This was it, her heart was pounding in her chest as the black haired cat demon raced through the stairwell towards the top floor where their shared bedroom was. At first Arbus thought of going right for the door itself because she desperately needed to help Ater. Then she took Ater's condition into account, realizing that the white haired kitty might not last for too much longer. Terrified due to Ater's lack of nutritional substance in her body—or any kind of food she'd eat for that matter—the black haired twin sped past the top floor and went down a couple more levels. Her destination was the cafeteria, knowing it was going to be closed down for the day since it was late at night. As much as she didn't want to break in, Arbus knew she had no choice since this was for Ater's sake. That was why she barged through the door near the place, rushing past cameras that luckily hadn't caught sight of her running to the cafeteria's double doors. They were locked up tight for the night.
"Dammit!" Arbus swore under her breath after trying to open them, first via the doorknobs she seized and tried pulling to no avail. Next she attempted to shove the doors aside and barge into the cafeteria by force, applying the full weight of her body against these doors. Both methods had no success, and at this point the cat demon was worried she might not be able to get food for Ater. Although she might've been able to collect several snacks from the vending machine nearby, there was much better food inside the kitchen than in there. Granted, some snacks were healthy, though not really too filling; plus Arbus didn't have much money on her to begin with. While she could've gone to Kcalb or Etihw for gold coins, the term she had to fulfill was to disobey the Devil's orders. Asking either him or the Goddess could've raised suspicions regarding why she sought gold coins for a vending machine this late at night; then again, they might've thought they were for Ater, not Arbus. Still, it was a risky move either way and Arbus couldn't afford to waste more time. "There's got to be a way in there!" she whispered silently, preventing herself from drawing attention which was unwanted. "A-a key, a secret passageway, a breakable window…something!" Then it hit her.
Sprinting towards the balcony close by, Arbus threw the door open, thankful she didn't hit anybody with it because nobody was there. No one would see her smash a window open while she flew over to one. Peeking inside to make sure the camera in there was facing away, the cat demon moved back and thrust her foot at the glass. Breaking it in one strike, Arbus used her boot to clear away shards of shattered glass to avoid cutting herself on them before slinking inside. The cafeteria was completely empty and dark, though she could see in the dark like other cats and was thus able to find her way past the tables. "N-no…" she whispered nervously, finding the kitchen was locked as well. Again, she tried the previous methods of entry that didn't work on the other doors, yet still the tricks were useless. Even the shutter covering the opening over the counter was locked too.
Arbus refused to give up, acknowledging she was losing precious time that had to be spent with Ater. If she went for her sister first before coming here or leaving to return to the underground city, the white haired twin sister might've still fared unwell by now. Fortunately, she caught sight of a closed ventilation shaft above one of the display cases where chefs stored photos of their best meals. Morphing into her cat form to leap above it, she climbed atop to unscrew it. No screwdriver was needed as her claws were fine for the job, so Arbus uncovered the opening and made her way through the dusty vent. All she had to do now was go to her left and make another left to reach the kitchen, but yet again she was temporarily thwarted by another closed opening. This did not deter her as Arbus only had to revert back into her humanoid form to kick the cover off and crawl out.
"Okay, where's the food?" she murmured to herself checking the cabinets and fridges in a search for something good to eat. Her raid on the kitchen was going rather alright so far, though it was beginning to get difficult finding something that was already prepared. The chefs had already used up all the leftovers that day, and there was nothing left since even the scraps were all gone as well. She and Ater were domestic cat demons, not alley cats, hence they ate only exquisite food or meals for children—they still did act like children at times, considering their interests. As nothing could be found, Arbus bit her lower lip and worried about how hard it was to even find ingredients for a simple sandwich or two. Good thing she managed to locate some bread in time, and she even discovered some tuna, fish sticks, and salmon meat she could use to make a few fish sandwiches.
