The door was something I could fix later. There was one thing on my mind and one thing alone. I needed to get back to my sister. Lily was exactly where I had left her, laying on the couch. Her face twitched as if in pain, muscles in her arm clenching and unclenching faster than I could keep pace with.
Asia had put a towel between Lily's teeth, preventing her from biting down on her tongue. Light from her Sacred Gear, Twilight Healing, flooded the room, bathing it in a pale green glow. Whatever it was Asia was trying to accomplish, it appeared to be a fruitless endeavor.
I knew my sister's Sacred Gear well enough. I'd grown up with it, slowly becoming inured to all the trouble it could cause. Sometimes if a natural disaster was going to happen, she would get sick, but I had never seen a reaction this volatile before.
I tried to position myself as close as I could to my sister's trembling body, backing up to a safe distance when Asia shot an intense glare in my direction. She was the professional, not me, and if I wanted my sister better, I should probably listen to her. As much as I wanted to hug Lily until what was harming her went away, I knew such wouldn't be enough to solve the problem.
By that point, I was far too wrapped up in my concern to notice the devil's that had piled into the house right on my heels. Second, by agonizing second, time ticked by, I watched as Asia did her work. The twitch in Lily's arms slowly became less intense, her body less rigid. Her face, which had been pulled tight with pain, relaxed, as tension fled her expression. Twilight Healing's light dissipated, as Asia wiped the sweat off her brow. Lily let out a soft sigh, her body finally relaxing completely.
"I think we are out of the woods now," Asia said, pulling herself to her feet. Issei was there to offer her a hand up, which she took. I didn't fail to notice the blush that engulfed her face, or how surprised she was by the sudden number of guests.
"What happened?" I asked. Sure, I was revealed by the fact that Lily was ok, but why did she suddenly have a seizure?
"I don't know," Asia admitted, putting on her serious face. "One minute, she was working on her homework, the next, her eyes went all weird, then she passed out and started spasming. I've never seen anything quite like it."
"Her eyes went weird?" Rias and Sona both asked at the same time, out passing me by a few seconds.
"They were like," Asia didn't get a chance to finish, as the couch let out a creak, each of us turning to face Lily, who was now sitting upright, ramrod straight. "Like that."
I looked, my own eyes widening in shock. Lily's eyes had changed from a normal pair to that of twin slits that wouldn't be out of place on a snake. Had her Sacred Gear just activated all on its own?
"The fallen star with wings covered in the blood of the father seeks blood and destruction eternal. With the blood of the sibling and the mortal, the hydra's heads will turn against another. Their hate and rage will serve as the altar to which man is sacrificed, and with man's death, will herald their end," my sister's voice rasped, almost like a desiccated corpse. For a moment, her eyes returned to normal, before they rolled up and she passed out again.
I felt everyone's eyes turn to me, with the strongest glare being Rias herself. I was going to be in so much trouble for this, wasn't I?
X-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
Rias would gladly admit she'd had better days. Having nearly half her peerage go behind her back trying to help Kiba was bad enough, but to find out James was keeping a secret of this magnitude was merely salt on the wound. She had suspected that James was hiding something about his family, but she hadn't expected this.
She didn't exactly blame James. His thought process was honestly, completely logical. If Rias had known about the Sacred Gear Lily possessed, she would certainly put forth the effort to recruit James' younger sister. As would Sona. While it hurt James didn't trust them, his choice was honestly the correct one.
Even if she didn't want to be turned, something Rias and Sona would respect, if it got out that Lily had future sight, in any capacity, she would be in danger. Rias was under no illusion that there were less ethical Devil's out there. One's that would have no problem forcing her into service, even with her brother possessing Divine Dividing.
In hindsight, James' protective streak made much more sense, as did the one-sided nature of his deal. Not that she entirely liked it, but James was trying to keep his sister sheltered and safe. Rias felt like she was looking in a mirror, seeing her relationship with her brother. Did Lily wish to prove herself capable of more than just being in her brother's shadow, like she did?
Rias let out a sigh. That line of questioning would have to wait. Rias didn't exactly have the best grasp of what Lily's personality was, beyond her cheerfulness and her being one of the best students of her class.
Well, she supposed it was time to rescue James from Sona and begin to focus on the actual problem. Though Rias had to wonder, Sona appeared as if she was acting. Did she know about this as well? If so, then why hide that knowledge from James. Well, those were questions for another time.
X-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
"I don't like that you lied to us, James. I understand why you did it, but that doesn't change that you lied. You wanted us to protect your family, but you omitted an extremely important piece of information," Sona scowled at me, as I met her gaze. "An important piece of information that could have gotten someone from my Peerage or Rias's hurt, if not killed." That I winced at. Someone I knew dying wasn't something I wanted, period. Ideally, nobody would know about it in the first place.
