Chapter 3: Strange Findings and Familiars
By: DragoonMen
'Thinking'
"Speaking"
Published: 24/May/2021
Chapter 3
Heaven Intelligence Division
"... and that's all that happened, Uriel-sama." A white dove finished his report, looking expectantly at the archangel sitting across the desk between the two.
"Are you sure? Like real sure?" Uriel asked with skepticism. Trying to find out if his overseer was hiding any other specific detail that maybe he had demean to insignificant to share with him.
"May God punish me if I am lying." The sentient bird swore with his heart. He wasn't about to lie to one of the seven great archangels that God had appointed him to serve.
'So it's true...'
"I would have never thought that Iruma could do something like that. If only he had done the same while he was here..." The archangel commented, thinking of what had made Iruma finally get out of his loser shell and become the angel God have meant him to be.
Albeit for a while.
"What are to be my orders now, Uriel-sama? The dove requested, awaiting further instructions from his current director and chief.
"Oh, continue by all means and keep tabs on all of these new... developments in Iruma's mission." Uriel stood from his golden desk, pacing the room before overlooking from the window to see the landscape of clouds and magical buildings that encompassed heaven in his peripheral vision.
"I will have to talk about these findings with the others archangels."
The dove nodded, finding his supervisor's judgment fair.
"I will take my leave, then."
Just as the bird was about to leave, Uriel stopped him.
"Also, I am curious about this — Sullivan demon you talked me about. I want you to investigate him and that servant of his. I want every single speck of data about who is Iruma living with." The head of the newest division on heaven ordered.
"Will be done."
"May God be always with you." Uriel bid him farewell as the bird saluted with one of his tiny wings before flying away to carry on his mission.
God's Palace
Five figures walked inside the massive building that served to house the supreme of beings in the realm of Heaven. More precisely, in one of the rooms of the manor.
Michael, Raguel, Saraqael, Remiel and Raphael strutted inside the room of archangels as their collectives eyes met the figure of the reason they were called here.
Uriel
"What have you called us here, Uriel?" Michael, the commander of the angelical army spoke in his gruff voice, annoyed to be called out from one of his training sessions. He had better things to do than waste his time listening to useless topics.
"Yeah, love waits for no one, Uriel-kun." Remiel spoke in his normally sweet and unnerving tone, making Uriel raise an eyebrow at him.
The archangel of love and beauty had always been one of the weirdest ones. Not that anyone dared to ask God what was he thinking when creating such peculiar being.
Uriel looked at them before noticing that something was off.
"Where is Gabriel?" Uriel questioned after failing to not see the temporary manager of Heaven in the room. He had specifically requested for all them to attend this emergency meeting.
All of them.
"He told me that he wouldn't make it here. He is busy doing God's mailing duties, so he asked that we should continue without him."
Uriel huffed annoyingly but continued nonetheless, shrugging off his shoulders.
"Well, guess it can't be helped then."
"What was so important that you have to reunite the Holy Seven this time?" Saraqael asked the subject that all archangels minus Uriel were asking in their minds after being requested for an emergency meeting. He had a duty to carry on and he was being delayed every second he stood here.
The archangel in charge to carry out the punishment to the sinners was always the most straightforward of them all. Something that Uriel thought that came with the job.
"Six, for now." Raguel corrected his brother. He wasn't lousy but what could you expect from the archangel of justice and fairness.
"Well, I only wanted to inform all you, useless dolts that I have finally make a solid step to destroy the Underworld once and for all." Uriel announced to all in the room, expecting rounds of applauses and compliments to his intellect to come forward.
Instead the archangel of intelligence and wisdom only found one thing.
Silence
The remaining five archangels looked at Uriel like he had grown second head or reveal that he was an agent of the infernal the whole time before breaking in laughter.
For some moments, laughter reigned the meeting, however, after seeing Uriel's stony face that quickly died down.
"You are bluffing!" Michael accused him.
"Lies!"
Uriel didn't even flinch as comments of the like start to fly in the room. Not deigning himself to respond the negative remarks about him.
"What did you do this time, Uriel? Did you bargain with the unholy!?" Raguel spoke with fury, thinking that mayhaps Uriel had used some unorthodox way to achieve the things he was proclaiming he did.
After all, it would not be the first time it has happened.
"I did not. I actually used my head unlike you five!" Uriel shouted back, tired of hearing his brothers incessant rambling. Were they so delusional to believe that he could not accomplish such feats.
They were the ones that could never hope to achieve something of the like.