After speeding through the process of jamming those in between several slices of bread, it was time to wrap them in plastic and store the freshly made sandwiches into a paper bag she found in one of the cupboards before quickly using a key she saw in a drawer to unlock the door. Making her way out and leaving the key behind by a cash register after shutting the door, Arbus ran to the window and flew out the way she came. Running through the other door and heading back towards the stairwell, she flew up with her wings for a speedy ascension to the top floor. "Hold on, Ater, I am coming…" she uttered softly to herself, reaching the door and barging through the threshold.
All she had to do was run to their bedroom and enter it to find Ater still lying in bed. Doing just that and hastily approaching the bed, Arbus set the sandwiches down on her twin's nightstand. Hurrying to their bedroom window and opening the blinds, she unlocked it and threw it open since that was going to be their exit with everybody else in the castle unaware—hopefully they were not caught leaving. Turning back to her sister, Arbus swallowed heavily as she approached Ater.
Ater still looked worse for the wear, her ashen form staring unblinkingly ahead, eyes on no individual in particular since she only looked forward. Her mouth was curled into a frown, both of her cheeks slightly gaunt from not eating even though it was open enough to just get small bites in to eat. However large the morsels were didn't matter because she still wouldn't eat, so Arbus spent time helping Ater chew her food while also bringing in meals she didn't have to chew. The kitty's shivering became a bit worse when her twin opened the window, and she looked somewhat skinny from not really eating. Her breathing was a tad faint as was her pulse when Arbus checked it, plus she hadn't bathed in the past several days contributing to a stinky odor emanating from her body.
"Ater…" Arbus murmured softly, going over to kneel down by her sister. "I'm here, Ater."
"Arbus…" Ater weakly whispered, her voice very hoarse from how dry her throat felt due to not having drank anything for several days, leading to serious dehydration. The sound of Ater's voice worried her twin sister as Arbus mentally swore at herself for forgetting to get drinks for her twin. The white haired cat demon didn't even make eye contact with her or even face Arbus, bags under her eyes apparently showing she hadn't slept which also worried Arbus. "L-leave me…"
The black haired feline's eyes widened, her mouth hanging agape somewhat. "N-no…"
"Leave me…" her sister commanded again weakly, in no position to actually do anything. All she could do was say the words which did have meaning behind them as she intended for Arbus to get out. That was her intention, though her twin sister refused to cooperate, wanting to stay.
"I-I will not…" Arbus stood firm, resolute in her determination to stay. "I'll not leave you, Ater. You're my only twin sister, I love you." Kneeling down by the bedside, she reached out and gently took Ater's left hand into her own, using her right hand to tenderly stroke her sister's face.
"You do not…" Ater weakly replied, barely able to really speak anymore.
"I do," Arbus strengthened the conviction in her voice, needing to be strong for her sister's sake. "I know we've gotten into a huge fight over how we treat the matter of our parents, but I am not going to ever leave your side just because of a bad argument. You're my twin sister and I love you very much. That's why I chose to remain by your side even if I wasn't directly next to you."
"You were never beside me…Abandoning me just like you abandoned our parents…"
"Y-yes…" the black haired cat demon stuttered, swallowing heavily with tears in her eyes. It was time to admit she was wrong and apologize for that. "You are right, I did abandon you since I wanted to be happy, and I had also hoped you'd be happy too. I won't deny what I've done to us, what I've done to break our bond, for I did it for both your sake and mine." Arbus sniffed, needing to get this off her chest for good to reconcile with Ater over their fight about their parents. "I tried so hard for us both getting you to see reason and be happy, Ater, and then you disowned me since I wasn't helping you try to learn about them." Tears poured down her face as she struggled to talk, though she managed to maintain her coherent speech even if her voice quivered. "I thought you'd chosen to not be happy by pursuing anything that could've been a false lead or a painful truth. The reason why I broke that deal was because I was scared of what you'd find out, that it would cause much harm for us if anything wasn't positive. I only just realized I was wrong." Arbus threw both arms around Ater's somber form, beginning to cry over her mistakes. "It was all my fault! I've let you down because I was scared of the truth, and I'm so sorry, Ater! You are right, I am a coward because I wouldn't even try helping you learn about them! I'm sorry for not being brave like you!"
