Backing away from him, Joshua said in astonishment, "You're an angel!"

Walking around the child, Sparda said confidently, "I am an archangel."

Looking at him in shock and fear, Joshua struggled to talk. "I'm sorry its just - just that - well I mean - why - uhm - why are you here?"

"Follow me." Sparda said walking away from Joshua towards the front of the factory. Looking around, still not believing that he was following an archangel, Joshua shrugged and began to follow Sparda. Following him, the boy couldn't help but ask, "So, where's your wings?"

Sparda's heavenly sword split apart forming into angelic, metal wings. Most of the feathers were gold with the bottom ones made of steel. There were claws sticking out of the tops seemingly crafted out of diamond. Both of them moved like regular wings with a five foot span looking like crafted eagle wings. Joshua couldn't help himself from uttering out a quiet, surprised, "Whoa."

They folded back into the sword as the two walked on. Feeling that he had to ask, the boy uttered out, "Can you still use those wings and your sword together?"

"Of course." Sparda's voice a bit cold but sill willing to answer the boy's fascinated questions. Even though Sparda had been dead for a long time, he was still very sympathetic to humans.

Proceeding to the cafeteria, Sparda turned a few corners and entered. Joshua right behind him. He sat down at a small table and invited the fifteen year old to sit across from him. Slowly sitting down, Joshua nervously asked, "Will Zarra be alright?"

Cocking his head, Sparda sat with his gloved hands folded. "Why do you care about her?"

Retracting his neck a bit, the green-haired boy looked away from Sparda and then back at the angelic knight, "I - She's been very nice to me. She didn't have to be."

Nodding his head, Sparda; with a calm, intellectual voice asked, "You care for her?"

Fumbling on both his words and his hands, Joshua shrugged, shyly saying, "I guess so."

"You know she's a demon?"

"So were you."

"Touché."

"You didn't come here to ask me about what I'm doing."

Smiling wide, Sparda said, "Actually, I did."

Turning his head, looking at the archangel sideways, "All this time with no one seeing angels for two thousands years, now all of a sudden you come to me! Why?! There's got to be more deserving people."

Tapping his fingers on the table, "I have watched my sons grow from on high." Sparda said, talking to Joshua like an adult. "All this time without being able to save them, not talk to them, not even to interfere with their dreams. And then - I finally get orders to come down to talk and who am I talking to?" Looking away from Joshua. "I've got nothing against you, son. Its just I wish I could talk to my real sons." He looked back at Josh with glassy eyes, "I'm sure you understand."

Nodding sadly, Josh said, "I do. I just don't understand why you can't."

Leaning back in his chair, Sparda pointed towards the heavens, "Because they keep you on a tight leash up there. When I was a demon I had free range to do whatever I wanted to, to get the job done. Now, there's all these rules and regulations. Talk to this person. Say this but don't mention that. Go here and make him aware but not the other. Don't send this demon. And it changes every time!" Rubbing his forehead, telling the kid with a drained voice, "When I was a demon everything seemed so simple. When I became a king of humans things got even simpler. Now, I'm just another soldier with a legion under my command and a potential recruit I need to interview." Motioning towards Joshua.

"Whoa! Wait-a-minute! Time-out!" Josh said frantically. "Potential recruit?! I'm not planning on dying anytime soon!"

"I know. Not what I meant." Sparda said sitting up with a bit more life to him. "Look Josh -" He began trying his best to talk down-to-earth with the boy. He found it tough not having negotiated and talked to anybody outside of other angels in a long time. "There's some - entities up there very interested in how a few of your key choices are going to play out. Namely my superiors. That's why I'm down here. I'm just the messenger."

"Key choices?"

"I'm sure you know about the civil war in the underworld right now?"

Joshua shook his head that he didn't.

"Oh well, yeah. There's a war being waged down there. All the big players are fighting for the prize of Earth. Anyone who takes the human world, gets the grand prize: A seat on the throne. But - its not important." Sparda said nonchalantly.

"A war in Hell sound like a pretty big deal to me."

Looking away from the boy and then back he forcefully smiled, "Yeah, a century ago I would have thought so too. Not the way it's going to happen. There's a bigger war coming. All this in-fighting with the demons, it's just a prelude. My superiors want to know what side you're going to be on?"

Confused and dumbfounded, Joshua was at a lost for words. He was very intelligent but this was going over his head. Looking back at Sparda, "I'm not picking a side except my own."

"I know Josh. You're going to do what you feel is right and I'm just doing what I'm told."

A little perturbed, Joshua just said, "I can't - I mean -" Slamming his head into his hand, "There is no way this is happening! I'm only fifteen! I wanted to do something with my life but I just - I didn't know this was where it would go!"

