Ardent Exorcist

by Cvicel

This is a story where The Lord of Time meets an interesting human girl. See how their story unfolds...

18. An assault, a crime, and this heavily

Chapter 18 - An assault, a crime, and this heavily armed love of mine

"A German theater play? At 9 PM? Whoa, whoa, slow down… I have a lesson on holy scripts and chants at that time. I cannot just ditch that lecture, the theory is important, it will be…" Thea tried to explain, as Mephisto suddenly called to invite her to another date. "Grau, meine Liebe, ist alle Theorie…" a smug voice reached Thea's ears, bringing her to giggles. "He can't be serious… Is he really going to cite Faust? 'Gray, dear friend, is the theory…' Well, he switched the 'dear friend' to 'my beloved', but still…" When she managed to subdue her chuckles, she answered, filling in the rest of the quotation from Faust. "... und grün des Lebens goldner Baum." - '... but the golden tree of life springs evergreen.' "Seriously Mephisto… Did you just use that beautifully inspirational, philosophical quote for making me skip the 'gray', 'boring' lesson and play hooky with you tonight instead?" "So, it is a 'yes', then?" he asked, and Thea could already imagine the broad, smug smile on his triumphant face. She started to laugh all over again - going out with him sure seemed more fun than the lecture, but she had responsibilities. "Mephisto, it sounds really wonderful, but I don't want to get into unnecessary trouble…" Thea tried to reason - she had still been catching up with some subjects, and they could just go on the date another time. "What is the matter, Thea? Afraid to be sent to the principal's office for a punishment?" a self-satisfied, suggestive voice intoned, and was met by a smacking sound as Thea facepalmed herself. "Mephistooo! You are impossible…" she said completely flustered. "I mean it, I can't be ditching classes just because I'm dating you now." "No need to worry, my dear. As thrilling as the scenario might be, you are covered for tonight. I have already made the necessary arrangements - I'll be borrowing you for a 'private lesson'." Thea just shook her head and exhaled in defeat - the offer was simply too intriguing to let it pass. Especially when he had already informed the teacher. "Oh fine, I'll go…" "Splendid! Now then, have you perhaps finally changed your mind about being picked up by my chauffeur?" "Nope." the blonde answered through giggles, amused by Mephisto's attempts to make her take his limousine which she did not feel comfortable taking. "The Mozartkugeln in the car bar are silver and blue." the demon added off-handedly, finally having discovered the secret of what exactly makes the difference between the two sorts of one of Thea's favorite sweets - apparently, the silver-blue ones were handmade and original with a huge tradition behind them while the others, still delicious, were not. Mephisto could have sworn he heard the girl gulp. "Aaaaaw, I knew you had a great taste in sweets! Still, I'm going to walk - I need to stop at some places on my way. I'll meet you at the reception, OK?" "Very well, my dear. I am very much looking forward to seeing you tonight." the demon said fondly, making Thea blush again. "Me too."

OoO

"Rin? Hey, Rin!" Thea started waving enthusiastically as she spotted her friend in the street, rushing past her towards the True Cross Academy grounds, completely ignoring her. The half-demon turned to the left and grinned as he noticed her. "Over here." the blonde waved again, catching up to him. "T-Thea? Holy crap!" Rin exclaimed. "Uhm… Hello to you, too?" she tilted her head to the side, her lips curling up. "… I'm so sorry, I didn't recognize you." Rin grinned sheepishly while the girl just blinked in confusion. "It's just… You're looking kinda… I don't think I ever saw you in a fancy dress like that! A bit overdressed for our chanting lesson, aren't ya?" he added with a slight blush on his face, pointing at her person. Thea looked herself up and down - true, the white dress, high-heels, and jewelry were all borrowed from her friend's huge wardrobe, but she couldn't just wear her usual sneakers, T-shirt, and jeans to a theatre. She grinned sheepishly. "Yeaaah… the thing is… I'm not really going to today's lesson on holy scripts and chants." came a silent whisper as Thea leaned in closer to share her little secret. "You see, I'm seeing Mephisto tonight. We are going to the theater, so I just wanted to… you know, to look pretty." "Ooooh, you, and playing hooky?" Rin grinned, but before he could say anymore, a soft melody interrupted him. "Ah, sorry, that's my phone." Thea reached for it, only to find a text message from Mephisto. It read: "Thea, my dearest, a very urgent matter suddenly came up and requires my full and immediate attention. It would appear that I will not be able to make it to our date tonight. Please, accept my apologies for this unfortunate turn of events. I promise to make it up to you as soon as the opportunity arises. P.S. Knowing you, you are probably about to head off right to your classes. Well, the theory might be grey, but I do hope you will enjoy the lesson on scripts and chants, nonetheless. Mephisto 3"

"Well, what do you know… looks like I'm going to the lesson after all." Thea scratched her head, putting her unruly locks into place, then swiftly texted Mephisto back and turned to Rin. "Huh? What about Mephisto?" Rin eyed the girl curiously. "Looks like something important came up, so he can't make it tonight." she eyed the phone with a hint of concern, then put it back to her bag. "Wait, so that clown ditched you?!" the half-demon exclaimed, once again forgetting himself and his terrible lack of tact. "No, no. It's not like that…" Thea waved her hands in front of her defensively. "Ah, fine, it's like that, but just tonight. And he sounded like it was really serious. Anyway, I'm sure he will have a good reason." The teenage boy flushed a little after hearing her words. "Wow… you really do like him, huh?" "I do." she smiled in response. "Even though he's… you know…" Rin looked at the blonde nervously. "Yeah, I know, I know. Even though he's my headmaster, and older, and a little creepy…" she counted out all the reasons her friends at the Academy had already managed to point out about his person, then Rin cut in pronouncedly. "I meant the demon thing, Thea." "And that 'demon thing,' too. Boy, I really seem to be forgetting about that…" she shook her head and chuckled, silently thinking about his cute tail, blushing like crazy. So instead, she focused on walking swiftly - or rather as fast as the cursed high-heeled shoes allowed her to - as they were already good ten minutes late for their lesson.

"Oh. That's… good to know." Rin cleared his throat thoughtfully while Thea eyed him suspiciously - he was acting so serious all of a sudden. Then she finally connected all the dots. "Rin, you should know that she doesn't mind you being who you are…" His eyes widening, the half-demon gasped and stopped in his traces, as Thea smiled at him encouragingly. "Shiemi is too kind and compassionate to simply judge you just by your origin. But I'm sure you already know that, right?" the blonde grinned, only to find Rin blushing and smiling fondly at the same time. "You… You know?" he gaped at her in surprise, wondering whether his feelings were so obvious, or Thea was just a keen observer. "Thanks, Thea!" he said, his spirits once again high. "Sure, no problem." Thea smiled, then looked at her friend secretively. "And to help you out a bit, let me share a little secret - Shiemi's favorite sweet are herb cookies, the ones her grandmother used to make. And it just so happens that I managed to get my hands on that recipe…" Thea raised her eyebrows twice suggestively and Rin's face beamed instantly, his eyes full of resolve. "Of course! She likes flowers and herbs, so I guess that… Thea?" the half-demon inclined his head, noticing the sudden change in the girl's expression.

Thea winced slightly, clutching her head as hundreds of colors suddenly blossomed in front of her, then looked towards the Academy with a confused expression. "Hey, are you alright?" "Now that's weird…" the blonde said, then rubbed her eyes as if to make sure they were not playing tricks on her. "I can see all the auras at the Academy all of a sudden." "So? You always see them, don't you?" Rin inquired and looked towards the Academy as well. "Yes, but not from here. Mephisto's barrier always keeps them hidden. Something's wrong… Oh no…" "What is it?" Rin urged, looking towards the Academy, trying to see what was hidden from his eyes. "I can feel demons around. A lot of them! Rin, I think Mephisto's barrier is down and… and the Academy is under attack." Thea gulped, and after she shared a look with Rin, Thea started running towards the place as fast as the cursed high-heeled shoes allowed her to, Rin joining her.

OoO

"Damn! I don't get it; I cannot reach him at all…" Thea cursed after yet another unsuccessful try to dial Mephisto's number. "Still nothing, huh?" Rin asked as they were closing in on the Academy grounds. "No…" the blonde exhaled, a terrible feeling washing over her. "This feels wrong… First Mephisto has to leave to take care of some urgent matter, then the Academy suddenly gets attacked? This is no coincidence… I hope you are alright, Mephisto… Just hurry up and come back already!" Rin's voice suddenly tore through Thea's train of thoughts. "It will be alright, Thea. I'll protect you, promise. Come, let's find the others…" An explosion suddenly thundered from the direction of one of the main halls, shattering the tall windows, sending splitters of colored glass to the ground. Cries of panic and terrible, savage screeches reached their ears, followed by the sound of things being broken or smashed around. "Let's go!" Rin gritted out, reaching for his sword. "No, wait!" Thea caught his arm and pulled him back, preventing him from unsheathing the katana. She didn't want Rin to use his demonic powers just yet, as it could alert the enemy about their presence. Literally everyone could pick up the presence of the Son of Satan. "We cannot rush in like that. They will see us from miles away." she whispered. "Tsk, fine by me. I'll just burn them all to a crisp." he grinned devilishly, his features slightly reminding her of Mephisto for a moment. "Rin, please, listen to me. We have to be smart about this. They obviously came prepared, this is no coincidence, so we need to think this through…" Thea tried to reason with her hot-headed friend, clutching his arm firmly, preventing him from going any further. She briefly considered casting a binding circle on him, too, but as long as they had the advantage of surprise, she didn't dare use her powers either. "There's no time, our friends need us! We can't just sit around planning!" he prompted, pinning Thea with an uncompromising look.

The blonde gulped, trying really hard to process all the events and come up with some clever solution. Just how could she possibly explain all of what was happening? Dozens upon dozens of very strong auras kept pouring in together with swarms of lesser demons, some of which she couldn't even name. She ran her fingers through her golden locks in intense thought. "Oh God, this is bad… Everyone is scattered around, it's a chaos in there. And the demons… they are really, really strong! I don't even know if some of them are using a barrier to cover their powers…" she thought with rising anxiety, then an idea sprung up in her head. "Wait… A barrier. That's it! We need to restore Mephisto's barrier, keep the demons at bay, so that no more can enter the Academy. That way, we could concentrate on just a portion of them." Instantly, the blonde remembered the time in the Warding room where Mephisto had described the way the Academy 'defense system' worked. If she was not mistaken, the cards were already enchanted, so filling them with enough power should be just enough to do the trick. "But… I'm definitely not strong enough to pull this through. I wasn't even able to light up one measly card. Rin on the other hand… But he will not agree to going there unless we find our classmates first. Well, actually, that would be a great help. Judging by the concentration of auras, the place is swarmed with demons, so we could definitely use some reinforcements…"

"OK, Rin, I already have a plan - just trust me. Listen, we will join our friends but let's go to the Armory first." Thea suggested earning herself a surprised look. "I need some guns and equipment for the fight." she explained. "No, you don't, I can protect you just fine. Just stay behind me and…" "No!" she put her foot down firmly, her fists clenched from the conscious effort she had to make in order to keep her aura from leashing out in anger. "Would you please stop it already?! Just because you are a super strong half-demon doesn't mean you can or have to manage everything by yourself!" she said, causing Rin's eyes to widen. "Thea… I…" the half-demon tried to calm his friend down, but to no avail. "This is teamwork, dammit! You want to protect me? Well, sure, go ahead. But at least give me the chance to have your back, too. If we rush in like this, I will only be a liability. You won't be able to concentrate on any fight properly. I want to help everyone just as much as you do. I know I am not as strong as you are, but I've been training really hard and can still be of help, so just… just let me do my part, too…" she said, a strange combination of frustration and determination written all over her face. The half-demon gave himself a mental slap. "Oh man, I really screwed up big time here… It's just like the last time with the Peg Lantern, and also with the other missions which came shortly afterward. The guys too scolded me for the very same reason. And I almost did it again…" Rin thought, remembering him having a fight with his friends about his solo-actions and hot-headed temper. And how useless he used to make them feel because of that… Well, he was not about to make the same mistake again.

He held her gaze, then nodded firmly. "Alright. We will sneak into the Armory, equip ourselves and then rush to help our friends." The blonde blinked in surprise - she thought that Rin would need more persuasion. Then she smiled and returned back to her usual determined self. "Great. Now, let's hurry. We need to get in and avoid the flood of demons from over there." she pointed towards one of the halls. A grin appeared on the half-demons face, then he nodded. "Sounds good to me. Alright, come on, I know about a neat way in." In a few moments, Thea found herself flung over Rin's back, clinging to him as he jumped over the high Academy Gate. Together, they snuck through the gardens, which were the closest to the Armory and luckily also quite far away from the epicenter of the attack. The unceasing flood of demons was concentrating in the main halls and aulas at the moment. That allowed both of them to avoid any notice, but it also meant that more people were in danger and they had to hurry. Thea's heart kept beating faster as they were nearing their destination. "This is no training. I can't afford the situation at the Tokyo University hospital to repeat. I have to prevent people from being hurt rather than just healing them afterwards."