"Look, I get it. But what exactly would you do if you had known?" I crossed my arms.
"I would have made a request, but accepted her answer, whatever that maybe," Sona matched my pose, not backing down either.
"And would others?" I questioned. "Would heaven be so courteous as to give her a choice? Would the Fallen Angels let her have a choice? Would other Devil's give her a choice?" Sona visibly winced at the last one, breaking my gaze for a split second.
"Just like with human society, I have no doubts that less than principled Devil's would try to force such power into their service," Sona spoke. "However, if such an event occurred we would be able to deal with it."
A light coughing sound drew both of our attention towards the entrance to the kitchen, with Rias standing in the doorway.
"As much as this conversation needs to be had, there are larger problems that we need to solve," Rias said, looking over the two of us. "I'm calling the rest of my peerage here for the moment, and I'll be contacting my brother once we know more about what Kokabiel's scheme is."
Sona looked at Rias for a moment, before letting out a sigh.
"You're right, Rias. Whatever Kokabiel is planning takes precedence. Especially with the results being so potentially disastrous," Sona unwound her arms, though still sending me an annoyed look. "I'll contact my peerage as well. I don't think your house is big enough for all of us."
I shrugged. Sona was correct in that regard. Please, Lily probably needed her rest.
X-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
"Well, Lily's prophecy doesn't reveal anything about how Kokabiel intends to enact his plan, but it paints his end goal. Kokabiel wants to restart the Three Faction War, to predicted catastrophic results," Rias had us all sitting down at the kitchen table, effectively a little war council. "However, given that James has already informed us of a possible theory of how Kokabiel intends to accomplish this."
I send Rias a look as I felt all eyes turn to me for the second time tonight, before groaning and standing up.
"Given that all I did was spitball the absolute worst-case scenario, and now how likely that appears to be. This hypothesis was that Kokabiel would use the shattered fragments of Excalibur to kill Rias and Sona, whose deaths would send shockwaves through Devil Society. Immediate suspicion would be thrown onto the Church and by extension Heaven. Anger from the assassination would bleed over into outright conflict between two of the three powers, and from there, the Fallen would likely try and take advantage of both sides becoming weakened. And from there, we all know where that leads," I explained to faces now looking at me in horror.
"That isn't a funny joke, James!" Saji looked like he was about to punch me, but a simple glare from Sona made him stand down.
"Given what we presently know about Kokabiel's plan, what James is saying is more than likely correct," Sona spoke, as Saji slumped into his chair, a defeated look on his face. "And before you suggest it, James, we aren't simply going to leave, either."
I blinked, not expecting her to cut me off so quickly. Logically speaking, a retreat was the most intelligent play to make. Kokabiel couldn't get to them in the Underworld. Crisis averted, humanity doesn't go extinct.
"I was thinking the same, Sona," Rias spoke up. "Lily's prophecy mentioned human blood. Which cold range to the death of a single person, up to the destruction of this town and all its occupants."
Issei, Saji, Asia and I all shared a look. I never considered that possibility. And neither did any of the others. My fist's clinched in anger, temper briefly flaring before I smothered it back down.
"An entire town being destroyed, especially one that's Devil Territory, would be more than enough to potentially provoke a war on its own. And what exactly of the human response? An entire town being raised like that would stir up fear and panic on a national scale. Combine with our reputations, retreat as an option ceases to exist," Sona shook her head.
I sighed in frustration. Sona was right. I wouldn't be strong enough to take Kokabiel down myself with Judgement Drive, which would annihilate the town and everyone in it. I'd never attempted to touch the bright red button before, and I'd rather leave it that way. I'd likely end up murdering those I was attempting to protect anyway.
"I could contact my brother about reinforcements, but unless Kokabiel directly makes a move against us, I doubt he'll be able to do much. As much as he would take this with the utmost seriousness, it doesn't change that in the eyes of the public, we are children operating under a prophecy given out by an unknown Sacred Gear," Rias also seemed frustrated, as I bit back a swear. Damn politics. Always getting in the way.
"Wait, you don't know?" Issei questioned. "You knew what my Sacred Gear was before I knew I had it."
"Well, Sacred Gears that can see the future are quite rare, with one appearing every few centuries at best," Rias explained. "Given the scarcity of cases throughout the ages, exactly what each is capable of and to what clarity they can see the future can be tricky to pin down."