"It's too late…Arbus…the deal is off…"
"No, that's not true! The deal's still on! I can make things better! I'll make things right!"
"You can't…I can't see them…" Ater went on, scaring Arbus because her comments gave the black haired feline the allusion that her white haired sister had simply given up. Though Ater didn't have to, what happened so far gave her good reason to. Arbus was terrified of it and didn't like that due to the effect it had on Ater, but it was a reason nonetheless. "I…won't see them…" That confirmed Ater really had given up. "They must be mad…at me…for what I did…"
"They will forgive you, Ater, I am sure of it!" Arbus protested, trying to help her sister by using logic to support a point. "Parents never forsake their children, no matter how unfaithful they are! I was unfaithful while you've done your best to learn about them! I'm the one who should be punished, not you! If anything, I'm to blame for abandoning our family, fearing any hard truths!"
"They will not…"
"No, don't say that, Ater! I spoke to the lich demon, she can help us! Maybe she can let us speak to their spirits!" the black haired cat demon said, putting both hands on Ater's cheeks as she held her sibling's head and looked into her eyes. "Trust me, I remade the deal with her for us!"
"But it…fell through…" Ater pointed out.
"Yours did, but not mine; I made a fresh, new deal with her. I promise to fulfill it for us!" Arbus murmured, smiling as she shut her eyes. "Come on, let's go hear about Mom and Dad." As she said those words, she picked up the paper bag with the fish sandwiches inside it and placed the food on Ater's body after pulling the covers back. Moving her arms underneath the other kitty, she kept one arm under Ater's legs with the other under her back to hold Ater carefully while picking her up. Turning around and walking towards the window, the black haired cat demon stretched her wings out before flying out. Soaring through the sky, Arbus looked at Ater and smiled happily.
They were on their way to fulfilling a deal that had yet to be finished. This time it'd work.
…
"Really? He said that?" Robin inquired cheerfully, sitting beside Grora in the same dream the latter angel originally had with the former in it. She giggled, a hand to her mouth as she looked at the living angel with her eyes shut briefly. They'd been meeting like this each night since they've been reunited in the dreams, always talking about things like the past, the present, the future, along with various other topics that made up the casual subjects they discussed. This time Grora told her about a friendly poker game she played with the guys in which she came in third while Othros and Rorin came in first and second respectively, and Mitchell was last. Technically Grora was the one who was supposed to come in last place, though she utilized a trick only she knew of to stop it. An elaborate stunt like hers in that game wasn't against the rules, but it wasn't highly supported either. That was why Rorin said she was literally using a handful of trump cards, a difficult practice she'd learned of in that other town she lived in for a few years after True Light was finished because her hand had to actually hold different cards to control her fate. "Sounds like you cheated, Grora."
"Hey, nobody was going around the guys' backs looking at their cards," Grora commented in her own defense, aware that her spiritual friend could've done just that since nobody would even see her. They probably wouldn't even hear her for that matter unless Robin put the thought inside their heads via mental images or words that popped up in their minds. "I played fair, even if it was some cheap trick up my sleeve. They didn't complain about it aside from Rorin's remark" She had also laughed, thinking about how that trick won her the race for third place. Othros told her not to use that trick ever again unless she taught it to them and other employees in the castle first, so she agreed to that and began planning a lesson plan for that purpose. It was a simple essay telling them and other readers how to perform said trick, so Grora didn't think further elaboration was needed.
"By ignoring my advice?" Robin asked slyly, narrowing her eyes rather mischievously.
"So it was you!" Grora concluded, basing an entire theory she had on that inquiry. As they were playing, the living angelic woman could've sworn somebody was telling her something. The advice and which cards the other players had showed up in her mind just as Grora suspected, hence why she felt someone—the individual she playfully dubbed as her guardian angel—looked out for her. "I knew there had to be a reason why I was being given the means to cheat! You sly devil!"
