lack of patrols, now they would run into people.

The Onyx Knights extended their blades. Still Merlin opened the gate to someone secluded, and let them pass into the castle's hangar quietly.

They killed everyone on their way to preserve silence. She stepped over the corpses, and sternly reminded herself of how many had died because of her own betrayal, just like more would die if Bahamut got to run free. This didn't matter. It was nothing compared to everything else.

It had to be.

· · · · · · ·

Chris had made sure to have his helmet on today. At least that was going according to plan, unlike everything else. He'd have liked to leave a nice note to Manaria about forgiving them for defecting everything would be clear later, but maybe it was a tad too late to be forward.

The hangar was cramped with ships of three kingdoms and a bunch outside. Some were skybeasts, all unruly with the sudden commotion. Good. Bombs would detonate the ships, and the beasts going rampant would cause the rest of the necessary destruction. Nobody would be able to follow them.

Once they were outside anyway.

Merlin was in the middle of enchanting the area to prevent gates and teleportation when she announced, "The followed us by tuning into a random location nearby. They must have someone with the ability to cast gates too, and one hell of a beacon."

One of the main gate hinges dropped and a goat's head peaked out. The scratching at the door continued. Black snakes started writhing through the crevices, until a black and white hand wrenched through the metal until the bar lifted.

The gates didn't fall, they exploded into the hangar. Merlin had to drop her work and redirect them to the side through gates. The sheer noise would alert the castle of the castle.

The group that entered was just small, Azazel, Favaro, some pink haired angel, a few old women and ... wait ...

Before he got a good look, the floor exploded.

Both Azazel's monsters broke out of the floor, but they didn't attack. They made way for ... oh, wonderful. A few dozen disembodied zombified limbs all turning into dragon parts.

His Onyx Knights hurled spheres right away, but there were so much some barreled past. One got squashed under the sheer weight. And he already was running so low on Onyx Knights, now he had just four.

"Captain, retreat onto the ships and give the command to move out!"

"But your majesty—"

"You will only get in my way."

He charged up his sword; a show when his intent was to start a line of spheres instead.

The monsters all hurled at him, he caught every single one — he was the chosen one for a reason, none could control this power with his finesse — and threw them back. He followed, using the chaos to dive at their master. Without Jeanne Azazel was an easy target, and he wouldn't be fooled by Favaro again—something slipped around his arm and jerked him sideways.

He saw a glimmer of pink before Azazel shoved a knife through the crevice of his helmet. He just barely managed to twist away so it hit his already blind eye. On sheer instinct he exploded power out of his hand anywhere near, throwing back his attacker.

That worked, though the use made him hazy enough to need a moment to recollect himself. Azazel bleed not enough to stay down.

The dragon limbs crowded up around them.

"You did this?" Chris said. "I thought you'd gone weak."

"He actually did." That wasn't the voice he wanted to hear again. The distraction. "Bet it still doesn't fit your measurements."

Nina stood partway between him and his target. Chris flashed back to that time her saw her mirage in the illusionary mist, surrounded by enemies with only herself bright. She hadn't wanted to kill him then, and still didn't want to now. He could see it.

But Azazel had more than enough hatred to do it in her stead, and she wasn't going to stop him.

"Fair enough," he said.

Time for duty alone.

His five ships moved out, but not fast enough. The zombies sustained damaged from his power, but shifted back into their old shape after transformation. There were so many, his knights couldn't catch them all. Just seconds till they'd be whole.

"Merlin, detonate."

"The hangar isn't empty yet—" she said somewhere behind the wall of limbs.

"Now. Emphasis on your demonic power."

"Very well, your majesty."

Merlin set her pipe to her lips. The smoke she released sped throughout the hangar. Explosive circles set alight with mossy green power as Merlin chanted. Azazel sent out an array of serpents to gather all his allies close, his beasts joining the shield.

Chris let his own blood flow, it expanded almost as fast is Merlins's power. Through it he surrounded his five designated ships with a field of power, pushed the taxing pain back. Merlin's smoky magic filled the hangar on its beat. Everything incinerated like the blaze of hell itself, save his ships.

Merlin let go of her magic and opened a gate for the both of them. He afforded himself one look back, but couldn't determine whether Nina lived.

Time to fold that feeling for good.

Chabrol met him on the other end. "Did you succeed, your majesty?"

"Yes. We should have no pursuers. You may thank Merlin."

But she'd already wandered off to a window.

He cast a final look at his work too. Next time he saw it, it'd like be in war or wiped off the map by Bahamut's fire. Didn't matter, it'd be rebuilt. He'd made sure of his legacy.

"The barrier around the lower part of the city is fading," she said. "Why?"

"Does it matter? There is only one thing left to do now."

Her hand clenched against the window. "You really will go through with this without warning anyone?"

"It is my destiny," he said. "Any act I take therefore is in accordance with destiny, is it not?"

"... yes. It must be so. Or you would have listened to me before."

· · · · · · ·

Arachna dithered on her thin legs, but worked fast. With Charioce having left the city, she was more willing to go out during daylight. Silly thing was rather paranoid. Cerberus and Mimi stayed with her all along — this was totally not out of anxiety about crew members going missing and Coco would show up soon.

Arachna had been worked to the brink when Olivia had driven her, which made for a shoddy job. That wouldn't do when all these flammable webs had to vanish entirely. Nobody else could touch them without getting stuck, at least until Belphegor showed up with Trismegistus for testing options.

Trismegistus took a sample of a fresh thread and did her weird magic, while Belphegor reported, "We found no indication of what the barrier was made of : no circles, no trace remnants of beacons, nothing. Only Jeanne's word it was made of human magic somehow."

Trismegistus set a new thread on creamy fire. "This on the other hand is crude in comparison. The barrier was so strong, she didn't need the threat to avert invasion. What's the point of keeping hostages when you make no demands?"

"Maybe Olivia didn't think the barrier would last," Belphegor said. "They were allies, right? Not master and follower?"

Cerberus leaned on her strange power to find out, inspiration told her yes. But that was about it, and only for Olivia's side. Angra Mainyu didn't show up in anything. She might as well not exist, which was bizarre when she had so much impact on the community. There should be something to detect.

Nothing, just a hollow, but hollows weren't curious.

· · · · · · ·

That night, Favaro scourged the crowded underground until he found a lake cold enough to avoid population. Arachna had made doors to the tunnels, which he all closed.

Then he waited. Amira did not show up, but someone else blinked into sight : the elusive Angra Mainyu, her wings expanded all the way to the walls.

"Hello there. Seen Amira by any chance?"

"Her astral projection is cancelled." The dry voice did not echo at all, and it was only the magic in the water that responded to the chains. This creature wasn't truly here.

"Yours isn't. Anything you could fix about hers?"

"That old dragon interfered by disgracing her, a trick. Unfortunately."

"Really? Sounds pretty fortunate to you. Lowering that barrier only now ain't helping us. Why did you?"

"I am little more than a hole in the world," Angra Mainyu said. "I made a hole for the humans to fill."

"You mean it was human magic powering the barrier?"

"The excess magic humans emit that otherwise would go to heaven or hell, kept here by unwitting pact with the king."

"Really? I'm supposed to believe Charioce willingly pacted with a demon?"

"No. Once again, I am a hole in the world and I match well with other holes. Chris does not hate, neither do I. All I have to do is be near."

"Oh, I see. You are the demon of indifference, aren't you? No wonder you didn't care Olivia died," Favaro said. "So how does that mesh with you being curious?"

Somehow the mouthless creature chuckled, if the cracked rasp could be called that. "A seer. I don't need to practice my nature anymore than Furfur needed to feel either hope or despair to be a demon of either. That is not the kind of sense the system magic, it wasn't made for by your logic."

"So, what are you curious about? What is was made for?"

"Beauty flaws."

"Well, we got lots of beauty to offer," Favaro said. "I don't like you poking at some of it though."

"Indifference is a hole that spreads or retreats and I see where your lines lie quite well, even if what lies within is out of my reach.

Azazel once was so well at indifference to all suffering, including his own.

Belphegor a wholly different kind, already so full of love but steering it scarcely useful.

Cerberus, indifferent to her own potential as she floats in the void.

And you, indifferent to almost all except those few you love. Your border creeps.

El Mugaro, never indifferent about what matters, but a child who understand so little. And then there is Ninati, so far from indifferent, but once so ignorant and shortsighted she might as well be indifferent."

"She's gonna prove that wrong," Favaro said. "And I'm gonna prove fate wrong. A perfectly planned world would not need machinations to steer and defend it, so there's something to worth unraveling. What I can't figure out is where you stand."

"With sea and sand, with Bahamut and Kujata beyond the fading judgment of El Elyon."

And of course, to be dramatically appropriate she vanished right there.

· · · · · · ·

In the middle of the night, a gate opened into the castle. Out stepped Nina, Aurora and some angel acquaintance of hers, who Nina had seen around but never managed catch the name of. She was rather good at directions though, allowing Aurora to gate them right where they had to be : princess Anne's bedroom.

Aurora lit a small star in her hands, revealed the firmly sleeping princess.

Nina shook her shoulder. "Hey, Anne, remember me?"

Anne's bleary eyes open. With a yelp, she sat up. "Nina?"

"The one and only ... well, as long as we're talking about magenta draconic Ninas."

"I'm not supposed to talk to you," she said. "How did you even get in here?"

"Really? Why not?"

"You're a rebel and your boss has very dubious recruitment methods," Anne said. "Honestly, I ought to sound the alarm right now."

"Please don't, I just wanted to see whether the old woman's okay. I saw how everyone hated the zombies, and remembered her. This is Aurora and her friend, who goes by Magedou ... sorry, what was that again?"

"Magedatidot," ve said happily. "And we're looking for Klarimiani, the revived mother of Chris XVII."

"The who now?" Anne said.

"Charioce's mom. Also, Azazel's not my boss."