"OK, Thea, we are here." the half-demon whispered upon entering the large, armored storage-like building. "Quickly, grab what you need and let's be outta here." The blonde nodded, running her eyes through the stockpile of weapons. "Hey, how about this pistol?" Rin picked up a piece from the table, showing it to Thea. "That's not a pistol but a revolver. Ah, never mind… In any case, I'm not much good with those, I need something…" "Ah, sure, something smaller… This one?" the half-demon interrupted, holding up a sub-compact Smith & Wesson 380 ACP. "Actually, I was thinking about something like this." Thea said with a smirk, pulling out a shotgun. "Oh… And you're sure you can handle it? It looks bigger than you." Rin's eyebrows rose questioningly. "Yeah. Actually, much better and more precise than the smaller ones. Not to mention easier to handle. Now, could you please pass that rifle over there?" She pointed at the piece lying at the top of a high regal, standing on her tiptoes. Rin just chuckled and reached for the gun. "Fine, anything else?" "Just a sec, I'm almost finished with this rucksack." Thea said, throwing in some ammunition, smoke grenades and other neat accessories she had become familiar with during her special training with the older Okumura.

"Here, put it on." she handed him a bullet-proof vest and put one on herself, too. Rin eyed it skeptically. "Thea, come on, you know I'm tougher than that. What good will it do? The demons won't shoot at us. I mean… they are demons…" "Oh, really?" the blonde folded her arms meaningfully. "Listen to me, Rin. We have a rare opportunity to equip ourselves before the fight, so we have to use it to the fullest. You never know what kind of enemies we might encounter. Besides… they are probably not just demons…" she made a grimace, causing Rin's eyes to widen. "No way! You mean… traitors? At the Academy?!" "It's possible... Look, I know you are tough, but we cannot take any unnecessary risks." she held his gaze until the half-demon nodded, then proceeded with the preparations as fast as she could, gladly ditching the borrowed high heels for military boots. "Geez… If Ayami saw me in her dress combined with these boots, she would probably faint…" Thea grinned inwardly, but felt much better in proper footwear. Having filled the bags with some other interesting equipment, the duo started sneaking through the gardens towards the training area no. 5 where their lesson was taking that day.

Once they neared the training grounds, they made a halt in the thick forest and inspected the area carefully. Thea could feel the auras of their friends coming from the large cottage house in the middle of the forest clearing where they were usually practicing chants. Two of them shone brightly while three of them were represented only by a faint, dim light. The blonde panicked - had she taken too much time preparing for the fight? Was she really late? "No, stop it. Focus!" she shook her head, concentrating. A flock of approximately twenty harpies was hovering above the clearing - from the looks of it, they were on a watch, guarding it, so that no one could get too close to the cottage. The rest of demonic energy was coming from inside the cottage where her friends were. If she was not mistaken, approximately another ten auras were present, some of them more powerful than the others. Sadly, she could not tell if more demons were present, as they could be hiding their presence. This was strange, though. Why would so many demons, and so strong demons, be there in all places? The fight was in the Academy halls, wasn't it? They definitely needed a good plan if they were to attack all the demons and save their friends. And so, Thea quickly reported everything she was able to catch from the swift check to Rin, then shared her idea with him. "Wow… well, I'm not used to playing the bait, but I'm in!" the half-demon grinned, his eyes flickering with resolve and just a hint of amusement.

After a few moments, Rin acted in accordance with Thea's plan, which was actually just like his usual self - he assaulted the harpies with his usual bold, direct attack accompanied by a number of colorful nicknames he came up with for the feathered monsters. He didn't push past them, though. Instead, he started running in zig-zags through the clearing away from the cottage house, and let the flock follow him. They kept diving after him, letting themselves fall to the ground at a deadly speed with their big, sharp talons outstretched. The half-demon slashed at the monsters with his flame-empowered katana whenever he had the chance. Unfortunately, the harpies were apparently masters at maneuvering and managed to avoid even the perfectly aimed Satan Slashes he released at them from his sword. "Dammit, die already, you stupid birds!" Rin roared and put some more energy into the next slash, catching the wing of one of his pursuers, completely severing it from its body. The beast screeched terribly, then spiraled to the ground. That seemed to have angered the rest of the harpies, so they descended upon him in persistent waves, despite the fact that he kept himself engulfed in his blue flames. For some reason, the fire was not as effective against them, so they just continued their attack, diving at him, scratching him and digging their talons into his skin. He could feel a piercing pain throbbing from the long gashes they left on his arms and legs, silently thankful for the bullet-proof vest.

"Just how are they doing it?! They don't have any swords or spears, so what are they… wait a moment, are those their… wings?" Rin eyed the attackers more closely, then noticed that their wings had a faint metallic shine to them. The loose feathers on the ground looked surprisingly solid - as if the harpies dropped razor-sharp daggers. That would explain the slashes and also why the harpies' 'feathers' did not burn instantly. He had to admit that the bulletproof vest did come in handy, but after a few more attacks, they managed to tatter it to pieces. He could only guess how much that would have hurt without its protection. He swiftly caught one of the harpies by her neck, holding it strongly, then rammed his katana into her body and set it on fire. The creature trashed around, screeched with a deafeningly high-pitched voice, then vanished, leaving only a pile of white-glowing, dagger-like feathers on the ground. Rin looked above and counted the harpies swiftly. "Ten, huh? Not bad, not bad at all, Thea!" Rin grinned as he took in his surroundings - about twelve of those feathery wretches were scattered all around in unmoving heaps, their skulls and necks pierced by bullets. The flock of harpies was reduced to a half of their original numbers before the remaining ones even noticed what was happening - that the half-demon only played a bait while somebody else had taken them down silently from behind, safely laying in tall grass far away. Rin inhaled, swung back, then rammed his katana into the ground using Satan Bomb, causing the ground to shake and erupt, sending piles of dirt and blue flames up. The flame engulfed the dead harpy bodies, turning them into ashes, leaving only their feathers behind. "Better safe than sorry." the half-demon thought, then tried to send another flaming blast after the harpies above him.

Soon, the harpies dove once again from the skies. "This again?! You're growing boring, you flock of chickens." Rin mocked, then surrounded himself by his blue flames, intensifying the heat. Two of the harpies were too slow to react and ended up scorched on the spot. Then, he jumped up as high as he could, trying to reach the harpies and get a better angle on them. He slashed with his katana, then let himself fall to the ground again. Or so he thought. The falling somehow lacked the necessary gravitation. Instead, he found himself suspended in the air, floating as a feather rather than falling roughly. In that moment, the harpies surrounded him, and an electrifying feeling shot throughout Rin's body, rendering him completely motionless. His flames soon subsided, and he gasped - one of the harpies was holding his tail firmly in her talons, while the other yanked the sword out of his hands and sheathed it. "H-hey! Give that back, you stupid hen-brain!" the half-demon threatened but could not move very well when subdued. Then, the feathered beasts started wrapping him in a strange, heavy net, which seemed to be made of some kind of metal. It started wrinkling up, tightening itself around his body so strongly that had he not been a half-demon, he was sure he would have been sliced by it to little pieces. When he appeared subdued enough, the harpies took off with him. "Damn it! Cursed thing! Let go of me!" Rin shouted and continued his struggle against the net. Before he could even blink, though, the same harpy which had taken his sword and helped carry him in the net prison was suddenly spiraling to the ground - together with both the sword and Rin in the net. It looked like her claws got tangled in the metallic fibers of the net, so when she started falling, she took Rin with her. They crushed to the ground with a loud thud, but fortunately, the fall was far from dangerous for his strong demon body. "Nice one, Thea!" Rin cheered inwardly as he saw the hole in the harpy's head. The other harpies seemed far from amused, though. It appeared that this time, the harpies had realized someone had been shooting them and were able to tell from where the shots had been coming. They cast a brief look at Rin, then left him lying on the ground and started towards Thea instead. He probably looked subdued enough for the moment. "Hey, get back here! I'm not done with you! Thea, run!" he kept shouting as loud as he could and tried to wriggle out of the net. Unfortunately, his efforts were completely useless.

"Six of them left, huh? Not too bad." Thea thought with a hint of pride in her shooting skills combined with Rin's swordplay, then she focused again. She was laying on her stomach on one of the surrounding hills, covering her friend's back. For a moment, she let go of the image of Rin being held on the ground by some strange net, calling for her to run. Focus. Inhale. Slow exhale. Two-thirds of the exhale - shoot. Her lips curled up. Five to go. "Well, that was surprisingly easy. Strange, they usually fly insanely fast… Wait a moment… it was supposed to be five to go, but only four are in the scope? Where is the fifth one?" the blonde panicked, and she had a very good reason to. A shadow was all she could see before strong claws tightened around her shoulders, lifting her up. "No way! Don't tell me… Those harpies weren't flying at their full speed intentionally… Oh man, I can't believe I fell for it!" she mentally facepalmed herself. However, that was no time for sulking, she had to act. There was one advantage in being far from her half-demon friend - she didn't have to keep her aura subdued. Before the harpy managed to fly with her too high, Thea swiftly dropped her barrier, letting it spread about three meters in diameter around her. Strange, her usual maximum was about a meter and a half. However, she did have her 'lucky days' sometimes. Days when she thought she was just overflowing with energy and could use so much more of it. Still, she remembered the boundaries of her powers. She might have felt powerful at the moment but that didn't mean that she could just use it all up on one measly harpy. Besides, three meters were just enough for her feathery captor to vanish within her aura with a surprisingly peaceful expression on its face. Thea dropped to the ground with a loud thud but collected herself swiftly. There was no time left for sniping anymore, so she grabbed the weapon and her rucksack and ran to take cover in the nearby forest.

Running through the forest with all the equipment and in a dress was difficult but at least she was able to escape the harpies. Oh, they saw where she ran into and had an idea as to where she might be at the moment, but they were too big to maneuver easily among the trees. Or so she thought. One look behind her back told her that the persistent flock had no problem whatsoever flying through the thick branches. Apparently, their feathers were as sharp as razors, so the harpies were breaking their way through the thick vegetation as easily as slicing through a piece of butter. Thea's eyes widened in panic, then she found herself sprawled on the ground. Surprisingly, it was not because she had tripped over a root of a tree - one of the harpies just managed to hit her leg with a… dagger? Pain blossomed in her right calf, but for some explicable reason, Thea found falling for other reasons than her usual clumsiness a little win. Crawling behind a tree, she swiftly pulled out the cursed thing, touched the wound and closed it using her powers. With a sour grimace on her face, the blonde ditched her scout rifle, so that she could free her hands and run faster. She set off running again in a way that would keep her line of sight at Rin in case he needed help. Finally, she reached the point in the forest from where she could see Rin struggling in the net on the clearing right in front of her. Then, she fished out smoke grenades from her bag…

The half-demon kept wriggling in the net, trying to tear it apart with sheer force, but with no effect. The more he strained his body, the deeper the net kept cutting into his skin. He couldn't even try and burn that blasted thing, as his katana was sheathed and far away from his reach. Abruptly, clouds of thick smoke appeared in front of the forest and soon obscured his vision. His frustration rose. He gritted his teeth in anger and strained against the net, but to no effect. "There you are!" he suddenly heard a whisper accompanied by a beautiful smell of honey and cinnamon. "Thea! Over here!" Rin called out, then he felt his Satan flames appear again and his body already started restoring itself. "Don't move." came another whisper, then he heard a strange grating noise as Thea tried to slice through the net. It sounded as if his sword was grazing metal. "Rin, could you give it a little burst? The net is very strong, and it seems to be enchanted or something. I don't think I can just cut it." "Sure thing." the teenage boy grinned and closed his eyes in concentration. "OK, ready? Now!" He encouraged, sending a massive blast through his sword, commanding the flames to concentrate tightly around the blade. In that moment, the blonde leaned against the katana and sliced through the net, freeing her friend. "Nice one, Thea! You sure you don't wanna go for the Knight Meister, too?" Rin grinned and the girl just chuckled. "God, no! If it's larger than a scalpel, I'm not comfortable with it. That reminds me…" she swiftly pulled out her last two smoke grenades and flung them around. Soon, they could hear loud, angry screeches nearing from where the forest would be, until they settled above their heads.

"Now, the harpies know we are somewhere in the smoke but cannot see where exactly. They are just circling around. But! I can see their auras just fine." the blonde grinned devilishly. He felt Thea taking his hand - the one where he held the katana - and pointed with it above them, then slightly to the right. "There." she said and Rin nodded, releasing Satan Slash. A high-pitched screech followed by a loud thump was all they needed to hear. That move betrayed their position, though, so Thea could already feel one of the harpies descending from the sky above at a break-neck speed. However, she was ready for that and swiftly fired two rounds from her shotgun, aiming at the center of the fast-approaching aura. As she shot, the aura disappeared instantly. Blackness momentarily overcame Thea's vision, and she found herself unable to move. "What…" the blonde blinked, trying to process what just transpired. The smoke has already cleared, but everything around her seemed to be engulfed in blue hues. It was quite difficult for her to pick up the auras of the harpies in the sea of Rin's tremendous energy. Or maybe it was because there were no more harpies in the first place? She blinked again, trying to move, but her body didn't seem to cooperate.