"I will believe it when I see it." Michael crossed his muscled arms over his chest armor, his smug tone not getting unobserved by those standing next to him.
'All brawn and no brain. Typical jarhead...' Uriel snorted before looking away. Warriors will be warriors.
"I can't believe you lot are my kin..." Uriel commented, making his other archangels roll their eyes at him in indifference.
Michael gazed at him and growled. "Say that again, brainiac." Michael say enraged. He was not gonna stand here and let his little sibling make snide remarks about him.
Uriel had always thought himself to grand for them.
"Explain us then, Uriel-kun." Remiel asked, hoping to ease some of the tension that was quickly rising in the room.
Surprisingly, it worked.
Uriel smiled before starting again, clearing his throat. "As you wish..."
"Recently, one of my agents managed to infiltrate the Underworld successfully, he —"
"Preposterous! The demons should have already smelled him. He must be dead by now. If not worst..." Michael was the first to call it a lie. He has tried with many of his warriors to force their way into hell but it never worked.
He also knew better than demons had a keen sense of smell much like the hounds in the human world and how ruthless they could be when they capture their enemies.
"I am on the same mind as Michael. No one besides us has ever managed to enter the nether and come back alive or in one piece." For the first time since they started Raphael decided to speak his mind.
He was the archangel of healing and boy did he healed over the millennias numerous angels that had tried in vain to did the same that Uriel was claiming he did. All eager to earn favor in their Lord's eyes.
"Oh, but now we have another and let me tell you... he is doing a commendable job." Uriel retorted to Raphael. He was never mean to him but Uriel had to hammer his point someway.
"Who did you send down there?" Saraqael wanted to know what poor angel would be so suicidal as to accept a job that deadly and to try have a talk to him. After all, suicide was outlawed by God.
At that, Uriel looked nervous but swallowed it. This was it. They had to know who he was entrusting this mission.
"Iruma..."
Silence
If silence later was awkward, this now was deafening, so deep that you could even hear the wind blow softly against the glass windows decorating the huge room.
Then it all came crashing down hard.
"WHAT!?"
"You send him down there!?"
"Hahaha, God will have your head!"
"Never thought you to be the suicidal type Uriel. Only Remiel..." Saraqael said confused. Uriel was suppose to be the embodiment of wisdom, so why did he did something like that when he knew full well of the consequences.
"Hey, love is the deadliest of emotions. Mind my saying." Remiel defended himself, for the first time sounding serious and not queer like other times.
"I can't believe you, Uriel. You know All-Father will be mad when he hears this." Raguel looked seconds away from fainting.
How would they explain this to their Lord and leave in all pieces was the question as of now.
Uriel decided to once again install order in the room.
"Quiet! All of you. Iruma is performing admirably on his task and you should support him." Uriel reminded his fellow brothers, asking for them to keep their cool and not go around acting like headless chicken.
"I am surprised that you didn't knew about it. It was all Heaven was talking about fourteen years ago." Uriel could not help it. what were their brothers doing when Iruma left their realm.
The archangels scratched their heads in embarrassment at that. They were clueless.
"We have better things to do than hearing baseless banter or rumors." Michael responded swiftly as the other nod to agreed with his point.
"Couldn't have said any better, brother" Remiel replied in support to his elder sibling but frowned when he saw a strange look on his visage.
"I see you are conflicted, Michael." Uriel told Michael, after seeing the same expression that Remiel had seen on his elder brother.
"That weakling died early on his first trip to Earth. Who did he only accomplish this now with you?" Michael was stunned. Iruma was many things but subtle, strong and brave was not one of them. He had tried to harden the young angel under his wing but it proved to be a true odyssey. Iruma simply was not soldier material. At least, not the conventional one he was used to roll with.
"To be fair, Michael. You sending Iruma to Europe when it was in full pandemic mode was not the brightest of ideas. Period." Raguel intervened in Iruma's support. It was the truth regardless what he said.
Michael narrowed his eyes and looked away. He wasn't here to be lectured about his past failures, withdrawing himself from the discussion.
Still, many of them weren't catching Uriel's point yet.
"So you only reunited us to gloat about this, Uriel. You know that pride is a very deadly sin." Saraqael raised a fair question as to where he was leading them with this. He didn't want to punish one of his own for that foolish thinking.
"No... well, partly but in truth, I asked for you so I could get green lights to request something from him." Uriel pointed at the warrior archangel making him return to the conversation ongoing.
"Me?" Michael tilted his back, asking in confusion. What did he have to do with any of this mess.
Uriel decided to enlighten them about his situation.