While Aurora opened another gate to an empty servant passage — Magedatidot somehow knew there were was a restrive ward around the room now — Nina explained to Anne what she knew of the woman and could she please please take care of the poor lady who was probably going to have a crisis about being demon souled?

"Uhhh ... why is there a restructive barrier around her if she's harmless?"

Aurora's light sizzled out. When she took a step back she could light it again. "It's anti divine magic took. A circle around the room."

"Powered by a small zommorod mechanism by someone in the room below," Magedatidot added. "You can go in if you don't use magic."

"Got it."

Anne hesitated still, but when Nina went ahead alone she followed.

The door creaked open to a room with just one candle. Klarimiani still sat at her loom, weaving quietly, but her threads had darkened.

"Good evening, are you okay?" Nina asked. "Did you hear about the change of government yet?"

The woman's hands dropped. "How could I not? The servants say they'll get rid of me soon."

Nina pushed Anne forward. "This is Anne, she's very nice, she'll make sure you're okay. Bye now."

"Don't you dare!" Klarimiani snapped.

Now she turned to Nina in full, the changes to her stood out. She'd been zombie pale before, now a darkened sheen and pale lines covered her skin, and her eyes had darkened so much, her pupils barely stood out.

Anne stepped back, her hand filling with magic. Nina quickly got in the way.

"Don't. It's okay, she's not aggressive. Right?"

Klarimiani just shook her head. "You don't know what you're talking about. We don't either."

"We?"

"Her and Furfur," Magedatidot said. "You should explore that change of perspective more."

"I don't need to be told that by whatever you are," Klarimiani spat. "Your kind has only made things more difficult for the world. Find some other refuge. We know."

Nina and Aurora shared a confused look.

"You are closer to me than to this world." Magedatidot reach a hand out. "That much is true, but perhaps you are so close you cannot see it all. Come and see with us. Or will you end up like Satan and Zeus, consumed by a little girl?"

Klarimiani, or whatever else was in there, closed her eyes. Her fists clenched.

Anne just sighed. "I feel another world breaking conflict coming up. Fine, I'll see what I can do for her."

· · · · · · ·

October 7

· · · · · · ·

Jeanne still wasn't back by morning. Had the pact now allowed her to sense her welfare, she would have gone to Valeria. Instead, she went to Vanaheimr.

Lines and lines of ships surrounded the island. She recognized the models from Asgard, Olympus and Kunlun, but some she could not place. It was to her best hope most of those were in support of Gabriel's rule.

The capital itself buzzed with noise behind doors while the streets were empty. Sofiel called her secretary, got a link onto the forums's hotspots, and didn't even know where to begin. Instead, she created a screen to speak with Bacchus.

"Oh, lady Sofiel—"

"Bacchus, update!"

"The rumors broke that Bahamut's going to return," Bacchus said. "Odin almost made a motion of no confidence, though I talked him out of it."

"At this point we might benefit from heaven having proof of Bahamut's return as soon as possible. Charioce escaped with five warships and sabotaged our means of pursuit. We need to send an army to Eibos right away, doesn't matter which."

"Uh, Odin's plans are more like claiming control of Dromos and that's it. He isn't sure himself Bahamut's actually coming, he just thinks Charioce is overreacting to an actual sign that Gabriel might have overlooked."

"So he has no plan?"

Gabriel would at least be reasonable once she had evidence.

"Hey, what's going down below there? Did you see Hamsa?" Bacchus asked.

"Yes, of course."

"Why did the Magedatidot bring him down there?"

She'd like to know that too. "I have no idea, and it's of no importance now. We must arrange to storm Eibos. Lady Gabriel is still here, right?"

"She was negotiating with Kunlun a while ago, but she should be back."

She disconnected.

What few gods could teleport far distances had become scarcer during the recent war, but she herself had gained distance the more she had embraced her wayward nature. Given enough forces, she would be able to face Charioce. She just needed the extra ships. She just—

A guard approached to declare, "Lady Gabriel requests you."

Just needed to get this over with and have Gabriel see reason apparently.

She went to the lopsided golden lake, and found Gabriel alone on a floating platform. The light had dimmed a little, and the atmosphere was sour. Slow, Gabriel stood up.

"Sofiel."

"Lady Gabriel."

"What precisely have you been up to lately? Make your case."

"Lady Gabriel, we must have more saints or hallows. We could have stopped him if Jeanne wasn't the only one there to lead a charge! Instead, damned Azazel summoned a problem and and all of Anatae once again looks at demons as the enemy."

"That is only the natural order," Gabriel said. "We must return order to the world, one where there is no room for pledges with the hell born. It is already troublesome enough that you recorded them into our justice system as victims — Charioce did not need further crimes to implicate him. Your sympathy for creatures whose very being encourages them to instill fear and hatred in humans is most worrisome."

"I have my reservations about that too, believe me," Sofiel said. "However, I find that loose of such endeavors demons can be reasoned with. They have been useful for our cause, critical even. It was a demon who took down the generator under the castle that kept us from teleporting in, and there are more yet."

"I've heard it was one of our dragon allies that did so," Gabriel said. "They are not the same as the hellborn."

This wasn't going anywhere useful. "Duly noted. I will now proceed to ensure the capture of Charioce XVII."

She opened a gate hoping to cut off further argument, but crystals sprouted from it. She jerked her hand back.

"What is the meaning of this?"

"Do you understand what will happen if Odin gets his way and our citizens see nephilim as an inherent weakness? When it will no longer be magic, but blood that determines sanctified purity? We stand on the brink of war while you choose to challenge our entire way of existence!"

"I have done no such thing! Jeanne as a saint was able to plow through Charioce's forces and got so close to killing him. We should have explored this option years ago!"

She might as well have said nothing, as Gabriel went on, "I was contacted by a certain priest, Augustin Cluysenaar, a very pious and loyal man. A stronghold against the decay of faith. He was rather confused concerning new creeds that emerged, apparently supported by Azazel, and you? Even if we regain Dromos, what will we have? A broken faith that leaves us behind."

"We can gain our life force from more than faith," Sofiel said. "I've seen even demons change nature."

"You would hope that, no doubt, to justify your errant ways. No wonder when you take such liberties as kissing humans so intimately. I do not believe you are worthy anymore to stand as one of the archangels when you cannot uphold the simplest of commands."

Oh no. Augustin had told her that too?

Gabriel droned on, "You yourself who saw Bacchus off. No great loss, of course, one of another court who did not even possess wings. But you are an angel, not a mere god. We angels are the inner circle of El Elyon and shall stand before vun throne one day. Our wings the testament of our divine heritage, we must remain pure."

"Lady Gabriel, you are well aware it doesn't work like—"

"You know the law, Sofiel. Exile will be yours, but be assured. As an angel you deserve the test of faith."

Sofiel's heart sank. "No, not now. We don't have time!"

At the flick of Gabriel's wrists, the golden metanoia rosary spell encircled Sofiel. She was strong enough to keep her senses, but it still choked the voice out of her.

· · · · · · ·

Favaro didn't often pace, but now the time had come. Kaisar had been caught red handed in saving Charioce's life again. Belphegor had hit him with a poison dart yesterday, if Kaisar had used that trust to lead him into another trap it could have been over. Hell, Kaisar could've done it himself probably.

Azazel would have.

It was all fun and games to hang out with his father's murderer, but now faced with the probability that Kaisar had landed back on Azazel's murder list ... damn it. Why did the people he loved always have to get into sticky situations?

His one hand chained to the wall, Kaisar waited in a cave below Cerberus's home. He didn't look up, didn't try to talk.

The time passed painstakingly slow until the door burst open. Seething, Azazel filled the entire frame, wings out far enough to scratch the wood.

Kaisar still didn't look up, not even when Azazel stomped toward him.

Within a blink Favaro stood between Azazel and Kaisar. Azazel snatched Favaro up with a serpent, threw him back and was at Kaisar's throat. The scent of blood filled the air.

"Wait!" Favaro called. "You're not really gonna kill him over this, right?"

Azazel did stop. Maybe he already had stopped earlier, a moment lost in Favaro's own panic.

"Why shouldn't I? He's a repeat offender."

"Yeah, not denying that, but we can fix that."

"Fix it like you did? You just forgave him." Azazel looked back. "You knew exactly how he was, ten years ago, and you just shoved it aside. How often did he try to kill you? How close did he get?"

"Look, what's done is done. As long as I'm safe I don't give a shit," Favaro said. "And Kaisar's not a threat to you or me right now."

"Will you change your mind if I kill him here? See how well it worked out for you to forget about what I did to your father."

Kaisar hadn't said anything so far, but Favaro didn't count his blessings yet because it was gonna happen any time—

"All this violence won't solve anything!"

And there it was.

Azazel sneered. "And what did you solve? Do you have any idea how many died after the first time you saved him? How many will die this time?"

Azazel was beyond the angry spat, his voice was and drawn out, like rage tiding up to death.

"We'll lock him up," Favaro said. "Then he won't do any damage anymore."

"For how long? Till Jeanne pardons him? Till you get bored?"

"Dammit, just ... you know what, I don't wanna lose people anymore than you do! I don't have a good reason. You still have some love for you damn games, right? What do I have to play, or should I skip right to begging?"

A long beat passed, then Azazel threw Kaisar away. With utmost disgust, he said, "You already are begging."

Within a blink, he'd teleported from the room.

It was left with tension that had nowhere to go but inward.

Including Sarvo. The Red Troupe wouldn't be an ally much longer from the looks of it.

The room filed empty, while Favaro pulled Kaisar to his feet. His throat was bruised, though Azazel hadn't cut yet. The blood was from Kaisar biting his own lip.

"Don't tell me you were gonna argue with him?"

"He doesn't get it," Kaisar muttered. "None of you do."

With a sigh, Favaro dropped him. "I don't know why I even bother."

"You don't have to." Kaisar stayed on his knees.

It was Nina who broke the silence with, "I know a place we can lock him up."

Only now did he process Nina had arrived, despite his senses. He'd been so focused on Kaisar.