"Thea, just a sec, I've got you. Hold still…" Rin said, hovering above her. She winced as a strange piercing pain appeared in her left arm. "Dammit! I'm so sorry, Thea. Just…" Then, she felt the strange burdensome feeling disappear, as Rin picked up what was apparently the harpy's dead body, and threw it away, allowing her to breathe and move freely again. Well, almost. She tried to sit up, only to be gently pinned down by Rin again. "Wait. Not yet. This might hurt a little. Ready? One, two..." he said, and Thea had to blink away some tears as Rin pulled out something looking like a set of daggers from her throbbing left arm. "What the… where's the 'three'?!" she said with a low chuckle, causing Rin to join her. "Sorry, I thought it would be less painful if you didn't see that coming. My doc did the same with the vaccination. Thought you might appreciate it." he grinned. "But damn, that was a close one." he exhaled, running his fingers through his hair. "What do you mean?" Thea asked, still a little dazed. "That harpy you shot - you killed her good, but she fell right at you and kinda knocked you out for a while there. Those things are surprisingly heavy with all the metal feathers… But no worries, I took care of the rest." he showed her thumbs up. "Some of her feathers ended up in your arm, though…" he smiled sheepishly, almost apologetically. "Oh, I see… Thank you, Rin. Well, I would like to pronounce this year's harpy hunting season closed." she smiled, then started working her power on her arm, repairing the shattered place between the humeroradial and humeroulnar joints on her elbow. "You look like a hedgehog, you OK?" Rin grinned at her, pointing at the rest of the dagger-like feathers rammed in her bullet-proof vest. They still managed to go right through, but fortunately not too deep, so Thea only had to heal the torn skin and some muscle tissue, but no organs. Then, she took off the vest. "I'm fine, thanks. Alright, ready for the next round?" she asked as Rin helped her to her feet. "Damn right, I am! Let's give them hell!"

OoO

Konekomaru breathed heavily, straining to keep his barrier in place. A bead of sweat ran down his temple, marking his exhaustion, but his resolve did not waver. "I have to keep it up! Just a little longer, until someone arrives… Surely the teachers and guards must have noticed the presence of demons by now… Oh man, this would be much easier if Bon were conscious…" He grimaced, looking at his passed-out friend. Unfortunately, Bon was not the only one lying on the ground, unable to fight, not to mention in a poor condition. The attack had come unexpectedly, about ten minutes after their lesson had started. Shiemi had asked if she could open the window because she had been feeling dizzy. Apparently, it had nothing to do with the freshness of the air, but rather with the poisonous fumes coming from the spores of a strange plant which had grown around the cottage. Shiemi had breathed in the poison the moment she had opened the window and had collapsed shortly afterward, paralyzed. Their teacher, Mrs. Angeline, had immediately started reciting a purifying incantation, prompting the students to join her. They had managed to purify the air, until a group of various demons descended upon them - various groups of surprisingly organized demons, such as harpies and even some wolves. They had not really attacked them, more like circled them around, making a way for two humanoid-looking demons, a male and a female. They were clad in black robes and the woman wore a cloak with a purple flower embroidered on it. The tall and spindly-looking male, probably their leader, had entered their little classroom confidently, outstretching his hand towards them with a wicked grin on his face, reciting his own lines in what must have been the demon language.

"This is the first time I have seen anybody being cursed… without a ritual, at that!" Konekomaru thought, looking at Mrs. Angeline who was now lying on the ground, breathing raggedly, her face contorted in pain. Strange black symbols were visible on her skin, pulsing slightly. They were arranged in a pattern which strongly resembled a spider web. Still, Konekomaru couldn't help but admire the teacher. "Whatever she did, it somehow interrupted the demon's chants, so in the end, only she and Bon ended up cursed." he thought, then swiftly concentrated on the barrier again. The black-clad demon was standing right in front of him, one hand clasped behind his back, the other leaning on a big, sealed ceramic tank. A cape was obscuring his face, but his eight yellow glowing eyes were still well visible. Only now, the wicked smile was replaced by lips contorted in displeasure. Something was happening outside, and he seemed to be waiting for the outcome of the events. "Still, this is not good, not good at all… They attacked us but haven't really attempted to finish us off for some reason. For now, at least. They are waiting for something, holding the position. Or maybe they know we will not be able to hold the barrier for long and do not bother expending the effort to break it. Or are we meant to be just hostages, a bait? This could very well be a trap set for Rin. And knowing Rin, he will walk right into it." the teenage-boy sighed. "I wonder what happened to Thea, too… Rin's always late, but her? Oh man, we could really use her healing skills right now. Maybe she could at least do something about that poison… And about Izumo's familiars…" he regarded the two fox-demons with concern. As always, Izumo had been quick to react and summoned her familiars to aid them in the fight. Mike and Uke had been of great help, having taken care of one half of the demons, buying them time to establish a barrier. Unfortunately, something must have happened to the foxes during the fight, because they got tired after a few seconds, their movements becoming sluggish and disoriented. They too were laying on the ground, dazed and surprisingly calm while Izumo petted them gently, trying to find out what was wrong. When she had received no response, she had joined Konekomaru in reciting, boosting the barrier.

"Still standing, little humans?" the male demon asked mockingly, pronouncing the words with a strong accent. Konekomaru didn't bother to answer. He knew that the demon was probably just toying with him, testing his limits - he certainly seemed powerful enough to tear through his barrier with some time and effort on his part. However, Konekomaru refused to make it that easy for him. He hoped that if he held the barrier long enough, somebody would notice their presence. Also, it was the only thing that cloaked them all from the poisonous fumes. "Tsk, just wait till the others arrive! You're going down!" Izumo gritted out, causing the demon to grin. "Hardly." "No, no. You are going down 'hard' - that's how you pronounce it, you bastard." the girl with twin-tails glared at the demon, unable to stop herself from taunting him. She was furious. Something happened to her dear familiars; her friends and the teacher were all paralyzed and in pain, and the only way for them to fight was to keep their barrier in place. "You should know your place, puny wench." the demon answered, raising his hand, then suddenly one of the wolves started snarling. Konekomaru tensed and from the point where he stood, he could see Rin peeking through one of the windows. He had a surprised expression on his face, then started running away. The demon thundered something in the demon language again, pointing at the door. In a blink of an eye, almost all demons rushed out of the cottage house. "Way to sneak in, Rin…" Konekomaru thought and in the same moment, he could hear Izumo facepalming herself.

Abruptly, loud explosions roared outside of the cottage, almost completely masking the howling, screeching and roaring sounds the demons were making. The cottage shook and their ears rang. Konekomaru smiled - the demon noises were not the sound of frenzy, but of agony. Soon, the explosions were replaced by blue flames and sounds of shooting. Two shots, pause. Two shots, pause. Two shots, pause. Flash of blue light and two shots again, followed by a huge explosion. The teenage boy had trouble keeping up the barrier because of all the excitement and of the scenery in front of him. He could see Rin and also Thea fighting their way towards the cottage house, skillfully covering each other's back, removing their enemies almost with ease. He almost forgot to keep an eye on the demon clad in black, who had apparently been chanting all this time. After maybe a minute or so, the demon indicated for the three remaining spider demons to take the strange tank, move out of the cottage and attack. Soon, Konekomaru could hear Rin screaming. He appeared drenched and his fire was extinguished. "No way! Holy water?!" Izumo suddenly exclaimed, confirming Konekomaru's fears. He nodded nervously. "They sure came prepared." he thought, his frustration rising when he spotted Rin wrapped in a spider web, struggling against it, but unable to burn it down. "We need to do something…" he whispered. "Do not even think about it. Make a move and your friends will die." the demoness spoke silently, threateningly, pointing at the group lying on the ground, not leaving the place she had been standing the whole time. Konekomaru gritted his teeth and looked out of the window, just as Izumo did. The demoness regarded them with a curious, perplexed look, tapping her finger on her lips, pondering how easily it was to keep them in check by threatening to kill a few weaklings… However, she said nothing more.

The demon in black cloak stepped outside and the moment he spotted Thea among the dust and what remained of his underlings, he outstretched his hand towards her. However, his haughty, triumphant expression was soon replaced by a confused one as his spell fell apart. He waved his hand again, aiming the curse at the blonde, but she remained unaffected. His eight eyes widened in astonishment. "Ludicrous! Impossible!" he stood there stupefied, trying to process just what was happening. The moment Thea noticed the demon standing there, she turned towards him and shot. Dark red color sprayed from the demon's chest and he cried out in pain. The blonde tried to reload the weapon as fast as she could, but the demon teleported right in front of her, ripped the shotgun out of her hands and threw it away. Then, he grabbed her at her neck firmly, his eight yellow eyes fixing her disturbingly while he uttered something in the demon language again. Thea wriggled in his grasp while Rin kept shouting, calling the demon names, feeling infuriatingly helpless - drenched in holy water and held firmly in yet another net. Just his luck. Despite the unnerving situation, the blonde reminded herself to remain calm. Instead of thrashing around in an attempt to free herself, she swiftly put her hand to the demon's head and her eyes shone in golden hues. The demon suddenly cried out, clutching his head with his left hand while his right hand became sluggish and limp all of a sudden, so he had to let go of the grasp. He couldn't even stand properly, as his right leg gave up under him, too. And still he tried to grab the girl somehow. In the very same moment, Konekomaru could see the demoness stand up from her place, readying herself to aid her companion. And so, he put all of his powers into boosting the barrier and expanding its perimeter, blocking her way. She shot him an irritated look but before she could possibly act, her eyes widened at the sight of a brilliant light coming from outside. Konekomaru and Izumo turned, only to see the demon in black together with the spiders disappear within a translucent glow coming from Thea. In that moment, the demoness stepped back with a look of sheer panic and fright. Then, she turned on her heel and started running, leaving the cottage through the window on the other side of the fight.

"Wow! That was soooo cool!" Rin exclaimed, finally freeing himself from the degenerating spider web, then Thea swiftly worked on healing his holy water induced burns. "What did you do to that guy?" "Not now, Rin…" the blonde said panting, removing her ear plugs, then pointed towards the cottage. "Oh, right. On my way." the half-demon nodded and started running towards the cottage. After Konekomaru had warned him about the poisonous plants surrounding the cottage, Rin burnt them all down in a surge of blue flames, then entered. "Finally…" Konekomaru exhaled with relief, then let go of his barrier. "You know, Rin, you should really start showing up on time to our lessons." Izumo chastised, then turned towards Thea who followed shortly after Rin. "And you should know better than to pick up his bad habits. Where were you, anyway?" the twin-tailed girl humped in irritation, then turned her attention towards her familiars, soothing them. The accused duo just gaped in disbelief, then Thea started gesturing around in imitation. "Rin! Thea! Thank you so much for coming and rescuing us. - Oh, sure, no problem, Izumo. That's what friends are for…" Thea intoned sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "Excuse her, Thea… she's just nervous because her familiars got hurt." Konekomaru said apologetically. "Honestly, I think it was a very lucky coincidence that you both were late today. You might have ended up trapped with us. But enough of chit-chat, we need to help them." he pointed towards the lot lying on the ground. Thea swiftly nodded her head and let her friend explain what had happened to everyone.

"All right. Shiemi is out of danger, she's just unconscious now. She will definitely need to take some muscle relaxants, though. The poison she breathed in seems to have paralyzed her body. I unknotted the most important muscles - her heart and lungs were contorted in cramps. She would need the medicine if she were to move around soon." Thea said, then swiftly moved towards Bon and the teacher. "Oh… that's not really a health condition…what…" she gulped, unsure about what to do. "It's a curse." Konekomaru said once he caught his breath. "Their bodies are not really 'hurt', but trust me, the pain they are feeling right now is quite real. We need to dispel it." "And you know how?" Rin's eyes widened. "I don't, but I can cast some purifying wards until we find help. Rin, I need to stay here and start with the purifying chants right now…" "I understand. Don't you worry, we'll go and send someone over asap." the half-demon encouraged, showing his friend thumbs up, then turned towards Izumo. "You coming with us?" "No. I'm staying, too. Somebody has to watch over him while he does his Aria stuff. And I can feel many demons around, though none nearly as strong as these had been. They can still attack anytime." Izumo said, then turned towards Rin and Thea. "So, you'd better hurry up and send some help, OK?" she pinned them both with a stare, then turned towards the blonde. "Thea… Before you go, I know you are not a vet, but…" she said nervously, patting the little fox familiars. "Of course." came a calming voice as Thea knelt and lay her hand on the injured animals.