Robin laughed, having blown her cover on purpose. "Hey, I wanted you to win. Well, you did to some extent by getting third, but at least you weren't last. You're welcome, by the way."
"You could've just rooted for me from the afterlife," her friend laughed, lightly hitting the spiritual angel in the arm as a playful gesture. There was no malice since she was grateful for aid.
"But then your head would've been filled by my overly zealous cheering for you."
"I'd prefer elevator music over that; it's not as loud as that constant cheering," Grora stated to counter Robin with a teasing remark, yet there still wasn't any malice in her voice. "I don't care how dull it is, I can concentrate better without the noise. Besides, the only reason why I took third was to stop your advice to cheat. I appreciate the thought, but like hell I'd ever resort to cheating."
"It's good that you didn't, otherwise you'd have been caught," Robin giggled to suggest a more ulterior motive lurked within her desire to help her friend win the game of poker. "Although I am grateful you considered my advice in the first place, trying to ignore and stop it was rude."
"Says the lady who probably wanted me to lose by cheating if I got caught, or win if I was not. Whose side are you really on, Robin?" Grora asked to tease the spiritual angel some more. "I could've gotten in trouble because of you, you know? That's why I avoided listening to you."
"Touché, Grora, touché," Robin declared by submitting to her old subordinate's logic. She still laughed, putting an arm around Grora and drawing her close into a warm embrace. Looking a short distance away into the field, she breathed in some fresh air flowing throughout the dream as she then exhaled it. Memories of the war flooded over her, and she could recall the times they had spent together on missions against the demonic forces of Kcalb. Those dark times were behind the two of them and the rest of their world, and all that remained was the future following this present age of peace. "You know, Grora," she murmured to address that topic, "sometimes I miss old days when we used to hang out, if not as often at times. Those were not the best of times considering we were at war with the demons, but I greatly enjoyed spending time with friends back then to interact with them. Those were some of the happiest memories I ever made, getting to enjoy the life I had."
"Until you lost it…" Grora said somberly before posing a question to her. "I never had the chance to ask you before, but who were you friends with besides Clarabella? You were always so aloof from a lot of the other angels all the time. I know I may have been of a higher rank and status than you, but I always thought of you as my superior on the few missions we went on together."
Listening to the question and thinking back on who she knew during the war, Robin placed a bent finger to her chin and shut her eyes. She rode her nostalgia all the way back to that era, such memories serving as the boat she rowed throughout her mind to fish out certain memories. At once she began searching for specific names, and only came up with a couple she knew of. "Not many, to tell the truth. I was usually by myself doing a lot of reading and enjoying the artwork Clarabella displayed in her museum. She was one of the few friends I had, including yourself as well because I always included you in my social circle as I had great respect for you as you did for me. Besides the two of you, I was also close friends with Ciel and Rigatona. Even Yosaflame was also a friend of mine through Rigatona, and Lost also found a way into my social circle through him and Ciel."
"Wow, you've even held two of the most well-known demons from Sir Devil's forces with high regards. I didn't even know those guys all that well despite hearing that Lady Etihw was okay with them around at times. I guess she must've suspected they were better than other demons."
"They were," Robin offered a bit of further elaboration. "In fact, Yosaflame was accepted by her since he liked angels and was chivalrous to them. Lost was too, but only to Ciel at first."
"I heard those two declined the opportunity to become angels because they were still loyal to their birthplace, our world's hell," Grora commented, trying to understand why those two were alright amongst the angels. "I mean, I can comprehend that, but they must've liked other demons, right? Surely they were proud to fight alongside their fellow demons during the war against us?"
"They fought loyally for their underworld, but they were not like their people and they did not really like the other demons," Robin explained briefly to answer the inquiry Grora posed. She brushed locks of hair away from her eyes while speaking when the wind blew them in her face. "I think the fact they weren't fond of other demons was a good reason why they could have accepted any opportunities to become angels. Then again, they were strictly loyal to their home solely since it was their home, but Yosaflame and Lost were very cordial towards angels unlike their brethren. At the same time, I suppose they also wanted to do their best keeping their fellows in proper line."