"Plus, the future is fluid. It's less knowledge of what will happen, but rather what is likely to happen. Knowledge of the future can also change one's behavior, resulting in a different outcome altogether," I elaborated. Issei nodded at our joint explanation.
"So, how can we figure out which it is?" Saji asked, who seemed curious about proceeding events.
"Each Sacred Gear as properties unique to itself, let it be placed on a person, to its effects and abilities. Based on what I witnessed tonight, I believe I can make a reasonable guess to the identity of Lily's Sacred Gear. However, I'll need to review some reports, to be certain I'm not miss-remembering information," Sona looked as if she were scratching an invisible beard.
That was, strangle covenant. Lily had always wanted to know the identity of her Sacred Gear. Understanding its origins would be a great boon in that regard. But it all just felt way too convenient. Too, easy. Though denying my curiosity was a fruitless endeavor.
"An incorrect guess could prove disastrous at this stage," Sona continued, seemingly without noticing my on look of contemplation. The sudden creak of the door drew our attention. I had honestly expected Dad to be home. After all, it was about time for him to be getting here. Bet he'd love my explanation of why our kitchen was a glorified war room.
But to my surprise, and presumably, everyone else's, Lily walked into the room, appearing happy and chipper as ever.
"I don't know what you did Asia, but I feel great!" she stretched, before noticing that everyone in the room was staring at her. "What did I say?"
X-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
The school day might have well have been over in the blink of an eye. Kiba being missing, combined with his mood the last few days caused the rumor mill to nearly start flying off, even with the official story being that he was sick.
Lily's classmates were excited to have her back and healthy, though she was a bit tired after we filled her in on exactly what was occurring. I was, well, strongly opposed to having Lily getting involved in this at all. However, given the circumstances, my hands were tied. Realistically, there was only so much protest I could make. Keeping her close, where I could keep a close watch, might just be the safest place for her to be right now.
"Wow, this place looks so cool!" Lily looked around at the large clubhouse with childish glee. Normally, I would be doing anything in my power to keep her isolated from this place, so Lily being present made me feel off.
Rias just smiled and chuckled, seemingly amused by Lily's antics. We were just waiting for Sona's peerage at this point.
"So, what exactly do you guys do here?" she asked, seeming a bit more excited about this whole thing than I anticipated.
"Normally, we wait here until it is time to complete our contracts," Rias smiled, though it was a bitter one. "Today though is much different. I do expect Sona to arrive soon. I wonder what's keeping her?"
Lily was about to ask something as the teleportation circle in the room began to glow a light blue, shining brightly before finally finishing, revealing the student council. Each one carrying what could only be qualified as a mammoth stack of papers. I raised an eyebrow at Rias, as she shot me back a puzzled look in return.
"Sorry, but I decided to bring everything, just in case," Sona's muffled voice came from the wriggling mass of tomes, reports, and was that a piece of parchment? I knew Devil's were immortal, but that's stretching things.
"Did you find it? Did you find it?" Lily was practically vibrating with barely contained excitement.
"Yes, I have," the shuffling of paper nearly masked her voice entirely. "Rias, do you have a place where we can put these down so we can begin."
"Ah, right over here works," Rias stepped aside, recovering from the attack of the living bookshelves as Lily practically nipped at their heels the entire way.
"Is she usually this excited?" Issei whispered into my ear as I shook my head in embarrassment.
"No, no she is not," I muttered back. Her state of anticipation was one I could understand, but at the same time, she needed to calm herself.
But in the meantime, might as well lend some aid to the beleaguered Devil's that Sona roped into this. Was the mountainous stack of literature even necessary? I knew Sona wanted to have all the facts before arriving at her conclusion, but this was excessive, even by my standards.
X-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
"Lily is in possession of the Sacred Gear known as Oracle," Sona said, pointing to the small list of Sacred Gears on a scroll. I mean, I assumed that was Sona was pointing at. I didn't comprehend whatever it was. Looking over to Lily didn't give me any clarity into if she understood it either.
"This Sacred Gear is known for its strong sense of foresight and prescience, often taking the form of prophecy. As prophecies can be interpreted in a range of different methods, the exact accuracy of Oracle has been up for debate between many factions but is agreed upon as among the most accurate. Seeing as Oracle is suspected to be forged from the soul of the first Oracle of Delphi," Sona paused for breath, letting everything sink in properly.
"Wasn't the first Oracle of Delphi originally a serpent?" I asked from the back, raising my hand slightly. Like all myths that survived to the modern-day, there were multiple versions of the same story, which one could use to gradually paint a picture of what truly happened. If true, it would go far to explain the snake eyes thing.