"They were not hurt badly, it's just scratches and bites really… but something's wrong, I can tell. They are completely out. They are not even speaking to me." Izumo started explaining while Thea kept searching their bodies for any clues. "Did they breathe in the poison, too? Or ate the plant per any chance?" she furrowed her brows. "No, not that I know of…" Izumo shook her head, then suddenly, Mike started growling and barked at Thea while she was inspecting him. "Ssssh, Mike, calm down, it's just Thea." Izumo patted him on the back gently. Suddenly, Thea's eyes widened as she saw the saliva dripping from Mike's maul. In an instant, both familiars found themselves trapped in Thea's binding circle. "H-hey, what's that for?!" Izumo exclaimed, only to be pushed back by her blonde friend. "Don't get any closer." Thea then clasped her hands to Izumo's head and while she was running her swift check, she asked. "Were you scratched anywhere? Or bitten?" "No, I'm fine. Now what's the big deal? They need treatment, release them and…" Izumo protested, but Thea cut in. "Listen to me. I think they have rabies, Izumo. Very advanced state." "What? No way… That's…" her voice faltered, and she covered her mouth. "For now, I can only put them to sleep and bind them, so they do not end up attacking you. We'll send help over. Until then, do not approach or touch them." Thea said, trying to sound as encouraging as possible while her head kept reminding her about the disturbing fact that most animals die within ten days when infected with that viral disease. Considering how swift the symptoms manifested, their time might be even more limited - she could feel their spinal cord was already inflamed. She exhaled, bringing herself to focus. "All right. Before we leave, here…" Thea's eyes shone golden again, and to surprised gasps, she restored Izumo's and then also Konekomaru's energy and swept away their tiredness. Finally, she left with Rin, unknowingly leaving her friends behind in a state of utmost befuddlement.

OoO

"It should be somewhere around here." Thea whispered, tip-toeing (or as close as one could get to that in military boots) on the cold marble floor, keeping herself close to the wall, carefully watching for the runes which would mark the Warding room. She and Rin had managed to sneak into one of the Academy halls, mostly avoiding the fighting, despite how much the half-demon had wanted to join it and help out. According to Thea's words, he would need all the power he had in order to make her plan work. "You'd better hurry up, teach'." Rin thought, hoping that Mr. Doi, one of their Aria teachers they had met in the hallway, would reach their friends in the training area no. 5 soon. They had also asked him to find a Tamer on his way, so Izumo's familiars can be treated.

"Ah, there it is! The door to the right." the blonde pulled Rin at his sleeve, leading him to… an empty wall? "Uhm, Thea… There's no door." Rin scratched his head in confusion, looking the wall up and down, completely oblivious to the dimly shining purple runes which were making up the frame of the tall door. "What do you mean? It's right in front of us." the girl gestured in circles, as if enveloping the door with her hands. "It's just a wall." "Well, it kinda looks like it's drawn on the wall… let's just go." Thea prompted, entering the Warding room, causing her friend to whistle in surprise. To his eyes, it looked like the blonde just reached for an invisible handle and the stone wall opened to the inside. "No way! How did you…" he jumped up a little as the lanterns in the room came alight. "Rin, hurry up." Thea waved with her hand towards the oval, elevated platform at the end of the long hall. The half-demon followed swiftly, taking in the new environment. "Wow… Thea, what is this place?" Rin inquired - he honestly thought that he had already discovered every interesting place at the Academy. "The Warding room. It's where Mephisto maintains the barrier and wards. A security system of sorts…" came an almost absent-minded answer, as Thea inspected the platform, then turned to pick up some play cards scattered around on the floor. "A security system? Why… isn't that something we Exorcists should know about in the first place?!" he exclaimed grumpily while Thea just exhaled. "It's a secret, Rin. That's why I couldn't tell Mr. Doi where we were headed to - apparently, only a few people know about its existence… I don't know who does, so I think it a good idea to keep it a secret." "OK… But if it's such a 'secret', how do you know about it?" Rin tilted his head to the side, fixing her with a curious look. "I kind of… found it. Accidentally. And since I was already here, Mephisto showed me around." the girl just shrugged and continued her search for more play cards. "And how did you find it? I mean, it's just an empty wall…" "I felt Mephisto casting spells in here. You know I can feel auras, right? And then, there's the runes on the wall, so… Oh, man, these two are completely torn!" Thea frowned as she picked up the damaged Jack of Spades and Queen of Clubs. "What runes?" Rin asked again and this time, the blonde rolled her eyes and approached the half-demon with an annoyed expression on her face. "Runes, Rin. Right at the entrance. Now, could you please focus? I really need your help here." "Alright, what should I do?" the teenage boy asked, suppressing the number of questions which waited impatiently to be answered.

"Listen. We are going to try and restore Mephisto's barrier. So, here, pick a card." she said and held the deck out in front of him. "Seriously?" "Just do it." Thea prompted. "Fine, fine, let me see. I wanna an Ace for sure!" he started rummaging through the cards, moving some dried-up vines out of the way until he found one. "OK, now, concentrate on the card and just imagine your energy flowing into it. It starts shining once you pour in enough of it." she explained as best as she remembered. "Wait, that's it? No chanting? No weird gesturing around?" "No, the cards are already enchanted - or so Mephisto told me. Just give it a try." came an encouraging nod, bringing the half-demon to concentrate. "Alright, here it goes!" he called out, outstretching the hand with the card up while making jinxing gestures with the other hand, adding some eerie sounds for effect. Thea couldn't help but giggle at his showmanship. Rin always seemed to be so confident, no matter what he was about to attempt - be it a completely new, unknown technique. Soon, the play card burst with beautiful blue light. The blonde gaped at it in astonishment. "Amazing, he did it so easily…" she thought, remembering herself failing miserably when she had attempted it. "Whoa!" Rin exclaimed as he too regarded the card, but it was for completely different reasons than Thea thought. "Wow! Good job, Rin! You did it! Oh, I'm so glad you did it! I knew it would work with someone as strong as you, but… Rin?" the blonde cheered, then she looked at her friend who was rubbing his eyes, then yawned audibly. "What's the matter?" "I… I feel kinda tired. Like when you skip your sleep, you know? For a long time…" "Well, the card is supposed to suck up your energy, so… maybe this is the effect it leaves?" she guessed. "Right. OK, let's do another one." Rin said, picking up another card from the deck.

Five cards were pulsing with Rin's energy by the time he found himself slumped on the ground, clutching the sixth card in front of him with a look of utmost concentration on his face. However, irritation soon replaced it as the half-demon found himself unable to continue. "I don't get it! Why doesn't the stupid card work?!" he pouted while fighting the terrible feeling of exhaustion. "Maybe we have to do it in some order? Here, try the hearts again." she handed over the card and her friend tried to light it again, but with no effect. Only one single symbol in the middle of the card pulsed dimly in hues of blue. "I don't think the order is the problem…" Rin started with a grimace. "Then maybe the way you hold it? Or maybe I should place the cards to the replica of the Academy?" she thought, picking up the pulsing cards, and placed them on the platform. The cards started levitating and each one of them took their place at some place or another around the Academy area. The tempo of their pulses changed slightly, too. "See? It's working. This is exactly how it looked when Mephisto casted it. Except the color, that is… Anyway, try again." Thea said enthusiastically, cheering for Rin again.

The half-demon concentrated and poured all the energy he could muster in the card. Blackness momentarily overcame his sight and he had to lean on one hand to keep himself from sprawling on the floor. "Rin!" In a few seconds, the blonde was at his side, helping him to sit. "OK, that's enough. I think you need a break." Her friend just scoffed. "Dammit… I don't think I can do this anymore, Thea…" he admitted reluctantly, pinning the platform with an intense stare, unwilling to look Thea in the eye. "What the hell is going on? I've never been this tired before! To think that the old clown can light every friggin' card… Tsk… so irritating." "... maybe you should try it." he shoved the card towards the blonde. "Oh, no, I can't really…" she shook her head. "Why not? It's nothing complicated. Besides… I'm just… ah, dammit, I'm drained, alright?" the half-demon admitted reluctantly, trying to look at anything but Thea, feeling like he was letting her down. The blonde gulped nervously, anxiety rising inside of her. "No way… but I thought that Rin would be able to pull this off. We only have five cards up at work. That's definitely not enough for the barrier to work properly. I certainly can't light them… But… he's telling the truth. His aura feels truly weakened now. If he tries it again, he might actually fall unconscious, maybe even die of exhaustion… Oh God, what do we do now?" "Just give it a try." Rin's voice tore through her panicked train of thoughts. "Fine." she nodded, telling herself that they had nothing to lose. The blonde inhaled deeply and concentrated on the card in her hand. She couldn't help but smile - it was the symbol of her last failure, her 'beloved' Queen of Hearts. Summoning her energy, Thea's eyes soon shone brightly as she poured it into the card. And soon, the Queen of Hearts started pulsing with golden hues.

Thea gasped, suddenly feeling as if she too ditched a few nights of sound sleep. However, it was well worth it. "It worked… Rin, it worked!" the blonde jumped up with laughter. "Did you see? I can't believe it! Oh my God. Oh my God! I actually did it!" she smiled at Rin, who was just gaping at her - his jaw actually dropped. "Yeah, I didn't see that coming, either." came a soft giggle and she brushed her hair away from her face. "Thea…" Rin pointed with his finger towards Thea's feet, his eyes wide. The blonde followed his finger and soon, her eyes almost popped out as she spotted the deck of cards, only they were no longer on the floor, but slowly levitating towards the replica of the Academy where they arranged themselves. All of them were shining brightly and pulsing strongly, even the cards Rin had lit up changed colors from blue to golden. "What… how…?" Thea gasped, as she saw the pulsing cards casting a bubble-like barrier over the small construction. She couldn't believe it. There it was - Mephisto's barrier was up again, despite the two missing cards which had been damaged. The girl wasn't honestly sure how she should feel about what just happened. On one hand, she restored Mephisto's barrier. On the other hand, she restored Mephisto's barrier! That shouldn't have been even possible. That was the very reason she had brought Rin into the Warding Room.

"What the hell?! That was friggin' amazing!" Rin's voice suddenly interrupted her from her stupor. "How on Earth did you light those blasted cards?" Thea blinked nervously, then stuttered, unable to process the events. "I… you see… I have no idea." she giggled, running her fingers through her golden locks. "And how come you are still standing? I lit five of them and I'm out…" he shook his head in disbelief. "I really don't know, Rin. It just worked, alright?" "But how can it 'just work'? You know how much power it takes, don't you? So, how are you so strong all of a sudden? Is that because of the special training with Yukio? 'Cuz if it's so, then I'm signing in for one, too. So?" Rin kept bombarding the blonde with further questions, until she stopped pacing around and threw her hands up. "I. Don't. Know! Jesus, Rin, I'm telling you - I'm just as surprised as you. Now, can we please focus on the task at hand?" The half-demon cocked his head in confusion. "What task? The barrier is restored. Do you mean to join the fight? 'Cuz I don't think I can even stand up right now…" he said a little solemnly, angry at his useless state. "Yes, the barrier is up. Whoever destroyed it, once they learn it has been restored, they might come here to disable it again. So, I suggest we hold the ground and protect this place." Thea shared her plan and Rin nodded in agreement. "Sounds good to me. Only - I can barely move, dammit." he said, trying to use his katana as a leverage to get up. "Wait, let me see." her soft hands touched Rin's cheeks and he could feel the tiredness leaving his body. "So, how do you feel? Any better?" she asked, and Rin started laughing. "Like gulping down three energy drinks in a row." he grinned, then joined Thea in setting the traps in front of and inside the Warding room.

OoO

"My, my, am I interrupting the execution?" Mephisto narrowed his eyes at the scenery in front of him, his outrage well hidden behind a nonchalant but wicked smile, the tension in his every fiber perfectly concealed. He had just arrived in the US and was standing in a large aula where the Duke of Greed, disguised as a famous evangelist and pastor, preferred to hold speeches. The place was swarming with mashou demons and ghouls in forms of rotting canines which were padding around in a restless fashion. In the center, blood dripped from three crucified bodies, various symbols carved on their skins. More and more low-class demons lured by the dark energy were gathering around the place, covering it in a thick miasma. All signs hinted at some terrible summoning ritual. Mammon was thrashing wildly among a group of four persistent individuals, who - judging by their uniforms and almost zealous expressions on their faces - undoubtedly belonged to the Exorcists of the Grigori branch. Another pair of Exorcists stood aside. One was tall with long brown hair tied in a tail, and he wore several richly ornamented tomes attached to his uniform. He was writing something into a small notebook, completely undisturbed by the environment. The other one was rather lean, the small dagger at his belt and a cape he wore gave him a hunter-like look. He was patting the head of a Black Dog demon familiar absent-mindedly and inspected the scenery in front of him curiously.