"I guess that makes sense considering their perspective of other demons," Grora agreed.
"Indeed. Now that I've answered that question, do you mind if I ask you one, Grora?"
"Sure, shoot."
"Why is it that you consider me to be your superior despite being of a higher status and an upper ranking than I?" the spiritual angel asked out of curiosity. "It's true I was more skilled than you, but by ranking and status you should've considered me your subordinate. Why not that?"
"Easy," Grora replied with a smile, happy to answer that inquiry for her old friend. "I held great respect for you as you've already noted, Robin. Your skills in combat were indeed far better than mine ever were. Hell, you should've been the one to receive promotions instead of me. I only received them since I had associates in high places who persuaded Lady Etihw to bestow me with such privileges. Although I'm grateful for their support, it wasn't so great in hindsight as I always screwed something up on more than one occasion. Contrast to my rather shoddy performance was yours, your streak of well-executed missions that never failed. I got some right, though I respected you because you were better than me. Plus I still feel guilty about how you died for my sake."
"And you were not envious of how well I did?"
"I did envy you, though not to the point of wanting to try and compete with you or despise you for that matter. I simply compared you to myself and did the same with our positions. You've been a far better candidate than I ever was, but I only rose through the ranks quicker due to several contacts who already received promotions. While I appreciated the spotlight, I knew I hadn't even done much to earn it. You did, and if I knew you better before getting promoted, I would've most definitely vouched for you instead. A shame we only met sometime after I ascended in society."
"Is that why you usually turned over the command to me on the missions we did together?"
"Damn straight, I knew for a fact you were much more suitable to the task than I ever was," Grora responded honestly with a smile, giving Robin the praise she rightfully deserved. "In fact, I was also glad to refer to you as my superior and proud to serve under you whenever we worked as partners on one of our teams. You always were a far better role model than I ever was, choosing a more honorable means rising through the ranks than my ties to upper class citizens and soldiers."
"Why, thank you, Grora, it means a lot to me hearing you say that," Robin smiled, saying that as she gave the living angel a hug which Grora returned as well. "Though to be fair, I did not really want all the promotions I received either because I was content simply being in the position I already had. Working with the other soldiers and scouts I knew in my position as a captain was more rewarding to me than all the honors and promotions I received for my achievements. While I would've declined them whenever I received them, my own subordinates praised and encouraged me to accept such awards for my service," she then added, explaining why she took those honors.
"And they were right to convince you, for you did deserve them after all," Grora remarked.
"I sure did," the spiritual angel chuckled rather sheepishly, embarrassed over the attention she received in life and from a good friend of hers. She shut her eyes and smiled, thankful for this friendship she shared with the living angel when her eyes suddenly jolted open for some odd reason that had yet to be explained by her. Grora caught her friend's sudden discomfort, wondering what was wrong when Robin quickly raised a hand to stop her from saying anything yet. Perking up her head, she held her breath for several moments before releasing a breath of air. "Something's up."
"What happened?" the living angelic lady asked in concern, worried about what her friend felt. "You okay, Robin? Did something happen just now? You know what it might be?"
"Something definitely happened, alright," Robin confirmed the inquiry, turning to face her friend to give Grora an urgent response right away to explain what she felt. "The lich demon came to the castle just now. I could sense her presence outside, just on the castle's roof."
Grora grimaced, wondering if the lich demon came to attack them. "She and Soa are back, eh? Those two must've started some kind of offense or something against us. I'll let Sir Devil and Lady Etihw know they've returned and sound the alarm—" she spoke seriously, preparing to stand up and end the dream when Robin placed a hand on her shoulder to prevent her from acting hastily.
"Wait…" she instructed her old subordinate—technically her superior, though she granted Grora the notion of accepting the living angel as a subordinate. "I don't sense Soa's presence here. She must not have come. Instead, the one conversing with the lich demon is…Arbus?"