"Why didn't you do anything?" Favaro said.

She twiddled her fingers together. "Well, I'm trying to get myself to not let it matter when XVII or his friends get hurt just because I know them."

"Nina, what the hell. This isn't the way to do that ... or the time. Ugh, this is more up Jeanne's alley. Anyway, next time just do something."

"Why is it bad or good if Kaisar dies? He spent years trying to kill you, right? And you still loved him through all that, until he came around?" Nina asked that with such sincerity, he couldn't just shrug it off. Not when he knew the dreadful question behind it. How was she dealing with the Charioce thing anyway?

"Where do I draw the line, teacher? XVII, Azazel, you, Rita, Cerberus, Kaisar, you're all murderers. XVII is the only one I'm sure has to go down."

He flopped down next to her. "Well, how about we get there first then?"

"I'll try, but I don't know where he even is."

"The journey to Eibos takes about eight days on a skybeast," Favaro said. "At least, I think so. Maybe he's got something faster, or he could take the long tour. Or we could just wait till he comes back here. I don't know, kid. I'm out of my league too."

"We should get everyone in the same league," Nina said. "And then go to the next one together."

"Sure." What was that supposed to mean?

· · · · · · ·

The scorching desert pushed waves of heat into ship's opening doors. Between these and the pale mountains was only a short distance, but she had to cross it by foot.

Sofiel had been aware of the protocol of Dudael, but never paid it heed. Nobody had been sentenced here since the Watcher rebellion. She certainly never would have imagined herself on the walk of penance — could scarcely believe she had to. Yet here she was, stripped of crown and in the black gown of a disgraced.

The heat seared into her bare feet. Sheer stone gates twisted out of the circular entrance, giving way to a long spiral stairway. Behind her, Gabriel and a guard followed on floating platforms, shielded from the scorching heat that soon turned to biting cold.

Every step was taken in disbelief. She'd said so much to Gabriel on the way here, couldn't process she wasn't listened to — for all her distance, she'd been sure Gabriel cared for her. This couldn't ...

But it was the law.

But they had thrown hundreds of angels in here already.

But this was the reason dark angels fell all the way rather than pull back.

At the bottom of the stairway was a circle of tunnels entrances. She was to choose on her senses. Having no favor and no feeling, she walked past the first.

On and on through the cold, silver halls. Pale light fell through what might seem ornate windows from a distance, in reality fenced with holy spikes and iron bars. She looked at those rather than anywhere around her, but the sounds were inescapable.

A murmur here, a moan there, but most of all the prayers. Gods only ever prayed for their own salvation : the power to resist decay and stay true to faith.

She could not bear to see them, it might be her future.

A door opened to her left. Inside it was a vast, empty hall partially flooded.

"Here appears to be your destined cell," Gabriel said. "As expected, for those angels who give in to lust."

Sofiel finally met her by the eye.

"Nothing calls me, lady Gabriel. What charade is this?"

"They all say that when they first arrive here," Gabriel said.

That was new. Sofiel had assumed her lack of welcome would mean something, but this mean there was no test she could master.

One of the guard pushed her in. A metanoia chain manifested at Gabriel's behest, and lost its golden glow as it wrapped her arms together and bound across her torso. A second chain latches around her legs to a weight in the water.

"If you find yourself attuned again to the ways of faith, you will be able to free yourself," Gabriel said. "These chains heeds the command of all gods true in their faith."

Sofiel knew, and now she felt it. She would be stuck here while the world would fall. On a last fit of desperation, she said, "We are on the brink of war, and we need Jeanne. Is this punishment for her too?"

"We will handle that better than you could." Gabriel turned away ad she spoke, a shiver in her voice. Sofiel heard regret in it, but it meant nothing when she was still locked up here.

"Lady Gabriel, not now. Please."

"You can easily free yourself," Gabriel said again. "Prove yourself loyal."

The gates shut her in with the darkness and the rising chants.

How would Jeanne take this? She had already believed herself abandoned once. She would continue to fight for the people, or would she shut herself down again?

Come back to heaven, you must go back to heaven. Have faith in El Elyon.

· · · · · · ·

It took the unicorn long to return to health. They returned to Anatae late in the afternoon, only to find a change of scenery : a new celestial ship hovered near the castle, colossal and of a style she didn't recognize. The unicorn bristled again, and brought her right to Cerberus's home. Much straighter than before, actually : the barrier was gone.

Favaro met her on the courtyard with urgency all over him. "Jeanne, we got a problem."

In her absence Charioce had exploded all the ships except his own and escaped, Kaisar had helped him, Sofiel hadn't returned yet from heaven and Azazel had an undead army made out of dragon parts.

She'd been gone for a mere day. How? Was this fate?

Taking it one step at a time, she went through the list. Tracking Charioce didn't work, Valeria would take days to send new aircrafts because they didn't fit the nexus, Manaria was still on the fence. She could guess herself what dragons Azazel had used, leaving one point.

"Did Azazel do anything to Kaisar?"

"He got close," Favaro said. "Kaisar's still insisting he's right to protect Charioce. He—"

"You don't have Coco."

Cerberus stood on a balcony with an accusatory glare for Jeanne. Hurried she explained what had occurred, which quickly turned her mood to horror.

In a small voice Cerberus asked, "Right. Alright. Lord Lucifer might know ... you should go to the castle. They need you there."

A little more than half an hour later, Jeanne and Favaro were brought into a newly furnished council hall. At a rounded table sat the king of Manaria, two of Charioce's advisers, Karl von Essenbeck, Reinier and Konrad, one of Valeria's ministers. Jeanne and Favaro were not offered a seat, so they stood before the table.

"Saint Jeanne, we have concerns regarding your ally, Azazel," Argus said. "As only king present, I shall speak for the alliance that binds all countries of Europa."

"I will hear you," Jeanne said, eyes on Reinier. "As my own representative and no more."

That raised a few eyebrows before Argus proceeded.

"Among the elite of Charioce were a number of dragon mercenaries. All have surrendered, some departed and a few expressed interest in joining Manaria. However, their leader has vanished and we could not find the corpse on the battle field. Three others were missing too. Well, we found out yesterday where they went : the undead army of Azazel, the highest demon lord short of Lucifer himself.

We gave the benefit of doubt and requested heaven's justice to speak. Legends appear true, he has committed many crimes, included the framing of the former captain in the Orleans Chivalric Order, Laurus Lidfard. Considering his recent actions, it would appears it is an extension of a long, long run of cruelty for the sake of evil.

You went around advocating him and his side as the lesser aggressor compared to Belzebuth, heaven put the lie to this. What should we think of you now, when you yourself have an accusation of witchcraft in your repertoire?"

"Does this justice report cite me as a witch? If not, then leave it aside. These were Belzebuth's machinations. As for Azazel ... I owe him my life, and I may have been too enthusiastic about believing he turned around. This does not alter our alliance. We have an agreement that—"

"Really? Because he came in here and took over from some other fallen angel who took our dear city hostage," Nestor said. "He has not even removed the death threat of those dreadful webs. Should we pass over that just because there weren't fried corpses every morning? It sounds more like laziness than benevolence."

"Besides," Reinier started. "If he is truly our ally, why does he feel the need to make secret armies below the castle? Jeanne d'Arc, I believe we have given you enough leeway already. Your grace from lady Sofiel has worn out, and perhaps that is why she is absent now? Perhaps she was disappointed to hear you went to speak with Lucifer behind her back?"

"I went to Lucifer regarding a missing demon, no more. As for Azazel, he has only killed his immediate enemies—"

"He is so powerful he could have restrained them," Reinier said. "You know this."

Jeanne sighed. "True. I should not let myself get lost in those details, and neither should you. Azazel surely wanted back up as much as possible to deal with Charioce, whom we expect to flee to Eibos. We should concern ourselves with intercepting him before we unravel the details of justice."

"Ah, that. And all of the sudden you have a story about Charioce trying to unleash Bahamut?" Konrad said. "We've heard those rumors already, one of the infiltrators kicked a fuss without proof."

"If that's true, why wouldn't he warn anyone?" Argus said. "He's been scrambling for funds across the years, a matter that he could have easily remedied if he'd reveal Bahamut's return and his super weapon to oppose it. Funds would have been flooding in."

They looked at Charioce's advisers, who kept perfectly still. Jeanne couldn't guess whether they knew, or did not, and didn't care anymore.

"Favaro Leone, you once fought this demon," Argus said. "Can we hear an opinion loose of any loyalty to Jeanne d'Arc?"

Favaro's face pinched into half a grin. "Maybe? He's gone out of his way to keep me alive, though I can't like, attribute that to remorse or anything. I'm still not sure why he bothers."

"So we have no testament from any reliable source that this demon will not resume his old ways the moment he no longer has to appease his human allies?"

If Jeanne boiled it down, she actually had very little herself. Just Nina when Azazel had saved her at the tower, and herself before Charioce; the latter was when he already knew she was related to someone he cared about.

The meeting sizzled out into two more hours of questioning, many of which concerned her exact actions in Valeria, and much she did not know about the hostage situation Azazel had inherited.

The unicorn chose to defy the request to wait outside the castle, and she was so tired she didn't even care anymore. The gate waiting for them just outside was welcome.

On the other side of vun gate was a random hall in the slums where a class was in session. Within it were Nina and El Mugaro, the latter whom sensed her at once and excused nurself. Jeanne took nur further away and explained what had occurred all the way from Coco to the meeting, and asked where Azazel was.

At his home, staying away from Kaisar. The scene she had first seen him at ten years ago came to mind unbidden; a distant figure more sense than sight as he threw him to his death. The memory spun towards the slaughter in heaven, and the question how many of those attackers he could have taken down without death was a lot more prominent.

Once she finished, she spotted Nina in the doorway looking rather sheepish.

"Sorry, Jeanne," Nina said. "I knew about the dragon bits and was going to tell you, but Sofiel talked about ... you know ... and I got so distracted. She has this really nice aura. She's a goddess of love, isn't she?"