"That is correct, James. Apollo turned the mate of a monstrous serpent into a human, who he granted the power of foresight to serve as the Oracle," Sona nodded. "You two being related is actually why I thought to check Oracle first." Albion let out a mental scoff at being compared to a simple reptile, and I had to stop myself from chuckling.
'It's ok Albion. Dinosaurs are also likely reptiles,' I grinned lightly.
'Dinosaurs were punks,' Albion shot back, as my lips twitched, resisting the urge to break out into a grin.
"That, a few other," Sona suddenly paused, as if thinking of something at the last minute. "I'm veering off-topic." I blinked, as did a few of the others. That was strange. I wonder what Sona was about to say.
"As we presently all know, Kokibiel intends to reignite the three faction war. An event that cannot be allowed to pass," Rias spoke next. "We can't retreat, as Kokibiel would likely murder everyone in town. Staying means he will be gunning for us directly."
"My brother has brought our army up to high alert, but it would take an hour for them to arrive here to the mortal world to help us. With two Longinus, we might stand a chance of beating Kokabiel. However, our primary goals should be to stall for time, and contain whatever damage Kokabiel might unleash upon the city," Rias spoke up, voice rising above the din.
"As such, fortifying the school is our best option at this point. While James has discovered what is likely Kokabiel's layer in the city, it would be impossible to assault without risking the lives of hundreds of people, and Kokabiel would have moved the Holy Swords to another location if he suspected them being comprised," Sona followed. "The convergence of ley lines at Kouh will go a considerable way of evening the field between us and Kokabeil further."
X-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
Still a fifty percent chance of success. Kokabiel scowled, running the numbers once again. No, this couldn't be right. Even if things hadn't gone according to plan, with both Dragon Emperor's remaining in play, even with his unwitting minions failing to steal the Holy Maiden's Sacred Gear, the odds of success shouldn't have been a coin flip. He would win the fight against them, of course. That wasn't in doubt. But his overall plan succeeding? The difference was simply far too great.
But he had gone over every variable. There was no reason for their odds of success to be this high. Still, he had done too much for him to back down from his plans now. Azazel wasn't an idiot, no matter how much he could act the part. The head of the Gigroi knew he was planning something.
This was the best chance. Eventually, the Church would ask for permission to enter the territory, and odds were, Devil's would be willing to grant it. He could easily stop the humans that were part of the Church, but if the likes of Micheal came to aid his human allies? Or worse, a coalition? He would fail, and his planning would be for nothing.
It would have to be now. And before the Devil's set up too many defenses. He had just the thing to lure them off their position.
X-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
Rias continued to talk about potential battle plans and strategies that we could deploy, both against a force of Fallen Angels or against Kokabiel himself. It was best to be prepared for anything, lest we are taken off guard.
However, we both noticed it at the same time. Lily suddenly clutched her head as if it was about to burst, slowly beginning to slump over, teeth clenched in pain. Asia rushed over at once, light from Twilight Healing already beginning to glow in her hand.
"What's wrong?" I asked, panicked, as everyone began to notice what was going on.
"Head. Hurts. Kokabiel. He's, laughing. Exorcist. Mimic. Has been claimed," she ground out seeming to keep herself from screaming in agony. "Forest, familiar. He's close." Issei's face had taken on an expression of absolute rage, and I likely wasn't much better. He was using Lily's Sacred Gear as a way to hurt her.
And I didn't need to connect the dots to figure out what Lily was saying either. Kokabiel had captured Irina and taken Excalibur Mimic, was likely torturing her for information, and he was close by. He was taunting us with that knowledge, too.
"Trap?" I asked, looking up at the stony faces of Rias and Sona. As much as it pissed me off, this was blatantly a trap. But what did we do from here? Leaving Irina would leave a sour taste in my mouth. Lily's head moved to my right, but I couldn't tell if she was answering my question, or whether the movement was a coincidence.
"Undoubtedly," Sona scowled, arriving at the same conclusion I had. Issei's fists clenched tightly, her nail's threatening to break through the skin.
"What of Kiba or the other Exorcists?" Rias frowned, asking the question that was on the back of my mind. Kiba had followed the two exorcists. If one was captured, what did that imply about Kiba's fate?
"They got away, managed to escape and flee," Lily's voice sounded a lot less painful than it had. "I don't think he wants to fight, not there." Rias and Sona both shared a frown. I could sympathies. There were moments were future sight stopped being manageable, and started becoming an absolute nightmare. This was presently was one of those times.
String the trap. Don't spring the trap. Take the bait, don't take the bait.
"He's exposed right now. And we know where he is. He's expecting us, but we could still ambush him," Rias mothballed, trying to figure out a strategy. "Maybe hurt him enough to delay his plans."