Grora's eyes widened, initially confused by the revelation. "Arbus?" she murmured as she questioned why the black haired cat demon would meet with the lich demon. The latter might have come to see her, possibly to make Arbus the first victim in what might've been a slaughter, though the live angel could not deny there was another implication behind the pair of them talking. There was no way it could've been true, yet she couldn't simply brush it aside like it was nothing. To her it was the same as what happened with Ater when she first met the lich demon. They were probably making a deal; Arbus was likely making a deal with her, just like her twin sister had done before.
"Yes, it is Arbus…" Robin paused, shutting her eyes to concentrate her spiritual energy on their presences together in the same place. "I cannot make out what they're saying since something might be interfering with my perception of the dialogue. However, I can most certainly sense they are together…wait, they're splitting up. Arbus went in the castle; the lich demon disappeared."
"Dammit, I figured it must've been a deal," the living angel swore. "They made a deal."
"You must wake up now, Grora," Robin stated, giving the living angel instructions she had already known of because Grora already thought about how she'd go about this. Still, the reminder was needed to ensure the angelic lady didn't rush into this situation without guidance and caution. "Try to find Arbus first, I can sense her near the cafeteria in Blancblack Castle. Find out what she spoke about with the lich demon and contact Kcalb and Lady Etihw at once. Do not harm her."
"Yeah, yeah, I got it, alright," Grora remarked, ending the dream as her eye jolted open to find herself still at the desk she used in the barracks. Her office was dark, save for lamplight which illuminated a small space on her desk. Various documents and reports were filed neatly into a pair of piles on one side, the other side of the surface having pen holders full of pencils and pens along with an eraser or two. A laptop she used was in center, resting above a laminated calendar showing the month of March on it as the current month. Immediately shutting the lamp off, Grora pulled a flashlight out of a drawer and grabbed her bow, arrows, and scimitars once she got out of her chair to quickly race from her office to the door to cross over the threshold into the darkened corridor.
"Shit…" she swore, muttering under her breath as she ran past the elevator. Using it would have been a slow trip up to the floor where the cafeteria was located, hence why Grora decided the stairwell would've been a faster way there because she could fly. On her way, the angel strapped the scimitars to her dress and slung the bow and quiver over her back. Sprinting through the door and flying up past the several flights of stairs, she made it to the door to the fifth floor and threw it open. Luckily nobody was there to get hurt by the action, so Grora didn't have to apologize to anyone. The security cameras caught her running down towards the cafeteria, though she stopped right at the double doors to examine them. "These are locked…" she murmured silently, pondering how Arbus got in while turning on the flashlight. She hadn't caught sight of the cat demon, so she was considering the fact Arbus might've already been inside—unless she already left by now.
"That damn cat demon…" Grora cursed Arbus for most likely breaking into the place. She thought about how the feline could've done that, placing a bent finger to her chin as she pondered about any logical options that kitty had to consider when trying to get in. A ventilation shaft could have been possible, though she'd need a screwdriver to unscrew the screws keeping the lid on. Her claws might've worked too. The idea of breaking a window was the second notion that popped up in Grora's mind, and she tested that one first by checking the windows outside by the balcony. The door was unlocked, and she quickened a walking pace over the threshold to examine the windows. Sure enough, Grora found one was broken. "This must be her entrance," the angel assumed aloud even though she was alone and nobody could hear her. "It'll definitely come out of her pay."
Flying over to the broken window and clearing away fragments of glass with the flashlight prior to climbing through it, the angel kneeled down to examine the shattered shards already there before shining her flashlight around the cafeteria. "Not in here, though perhaps she's in the kitchen cooking up a late night snack or something." It was alright for anyone to use the kitchen there since it was large enough and the cooks were fine with other employees and civilians wanting to prepare meals there if other means of eating and kitchens at home couldn't be used at the time. Even Grora had made use of it at times while helping Etihw take care of Froze, Rawberry, and Raspbel due to the incidents in which their parents were killed. Heading to the kitchen right away, Grora saw some kind of object gleaming in the light of her flashlight and went to pick it up, finding it was a key.