"She may be to more than me," Jeanne said, bitterness too clear in her voice. "And I fear for what your demon could be."

· · · · · · ·

October 8

· · · · · · ·

Sofiel did not return all night, Jeanne did not sleep, and fought before dawn to focus on the tasks of the day : agreements on political affairs she understood little of, the hunt for Charioce, Manaria's tense truce, and countless concerns coming from other countries about the alliance, all topped with the complicated matter of demon rights and uncooperative gods.

It could be worse, so it got worse.

Partway through morning tasks, Mimi teleported in to inform her of a mob.

"Come again?"

"Castle staff spread it through the city : the rag demon is Azazel, and Azazel tortured to death that fun heroic dragon who joined the king a while ago."

Jeanne's mouth dropped. "Heroic dragon?"

"Yep, he protected the king and he was much nicer about breaking up protests than the knights were. They liked him, especially the lot who doesn't care for the gods anyway. The rest don't care to stop them. Get off your butt and do your saint thing!"

By wing she crossed the city, finding its streets crowding with mobs. Neither knight nor soldier did anything to truly stop them as they drove demons further down the streets. One particular mob had cornered three demons still in their collars — or perhaps again in their collars.

Jeanne landed between the crowd and the demons. The humans backed off, but there were knights among them too, and a royal sorcerer or two. Such overkill for three emaciated demons.

"Step aside," the sorcerer called. "These are none of your sheep. They're murderers!"

"That shall be ascertained by the courts. You are not to take justice in your own hands!"

"Huh, what court? The divine one? They don't even seem to agree whether your demon friend's recent slaughter in heaven counts or not," the sorcerer spat.

Oh no. They had heard of that too?

Where the citizens hesitated, the knights and sorcerer did not. They averted her, but came close as they aimed for the demons.

She tried to manifest her spear, only to receive air. As a last ditch she threw her wings out to dismiss the magic and catch the arrows.

Her wings faltered, and she stumbled as the magic seared at her. Behind her, one of the demons screamed.

She manifested Joyeuse to intercept the next attack; it obeyed as perfect as ever, but the golden blade had taken on a silver hue. That made the sorcerer pause, but not for good reasons.

He cast it anyway, and she broke the spell, but it spiraled aside and exploded a wall. She herself fell on her back from the impact.

"That's it, that's all she can do now?"

"Perhaps your cause is not so just anymore," one of the knights said. "Saint, or witch, whatever it is."

"They attacked unprovoked! What did you expect?" one of the men snapped at her.

"They were always going to kill us when they got free!" another shouted. "Why else would they spin those webs when they had an impenetrable barrier?"

A man shoved her aside and the mob rushed past her.

"Don't kill them!"

Her words meant nothing. She could only watched as the demons were torn apart, elderly and children alike.

Standing on the pyre again. She was abandoned.

And the very people she once sought to protect, now she had to stop them.

Leaning on the sword, she pushed up to her feet. She had to watch, she needed to see, and every prayer she sent fell into the abyss with the cries for mercy. The demons she'd never know, but who had known her as their savior not too long ago, now reduced to charred bones and bloody stumps.

The mob dispersed, following a cry of a mansion that demons had claimed. That needed purging, they said.

She stood alone with the corpses and remembered that demons burned their dead, but surely this would not do.

She prayed for them, to Sofiel, and in general, and ran out of things to say.

It took all her gathered strength and borrowed power from the blade to remanifest her wings.

Upon her return to the castle, she nearly collapsed onto the pavement just beyond the gates. As she staggered into the gates, someone approached.

"Jeanne d'Arc? No success I presume."

Karl von Essenbeck stood there, hands clasped behind his back. He looked rather at ease, it set Jeanne in high alert.

She forced herself to stand tall. "If you have nothing of use to say, lord, perhaps direct your attention to aiding the population."

"Is that not your job? Though ... perhaps you have some difficulties. Some ... infection. Sainthood and witchhood are but two sides of the coin, isn't it? Perhaps you should rid us of that demon. Rid yourself of him," Karl said. "Your holy powers have come so close before. We could use our own zommorods to prevent him from teleporting away."

"I can't just go ahead and execute Azazel," Jeanne said. "Not like this. He isn't a threat to the population, or me, or any of our allies."

"Really? And how long will that last? Or maybe I should ask, how long until Manaria and Valeria and all other countries are tired of the power vacuum? We hear Lucifer's cozying up in Valeria's mines without any invitation. A lot of people are getting antsy about how justified this war was. We wouldn't want to create an opening for the demons."

"If that's so, perhaps we should not provoke Lucifer by killing his right hand," Jeanne said. "I believe your own right hand scientist would like payment you cannot provide; immortality."

He shrugged. "It seems we both play with fire, saint Jeanne. We know what we do, but see, the population of Anatae doesn't. The other countries of the alliance do not either. And reputation is a fickle thing. How long until they get tired and Charioce's successor ends up on the throne?"

She could already hear the demand she back Karl for the throne. "I believe we're done talking."

"For now. Remember, you're only a saint," Karl said as she walked off. "Worth no more than what attention either gods or humans deem fit to give you."

· · · · · · ·

Cerberus set up guards, Azazel commanded his goats and zombie limbs to be prepared. The goats strayed, but the zombies did not.

They'd manage, but that wasn't good enough for Cerberus. Not anymore. She wasn't mushier or anything, but by chaos, was it unpleasant, almost painful when her jurisdiction got cut in half. The people below the barrier — the gone barrier — had been hers. However shaky it was, humans and demons had coexisted for a while. Now, what few who still had kindness for demons didn't even matter anymore. Their houses burned, the world had shrunk. A cacophony without noise in her ears, the scent of injury without it being blood.

The word devil in its worst iteration on everyone's lips.

Jeanne wandered in at one point, saying nothing. She sat in a corner on the foyer and waited. Dark magic stirred around her, poorly blended with holiness through her pact, and she smelled of rot.

When Azazel stepped in, the last sound in the room died.

He was a class that never got ash on them, he could walk away, fly away if he wanted to. Cerberus wished he had done so a long time ago. She herself couldn't run anymore.

"How many died?" Azazel asked her.

If he wanted to torture himself, she was happy to oblige. "One hundred and thirty eight, give or take. The injured numbers are climbing even faster. Oh, don't make such a face. We have thousands still. It's okay. We're holing up underground. Until the Valerians and their special automatons get tired. Did you know Paracelsus joined them?"

"We pay for your crimes yet again," Durahanem muttered.

When the enemy was the opinions of people, however unfair, it paid her little benefit be allied to the source of those opinions. He was the best they had in terms of strength, and it wasn't good enough.

"Hey, saint. Any input? Can you turn this around?"

"No," Jeanne said. "I only had power as god appointed saint in their eyes. I once again lack both, and Azazel just had to ... I could pass on the murder of slave traders and aristocrats because you had no options to restrain them and bringing them to court was impossible! You went after those where it mattered and a situation with no other options, but this is not the same! We could have brought them to court."

"I needed them to protect my people, there are no others armies. Should I rely on humans and gods for that?"

"Why didn't you ask me for what we could do? I knew gods and demons in Valeria who could have come. Chiron has befriended a fallen angel, and Arligau's tribe has expanded to include many strong demons — Valeria didn't slaughter the strongest in the arena. You never asked for options, you went right for the torture."

"What does it matter whether I happen to torture someone while killing them? I got something out of it at least."

"I thought you'd become a better person." Jeanne's shoulders slumped, and stood back.

Azazel scoffed. "The only thing that changed is that I spend my time better. I kill scum instead of goody two fools. That's all."

Jeanne held up her hands. "Fine, but know this : you cannot atone to the dead, and you cannot represent the redemption of your tribe to humankind. And then what?"

"I know what I've done to your people. I don't avenge on them for myself and I don't care for forgiveness," he spat. "If they demand redemption from my citizens for my actions, they have a problem."

"Well, about your people? Too many know you're the leader of this court, and Belphegor's not enough to turn things around. They need allies now and the ignorance of your past deeds that made that possible before is gone."

"About that, I actually killed three of those dragons," Cerberus said. "How exactly does that justice system work? Will they find out?"

"I don't know how it works," Jeanne said, clipped and eyes averted. "Cerberus, perhaps you should go to Valeria. Arligau and Mirin would welcome you and your people to their tribe. That way you can separate yourself from this, before it comes down on you too. The demons need a leader, you will do."

"I don't like your tone there," Cerberus said in a low voice, but Jeanne didn't heed her anymore, and outright refused to look at Azazel. "But that aside, yes, we might benefit from fleeing, too bad there is thousands of us now. And I'll concede that Azazel flaunting the tortured corpse of one of humankind's heroes didn't help."

That deflated Azazel. "I'm sorry I failed you all. I'll go Lucifer and that he act for your protection."

Cerberus couldn't stand to hear him weak anymore. Not in this time. "That doesn't fix anything. Get out. Don't be seen around us anymore."

· · · · · · ·

Really, with all this drama Rita would not be getting a good, quiet work day soon, would she? The temptation to sic all her little bugs onto the human population was more tantalizing than ever.

A distraction from that line of thought came when Rachel staggered in, a familiar zombie hanging on one shoulder.

"Yo, Rita, emergency! She says she knows you."

Rachel had wrapped cloth around her infected arms, while Charioce's mother tried to keep distant from it. With some difficulty, she hauled herself onto the inspection table and laid down on her stomach. Under the clothing on her back something bulged.

"I found her wandering the streets, she says she escaped the castle. She was chased, Rachel said. "So, what's your name?"

"Klarimiani," she muttered. "At least, I think I am. I'm remembering other things. It's been getting worse since my son left the capital ... they found me a demon, though that princess helped me escape."

"I'll get that sorted ," Rita said.

"You better, you started this!" The woman hissed, literary.

"And I'll finish it too if I have to." That shut her up.

Rachel sat down on a nearby couch.