X-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
Stealth was never a strong suit of mine. Or I don't think it was a strength for any of us. We had split into four separate groups. Rias and Sona would be the front, the counter bait, appearing without all of their peerages. Give the illusion of failing the rule of "don't split the party". Saji and Issei were put on the same team, directly on the left flank of the engagement. Akeno would be giving them cover. I was holding the right flank, alongside Lily.
I protested her participation heavily, much to her dismay. Sure, I wasn't the most experienced in combat, but Lily was completely green. She'd simply had less power, and less practice to back herself up. But I ultimately conceded Sona's point. Splitting ourselves up would be far too risky, leaving Lily exposed would be more dangerous than bringing her with us.
That still didn't change this was not what I wanted for her in the slightest. My life getting wrapped up in the supernatural business? I could deal with it. I was adapting to it. But Lily? My little sister? Thrown into a world of monsters and gods? Over my cold, decaying corpse.
But there wasn't going to be much time for my thoughts, as we approached our position. Kokabiel hovered in the clearing, hanging as if suspended by ropes. All twelve wings sprouting from his spine were still, feather's not even binding in the wind. Something felt off. Eirie.
The Fallen Angel was too still. Too much like a statue than any living being should be. Maybe this was an illusion?
"So, you finally came," the Fallen Angel let out a chuckle, mouth moving at last. "Fewer than I expected you to arrive with."
"Hand her over, Kokabiel. We know you have her," Rias demanded, as the Fallen Angel began to laugh.
"If you want her so badly, you can have her," Kokabiel snapped his fingers, Irana appearing in his grip. "Her part in my plans is over." He tossed the battered exorcist aside like a child would throw away a toy they'd become bored with.
"However, seeing as you're present without your all your peerages, I think I'll take advantage of the situation, and just kill the two of you right now," Kokabiel raised his hand, a spear of light beginning to take shape.
A spear of my own began to form, encircled by one of my greater runes. Across the clearing, I could feel Issei building up power, as Lily formed a spell of her own. She notched the lightning arrow into the bow, sparks flowing freely, aiming at Kokabiel's head. Then her body froze up as if something grabbed ahold of her.
"He can see the future," she muttered, so faint I could barely understand her words. My eye's hardly had time to widen in surprise as Kokabiel's hand suddenly whipped towards me, throwing the spear towards our hiding place. I panicked, releasing the lightning spear in my hand, the empowered spell connecting with Kokabiel's own.
It brought me a precious scant seconds to tackle Lily out of the way, her body still frozen in shock. The line of bush's we were hiding behind exploded, the force knocking us towards Rias and Sona. Lily let out a yelp of pain, as I hissed and skidded, doing my best to reorient myself.
"Dragon shot!" Issei shouted, erupting from his hiding place released the sphere of energy toward the Fallen Angel. Kokabiel did not attempt to dodge the attack, rather batting the attack away with his wings, almost like he was swatting away a fly. Absorption Line snaked out from the bush's, wrapping its way around Kokabiel's wrist.
He spared it a glance, before yanking on it, as if to test something. The next thing I knew, Saji slammed into a tree, Kokabiel using Absorption Line against the young Devil to throw him around.
Akeno and Tsubaki finally made their appearance behind Kokabiel, spell's at the ready, Akeno releasing powerful blasts of pure lightning. Sona and Rias soon joined the fray, Rias's power of destruction and Sona's water magic surging forth to meet Kokabiel.
Both strikes he blocked with just a single hand, holding back the torrent of power arrayed against him. As if this fight was somehow childs play. I began to cast, applying maximized to two lightning bolt spells, while he remained distracted. Even if he was blocking two attacks when each hand, couldn't raise defenses anymore.
Twin bolts screamed from my hands, emitting a blinding flash, as thunder rattled its way through my bones. I blinked the spots out of my eyes, having not anticipated the response of the spell.
"Not bad. I felt that" Kokabiel's voice had a hint of amusement to it, as his wings unfolded, revealing that my strike hadn't even connected. Furthermore, two orbs of raw magical energy had now formed in his hands. But they didn't seem like they were his power.
"But you children would need to do much better to best me," Kokabiel slammed the two orbs in his hands together, before throwing the unstable energy into the ground, tearing up dirt and stone asunder, creating a screen of dust. "I'll be waiting at Kouh. Please don't try to disappoint."
X-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
Finals made this take a bit longer than I originally expected. Sorry about that. But now that Finals are complete, I can focus a bit more on my writing until school starts back up again. I hope everyone enjoyed, and thank you for reading.