"What's this doing here?" she asked herself, trying the door to check if it was locked, Grora found it wasn't and figured Arbus must've forgotten to lock it. The black haired cat demon was in fact smart enough to know this door could've been locked from outside as well via the key, though the question remained as to what she'd done in there. Entering the kitchen, a quick search with the flashlight revealed a broken vent cover lying on the floor. "Seems like she broke both the window and the vent cover…" Both of her theories were valid after all, and she did catch sight of a second ventilation shaft hole while looking around the cafeteria that was unscrewed. "I wonder what kind of concoction she brewed up for a late night snack," Grora said to herself, surmising the cat demon did indeed make something in here. However, there wasn't a way to prove that now until the chefs came in; they'd know which ingredients were missing once they took stock of what was available.
Instead, Grora headed out the door. She needed to find Arbus and interrogate her about that conversation the black haired cat demon had with the lich demon. Something didn't feel right, and the angel realized it had to be the fact Arbus must've made a deal with that strange girl. Her sister had been instructed not to approach the lich demon or listen to her for that matter, yet it seemed it was a hopeless command now that Arbus disobeyed that order. Then again, Robin would've made it clear she was probably jumping to conclusions as would everyone else who would later hear this happened. Maybe Arbus didn't make a deal, maybe choosing to make the lich demon go away, an idea that was plausible since Arbus was against it. However, her perspective might have changed, the opinion turning in favor of a deal after she witnessed Ater's suicide attempt. Grora considered that was probably the case because Arbus had been acting remorseful towards their previous fight. In any case, she had to find the cat demon to validate any theories pertaining to this issue via direct confrontation with her. And as Grora knew them well, she felt the two of them were in their room which she could fly to since their room was just a couple floors above the balcony for quick access.
Choosing to fly out the window again, Grora strode over there and was careful to avoid the glass shards still hanging from the top of the window frame. Beginning to climb out, the angel had only just begun to fly when she caught sight of the two cat demons flying away. The kitties soared in the sky, apparently not seeing Grora below them, especially since they already covered quite an impressive distance. Although the angel could barely see them, she could at least make out the two forms sailing through the sky in the moonlight shining down over them. And the direction they've been going in…was south, the same direction where the cave was located—the same place where they discovered those sun angels and that underground city the lich demon and Soa were in.
"Dammit, where the hell do those two think they're going?!" Grora shouted aloud, furious they were heading in that direction. They most likely were heading to that cave, dubbed the Burial Light in honor of the fallen sun angels who died in the buried metropolis. The name was the Devil's idea since he didn't want their deaths to be in vain for both the Sun Heaven and the Gray Garden, and there wasn't any opposition to the name at all. Whipping out her cellphone, Grora took flight, pursuing the girls while searching the list of contacts on her phone. Finding Kcalb's number, Grora pressed a button to dial it and held the cellphone up to her ear. "Come on, pick up…" she said and got impatient, wondering if Kcalb had actually turned in by now. Hopefully he wasn't sleeping.
"This is Kcalb speaking," the Devil answered, picking up on the other end of the line when he got to the phone. Thankfully he hadn't gone to bed yet. "May I inquire who's speaking, please?"
"It's Grora!" We've got a major problem on our hands, Sir Devil!"
"What sort of problem? Should I inform Eti? She should still be down at a late night game of gin rummy," Kcalb commented, guessing it was a major issue from the sound of Grora's voice.
"You'd better inform her right away! The lich demon's back!" the angel informed him.
"So, she's returned…" he replied, pondering what to do about the situation while inquiring how the angelic lady got that information. "How do you know she's shown up again, Grora?"