"You're staying?" Rita asked.

"With the demons? Yep," Rachel said. "Got nowhere better to go. Not so for many of the others now the barrier's gone."

"Is it now? How interesting," she said, her eyes falling to the equipment Olivia had left behind.

· · · · · · ·

The nexus was guarded by Valerians who employed some demons, but were not happy to see him. He left them in the dust, but alive.

There still was a tentative truce between demons and humans as far as Valeria was concerned. They'd been the driving force behind the invasion and too arrogant about it. The mine at the other end of the nexus was full of magic ready to explode if Lucifer so desired to. What foolish humans to think he was only being a helpful assistant. He had conquered the land right beneath their nose.

He found Lucifer in a holed out cave that was quickly gathering books, though nothing compared to his library. He had a rich golden couch, just a shadow of his usual throne but still elevated on an ornamental standard.

"Azazel. It sure took you a while to show up even though I was right here," he said without looking up.

"I was busy, and before that I had no way of contacting you, lord Lucifer," Azazel said. "We had to move quickly before our insider in the castle was eliminated."

"So you were not aware Cerberus had a communication beacon in the very hills you arrived from?"

He frowned. "No, she never told me. She was barely involved with the rebellion anyway. I just thought she'd been abducted like the others."

"You might have known I had sent her if you hadn't stormed out years ago," Lucifer said. "Alas, you were always too impatient. Now, there are a few matters, such as the resistance of wards, hybrids and saints, of allies with human kings, and of rebellions. And then Jeanne d'Arc somehow escapes and you become allies. Is this true?"

"Yes."

Lucifer looked up sharply. "Oh, so it must be. When did that happen?"

"One of our allies had been sentenced to slavery alongside her, mistaken for a human. They broke out, and broke me out. Favaro Leone was involved too, he still has business with fate."

"Indeed. And now somehow, we have not one, but four potential enemies? Let's see, Charioce, Manaria, and Valeria, all equiped with zommorods. Gabriel too perhaps? Was that what you were hoping for when you allied with Jeanne d'Arc?"

"Of course not, but it's where we are now. It's time for you to step up. Our people are being driven back again we need to get them out."

"And you intend to do what exactly?"

"I have an undead army," he said. "Not humans, dragon parts. Its creator is a powerful conscious zombie, and Malphas has secluded the ground below the castle, even if they build a new field atop we can get underneath it. We could keep our area fortified until everyone is out."

"Oh really? Malphas hasn't been active for a while either. Almost as hard to believe as Angra Mainyu showing up."

Dammit, how we he going to explain Nina's talent for needling people into doing stuff?

"I have more tangible allies, and more concrete plans than your implausible allies." He snapped his fingers.

In the door appeared Paracelsus. Oh come on.

"You seem to have lost one of your wards," Lucifer said. "Since he was still so eager to be one, I took him in. He's been researching how to implement zommorods into automatons for the humans and I get the impression he likes immortality more than humans winning."

"Yes, yes. A few good, silly people in Valeria hired me. Well, technically. Magnus and his Mammon are stationed there, but the Essenbecks are mainly a family of Teutoiskas. They'd like to have the throne. I'd like to live forever and see my creations put to use. Your pretty lord would like to be the one to keep the ancient magic this time, heaven's clearly not qualified. See, we have something to come together here."

Bloodshed most likely. That was why Azazel had given him a pact, the guy romanticized heroic bloodshed so he never quite design his automatons to render humans obsolete, despite being one of the few people in the world who could even craft new automatons.

"What is your intent with that human," Azazel asked, swallowing back all complaints.

"Simple : once we have a way to dismantle Dromos and found out where the original tablets are kept, he will undermine the Valerian army."

"The Manarians are around too, they have their own armies and they're smart, they'll figure out the Automaton application of the zommorods. Evacuate our people first," Azazel said.

"That would tip off we have plans. No, I'd rather keep the Valerians believing I'm a docile, disinterested king until it is too late," he said.

"What if there are no more people to get out after that? You have the ships and the power to take them away before things get worse, and it will get worse. I ... they know who I am, and since I lead—"

"Yes, about that. Are you certain you are up to such a task? Isn't it rather frivolous to make such a gesture?"

"I merely wanted to abide by the laws so we could organize our people."

"Hmm. You picked up new words," Lucifer drawled. He waved off Paracelsus, who bowed and left. "Did you pick up any new skills too, something that got you somewhere more useful than your attempt at rebellion?"

"You're right, I didn't get anywhere. But I did save a few, and I will keep doing so. If you will not help us, should I turn to the humans indefinitely?"

"Jeanne d'Arc failed to turn the tide around," Lucifer said. "And you don't seem to be very successful either. Not one ship of refugees has come to Helheimr."

"You told me to keep it a secret!"

"Indeed, but you might have worked around that if you were already out there jeopardizing yourself. Or are you also coming with stories of Bahamut's return?"

"What if I am?" Azazel spat.

"Charioce is a worthy enemy, but no fool. Why would he hide such a thing if he could?"

"Fine, then don't. What about our people? The humans would happily slaughter all our people in Anatae if it turns out Jeanne's campaign is wrong."

"It doesn't matter who died or will die," Lucifer said. "As long as those who got away are safe, which they are."

"Dammit, Lucifer, when will you do something? They won't stay safe!" He unfolded his wings to be at eye level with Lucifer. "You keep sitting around here waiting for the humans to burn out? They have millions to implant with those damn rocks! Humans have never had an advantage this strong, and Charioce escaped! He has a continent full of allies. They're not going back to docile servants of the gods anymore. We have our best chance now!

I didn't sit around in a library for centuries, I was out there with them. Up close for the past five years They won't burn themselves out, they'll sacrifice and build on that, just like Charioce did on us! Move now, or they'll get creative to turning us to corpses! They have little respect left to give, and once that burns up, they'll finish us off. Get off your chair and help us survive!"

Lucifer just stared at him, before slapping him with his book hard enough to send Azazel all the way to the ground.

It wasn't a magical book so it did not damage, though the sting lasted.

"Well, I might make a statement," Lucifer said. "With an army if we must. Exactly how depleted are the humans?"

"He suffered significant damages from my first rebellion, heaven's invasion, and the recent conquest. Furthermore, in escaping Charioce destroyed all aircraft of Valeria and Manaria. They will get more, but it will take time."

"Well then. I will rally our troops, and see where we go from there."

Lucifer called in a servant to relay orders. Azazel climbed back on his feet, and stayed through the organization's first phase.

Something didn't quite sit right. It wasn't anything new, but ...

Once they were alone again, he said, "Lord Lucifer, wy did you hit me?"

Lucifer closed the book. "As I said, you may give me counsel, but not with such impolite tone."

"I apologize, ... but don't you think it was too harsh a response?"

Lucifer chuckled. "Really, you must ask? In order to shut down your emotional outburst, such treatment was necessary. We are demons, discipline goes through power. Surely you noticed in the past centuries?"

Of course, but he hadn't questioned it. "It wasn't right then either ..."

"Azazel, did you say something?" Lucifer asked.

Crap. "Nothing! It's my fault–aaaaaargh!"

Azazel smacked against a shelf, cheek burning.

Lucifer drew back. "No lying to me, Azazel."

Azazel steadied against the wood. Before Charioce driving it to the brink he hadn't understood, it had been just life.

"You ... I didn't even say anything that rude, it was a fact."

"Indeed, but your foul tone is a problem."

"And you would call this a disciplining act too?"

"Good, you're still a fast learner. Then it is alright, is it? The preparations will begin soon, return to Anatae to inform Cerberus."

He should. He would but ... no.

No, this wasn't alright. Lucifer acted no different than the slave drivers.

"I can't consent to to how you treat me."

Lucifer narrowed his eyes. "What?"

"Can't you hear me, dammit? I said I can't agree to thi–"

Lucifer's closed fist sent him down yet again, the impact lesser only for being closer to the ground, but the pain ran deeper.

"You really fail to understand, huh, Azazel?"

Oh, he understood better than ever. His head pounded, but so did his anger.

Azazel climbed back to his feet. "That was a disciplining act too? You sure didn't hold back."

Almost feigning innocent, Lucifer tilted his head. "If this is not a disciplining act, then what do you call it? Your comprehension ability is lower than I expected, so I can't help but use a little force. You understood now, right? You could leave, Azazel."

Can't help? Lucifer was supposed to be the true leader of hell. Azazel left to return their people to him, yet now he listened, Lucifer echoed the words of humans.

Still, he wasn't Charioce.

" …is there really a need to use a fist instead of an open palm?"

Lucifer sighed. "What are you doing, Azazel?"

"What are you doing? That's not a disciplining act, that's just plain violence!"

Lucifer let go a long sigh, which Azazel distantly recognized as a warning, but this had to be said. Lucifer had to get it, he couldn't be the same as them. He had to.

"You keep saying the same crap, but you've been a shut in too long. You don't even realize what you're doing, right? This hurts! Quit hitting me!"

"Hmm."

The silence dragged on, Lucifer's eyes boring past him.

"Lord Lucifer, are you finally at loss for words?"

The answer was a burst of invisible force throughout the library, sending books flying. Lucifer growled, "Azazel."

His body lost weight as Lucifer's telekinesis seized hold, suspending him in the air.

Shit. No. Not again. "Y-yes?"

Lucifer's eyes flashed gold, the way it did whenever one charged up to release his power.

"Please wait!"

"Too late now."

The fire surrounded him, he screamed from the bottom of his lungs, trashing at nothing in the air.

Lucifer tossed him out of the room, but didn't yet return to his seat. Azazel just briefly saw his eyes, still cold and disapproving, before lowering his forehead to the ground. He clenched his fists, angry at himself now. Fool to defy him. Old habits kicked in.

"Lord Lucifer, thank you."

One always expressed gratitude to Lucifer for whatever he deemed fit to grant.

The door shut before him. Inside, the muffled sound of Lucifer asking for herbal tea.