The moment the Duke of Greed spotted his master, he ceased his efforts to free himself from the Exorcists' grasps at once and fell to his knees, head bowing deeply so it was touching the ground. "M-my Lord… My Lord, this isn't my doing. I swear it. By my demon's heart, I swear it!" Beads of sweat were rolling down his temples, his body shaking with fear. He knew very well what kind of fate awaited anyone of Samael's vassals, should they disobey the terms and conditions which bound a demon residing in Assiah. He would be a fool to break the rules, not to mention harm any of Samael's beloved humans. And yet, there he was, kneeling in front of the demon lord he feared the most from all of the hellish rulers. While some of them showed ruthlessness, cruelty, even delight in torture, Samael had his own sense of 'justice' and could be particularly inventive when it came to punishments.

"My apologies. It would appear that I missed the trial. Then again, Mammon probably missed his own trial as well." Mephisto snorted, holding the sour gazes of the four Exorcists meaningfully. He took one step closer, but a huge piece of metal suddenly blocked his traces. "That's far enough, demon!" came a warning, as Arthur, the current Paladin and the honored leader of the Angelic Legion, pointed Excalibur at him. "Lower your weapon, Angel. This is not the way gentlemen discuss matters of importance." Mephisto pushed the huge sword away with his umbrella in a gesture that resembled fending off a fly, his lips curving up ever so slightly, despite the severity of the situation. "Don't you order me around, you filth! Look at this bloodbath! The Grigori will finally see you for what you really are. Nothing is worth making deals with a monster." the Paladin spat, his nose wrinkling in disgust and outrage, only to be interrupted by Mammon who suddenly stood up from the ground in a swift motion, baring his fangs at him. "How dare you speak like that to my master, lowly human?! You cannot even comprehend what he…" Mammon thundered in outrage but stopped as soon as Mephisto held his hand up. "Enough, Mammon. Silence yourself." the Lord of Time ordered, then turned his attention back to the Paladin. "Goodness me, you really took the 'don't judge or you will be judged' part literally and jumped right to execution…" he shook his head lamentably, then arched one eyebrow. "Have you skipped the investigation part as well?" the Lord of Time continued to mock, fully enjoying the look at Arthur's increasingly bulging eyes and reddening face.

"There's nothing to investigate! The evidence is clear. Not only does this despicable demon pose as a holy man, now he organizes sacrificial rituals in his name, too?! Step aside, Pheles, divine justice awaits this demon. And I shall deliver it." Mephisto rolled his eyes at yet another of Arthur's theatrical rantings on that topic and decided to step in before the Paladin could spout any further nonsense. "Stop acting so foolishly, Angel. In case you haven't noticed, you are about to execute the only witness we have." "What are you talking about?! He's the one who is responsible for this slaughter!" the Paladin hissed and pointed a finger at Mammon angrily. "That we do not know just yet. What we do know, though, is that he's the one who called for my aid in the first place. Isn't that right, Mammon?" Mephisto eyed his vassal, who nodded swiftly. "Yes, my Lord. And I'm deeply honored you arrived in person to investigate this matter." "And you expect me to believe a demon's word?!" came a scoff from Arthur. "Oh, dear, don't be absurd. I wouldn't expect that kind of open-mindness from you. But I strongly suggest you go through some evidence before you start cutting heads off." the Lord of Time said, throwing his cell phone casually towards Arthur, then moved onward to inspect the aula, giving the Paladin some time to inspect the urgent message he had received from Mammon. "Now then, correct me if I'm wrong, but you gentlemen are supposed to be the Vatican special investigation force…" Mephisto pointed his umbrella at the six Exorcists surrounding Mammon, making circling movements with his umbrella as if to envelope the whole group. "... so, how about you start doing your job and help me secure some clues?" The said gentlemen scoffed at him or shot the Lord of Time particularly annoyed looks, except the one who kept scribbling into his small note without sparing him a second glance. Surprisingly, the Exorcist with a Black Dog familiar nodded silently and followed Mephisto to the crime scene. The moment Arthur saw that, he rushed off after them, keeping a very close eye on Mephisto's movements.

"Such atrocity…" the Lord of Time frowned when he inspected the corpses while avoiding the blood on the ground. "...supposedly done in Mammon's name…" he pondered, then inhaled deeply, letting his instincts guide him. Being the Lord of Time came with some nice perks - he could get a feel of how old things or people were, when approximately an event occurred or was about to occur. And in case he had not acquired a person's consent to enter his or her memories, he could still catch a few glimpses of the past, especially if they were tied to very strong emotions. And so, Mephisto inhaled deeply and dove back to the past, aiming for the last twenty-four hours. Ghostly-looking, blurred images sprung in front of him, appearing and disappearing in a blink of an eye. "The ritual took place in the night… and Mammon did not set a foot in here until shortly before seven in the morning, which is perhaps fifteen minutes before I arrived. From what I can see, he did not even approach the stage where the corpses are." Mephisto said thoughtfully. The Black Dog was padding around him and the stage, sniffing around while his master crouched to inspect something on the floor. Soon, the Black Dog returned to the Exorcists, who stood up and nodded. "That is correct. Umbra did not catch that demon's scent around here." "Pff… why would she? The demon doesn't need to do the dirty work himself. He could have just stood and watched from over there." the Paladin argued.

The Lord of Time had to admit that the annoying Paladin had a point. Well, he just had to throw in some more evidence. After all, finding Mammon innocent was in Mephisto's own interest as well. He was the ruler of Assiah and any demon who decided to reside in that place was obliged to abide by his rules. Mephisto would not suffer any disobedience on his precious playground. Arthur also completely failed to understand that any kind of 'divine' justice he would unleash on Mammon would be just an appetizer before the real punishment came. Mammon knew that whatever punishment Mephisto dealt would be much worse. Had he been guilty, he would not have summoned him there. His musings were interrupted by the Tamer Exorcist's remark. "The footprints and the smell indicate that there were thirteen demons present. Strange… more demons than victims?" he rubbed his chin thoughtfully and Mephisto's lips curled up - he kept missing the exact number of demons due to the blurred images of the past. "Well, aren't you a useful one. Say, would you happen to be familiar with demonic symbols?" he inquired. "Semiology is not my specialty, that's more of an Aria field of expertise." the man answered, looking back over his shoulder and the Exorcist who had been scribbling into his tiny notebook suddenly ceased his work and approached the investigating group. "I am still deciphering the symbols. However, none of them seems to be hinting at the Demon of Greed." he said earnestly, then added. "The usual symbols associated with strength the demon is supposed to gain by this ritual are also not present. It does not look like a standard sacrificial ritual… too many spells were included for something so straightforward." "Any hypothesis?" the demon lord encouraged. "A curse." came a careful answer from the supposed Aria Exorcist.

"My, oh, my. Just what are you two doing in the Vatican's branch? Your talents are completely wasted there." Mephisto shook his head lamentably, then focused on the inscriptions and carvings in the human bodies, an annoyed grimace slowly, but inevitably appearing on his face. "Correct and correct again. See this symbol here?" the headmaster pointed with his umbrella on one of the poor victims. "Yes, the infinity symbol. I was wondering about its significance…" the scholarly type nodded. "Well, let me save some of our precious time. That is the symbol of The Lord of Time - yours truly." he grinned and bowed elaborately, flashing his white cloak in the process. "So, it's your doing?! These innocent people died because of you… Just so you could curse someone? And now you even confess!" the Paladin thundered, smiling as if Christmas came early, pointing his sword once again at Mephisto. "Bravo, Angel! You are a shining beam of hope for the younger generation of Exorcists that even someone without any deduction abilities can make it to a Paladin~" Mephisto replied in amusement, noticing the even more amusing expressions of the two capable Exorcists, whose cheeks were slightly red as they were fighting the heat of embarrassment. "The Germans definitely have a word for it… Ah, yes, the 'Fremdschämen'. Such a lovely language, indeed…" the demon grinned inwardly while the Paladin fixed him with an affronted look.

"Sir, it would appear that this… uhm… The Lord of Time is actually the one who has been cursed." the Aria Exorcist noted. "Indeed… See? I'm the victim here, Arthur." Mephisto said in feigned distress, his hand put over his forehead in a helpless gesture. The Paladin cracked an amused grin. "You? Cursed? Oh, and what would the curse be?" he demanded. "The curse of 'bad luck'. Can you not tell? It has already taken effect - I had to see your annoying face today, not to mention the exemplary display of utter incompetence…" the demon mocked, catching the soft sound of Mammon's struggle to keep his laughter contained. "Why you… you… oh, Heavens, what's with that annoying sound?" Arthur exclaimed as the sounds of some weird Japanese music hit his ears. "Ah, that would be for me." Mephisto reached for his phone and inspected it briefly. He certainly lost some color but luckily not his poker face. Then, he tucked it carefully into his pocket. "Now then, I apologize, but I must be on my way. We shall see each-other again at Mammon's trial." he shot a swift glance towards his vassal, who nodded in appreciation. "I do hope that you will be able to gather some solid evidence by that time. If not, just say the word and the investigation team from the Japanese branch will gladly come to assist you." Mephisto grinned, then snapped the fingers on both his hands, producing two of his business cards. "As for you two, you might want to reconsider your career paths. Whatever they pay you, I'll double." he winked and disappeared after the short 'Eins~Zwei~Drei~', leaving the group no room to react.

He had to hurry. As unlikely as it seemed, the ritual was truly aimed against him and he really had been cursed with bad luck, which, if he was not mistaken, was supposed to last until midnight. "At least now I know why things didn't go the way I had planned today…" he mused, considering his missed date with Thea… among other series of unfortunate events, of course. Still, that particular theater play he had booked the tickets for was the last one in the season and he had been looking forward to the cast. However, there were more pressing manifestations of his bad luck. The attack on his Academy, for instance… "Well, this is not the kind of report I was hoping for, Gin…" he sighed, remembering Gin's urgent text message, then poured some more energy into the teleportation spell, hurrying to protect his Academy. He didn't like the way the situation had been evolving so far. Not a bit. "First there is an emergency I need to tend to personally, not to mention with the Grigori involved, then I learn that the True Cross Academy has been under attack during my absence… Tsk, coincidence? I don't think so." he concluded, trying really hard to keep his mind calm and focused, instead of spinning blood-boiling scenarios about the danger his beloved lady might be in at the moment. He shouldn't have sent her to join her evening class.

OoO

"What is the meaning of this?!" Mephisto's brows furrowed with rising annoyance as his path was blocked even after the third time he had tried to teleport to the Academy. Something had been preventing him from entering. "Interesting… So, the enemy placed a spell against time-space shift near the Academy? If that's the case, they must already be waiting for me. I'd better avoid the main entrance." With that thought in mind, the demon teleported a little further away, landing in one of the nearby parks right in front of the training area no. 7. The sight in front of him took his breath away. "Satan's Flames… What in the world…" his eyes widened the moment he took in the scenery in front of him. A number of the hall windows were shattered, some walls and structures collapsed. Demons and Exorcists were fighting each-other in a bloody slaughter, their distant screams and screeches audible to Mephisto's sensitive ears. All of that obscured by a huge barrier placed around his Academy, radiating in golden hues, pulsing with a very familiar energy. Her energy. He slowly approached it, then lifted his hand to touch it.

"My lord, don't." came Gin's warning voice as he emerged from the shadows under the nearby trees. "In case you are wondering if it lets you through…" he lifted his left hand meaningfully, revealing the severely scorched and burnt skin "... it won't. The spell must have been altered." thy spy added with a sour grimace, allowing his master some time to think the next inevitable actions through. Surprisingly though, the demon lord just started trembling and his lips curled up into a wicked smile, then burst into laughter. "My dear, sweet lady~. You never cease to amaze me. Such vibrant, colossal amount of power you have. Spectacular!" he clapped his hands enthusiastically, causing the poor secretary to gape at him in disbelief. "Sir… aren't you missing the point? She betrayed you!" "Oh yes, she most probably did." the demon lord nodded in acknowledgement. "Most probably?" Gin arched an eyebrow at his master skeptically, unable to comprehend that he would even question that fact at this point. "Just look at this." said Mephisto to Gin, gesturing towards the barrier. "I am looking, Sir. Are you? Can you even see that barrier through those rose-tinted glasses of yours?!" Gin ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. "Look at the impressive touch she gave it - no poisoning, no dagger in the back, she just walked right in and took over the very representation of my power and status. What a grand scheme, indeed." the demon lord sighed, and the secretary started getting the feeling that his master might actually be impressed rather than furious.