"Robin told me," Grora responded, then gave further elaboration to explain the concept as it could've been kind of hard to believe the account. "Well, her spirit did anyway in a dream I had, but that's beside the point. Point is: she sensed the lich demon's presence by Arbus, and now both cat demons are already on their way south, most likely towards Burial Light where that city is."
"I understand, where you now, Grora?"
"Already in pursuit of those bitches. I'm guessing Arbus made a deal with the lich demon."
"Is that so?" the Devil asked rhetorically. He thought Arbus might've gone that far for the sake of her twin sister, especially when Ater's suicide attempt was taken into account. That issue's severity and the implications of it were difficult to handle, so Kcalb believed Arbus only made the deal to try and make Ater happy. To him, it was the only logical explanation after everything which happened previously, prior to the supposed deal between Arbus and the lich demon. "Tell me, are you armed, Grora? Do you have anything to protect yourself and the girls if you catch up?"
"I've got my weapons, yeah, and I plan on dragging their asses back to the castle."
"If that is the safest course of action, do so right away at once," Kcalb instructed her, taking a passive approach to the situation and becoming more lenient with it. "However, I believe I know the motivation why Arbus probably made a deal with her anyway, and I'm sure you know it too."
Grora frowned, aware of exactly what he meant: their parents. Ater made the first deal with the lich demon to learn about her parents. She fulfilled it, but Arbus broke it, contributing to Ater's state of angry depression for the past several days. Maybe Arbus wanted to make amends to correct what she did when breaking the deal. This time she must've reformed it. "Well, what do you want me to do about it? You already know I completely distrust those two. Soa caused the Doppelganger Murders, we can't trust them because of that and the possible involvement with the ghouls based on that weird deity thing. I hope you're not suggesting what I think you are saying, Sir Devil."
"As a matter of fact, I am," the Devil commented from his end, dashing that hope to a deep pit where it might not have ever recovered. "If Arbus truly wants to make Ater happy and apologize for the fight between them, I believe this is the only means of reconciling their problems together. However, I am still also advising you to be cautious in approaching the problem which is why I'm requesting that you guard them if they don't have their weapons or armor. If the situation starts to get out of hand, take them away as best you can. I'll get Eti and one of us shall follow you soon."
"While the other remains behind to protect Gray Village," Grora finished for him and then sighed in frustration. "Fine, whatever, I'll protect them. Just make sure you arrive in time."
…
The revelation is soon at hand. Grora, Ater, and Arbus shall soon discover how all of them are connected (even if you, the readers, can already tell what the connection is; still I'd like to request again that you refrain from spoiling anything for others who might read this). I had originally planned on making this chapter much longer, but then decided to split it up into two separate chapters, the next one dealing with the revelation. The reason why was due to the fact I was nearing twenty pages in the word document and figured it'd be a better idea to cover the content in two chapters rather than a massive chapter at once. Thankfully I have completed a good portion of what's going to be in the next chapter already, so I only need to continue working on it. Depending on when it's finished, it may come sooner than later.
I've also addressed something that might've come across as an inconsistency that may be apparent in Seven Nights at Clarabella's. In that story, I've stated that Grora was actually Robin's superior in status and rank, but then Grora referred to Robin as a captain later on. This may have meant that Grora might've actually been of a lower status, so I thought about a way to address that matter. Here's how it works in this chapter: Grora's Robin's superior from a technical standpoint, though we must recall that Grora also felt guilty about the death of Robin. This is mentioned in the chapter along with the other reason being Robin's abilities which Grora acknowledges as superior to her own skills. Although she'd still be her superior, Grora respects Robin enough to know it should've been the other way around: that Robin's skills should've made her the superior officer, not Grora. She only advanced via connections from members of a social circle that may have been close to Etihw and was probably part of an upper class, whereas Robin put in the effort to rightfully earn those promotions. This way I can still maintain the notion of Grora being the superior in status and rank despite knowing Robin would've made a better superior officer than her because of the latter's abilities. This may seem like a copout, but I think it works well considering the friendship these two share as it shows how close Grora and Robin are despite not interacting all that much in the past.