Azazel stayed with his forehead against the cold floor longer, breathing in and out until the fire faded. His flesh mended. It was done.

He forced himself to his legs, and turned to go to the armies while his head pounded.

It wasn't new. He had seen it happen to others, had experienced it before. Lucifer didn't like rudeness, but what gave? Of course hell was wilder than heaven, so of course it had a little more painful punishment. That had been normal for centuries, but now it felt too similar to the way humans drove demons. They called that discipline too.

Below his skin, snakes threatened to break out. He clamped his hands over where the holes had been once, keeping them down. He'd be fine, Lucifer was the only one not to be defied.

· · · · · · ·

Jeanne knelt in the empty church, seeking to reach Sofiel and hearing no answer but the same muddled drifting force.

Joyeuse under its new name remained pure. Her knuckles turned white around the hilt, doubting exactly because of it : the sword was both holy and cursed. An intermediary state that could tip in response to her own nature. How could Sofiel be falling so swiftly? There was no reason. It had to be herself.

She should have gotten over Michael's death by now, yet it felt so much closer now she stood at the brink of failure again. Where was he? It had been a while since she'd sensed his presence. The void was too familiar, and no matter how much she told herself this was all different, the feelings crept up.

Self control was an old skill of a commoner in a world of nobility, an exceptional woman in a man's world and a obligatory pure saint in a flawed world, the images she had to uphold as much her god as Michael had been.

Someone close to Michael opened the door, and quickly closed it. Jeanne dropped her prayed to see her child stand next to her.

"You're pushing the power away. You think you're going to be made to do evil again?"

"I don't know," she said. "If I can't trust Azazel, I can't trust what he proves to me either."

She let go of the sword. "If he is like this blade, so fickle in nature, then perhaps ..."

"So let me make you a saint." El sat crosslegged before her, smiling so bright it tore her from her reverie. She felt foolish at once.

"You don't think this is my doing?"

"No, I know Sofiel's sick." Ne reached out, and Jeanne folded her tainted wings forward so ne could run nur hands over the feathers. "Yes, she's sick. I don't know why that means she goes dark, but it's not you. Maybe she believes Azazel's a problem? She did disappeared right after he revealed the zombie arms."

"Perhaps." Her voice belied how that worried her; El didn't need more concerns.

"So you want to try it?"

She shook her head. "You are young and your power is best used for healing, but ... I would like you to break the pact between Sofiel and I if it becomes necessary."

"I'm not sure I can do that, I only barely learned to make hallows. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize. We'll try someone else."

"Past the unicorn?"

She frowned. "What do you mean?"

"The unicorn's waiting now," ne said.

A sense became strong within her mind, something she'd grown accustomed to. At the same time El's eyes widened, ne noticed too.

The unicorn closed the distance to them, and laid down with vun horn alight, bright in a sense of finally, see me.

"I ... maybe I can make a pact for ... " El muttered. "Or we could die?"

Jeanne's head snapped to nur.

"When I died, the abyss looked back at me. We're standing at the edge now. We're ... we don't have to die, but it's souls who wander ..."

Similar knowledge came to Jeanne's mind, once more the sensation of an pact held open for her. She just had to take it.

She turnedon her knees to face the unicorn, who raised vun horn to her forehead. El took her hand while her own wings dissolved.

Come and see.

Together they fell into another world, leaving behind awareness of the church, of their own bodies, even their sleep.

The astral plane appeared different. Still a field of light, but the black dome of the universe lay stark above and the edge nearby. An ocean rushed beyond it, dark waters splashing onto a shore of glimmering pale sand.

The grains below her feet warned her not to go closer to the waters, more and more urgent as she moved. She couldn't go closer, though she desired without reason.

The sand swallowed her, taking her deeper until they fell further. The sand : countless shards of zommorods, or only her interpretation of it.

They came to in a cavern, or worse. The brown matter all around was softer, more like flesh. Green light shone down from above, where countless zommorods pushed into the flesh. Horns and spikes spiraled up to the rocks, their tips supporting them from delving deeper. Everything had crusted over, hardened where there should be motion.

Despite the impression of injured flesh, the air was dry and cold — or perhaps on the impression of air, for she did not breathe. Even her sense of self wasn't quite body first and foremost. Only the idea of having to hold her child close kept Jeanne with integrity.

Aware so she could look back into the countless eyes that marred the flesh.

"Mother ..."

There was no sound. only memory the way the unicorn granted knowledge.

Still, it felt so real when El helped her stand, small hands urgently holding hers.

They'd landed in a secluded area of horns or horns around a platform. Everything beyond was chaotic and half flooded with salt water. They shouldn't go there, the bone walls less prison than security.

One wall was against a pillar, or perhaps a massive bone. A symmetrical pattern of smaller eyes around largest ones peered down on them.

The eyes were like those of the unicorn, a moment's of attention, that was all they would receive. The unicorn already the answer to a prayer, premeditated but not enough. Make her own answer, but she had nothing to craft it with.

Jeanne took a step closer, careful to keep her child behind her.

"Kujata ... " Her voice was hoarse in the growing awareness she stood upon a far greater god than she had imagined possible. "I have come for answers."

She was given.

Countless words almost in synchronization, but not quite, whispered back to her. Nothing had a meaning, understanding fell apart at the seams. For her, small grain.

"El ... what do you ... do you hear anything? Words?"

"Nothing. Just hiccups," El Mugaro said.

Hiccups? For such a grand being that couldn't be right.

Another step on the parched ground, her heart pounding. The importance shred at her mind, even though she couldn't tell why this was so.

Another step. This was all wrong, she couldn't do this further, it had to move, she had to move it all and stop being here it was a burden.

Sense and sensation were far to be found.

One more step before she could lay her hand on the ridges below the largest eye. Her reflecting was her entire life and the estimated decay soon to come, all at once. Trivial childhood memories converged with adult worries, grief over a broken toy in sharp contrast to the loss of Michael, the insignificance of her parents in light of sanctity, and the fall of heaven in her mind came together with the darkness that forced her, against the darkness she would invite, a joke about ducks, and the cruelty of fate.

Her entire life fed back as a conversation to herself and found meaningless in the greater scheme of all the world. A movement across the waters, a stagnant, rooted existence and she only a blink in ages.

If she had no answer within this, whatever else could she possible say to have a meaning? She was too young to ever grasp what they spoke of, her fleeting existence of meaning in vain, the way an ant could not matter more.

Yet, there was no malice or coldness, so she did not despair.

"Kujata!" she called out.

Bone reformed to shape human bodies around, which moved and smiled and stared so real, only to crumble. It kept going until the ground was covered with splinters and ashes.

A thought of fleeting life.

"I am still here," Jeanne murmured. "Kujata, don't dismiss me! Please, we are not this pointless. Hear us, and we will answer you."

Oh, but it was the gods who proved worthy and the gods who answered, and hear us should be a plea rather than a demand. No strength in relenting and sacrifice of power, not this way, when it felt she had to respect and demand at the same time. Could those even exist together? They had to, but ...

Her child. It no longer was the touch of hands on her arm, just the impression of being held onto, of being begged to return. No longer look in the abyss — oh no, not the abyss, Kujata beheld the abyss, she could never comprehend — fall apart — her child didn't look even if ne had two unique eyes, too much ...

Back in the church Jeanne looked in the eyes of the unicorn before her, finding simple compassion and hollowness. It was all hollow, nothing meant ...

"Mother, we went too far."

Now, the hands on her were real again. El clutched at her side, terrified eyes staring up. It took her long to return to herself, and to return the embrace she was given. El held onto her for life, fear having taken over.

This being couldn't be her god.

· · · · · · ·

October 9

· · · · · · ·

Nina waited in the ruins for Azazel's return. And waited. Good thing the trip wouldn't take four days this time.

Her immunity wasn't needed anymore, her reputation had tanked further now everyone knew the red dragon was Azazel's ally — traitor to her own kind now, they said — and hiding was all that was left. Don't be seen, don't make things worse. That really put a wrench in an idea that played without shape yet. She needed others for that.

Shame was a poor companion to new worries. His victim, his survivor. She rolled the words through her mind without speaking. How she had to put this together with helping the city was still beyond her.

She did not sleep well on them, so when the noise rose she stood up.

It was just before dawn, the horizon only pale and the stars bleak. Entirely too early for that row of torches marching through the streets to be a celebration parade. They all came from the upper district, passing every gate.

Far more than yesterday. She didn't bother with the ladder, just jumped out of the window to fly there as steady as she managed — which was not much, so she took the first clear roof she found and ran across is. Somehow a fire had started, and not all webs had been cleared yet.

She reached the house just in time, a stand alone still, but all up in flames. Just a few threads connected it to the nearby block.

Nina shot her whip out, pulled the thread loose, but a bit of ash blew past and the threads burst into fire anyway. Within seconds the entire block was covered with rapidly spreading fire. The wooden roofs set ablaze, and Nina could only watch helplessly.

Somewhere far away the water songs started, but it wouldn't be enough. She knew their limits, and there was no Amira to boost them.

She kept running anyway, hoping to find something to salvage, but every block was covered by now. She broke a few windows and doors to clear the path, letting people out.

"Why didn't you go into the tunnels?" she asked the first few humans.

"We can't go to the demons! Who knows what they'll do to us?" and other variants of that. She went on, but replaced her question with, "Get in the tunnels," and eventually nothing.

· · · · · · ·

Azazel was in the tunnels to find a new place for his little army when he noticed; one of his goats smelled the fire, the other saw smoke on the sky. Their connection was just barely solid enough to get the images at this distance, at first he thought they were wrong. But cries rose, and their tails detected heat. This wasn't twisted animal vision, the city burned.

By the time he rose above the slums the entire lower end was already ablaze. Humans and demons alike ran from the fire, and some mobs chased demons down.

"Azazel!"

The sound wasn't in his own ears; Nina had come across one of the goats. After painstakingly slow orientating, he found them at the edge of the slum gap, near the elevator; Nina was covered in soot.