"Satan's Flames, Samael! Don't tell me that you are still not giving up on the idea of winning her over and bringing her to our side?!" the secretary clenched his hands into fists in barely contained anger. "Gin… it has been ages since I have met a unique being such as her. So thrillingly unpredictable, so powerful, and yet so absolutely charming and irresistible…" "... and so apparently eager to see to your demise?" Gin cut in again, only to be met with another smug grin but also a very strong, resolute gaze which offered no room for further arguments. "I am not giving up on her, Gin. Not until I am certain of the truth." "I… You really… Oh, by my demon's heart!" the secretary exclaimed, then covered his face with one hand and started laughing. "You know, your taste in women is becoming quite bothersome, Samael. From all the creatures that roam this universe, you had to pick the one who wants to kill you… and obviously has power to spare to do just that…" Gin shook his head disapprovingly as he resigned on further attempts to bring some sense to his enamored master. "What can I say, I like the challenge." Mephisto shrugged cheerfully, his eyes afire with anticipation. "That is no challenge, that is a suicide." the secretary remarked dryly, cutting a grimace. "Well, if that turns out to be the case, I have my ultimate technique at ready." the Lord of Time winked mischievously, clapping the stunned spy at his back in a friendly gesture, well aware just how much weight his last words bore. "Y-you would truly use it? The Aegis of Time?" came an awed question and Mephisto smiled even more broadly. "You bet I would. So, no interruptions. No matter what happens. Am I clear?" the demon lord arched an eyebrow importantly, only to be met by Gin's head nodding in understanding. "Excellent! Now then, onwards!" "Right behind you, your beastly magnificence…" the secretary bowed mockingly, shaking with low chuckles as they set off to the Academy through one of the alternative entrances.

The headmaster, of course, had a special key that would take him through a passage not covered by the barrier. When he stepped through the secret opening in one of the huge paintings in the Warding room, he heard a faint clicking sound. He stopped time right away, thankful for his enhanced demon reflexes. There, on the ground right under his right foot, a mine had been skillfully placed. And he has just set it off. "Bad luck, indeed…" he frowned. "To think she even knew of my secret passage… I really don't give her enough credit, do I?" Mephisto swiftly scanned his surroundings, noticing the rest of the explosives carefully set on the ground between the entrance door and the platform. Surprisingly, at the end of the long hall stood Rin with his sword drawn-out, his body engulfed in Satan's flames. And right in front of the platform stood her - the very reason for his internal turmoil, for the insane whirlwind of thoughts and emotions. The woman who had betrayed him and took his very beloved Academy from him. The woman whose motivations and intentions he had yet to learn. The woman, who, once again, completely took his breath away… There she stood, her golden locks in a wild disarray, a determined look in her beautiful chocolate-brown eyes. She was dirty, bloodied, barefoot… and absolutely gorgeous! Remnants of what he guessed must have once been a well-fitting, elegant white dress were hanging loosely on her, torn, scratched and almost completely red from blood. Most of it was not hers. Still, the Lord of Time felt most relieved for finding her unharmed, no matter the circumstances. Well, she looked far from harmed or vulnerable with that shotgun in her hands and a belt full of cartridges fastened around her shoulder. The demon just chuckled and covered his face with one hand. "Dear Lord, it looks bigger than her… Why, oh, why must you be so absolutely irresistible? I should be the one who leads humans into temptation, not the other way around. You charming little daredevil…" he shook his head in amusement as an idea occurred to him. An idea which he was sure would make Gin question his sanity. "Ah, very well, since I'm already here, I might as well ask the burning question. After all, I still have my ultimate spell at ready should things turn out ugly. And I will learn the truth of things - no one bothers lying to the dead…" He unfroze Gin from his time stop and lifted a finger importantly. "Remember, no interruptions." Having left the last instruction, he closed his eyes and let the time flow again, fully aware he was standing on the mine.

An explosion echoed through the Warding room, causing Rin and Thea to turn in his direction, alertness written over their faces. Immediately, a wave of pain hit his whole body, the shock almost rendering him unconscious. The Lord of Time peered through the settling dust, slightly dazed, his ears ringing. He was leaning on the wall in a strangely twisted sitting position. Every muscle in his body throbbed painfully and he could feel blood running down his nose and seeping through his clothes. "Mephisto!" he picked up Thea's horrified voice and soon, the familiar scent of honey and cinnamon clouded his senses. "Why?" he asked softly, laboriously, trying to remain conscious and listened carefully. Most of his enemies tended to reveal the reasons behind their actions if they believed him to be vulnerable enough. And he guessed that he probably couldn't have roughed himself up more effectively. "W-why did you… do this, Thea…" he looked her in the eye, waiting. "Mephisto…" Thea said in a startled voice, but then she shook her head, clenched her fists and her eyes shone golden. Her aura spread around her and he could suddenly feel a powerful surge of her energy hitting his body. Instead of the scorching light burning him to a crisp he had been expecting, his bones started mending and torn muscles forming back together. The demon gasped from the sudden exhilarating sensation. Even his demon regeneration abilities couldn't have prepared him for this. "Ssssh. …gonna be alright. Just a… a little longer… promise." his ears picked up the blonde's distressed voice. Mephisto could see her kneeling next to him, working on his injuries, trying to stop her hands from trembling with a visible effort. She looked positively worried. Mephisto's eyes widened in disbelief. "Was um alles in der Welt… this doesn't feel like dying…. Quite on the contrary, really…. don't tell me that she actually… Is she trying to save me? Thea, you…"

"Rin… is right there… quickly!" she pointed to something further away and the half-demon ran off immediately, then came back and handed something to her, looking strangely pale. Mephisto hurt all over and he couldn't help but wince and hiss occasionally while Thea kept putting him back together. Literally. From the looks of it, she was trying to attach his torn off leg back to its proper place. It was bizarre seeing the white-faced Rin handing his leg to Thea. "Hang in there, Mephisto. Please… just a little longer." she said, breathing heavily, her eyes scanning through the injuries as if she could see straight through the tissue. The Lord of Time soon felt much better. Actually, no. This wasn't just 'better'. He felt… absolutely amazing! Not only were his injuries gone, he no longer felt fatigued either. In fact, he felt energized. The amount of energy Thea kept transferring to him was incredible. "By my demon's heart… What is happening to me… I haven't felt this well since…" he thought incredulously, his eyes wide from all the excitement. In a few moments, Thea interrupted the flow with an audible exhale. She then looked at Mephisto, pursed her lips and pulled him into a tight embrace. "Mephisto…" she said, breathing heavily, shaking all over. "Mephisto, I'm so sorry… I… I didn't know you would come from that… place or whatever that is… We set the mines with Rin so we could hold positions and retreat behind them, to protect this place, … I just… I didn't mean to harm you. I'm so very sorry…" she sobbed silently, holding him tightly.

"Gosh that was… so frightening! At least now I know why doctors shouldn't treat their friends or family members… I can't believe it; this has never happened to me before - my hands were shaking like crazy! I would have been completely useless with a scalpel…" Thea gulped, overwhelmed and completely shaken by the turn of events. However, there was something very strange about Mephisto's actions. Or rather, the lack of them. She was hugging him tightly, yet he did not pull her closer. In fact, he did not even move, nor had he shown her any other emotion apart from startlement. Alright, that would be an underestimation. He looked absolutely mind-blown. "Mephisto, are you alright?" Thea took the demon's face into her hands, inspecting it closely, searching for any injuries she might have missed. The Lord of Time shot up abruptly, his body practically trembling from all the energy, the adrenaline. He felt as if he had just eaten coffee beans. Tons of them. And then gulped it all down with a couple of energy drinks. "H-hey! Easy there, I have just patched you up. You need to lay down." Thea urged, pulling at his arm. "Yeah, you'd better listen to her. That was a pretty nasty wound you had… well, everywhere…" Rin added, drawing circles with his finger as he tried to point out the injuries.

The demon lord just looked at the blonde, then started pacing around a little further from them, his mind racing as he struggled to keep his barrier in place. It has been such a long time since he has felt at his peak. Now he could freeze an opening Gehenna gate with a snap of his fingers. If he wished so, he could stop the time in the whole Assiah for a few minutes, despite the number of high-class demons and Exorcists currently present on it. He knew he could. To be honest, he was quite tempted to find out right away. However, he settled for a simple restoration of his tattered attire. "Wahnsinn… To think that all of that insane power was somehow restored by her… Incredible! Just how is she still standing?" he kept pacing around, looking Thea up and down. He came to meet her so he could learn the motives and reasons of her betrayal, only to be caught off guard by her once again. But did she betray him? Why heal him, then? Why save him? And yet… she saved him! She even looked genuinely worried about him. He should have felt relieved and at ease. Instead, he was freaking-out inwardly, trying to determine just what exactly the puzzled-looking being standing in front of him was. He was not in control, he had no idea what was going on, and he was definitely not used to that. "Mephisto, please calm down. What's going on?" Thea's soft, calming voice reached him as she approached. The demon regarded her closely, curiously. "Answers… I need answers! That's it. I cannot postpone this any longer…"

"What is going on? My, my… I should be the one asking that question, dear." he grinned, pacing around restlessly until he was practically teleporting from one place to another. "So, apart from mastering the Healing wave on a level I have never heard of - let alone seen - in my very long life, restoring my barrier and taking over my Academy, what other delightful secrets do you have up your sleeve?" he teleported right in front of her, making her jump up from the sudden motion. "Whoa there!" she said, trying to hold him in place by his shoulders. "What are you talking about? What secrets?" "Oh, don't be shy, my dear. Tell me, how come you couldn't light one single card back when I showed you around, yet here you are with the whole card set ablaze?" Mephisto pointed towards the platform. "I honestly don't know…" she started, but the demon cut in swiftly. "Don't belittle yourself, Thea. Why would you be hiding your full potential?" he leaned in closer, his fingers entwining. Thea opened her mouth but found herself at loss of words. She only knew that she was becoming quite affronted. "What?! Hiding? I'm not hiding anything!" she said defensively. "Your barrier was down, and I wanted to restore it. You told me yourself that it's like the Academy's defense system. Shouldn't I have done it? It seemed a reasonable course of action." she explained, then pointed towards the half-demon. "I brought Rin here in the first place, because I thought I couldn't possibly pull this off. But then, Rin got exhausted too, so I gave it a shot. And it worked. End of story." "Yeah, that's what happened. I was out after the fifth card, but she somehow made it work." Rin nodded, trying to support her.

Mephisto just chuckled and shook his head. "End of story? Goodness, no. Far from it. How about that Maleficent wave you used on the Oni-demon during your training with Mr. Okumura? Does that ring a bell?" Mephisto raised an eyebrow, causing Thea's eyes to widen. Bingo! "The what?" Rin jumped right in. "The hell are you talking about you two?" the half-demon folded his arms, feeling somewhat excluded. "How do you… Oh, of course you would know. Somehow…" the blonde grimaced and exhaled, running her fingers through her hair. "Alright. I used it… the Maleficent wave. But I really didn't want to, I swear! Using my powers to injure or kill feels… just wrong. I wanted to avoid using the technique, but in that moment, when the demon was clutching my throat… My weapon was gone, I didn't know what else to do! It was the first thing that came to my mind. It's the closest thing to healing, just reversed… And you say it like it is a bad thing! I did what I could to survive the fight! What is wrong with using an improvised technique in a way I do not like resorting to? That was the point of the training, no?!" Thea tried to explain as earnestly as she could, her hand on her chest. "Hold on. So, when you touched that guy in black when we fought back at the cottage house, you used your Doctor powers or something? Was that it?" Rin inquired, slightly taken aback. And he was not the only one surprised. "The 'guy in black'?" Mephisto practically loomed over Thea, tapping a finger on his lip. "N-no… That was a different one. When I had fought the Oni-demon, I simulated a heart-attack. For the 'guy in black', I couldn't reach his heart very well, so I went for an aneurysm… Even small-scale injuries can be fatal." the blonde bit her lip nervously and brushed away her unruly hair again. Then, she summoned her courage again and prompted. "Mephisto, can't this wait? The Academy…"

"Interesting…" the demon said, disregarding her attempts to redirect the conversation to the task at hand. "And how come your powers are suddenly so strong, hmm?" the demon rubbed his beard, circling her around, his mouth working quicker than his brain. "Strong? I'm not… strong or… The teachers told me that my power level is slightly above average. And how would I know, anyway?! That's why I came to your 'noble institution' in the first place, remember? To find out more about my powers… to learn to understand and master them. You are the one who is supposed to have the Whys and Hows, I came to learn!" she answered, her frustration rising. The Lord of Time burst out with laughter. "Master them?" he grinned, then put a gloved hand on her cheek. "My dear, from the looks of it, you leave masters of both Healing and Maleficent waves in dust of shame. Now, the question is - why would you hide that fact?" he lifted her chin. "I'm not hiding anything! Why are you acting so weird? You know I have healing powers. I've just used them on you in case you haven't noticed! You-are-welcome, by the way!" she humped and pulled away from him. "And yet, you didn't mention the extent of your powers during your training. You only told the teachers that you healed a little sting in Rin's chest." Mephisto pointed towards the half-demon. "Little? I never said it was little…" Thea protested, then Rin exclaimed. "A little sting?! I had a friggin' hole in my chest! Like… this big!" the half-demon gestured at his chest. "You clearly wrote the word 'sting' into your mission report." Mephisto teleported right in front of Rin, who jumped up from the sudden motion as well, and stopped the time for everyone in Japan except the two of them, and Gin of course. "Cuz it was a sting, alright?! The huge thing with a human face that crawled out from the pit happened to have a scorpion's tail. And it went straight through my chest. It was a hole bigger than my fist. Had it not been for Thea… She killed the demons and…" before Rin could finish the explanation, he was interrupted by Mephisto's 'Ein~Zwei~Drei~'.