Looking at the child sorrowfully, "Josh, I know this is a lot to put on your shoulders. I know it is but you haven't heard any of it yet. What I've told you is the bare point on an island-sized iceberg. You are going to making choices down the road that will effect uncountable lives." Pointing at him, trying to lighten the mood a little bit, "You remember what you asked Zarra back on the train?"

Joshua looked away overwhelmed, "I asked her a lot."

"One thing in particular, son. Why didn't she burn-up when she was in that church with you? Do you remember asking that?"

Looking back at the tall, purple-coated archangel before him, Joshua replied, "Yeah, I do." Shrugging, wondering where this point of the conversation was going.

"The powers over mine have sanctified you. It's sort of their way of keeping an eye out." Cocking his head a bit, Sparda added, "Slightly."

Furrowing his brow, Josh felt the question tip-toe its way through him, "So, any demon around me is safe from holy - stuff?"

Sparda nodded. "For a certain area. It's not your fault that's just how it is. All beings around you are safe from Heavenly wrath. Unless, an angel interferes. Have to be a powerful one - like - me."

Desperately looking at Sparda, "Don't you think this is a bit much for me?! I mean, its too much pressure!"

Sparda smiled at the kid, "It's not my intention to pressure you. It's not my superiors' either. My job is to show you the path. You are free to choose whichever you feel comfortable with." Standing from the table with his hand out he helped Joshua out of his chair seeing the great weight on his shoulders. He knew he had just dropped a large stone in the boy's lap. "I shouldn't tell you this but - forget it - if you follow your heart and my sons' examples, I think you'll always make the right choice in His eyes."

"Who's?"

Sparda just smiled.

Smiling a little himself, Josh said with a spark of life, "Dante is pretty cool."

Patting Joshua on the back, knowing the child didn't know who he truly meant, "Yes he is."

"Can I tell him that I…"

"No. He's not suppose to know. Not yet."

"Well, if not now? When?" Joshua asked curiously.

Sparda let out a long sigh, "Whenever they tell me he's ready."

"Why are you so - bound?" Joshua asked curiously.

"There is a plan in motion here that no one can stop. Not you, not me, we just have to play are assorted roles."

Looking at him confused, "But you said that I was free to make my own choices?!"

"Josh, the game hasn't even started yet. The pieces are just being placed. You can decide whichever side of the board you want to go and however you want to proceed. You have freewill, my son. Use it."

Patting him on the back he let Joshua lead this time with the kid emoting a drawn, worried face. One of melancholy and pondering. He still didn't know what Sparda was talking about but he figured he would know in time. Many things swirled in his head and at the forefront was what he was going to do with the rest of his life. Feeling like he had just taken his first big step on an exceptionally long journey and the very scope frightening him. Yet, he proceeded on. Fearing only what would happen if he stopped.

Sparda walked back to where he had landed with Joshua heading back over to Zarra. Petting her face, Joshua looked back at Sparda as he was starting to hover back up to the sky. "Wait!" He yelled out.

He stopped several feet above Joshua and Zarra. "She'll be fine once I leave."

Struggling with the words, green haired Joshua finally got out, "Do you think - you could - help us out?"

Walking back down on air, Sparda blinked at the kid in confusion, "What do you mean?"

Pointing over at the tentacle monster, "Well, Zarra was having a hard time with him. Do you think you could - you know - smite him or something?"

Smiling at the boy, Sparda said with a sigh, "Been awhile since I've done anything like that. I'm not really allowed to interfere." Saying it, contemplating. Looking at the boy with a nose up chuff, "Alright. This is a freebie. Try to remember Joshua, I'm not a guardian angel, I'm not an advising angel, I'm an archangel."

"That means what?"

Sparda looked at the demon saying with a dark tone, "I'm under specific orders most of the time. But, most of the time, those orders are decimation."

Smiling at Sparda, Joshua began to say something but Sparda put up his hand and froze Joshua in time. "Sorry son, but my work is usually pretty horrific. You won't want to see or hear this." Snapping his fingers he brought the tentacle monster out of suspended animation as its tentacle hurtled towards Zarra and Joshua. Sparda stepped on it and squished it under his boot.

The beast roared out as it stood up looking at the archangel. It could barely look at Sparda as his Heavenly glow was blinding to him. The demon hurtfully said in agony of the light, "You will never stop Balscoth from getting the boy."

With a devious grin and a swipe of his giant sword from his back, Sparda countered with, "I'm counting on it. The boy must come to terms with it. When he does, he will make his choice."

"You angels! Always following orders. What if he chooses wrong?! Then what?! Huh?! He will burn Hell!"