"What are you doing out here?" he asked her.

"Helping. Jeanne came as well, but she didn't hear me as she flew by. Something's wrong with her flight, she kept almost dropping. Help me find her."

The goat near them unfolded his wings on command. "Get on."

They found her between collapsing buildings, spear in hand as she incinerated falling rubble to let people escape. The light was dim, and there was no divine projection. Just her wings flickering, and she fell — not the first time judging from her bruises.

Nina jumped, her wing unstable wings out. Using her whip she caught Jeanne, pulled her closer, and steered at a nearby building. They fell through a window in a room no yet ablaze.

He found them in a heap. Nina had broken their fall; no transformation glow so the scrapes stayed. Barely standing, Jeanne tried in vain to move translucent, graying wings.

"What's happening to you?" he asked.

"You might tell me," she said sharply.

"I already did, forgot it?"

"No, not this" Nina's wings flared, demanding their attention; and messing with their magic just enough to back it up. "I can't believe I have to point out this is the absolute worst place for a crisis of faith. This building's on fire and two of us are gonna run out of air soon."

"Right, we should move," Jeanne said, her voice already strained. Nina appeared to at least have some resistant to the toxicity of smoke, Jeanne was just human. Almost literary now.

"Yes, but you're going underground. You're not use like this," Azazel said. "Not when glued to a tainted god."

"Lady Sofiel is not tainted."

So much for her getting the point.

Jeanne started coughing. Nina took her by the shoulders. "I'll bring you to Cerberus's place, okay?"

She could only nod. At least she wasn't going to avoid demons.

Nina brought her to the ground, and called out for Cerberus, who appeared and grudgingly teleported Jeanne away. From there on, she climbed on the goat again. Taking the horns, she tried to steer. "Come on, work with me!"

"Where are you going?" he said as he flew along.

"I can't go in there, bad flying, not inflammable in this form," Nina said. "I'm gonna go find us some walls."

He did his best to imprint on the goat to obey Nina's lead, before going to his own work.

· · · · · · ·

Nina found Divesepid and Malphas packing at the bottom of the elevator.

"Why aren't you helping?

"If I do this, they're gonna know of my power," Malphas said. "Not happening. And don't bother arguing, you can't possibly pay enough to be worth that risk. Not with all these prickly human armies."

" I don't know enough of you, though you could tell me more."

"I don't owe you that either," she said. "I once served Satan, there's no glory here in scraps for me."

"I'm bored, hit me with your best inspirational speech," Divesepid said. "I could use the diversion."

It hit Nina then and there. She needed more than just nice and rude.

"Nah, you're indifferent too. Or an existentialist or whatever it's called," Nina said. "I once debated one of those guys in heaven. I know squad about philosophy but even I could keep up cause there was no argument. Just a mood. If Satan was the same, no wonder Amira decided to just consume him. Maybe she'll eat you next, after I get Dromos floating and free her. Soooo, where's your wards? See, I got people to save."

Malphas rolled her eyes and directed her to a nearby cave, though after she turned her back, Malphas and Divesepid started arguing.

All five were still around, huddled together.

"Why aren't you doing anything?" Nina called as she ran up.

Sallador crossed his arms. "Why would we?"

"Because it's not a rumor that Bahamut's coming, and I'm betting you guys are still here cause too many folks know you got a demon pact. Right?"

"Yes," Stefano said through gritted teeth. "And I might like the magic. That doesn't mean I'm going to risk my butt out there for demons."

"Could you at least risk your butt to make a wall up there? You won't be any better off if the humans come down here. I'll fly you up. Deal?"

"I guess we could try ... "

"Great. Please don't mind my flying! Everyone else, get used to the goat."

· · · · · · ·

Azazel floated over the lower ring of Anatae burning to the ground, as he'd considered doing ten years ago, just to hate it now.

Every now and then he dove down to break a wall and let someone escape, or demolish a floor so one of the tunnels was accessible again. Most humans fled to the hills though, and others into the upper ring; the walls of the upper ring were full of humans using magic to keep the wind back. A few of the surviving dragon mercenaries joined them.

He couldn't be everywhere at the same time; whom he saved came down to the goddamn triviality of not going too close to those walls.

Not until there was a skirmish at the walls did he fly closer. They shot at someone in the air, but not for long; it wasn't for pursuit.

"Azazel!"

Belphegor came flying up with Kolraun in her arms, followed by Adva and Tipa doing their best to keep Durahanem in the air.

"Where were you?"

"The castle," she said. "We tried to work on a floating island when the humans told us to leave, but I didn't realize it was this bad. Are the slums safe?"

It was hard to see through the thick smoke, but walls were going up around it. "Probably. Go to Rita. I'll find any stray demons here."

· · · · · · ·

Cerberus waited in her home, surrounded by useless papers and broken contracts. Lucifer had Coco. What fragile trust had existed between the humans and demons had vanished. The Red Troupe remembered Azazel ordering Belphegor, now saw all demons as his subordinates.

When Azazel entered, she sent everyone away.

"What needs to happen for my shadow to not cast on the others?" he asked.

"Dissociation," Cerberus said. "A spectacle of it. That's not gonna be easy."

She didn't like how calm his face was.

His eyes fell on Mimi next to her, safely on her hand in puppet form.

"If he asks, I threatened your dog," Azazel whispered.

"Asks what?"

A serpent snatched Mimi away. She yelped at Azazel's claws ripped across her face, poking an eye out. "Ask why you're more obedient to me, than to him. Now stay put, dog."

Cerberus froze halfway to pouncing at him, hearing a very real threat.

As he walked off, she sunk back in place. Azazel hadn't exactly been fun in the past, but she didn't like where this might go.

· · · · · · ·

Nina spent her day clearing the rubble and opening gates to the underground city. Enough humans had taken refuge there to make the government involved in securing the lower end of the city. Manaria sent water mages to join the demons in extinguishing the fire, and Valeria brought out its automatons to clear the rubble. It brought a tentative truce with not nearly enough kindness as far as Nina was concerned.

It was to this scene that the nexus in the hills expanded. The gap that the emerging armies had left now looked small as the earth split. Rocks rose above the ground to frame a massive glowing circle. Almost everyone froze to behold the colossal, tentacled beast emerge, so massive it might cast a shadow over the entirety of the slums. It put to shame all skybeasts of the human armies.

Once fully out its head hovered over the ruins of the amphitheater. A black castle stood far above the tentacles, from which a shining point descended.

"Nina."

Azazel stood in the shadows of a building. She hopped over to him.

"Is that Lucifer?"

He nodded.

"I like the big squid thingy, I bet we can fit half the demons on there. But I don't see much safe place between those spikes, and the castle's definitely too small to fit everyone. Is this gonna be a safe trip to hell?"

"It's not a rescue ship, but a war beast," he said. "Stay near, don't interact with Lucifer. Understood? I'll talk to him."

"Okay, but what for? If it's not a rescue, is it a conquest?"

"Maybe, maybe not. Right now Valeria and lord Lucifer are still allies. But he is here now and will stand for the demons. It might all be intimidation, and it will be if I succeed at changing the story," he said softly. "If I am why they see monsters in my people, they need to know I stand apart from them."

"What do you mean?" Nina asked.

"If Cerberus moves, go to her."

Azazel teleported away. Frustrated, Nina climbed onto a building to see more.

The shining figure stood atop the half built mausoleum to the breaking cheers of the demon population : a white haired angel with two white wing sets and one black set. While too far to see, he had to wear gold considering how the sun reflected. It was Azazel who looked out of place here, compared to him.

No demons were in the air save two : Azazel hovering before the mausoleum, while Belphegor approached and landed on a lower, nearby pile of rubble to take a knee. A little later a red spot appeared next to her, Cerberus also kneeling.

It was too far to hear, so Nina took the risk to jump closer across the buildings.

The plaza around the mausoleum held a small crowd, mostly demons and city guards, but also a few Nina recognized from the Red Troupe. Sarvo stood further ahead, paying close attention.

By now she was close enough to hear Lucifer's imposing voice echo.

"You start courts, take over this part of the city and manage it so poorly, you have a mob over your roof, Azazel?" Lucifer said. "Truly, I am quite disappointed with your choices. You should have handed this over to me the moment you defeated Olivia."

"I thought I was good enough to handle it. My apologies, lord Lucifer. I miscalculated."

Azazel sounded so wrong, all formal.

"You certainly did," Lucifer said. "And perhaps more. Cerberus showed up without either of her dogs. One we found acting independent in Valeria. She also seemed rather nervous about telling me you had founded a new court chain."

"I took the other dog as safeguard because she wasn't cooperative," Azazel flicked his hand, and one of his goats flew up with Mimi in the coils of his tail. She yelped as it squeezed tighter.

"Is that the only way you can resort to keeping your subjects in line? Disappointing, but then again, apparently I cannot keep you in line well enough either. Or did Martinet revive from the dead too, to spin low tales in your ears again?"

Azazel tossed Mimi away, and right then Cerberus twitched from her spot to catch her. Nina jumped off the roof and flew the way down, landed at Cerberus's side. Ignoring the eyes on her, she stood next to the shivering demoness; she held her two whimpering dogs close. Was this the point, to put on sight the contrast between sharp Azazel and cutesy Cerberus? What few human were around certainly were casting sympathetic looks to Cerberus.

"No, lord Lucifer. I met no one. I just didn't think it was necessary to go out of my way to bother you."

"Now, Azazel, we've been over this. No lying, or leaving anything out."

"I wasn't," he said so blase Nina just knew he baited. He left out so much.

And Lucifer responded by. setting. Azazel. on. fire.

Nina almost ran for him, but Cerberus held her back with an iron grip.

"Nina's, there's three goats. Don't ruin it," she whispered.

Oh. Oh spirits, he had made himself the scapegoat, and he bled snakes again.

"That's a stupid idea," Nina hissed. "It's not gonna help at all and he's just getting hurt more!"