"Come again? She was the one who killed the demons?" Mephisto's eyebrows rose. "Oy, what did you do to her? Why would you freeze her like that?!" Rin exclaimed accusatively once he noticed what happened, rushing past him towards Thea. "Rin. I can understand why it wouldn't occur to her to write it down in her report from the incident in the Tokyo university hospital. After all, she was still new at this and concentrated on reporting the patients' condition. However, that wasn't your first mission report." the demon lord snapped his fingers, producing a piece of paper with Rin's scribbling on it. "How come that you would write practically an essay on the swarms of locusts - including the one that flew into your mouth - for a whole paragraph, yet you didn't find it important enough to mention that you were attacked by the Apocalypse Riders?" Mephisto fixed him with a displeased look. "The what?" Rin scratched his head in confusion, then snatched the report out of the demon's hand and tapped it. "Listen man, it's right here - blablabla, 'a freakishly big grasshopper stung me and it hurt a looooot, but Thea killed it and healed me'." "Oh… I see…" the demon lord face-palmed himself, then inhaled sharply, trying to remain calm. "Of course, he wouldn't know what they were… And he's far from Aria to even bother reading about the creatures…" Mephisto ran his fingers through his hair. "Look, you clown, stop pulling out months old reports all of a sudden…" Rin thundered, pointing at him with his (for now) sheathed sword, but then suddenly jumped up as Thea moved.

She looked around slightly confused, then fixed the stunned demon lord with an angry expression and pointed a finger at him. "Youuu… Did you just… Did you just freeze me in time?!" she started towards Mephisto, only to find him backing off wide-eyed. "Unbelievable! Do you have any idea how rude that is?! And after all I've done for you, too… I mean… I can totally understand that you have to leave for an urgent matter, so I won't complain about the spoiled date night… But seriously… Your Academy was attacked, and I rushed in and fought demons and somehow restored your barrier. I even fixed your leg… I healed you! Alright, so you stepped on a mine I had set and I'm really sorry for that. But still… I did all those things hoping to help you out and not a word of thanks from you?! You demon, you… Head-idiot-master-demon! Showering me with weird questions and interrogating me like some kind of a criminal!" she finished with hands clenched in fists, her aura pulsing widely around her as she was waiting for some kind of a response. When none came, her eyes widened too, and she stepped back. "Oh… I see…like a criminal… You know what? I don't need this crap…" she turned away from the demon, picking up her shotgun and the belt with cartridges. "I'm going home." "Wait, Thea, I'm coming with…" Rin tried to follow, but the blonde cut him off. "No, thank you. I've had just enough of your kind today!" "Y-you mean… demons?" the teenage boy looked at her friend a little sadly, guilt written all over his face. "NO! I mean MEN!" she shouted, her eyes filled with unshed tears, then slapped the door behind her.

"What the hell, Mephisto?!" Rin turned to face his stupefied headmaster and started shouting angrily. "That was so not cool! She's been worried sick about you all this time; thought you might be in some kind of a danger… and you… You see your girl bloodied and dirty and you don't even bother to ask if she's alright?! The hell is wrong with you?!" he pointed his sheathed katana at the demon, only to receive the very same response as Thea had - none. "Well? Aren't you going after her?! You know you screwed up big time, don't you?!" the teenage boy waved his hands at Mephisto. "Did you freeze yourself in time as well or something?" he poked the demon with his sword impatiently. "Hey, I'm talking to you!" Suddenly, the Lord of Time regarded him with such a cold, doom-promising stare that it sent shivers down his spine. Rin gulped and backed off swiftly. "Tsk… Fine! Stare all you want, 'cuz I'm outta here." he finally said and rushed off the room, his loud footsteps echoing through the hall as he called for Thea, searching the corridor for the blonde.

"My Lord… What on Earth were you thinking?" Gin stepped out from the secret passage behind the huge painting where he had been patiently and obediently hiding until then, even though every fiber in his body had screamed at him to help his lunatic of a master. The scenes that had played out in front of his eyes felt almost unbelievable. However, he had to give the girl a credit. She just managed to surprise them both by not being a spy, traitor or anything even remotely harm-intending to his master. In fact, after what he had seen, he couldn't help but to feel sorry for the poor, confused and now also angered lady. He also felt sorry for the next invading demon unlucky enough to cross her path. "You know, you could have avoided triggering her like that…" the secretary remarked as he approached his disturbingly confused master while two shots echoed in the corridor. "I am well aware of it, Gin. However, I chose to trigger the mine on purpose in hope to learn about her motives." Mephisto replied absent-mindedly. "I didn't mean the bomb, Samael. I said, 'triggering her'. I was speaking about your dear - and I mean this as honestly as I am mind-blown - definitely-not-a-spy lady." he looked at the demon lord pointedly. "I never let go of the time freeze on her, Gin…" Mephisto kept staring towards the entrance door while Gin tripped on his way to the demon lord. "Don't tell me that… No, that is out of question… You must have slipped for a brief moment. All the excitement, not to mention the injuries…" the spy started rambling uncharacteristically. "I do not just 'slip' and I was extra careful as she had pulled something similar on me before…" Mephisto furrowed his eyebrows, well aware of his perfect command and unshakable concentration. "But Samael… to escape your time freeze… she must be immensely strong!" "Not just 'strong', Gin… Her power level seems to be on par with my own. And I hope I do not flatter myself there…" the Lord of Time gulped, his mind trying to race his heart in some insane competition. Then, no matter how difficult it was, he swiftly shook his head and brought himself to focus. As much as he wished to confront Thea right away, there was an Academy that needed saving. Time. All would be dealt with in due time.

OoO

"Sir, I bring important news." came Gin's voice as he rushed into the headmaster's office one hour later and one hour remaining until midnight. The whole Academy was in turmoil, but it was no more the fight which kept everyone on their feet. In fact, the whole attack had ceased the moment the enemy had learnt about Mephisto's presence. Ever since then, the Lord of Time had been coordinating the staff and every available Exorcist who was in state to lend a hand. He had also figured out why Thea's barrier worked against him. Apparently, two important cards from his deck had been torn apart - the one masking the barrier's presence and the one enabling an entrance to the Academy. Having both cards out of order meant that everyone could see there was a barrier to begin with, and that absolutely no one was allowed to enter the area without being burnt to a crisp. Mephisto lifted his head from the papers at his desk and, seeing the secretary's urgent expression, dismissed the teachers after a few additional instructions. "I'm all ears, Gin." the headmaster approached.

"My search regarding the stolen student files is finished." Gin said with an air of accomplishment. "That is surprisingly good news for a night such as this. Well? What is the connection linking the students?" his master questioned eagerly. "There is none, Sir." "And you find your search to be finished?" Mephisto arched an eyebrow at the spy and folded his hands. "I do. Sir, the evidence supports that there was never a connection to begin with. I think that the enemy is after only one single person. One individual of importance." lifting his finger importantly, the secretary continued. "And if I were after more information about the said individual, and without the option to avoid notice completely when collecting the data, then I too would try and hide that fact by splitting the focus. I would 'stir the waters'. So, is there anyone in particular among the students you think…" Before the secretary could even finish the sentence, he found himself standing alone in the principal's office, as his master had long vanished in a flash of white. "... might be targeted?" Gin sighed, running his finger through his hair. "Honestly, Samael… always so rash when it comes to your lady. As if I would let her wander around unprotected when I know she might be in danger." he shook his head and followed his master to the place he believed him to visit at first.

OoO

"Mephisto! Hi." Ayami smiled at the unexpected visitor as she opened the door for him. "Hello Ayami. My apologies for the late-night visit. May I speak with Thea? It is important." he cut a perfect, gentlemanly smile, only for Ayami to wipe it off his face with a single sentence. "Oh, but Thea's not here." she furrowed her brows at him, then tapped her lips with a finger. "I thought she was with you. Weren't you two supposed to see a theatre play tonight?" came a puzzled question. Mephisto was doing his very best to keep his temper well contained, his breathing calm and leveled, his heartbeat regular despite the skip it had just made… And Lord was he failing miserably! He felt his blood boiling and his demon energy leashing against the barrier around his person, dangerously close to ripping through. "Mephisto? Are you alright? You look… a little more pale than usual. And that's quite a feat, really." the raven-haired girl blinked curiously, then came out to take a better look. "I am fine." Mephisto said, already working on a plan of action, then he jumped up slightly as his phone rang. "A moment, I need to take this." he smiled apologetically. "My Lord, could you please stop scaring the lady and meet me outside of the dorms? Miss Heilbrunn is safe and sound. Well, I'll leave it at 'safe', as I wouldn't call a person who is willing to date you 'sound'." The Lord of Time clasped his cell phone swiftly, somehow managing to silence his internal turmoil.

"As I said, I am fine. It has just been a… difficult night." Mephisto shrugged and massaged his temples. "Oooooh, hold on a second. Did you two have a fight?" the girl arched an eyebrow at him. "You could say that…" the demon admitted reluctantly. "So, seeing you standing here with that regretful face means that you are the one at fault?" she crossed her arms in front of her meaningfully. "You could say that, too…" he answered carefully. "Geez… Was it bad? Did she shout at you or was she silent?" she kept bombarding him with questions persistently. "Shouting first, silence second. There was some door-slamming, too…" "Ouuuuuuuuu. Damn, you must have really plucked a nerve on her there… But, no worries, I am sure it's not as bad as it looks!" Ayami patted him at his back enthusiastically. "When she's angry like that, she just needs some space. If she left, it was probably because she wanted to stop herself from saying something she would regret. She just needs some time alone so she can think about the whole thing with a clear head." she smiled at Mephisto cheerfully, then lifted a finger importantly. "Listen, I really like you. From all the three guys she has dated so far, you are the most… uhm… compatible with her. Yes, that's the word - compatible. So, if you really want to make things right…"

OoO

"I knew you were an open minded fellow, Sir, but you sure took it to a completely new level. I mean, taking a love-advice from a student? You truly display much dedication for the case, master." Gin grinned and stepped out to meet Mephisto who was just leaving the dorms. "Where is she?" the lord cut right to the point, pinning Gin with an intense look, showing a remarkable level of impatience. "Peace, Samael." the secretary put a hand on Mephisto's shoulder. "I will tell you everything, but I strongly advise you to wait with rushing to her side right now - she still hasn't returned that shotgun to the Armory. Preferably wait until midnight, when the curse wears off." he looked at him pointedly, reminding his master of the bad luck bestowed upon him. "Point taken." the Lord of Time sighed, unable to argue the completely rational advice. "Just tell me she is well guarded." "Everything has been taken care of." Gin nodded, then summarized swiftly. "The very moment this hypothesis occurred to me, I tracked her down and made sure she was being watched and surrounded by capable staff, and only then did I come to report to you. It would appear your lady is not only full of surprises, but also full of compassion. She never went home - she stayed at your Academy to help out treat the wounded." the spy rubbed his chin, eying Mephisto sideways, noticing a fond smile appearing on his face. "Very well, Gin. Before we return to the Academy, how about a short walk where I give you the chance to actually finish your report?" Mephisto suggested and set off down the street.

"I suppose I could use a little fresh air after all that sneaking around…" the secretary stretched his arms a little, then fell into a stroll with his master. "First of all, my intel suggests that the attack was led by Leraje himself." "Now, that is an interesting development…" Mephisto rubbed his beard in thought, trying to puzzle out the strange turn of events. "You really think so?" Gin eyed his master skeptically. "Leraje's disapproval of your actions in Assiah is no secret… He often caused rebellions in your realm in Gehenna in the past." the secretary pointed out. "Oh, I am well aware of that. Still, the riots he tended to start were aimed on securing more power for himself. And even he had enough wits not to pull a direct attack, let alone at my person." the demon lord shook his head at the improbable hypothesis. "True. However, opportunity makes a thief… With someone so unstable and obsessed with power, you never know. And there certainly was an opportunity - if it were not for your angry lady there, the Academy would have fallen by now." "True that. Alright, anything else?" Mephisto inquired further.

"Yes. I uncovered the enemy's means of spying." "Means of spying? What about the actual spies?" Gin lifted a hand, bringing up a beautiful, sky-blue flower with dark-greenish leaves to his master. "I am deeply flattered, Gin, but you are not my type. Besides, I have a girlfriend, remember?" the headmaster grinned while his secretary returned an amused smile. "After that smooth, gallant display of your eternal gratitude for saving your Academy and life? I wouldn't be so sure, master." he waved the exotic flower tauntingly in front of Mephisto's face, only to receive a flat, annoyed stare in return. "Oh, I will make sure of it - or so Ayami assured me." the demon lord proclaimed with an air of importance. "No need to tell me, my Lord. I have never doubted your make-up techniques." the secretary remarked suggestively. "Gin, it would appear that the whole investigation is taking its toll on you. May I suggest you cool your head off? I know just the right place…" the Lord of Time grinned dangerously, but before he could produce the tickets to Alaska, the secretary waved his hands in front of him defensively.