Walking towards the powerless demon with his golden sword to the side, Sparda said confidently, "Perhaps you've heard that my sons are pursuing the boy? And they are much more powerful than I was. You think they'll let your master get a hold of him?" Getting mere inches from the demon, staring him down, "Besides, I'd worry less about the boy and more about your own black hide."

Sneering at Sparda, the monster asked sarcastically, "What are you going to do?! You angels are so predictable. Afraid to get your hands dirty. Go ahead, do your worst!"

Leaning in, whispering next to his ear, Sparda proudly queried, "Forget I was a demon once too? You have no idea what I've learned since being freed from Perdition. With time frozen like this -" Sparda said leaning back to stare at the fearful six eyes of the demon, "I have eternity to experiment."


Time came back and Joshua saw that Sparda was gone in a flash. Looking back at Zarra he helped her to her feet. He asked, "Are you okay?"

Healing from the skin that had burned away she said, "Yeah, I'm fine!" Wanting to turn the boy's help away. She couldn't bring herself to do it though. Flesh reforming on her as she asked, feeling like she had been hit by a truck, "What happened?!"

Glancing over where the tentacle demon had been was nothing now but a pile of black goo and a subtle, very faint screaming to be heard. It was his voice. So faint only Joshua could barely hear it. Even he barely made it out. Smiling a bit to himself, he said, "Come on, let get out of here."

Zarra nodded willingly.

The two walking towards the front with an empty room to cross. Still slightly out of it, Zarra looked around asking, "What happened to all of the hound handlers that were in here?!"

Jousha was actually leading Zarra by her hand careful not to trigger her chains by accident. "It's a long story Zarra."

Emerging out of the factory into the lat bits of light of a setting sun, Joshua took a deep inhale of the air. It was slightly dusty but he had gotten use to it. Zarra looked around carefully when she finally noticed Joshua still holding onto her hand. She pulled away from him harshly, "I said I'm fine!" Her evil, slit, green eyes piercing through his caring ones. Rubbing her hand tenderly she had no idea how to feel so she went back to her preset emotion: Anger. "Lets go!" Stomping away from Joshua.

"No." He said authoritatively.

She stopped putting her tongue in her cheek, licking her fangs aggravated. Turning a round swiftly, Zarra threw out her arms saying, "Okay. Then I guess I'm going to have to start dragging you again." Her chains slowly sliding out of her arms to intimidate Josh.

Putting his foot down, literality, he stared her down, "We are going to Balscoth but in my own time! We will double-back southward. Head west to the coast, then will travel in a zigzag, northeastern pattern. And I would like to take another train. This time one that actually transports other people!"

No matter how much she didn't let it show, there was no taking away from the fact all this absolutely stunned Zarra. She had thought he was feeling his roots in being her boss before but now he was throwing out a plan that was actually better than hers. Her plan involved all those things he mentioned but less thought-out. Looking off towards the blue and purple hued horizon she sighed turning back towards him, "When did you put on your 'big boy' pants?"

Joshua couldn't hide his surprise at her term for him. Shakily, but still trying to maintain a level head, he uttered out, "I had some help." Sighing, asking softening up a little, "Do you think its a good plan?"

Zarra wanted to say no. She wanted to throw it back in his face for multiple reasons. So many she couldn't count them all with most of them being emotional. But there were two reasons she didn't and those two ruled out all the others. First, was that it was a better plan than hers and would keep him safe. Second, was that he had asked her politely. He had actually asked her opinion. It made her feel needed. Like she was worth something again. She hadn't felt that way in many, many years. She smiled right at him saying, "Okay. We'll do it your way. As long as we're still heading towards him?"

"Yes." Joshua said.

Turning her back on him she began walking away.

Looking at the ground, thinking to himself, Joshua looked back up saying, "Zarra."

She stopped.

"I think that's the first time I've ever seen you smile."

Realizing she had, she nearly buckled with shock. Turning towards Joshua, looking at him curiously, she just nodded. An emotionless expression on her face.

Swallowing, Joshua got up enough courage and nervously put his hand on the back of his head, feeling his own green hair, telling her, "You looked nice wearing it. I wish you'd do it more often."

Turning away from him, she had no idea how to take that statement. What was it about her that made her so special to him? She knew why he was special to Balscoth but what made her so special to him? She would have to ask him sometime. One thing was for sure, she felt like she was needed with Joshua. Like she served a purpose with him.

Walking past her, Joshua smiled at her and she retracted her neck back not knowing how to take it. Walking up to her, he extended his hand in a friendly gesture, "Partners?" He asked with that still same smile.

Looking at him and his extended hand like a coiled cobra she hissed out, "We need to get going." And pushed past him.

Folding up his hand with a sad look, Joshua weakly uttered out to himself, "Right."