"Stupid like you running out to argue with Lucifer?"

Azazel was on his knees now, explaining something too soft to hear, which seemed to appease Lucifer.

"Let's go," Cerberus said. "Play your part."

Not much playing needed, really. Cerberus was actually upset, and little Mimi missed an eye.

Cerberus subtly steered Nina aside so they ended up near a particular house, where someone whistled; a human Nina vaguely recalled from the Red Troupe.

He wanted to know what was going on, and Cerberus took a seat with teary eyes that weren't all a lie. Mimi got a band aid while she gave a colorful, vague spiel.

Cerberus had killed three of the dragons and had her own reasons for not contacting, but Azazel took the fall before humans and Lucifer alike so she could keep aiding the demons, wasn't it?

To Nina, exploit cute appearance was a fun trick before the rebellion. Now this was spoiled too.

A little later, Favaro found them there, and she pulled him aside.

"Teacher ... is there gonna be a war?" She didn't really need to ask, but she wanted to be sure.

"I'd bet. Sooner or later these people are gonna disagree on what to do with the demons, and getting Dromos is gonna be about aiming it somewhere."

She closed her hand over her new bounty bracelet. "We know where it should be aimed."

Everything was a mess of emotions, and people lacking the right information, and prejudices and retribution and twisted justice and compassion flowing down the wrong rivers. It all centered on one man still, who stood indifferent to pain as he pursued his goal. XVII had forged himself this way and would pull the entire world down with him.

Anger had been one of the very first things Nina had learned to control, lest she turn into a dragon too much. Years of practice in chaining down this emotion, her first enemy, had left it deep under the pressure of the earth. The rebellion would fail again. She still didn't quote know what to do with herself, but it was a little clearer now. What feeling to ignore, and what to put to use.

"Teacher, I'd like you to track down and gather a few people for a meeting tomorrow in Cerberus's home. We're fixing this mess."

· · · · · · ·

El Mugaro peered down at a hastily gathered meeting in the massive entrance hall of the castle. A thread of conversation was far to be sought, they all talked over one another.

Lucifer's ship hovered over the city, and nobody knew whether he had any wards to send out.

Nobody sat on the throne either.

Argus, king of Manaria. Konrad, minister of Valeria. Reinier, patron god of Valeria. They all felt rather similar, detached in favor of their work. Odin had passed by before, far larger than he should be; he had hidden.

They argued with terms El Mugaro didn't understand very well until they came to the topic of crimes and heaven's justice system. Manaria's king faced Gabriel unabashed.

"It doesn't match up with a number of things," Argus said. "Either your system is unreliable, or is outright lying."

"It must be admitted," Konrad said, "That heaven has vast knowledge it does not share with us. Lord Reinier has been more forthcoming and we are very grateful, but we begin to get the impression certain forces up the hierarchy are ... an obstacle to progress."

"What exactly creates this system?" Argus asked.

Gabriel said nothing much, even though it was very long; the kind of thing El Mugaro usually zoned out of. It was the humans concerning nur, ne saw much familiar in the way they spoke of gods. That growing discontent, suspicion and resentment so common to humans in the earliest waves of an attack.

All throughout, nur mother stood by silent. Ne wanted her to raise her strong voice to reign them in, but she didn't.

When she at last joined nur on the upper walkway, she was surprised ne had even been there. Much the same for El Mugaro about Gabriel appearing along with her.

"You should not keep Jegudiel in this palace," Gabriel said. "It is far from safe."

"I am aware," Jeanne especially. "Especially now that Odin is around."

Wait, they agreed?

Jeanne leaned to be at eye level with nur. "El, dear. I'd like you to go back to heaven and heal Sofiel. Lady Gabriel will keep you safe enough. I trust you to know when to listen to her, and when not to. Stay safe."

"No!"

"Right now we don't need to wage a war anymore," Jeanne said. "I would prefer you away from Odin and come back once all is safe. Your hallows can channel your healing power."

"But they can't dissolve the zommorods! Please, I have to help! She won't let me help everyone!"

Nur mother brushed her hand over nur hair gently. "Please, El, you have to stay alive."

"So does everyone else."

"Should an emergency occur, of course we will send you back here," Gabriel said. "With a battleship as before."

"See? It will be alright. Please go. I'll explain to Azazel."

Tears didn't hold back anymore. "But ... "

"You cannot fight Odin or automatons, and you understand that Azazel wanted to keep you away from Lucifer, right?"

Ne nodded, despite everything.

Gabriel had one of her underlings open a gate to heaven. When ne looked back to nur mother she still watched, but only shortly, and guilt ridden.

· · · · · · ·

The shadow of his warbeast hovered over the slums, and the castle stood high in alert. Just well enough.

He left the goats in place, but he himself better not be seen. If something went wrong he'd be there soon enough.

Just go on as always. Keep moving. Correct mistakes. He had centuries to lose, until then he'd keep trying.

When he returned to the old ruins fire was lit already, but contrary to expectations Nina hadn't broken open the food. She sat crosslegged on the bed, eyes on him intently, caught between concern and reprimand.

"You should tell me about plans even if you think I'm not of use to them," Nina said.

"Hmmph."

"Why did you do that?" Nina asked.

"Why not? It's better they keep trusting Cerberus as far as that goes," Azazel said. "She makes the perfect underdog and if the only death they attribute to her is Olivia, all the better. Chaos, she is a dog."

"You hurt Mimi for this," she said. Accusation. Statement. Question? "And it won't fix the hatred for the demons. You're just the excuse they latch onto. And don't think I didn't notice you've been avoiding Mugaro before this even came up."

He sat down with his back against the bed, staring up at the hatch. Mugaro wouldn't arrive today.

Nina sat in silence for a little before she said, almost indignant, "What is Lucifer to you?"

Chaos, he didn't want these questions, but was too tired to shut her up ... or leave ... or ... maybe he did want to be asked.

She laid a hand on his arm, as if she could sense the serpents itching below his skin. "You can break one or another way. Mine by pretending nothing is wrong, and then you'll make more mistakes and stumble into tricks to keep yourself going. Or you'll just wear down to nothing."

He wished he hadn't admitted to her he was afraid of Charioce. Next she'd think he was afraid of Lucifer.

She wasn't entirely, quite, all that much wrong about that. Lucifer wouldn't ever kill him, it was trivial fear.

But it was there. Maybe as hidden as hers.

"When Charioce had me, I saw myself in him, and I hate that. But I didn't think about lord Lucifer until I stood there and he wouldn't stop. They're nothing alike, but they bear their powers down and say it's ..."

"Cruelty that he calls by another name," Nina said. "It won't get better if you don't see it for what it is, Sofiel told me something a little like that. I smiled things away, you rage it away, and then what?"

"I'll live. Charioce has done worse to me than lord Lucifer," Azazel said, and left away, so why does this cut deeper?

She heard him anyway. "You never loved Charioce, he can't cut you with a sword he doesn't have. So I gotta be blunt here : it's worthless if it hurts you so much. Your devotion to him."

It wasn't. It was ...

"I remember what you told Mugaro now. When lord Lucifer broke you out, you swore myself to him and lived for him. That's been true for centuries, until Mugaro. When you failed everything and lost all your purpose, you still lived for Mugaro. Lucifer either made you forget, or kept you from finding yourself."

Dammit, her dragon memories were hers entirely now. He couldn't argue with her on that, for if she'd been talking about what she'd been to Charioce, he'd be glad to hear her give up on him.

His fall from heaven was through weakness, nothing he could afford to relish in. She asked him to.

"It's normal where I come from." Azazel took a broken breath before he stumbled into, "Not like Charioce's realm, we didn't starve and enslave. All the physical chains were just things I owned. I was fine if I behaved. I had a temper, that was all. It was all me."

"But it wasn't, and I bet you hoped too that you could reason with him," Nina whispered. She was almost melancholic now, a poor fit to her.

"I started to excuse him too," Azazel said with a wry smile. "I told myself he just didn't get that it hurt ... "

Nina's arms slipped over his shoulders, pulling him into an embrace as well as she could.

The last resistance gone, he let himself holds her. Nina's hand brushed into his hair, her cheek against his neck. Softness had no goddamn business being this needed, it was just some gesture, and yet had his pride stand by. It had been so long.

Without pride and rage, he was left with grief in all its forms and so much clearer.

"I turned them over to Lucifer. It will be like before. That's not good enough anymore."

"Not yet. We won't turn them over to anyone," Nina said.

He pulled away, though not entirely. "You can't become Lucifer's enemy. Stay out of it."

"What kind of a friend and rebel would I be if I just left you with this? We'll tie all the pieces together. We'll survive Bahamut and go from there, maybe our tribes don't have to stay enemies for long."

"Stay out of it," he said again, but it lacked conviction.

"No, I won't stay out of helping our people," Nina said. "I might not have lived in hell, but I am of its blood and magic, and my people have had to hide from humans for so long. I've been hunted down too, and I've survived Charioce. So things got a little more complicated, that doesn't mean I won't be here. So we're going to keep trying, together, and we'll start by bring Jeanne back."

She sounded so damn hopeful, even if exhausted. It was too much.

"Jeanne woke up already, she doesn't forgive me for this."

"Nonsense, she's just not feeling okay right now. Jeanne lived with herself when she thought she'd killed millions. She'll work with you if she can trust you."

"On what exactly?" Chaos, he did want to believe she had a plan, but this was Nina. Her ideas were, well, not great.

"Knowing my luck, there's going to be a huge splash with fallout with what I'm planning. If that's the only way I can affect anything, we might as well go full storm. XVII will find a way to unseal Bahamut sooner or later. If Dromos is our best chance, but fighting it here would risk ten thousands of people, then we will take the fight to Bahamut. We'll find our lost angels, we'll get an island going, we'll win."

"Tch. That sounds like a lot more than you or I know how to do," he said. He couldn't quite hope, nor say no exactly.

"Don't worry, I know a few people. A lot of people, actually."

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