"I know, I know, to the point. The flower was actually produced by a Greenman, Sir, and is essentially of Gehenna. Spies rarely use this method, as it requires much preparation, time and permanent place for the flowers to grow. Additionally, once the flower withers or gets picked, your connection is lost too. Not to mention that one flower sort can only convey one sensory information. It's a rather troublesome technique, but a skilled Tamer or a demon master can build quite an infrastructure if given enough time and room to operate. Considering your fondness of gardens and greenery in general… well, honestly, it was a brilliant move. The flowers are scattered all around the Academy, including the inner parts." the secretary explained. "I hope this… flowery spying network is still intact?" Mephisto arched an eyebrow and received a nod in confirmation. "Of course, Sir. I thought you might want to enjoy yourself a little and throw a few interesting rumors here and there until I uncover the actual spies." Gin winked mischievously, turning the flower in his hand left and right. "How do I recognize these special flower sorts?" the demon lord inquired further. "Keen observation, Sir. The flowers will, so to say, 'act' a little differently than the normal ones - you might notice that they sometimes don't face the sun as their primary objective is to turn towards a potential source of information. Kind of like picking up a signal. Oh, and even though they might not look like it, they are actually all carnivorous." "One more question." Mephisto started enthusiastically, only to be interrupted by Gin pointing the blue blossom at him. "No, I have never mastered this technique. And even if I had, I really don't think it wise to gift Miss Heilbrunn with one. I wouldn't be surprised if she could somehow figure out that the flower has another purpose apart from you trying to get into her good graces again." he pointed out and surprisingly, Mephisto didn't seem disappointed at all. In fact, the look in his eyes was quite mischievous, his lips curled up. "Yes, she probably would." the demon smirked.

OoO

Thea sighed, letting the shower wash away the last remains of blood and dirt. She felt as if it was washing away more than that - the tiredness, the frustration, the pain. Closing her eyes, she let the last droplets fall, exhaled deeply, then stepped out of the shower. It was just after midnight when she had finally made it home after hours filled with fighting and then extensive healing, she performed on the people who had got most wounded during the attack on the Academy. She had planned to storm off from that place as fast as she could and head right home, leaving the whole incident behind. However, the agonized voices of hurt people had stopped her in her traces. And she couldn't have possibly let them suffer just because she had been angered at the moment. In the end, she had spent the rest of the evening running around the Academy grounds, searching for and healing the wounded with the rest of the Doctor staff, surrounded by a surprisingly heavy guard placed there to protect the injured - good solidarity to their hurt teammates. Or, as she told Ayami, helping in a terrible car accident she had happened to witness on her way home. She didn't like lying to her friend, but she needed a cover-up story to explain her terrible appearance. Not to mention that she also ruined Ayami's high-heels and got her necklace torn apart by a demon. Fortunately, Yukio had fished out a uniform for her, so she would not have to explain to a police officer why she was walking the streets of Tokyo at night covered in gore and blood of three colors.

"What a day…" the blonde sighed, then wrapped herself in a thick, fluffy bathrobe and headed to the kitchen to make herself some cocoa. However, when she opened the fridge to fish out some milk, she found it was empty. "Ayami? Where's the milk? And… all the food?" Thea called at her friend, who peeked out from behind the door to her room. "Aaah, that. My friends from the swimming club came over in the afternoon, so I made a pudding. And some snacks too." Thea's eyes sparkled and Ayami clasped her hands in front of her apologetically. "Sorryyy, I only had enough for them. I didn't even get to eat one. Take it that we are even for destroying my dress!" she said and disappeared in her room again, rummaging through her huge wardrobe, while Thea felt her universe crumble. "So… no cocoa and no pudding? Seriously?!" she whined inwardly. Soon, Thea could hear Ayami calling with Toshiro, sending loads of kisses and enough sugar to cause diabetes through her cell phone, as they agreed to meet. Thea sulked. "I was supposed to have a date night, too, you know?" she puffed up her cheeks, then cast a mean stare at the fridge. "Tsk, even the fridge is empty… Geeeeeez, this sucks! Worst. Day. Ever." she humped grumpily, as always when she was hungry and tired.

Suddenly, she could hear a soft knocking on the door. When she opened it… she really really really wanted to close it, but the amazing smell coming from the corridor made her mouth water, so she just gulped and fixed the late-night visitor with an annoyed look. "Hello Thea… I…" Mephisto started, but was immediately interrupted by Ayami, who rushed past Thea at a speed of a hurricane and exclaimed happily. "... brought pizza!" she finished the sentence for the demon, patting him at his shoulder encouragingly, shoving him into the room in the process. "And I am leaving. Date night 3 See ya!" she waved at the stunned duo and rushed off, silently thanking Toshiro for his flexibility - poor guy had gone to bed early that night, but fortunately, he too wanted to help out and give Mephisto and Thea some space to talk things through. And she needed to get their food to his fridge before it could spoil.

"Ah, yes. I brought pizza." he held it expectantly off in front of him. "May I stay for a while?" Mephisto asked carefully, offering her a sincere smile. The blonde pursed her lips and gulped. "I'm not quite sure. On one hand, it's you. On the other hand, it's pizza, so… I have strongly mixed feelings about this." she frowned, a serious look on her face. "It is a whole package. No need to choose when you can have both." the demon offered playfully, but still quite carefully. "Maybe… Does it have mushrooms on it?" she questioned. "It does." he nodded. "Pomodoro or cream base?" she arched an eyebrow. "Pomodoro." "Extra cheese?" she tapped a finger on her lips and the demon grinned widely. "Two layers, in fact." "You're lucky I'm starving." the blonde shot him a pointed look, then sighed and led him to the living room slash kitchenette in their small student apartment.

For a few minutes, the only noise filling the silence was munching, as Thea was audibly melting at the delicious flavors combined into one of the best meals ever created by mankind. She made it a point to only eat a few pieces, as Ayami always scolded her for eating too much late in the night, threatening her with all the terrible diagnoses she might bring upon herself. And so, she put the pizza box aside and sighed. Mephisto was sitting to her right, waiting patiently and silently. "I'm sorry." a sudden apology tore through the tense silence. An apology voiced by both of them at once. They both turned to face each other, puzzled expressions on their faces. "Thea, dear… I know what I owe you an apology for. But why on Earth are you apologizing, too?" the demon asked perplexed, tilting his head to the side. Thea exhaled, then pulled her knees towards her, wrapped her arms around them and rested her chin on them. "Because I overreacted, OK? It was a difficult day. The demons were everywhere, we had to fight a lot, everything was in chaos and you were nowhere to be found. I was worried about you. The whole thing was too well-timed to be a random attack. But I couldn't even reach you via phone - I guess because I did not know the country code of whatever place you were at… The point is, I was on edge. Then you came and… my mine hurt you! I was terrified! And then, you thought I was a traitor…" the blonde met Mephisto's eyes. The demon lord gulped. "Thea…" "Wait." the blonde outstretched a hand towards him. "Listen. I thought about it. A lot. I remembered our dinner at the restaurant, when you told me about some of the women you dated before… How they treated you and everything…" she buried her fingers into her hair. "The point is… I understand. I understand why you would be so suspicious and careful… But it still hurt, you know?! I mean… I thought you had more trust in me and that…" before she could finish the sentence, she found herself in a tight embrace.

"Thank you, Thea." Mephisto said while doing his best not to squeeze all the breath out of his lady. His dear, beloved, precious lady. He was still quite new to all that hugging experience, but at the moment, he wished to do just that because words didn't seem sufficient enough. He pulled her closer, burying his face into her golden locks, allowing the beautiful scent of honey and cinnamon to wash away the tension. "You deserved a better response from me, and for that I apologize. You do deserve my trust. And you have it." he said, looking her in those beautiful chocolate eyes while gently stroking her cheeks. A small smile appeared on her lips and Mephisto couldn't remember the last time he felt so happy. "Ooooh, come here you head-idiot-master-demon." Thea threw her arms around his neck to hug him, almost toppling them both to the ground in all that excitement and relief. They soon burst into laughter, the tension and frustration which managed to build up during the long day finally leaving them, making a way for a more pleasant… discussion…

A good hour later, the demon lord found himself sitting on Thea's bed, his back leaning on the wall, his hand stroking the girl's hair gently as she slept peacefully, cuddled at his side. She looked so unbelievably cute that it was hard to believe that her and that fiery little vixen who had left scratches on his back just a while ago was the same person. Not to mention it is also that scary shotgun-wielding fighter. Mephisto's lips curled up - the girl had had enough energy to take over his Academy, fight demons and run around healing the injured, but she had fallen asleep almost instantly after he had properly made up with her. A strange sense of satisfaction and accomplishment washed over him. "So, Gin was not joking. Make-up sex really is a thing. Who knew?" He smiled at her fondly, then his forest-green eyes met a pair of dark black ones. Mephisto frowned. "So, Mr. Wooly, was it?" he regarded Thea's plush companion with a sense of strange, completely irrational rivalry. Thea clutched the sheep a little stronger and exhaled peacefully in her slumber. He couldn't believe that Thea refused to sleep without that sheep, even though she had a demon lord at her disposal to cuddle with. And being the proud demon lord he was, he simply despised to share… which brought him into that ridiculous situation. "Well, you have won this round, I'll give you that much. However, things are about to change around here, so enjoy it while you still can." he pinned the little companion with a warning look. And yet, Mr. Wooly kept looking at him with that happy look combined with an innocent, smiling face. The sheep was mocking him!

OoO

"I am deeply disappointed with the job you have done, Leraje." The Duke of the Abyss hissed at the general and two captains at his side, barely able to control his rage. Yet, the swarms of locusts buzzing all around him, flying in wild formations, provided a sufficient picture of the duke's current mood. "B-but… my lord, I did exactly what you asked me to." the kneeling general protested, though his body was already trembling with fear at the prospect of a punishment. "You dare to talk back to me?!" Abaddon finally lost it, as he roared loudly at his vasal. "You failed to get the second wave of your soldiers in!" he shouted angrily, the clouds of locusts descending upon the three kneeling demons, circling above their heads violently. The duke had been so close to obtaining the girl, and yet, the distraction Leraje had provided had proven insufficient. No one was supposed to know about the real objective - that the main assault was but a distraction - not even Leraje. The only one who knew was the poison-maker, Zahar. "My lord, forgive me… I… I couldn't possibly have known that the Academy had another barrier in reserve. I lost many good men who tried to enter the place but were burnt down on the spot. The spies never mentioned that…" Leraje bowed again, hoping to save his life. Abaddon frowned. He hadn't been aware of another barrier, either. That had, indeed, been his spies' job - and they would be dealt with accordingly soon enough. "You failed me, Leraje." Abaddon said, returning to his usual, less tempered, but still grating voice. "However, I am a generous ruler, so I am giving you another chance to prove yourself to me." the duke said and Leraje bowed again, so his head was touching the ground. "You will not be disappointed again, my Lord! I shall fulfill my duty."

"Swear it." Abaddon fixed Leraje with a firm look. "Pardon?" the general blinked in confusion. "I said - swear it. I want a blood-oath, Leraje." the Duke of the Abyss prompted and could hear an audible gulp, could see his face turning ashen-white, could notice the drop of sweat running down his spine. A terrible silence filled the room as the swarms settled on the ground and ceased their buzzing as if in expectation. "As you wish." the general stood up, took out an ornate dagger and cut his hand, letting the scarlet blood fall to the ground. He then knelt and smeared the red liquid on the floor in such a way that it produced the symbol of the Duke of the Abyss, then wrote his name into it. "I, Leraje, the Marquise of Riots, swear my fealty to Abaddon, the Duke of the Abyss. Satan's mercy be upon me, shall I ever break it." he finished the incantation and the blood on the floor started glowing brightly, until it disappeared. Then, the general clutched his chest as the very same symbol appeared carved into it. The duke smiled triumphantly - there was no greater oath a demon could swear, no stronger word a demon could give, than a blood-oath. And now, he had Leraje chained, just as a puppet to use freely for his any and every whim. "Good, good." Abaddon nodded, then waved the general off. "Now leave. I have more pressing matters to take care of." The soldiers scurried off right away. "Zahar." the duke called out for the demoness, eager to learn her part of the story. He had to rethink their strategy… And he would succeed!

OoO

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Disclaimer: Blue Exorcists belongs to Kazue Katō. Please, do not re-post or publish my story without my consent.

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Author's note: Hello everyone! :) Another chapter of my FF is out! Sure, it took me a while, but it is also the longest chapter I have posted so far. There was so much I wanted to cover and no place seemed good enough to split this chapter into two or even more parts - leaving you with a cliffhanger is just not my style :D

As always, your feedback is much appreciated, be it a comment or a message. I am eager to improve, so feel free to share your thoughts and impressions with me. Story-wise, we just entered the second half!