"Yes, as you may know, demonkind lifestyle is different than ours." Uriel started his explanation, making it his staging point from onward.
The five archangels nodded. It was obvious.
"One of my little birds told me that demons perform a kind of rite of passage that lies in them summoning a familiar. Failing to do this customary tradition implies rejection into demon society..." Uriel left the ending for their judgment, hoping that they will see things as he did.
"So what?" They didn't.
Uriel sighed. Seems like they didn't get it.
"I need a familiar for Iruma." Uriel dropped the bomb, waiting for their replies.
"That cannot happen." Raguel intruded. Not because he was against it but because it was already written in the grand book of God.
However, others were more loud and passionate on their opinions.
"Impossible. Simply impossible..."
"Sacrilege!"
"We angels cannot own familiars or other beings. That's slavery!" Saraqael asserted. To own another being was a sin punishable with severe force. He had sentenced many men and women with it in the past for said crimes.
"Yes. Thanks for pointing the obvious, Raguel. But I actually had another idea in mind..." Uriel shut him up. These people never let him finish his statements and were quick to come to half-made conclusions.
It irritated him to no end.
"What idea?" Remiel said unable to contain his excitement. This is the most interesting thing that had happened in Heaven since Iruma erased the dinosaurs from existence, making God and the Creation Division work overdrive. It was hilarious.
Uriel smirked.
They were finally coming around.
"Michael... remember when we and All-Father triumphed over the Greek Pantheon?"
"Yeah, bunch of daisy pullers the lot of them. Crying us a river when we took their rocky mountain and their faithful." Michael snickered. The face that the so proclaimed God of those creatures — Zeus had made when they defeated him and his pantheon had him laughing for centuries. Those Greeks Deities were fools if they believe they could win against them and the true God.
"Aye, so you must remember the variety of magical beast that we took from their filthy grasp?"
"Yeah... wait! You want to give Iruma one of those?" Michael deduced. He had been the one to sack Mount Olympus in the end. He had taken numerous treasures from that places, including the creatures they owned.
"As a matter of fact. Yes. Iruma will fail his mission if he is unable to summon a beast tomorrow morning. That's why I am asking you for your help." Uriel waited, he could not do this alone. He just hoped his elder brother could see the benefits of this.
He looked at the others who were just listening.
"And you to not be complaining about it later claiming that you weren't notified, freaks." He quickly added, regarding the others.
"Language, Uriel."
"But that only will make him a slaver like those vermins!" Saraqael opposed the idea. This would be detrimental. He had a vague feeling about it.
"No if he only summons it. As long as he doesn't hold any kind of claim to it." Uriel upped him. He had every single step methodically planned.
"Well, looking at it like that..."
"So you want to give him the Cerberus, then?" The warrior archangel guessed. If Iruma needed a familiar then something big and terrifying was the way to go. It would fit him like a glove, considering the place he was in.
But Uriel shook his head, confusing those next to him.
"No, I actually had another idea in mind. One they are more... acquainted with."
"Well, let's see the Bestiarium then. But remember this, Uriel. It will cost you." The eldest of archangels warned Uriel. He was not a charity center. That was Iruma's job.
"And I am happy to oblige." Uriel nodded. Things were finally going his way.
Underworld
"Iruma, have you ever wondered why we exist?" A kind voice spoke next to Iruma. They were standing at the edge of heaven, looking as the sun set in the distance.
"I can't say I do, milord. A mind such as mine could never be at the level of yours to ever grasp that enlightenment." Iruma said honestly, minding his choice of words to not sound vague or disrespectful.
God chuckled. Iruma's honesty and innocence was something that he would never get trade for anything.
"Oh, Iruma-kun. You know you don't have to be that formal with me."
Iruma scratched his head in slight embarrassment.
"Sorry, All-Father. Michael-senpai told me that all beings must show their respect to you, including us as is expected..." Iruma explained, making the almighty raise a white eyebrow.
God soaked up those words, mediating them in his consciousness.
"There was a time I did. It's true... but now between you and me I have grown tired of that treatment." The creator of all things confessed to Iruma who looked surprised at the secret.
"Really!?"
"Uhuh. I have been around for too many eras, Iruma. I feel like I have grown once again bored of this world." The king of Heaven exhaled loudly. Time here was becoming more and more meaningless to him.
"Father..." Iruma asked tentatively, seeing the nostalgic expression on his sire's face. He looked lost.
God returned his stare to the setting sun before exhaling.
"I will be leaving soon, Iruma-kun."
Iruma heard him but chose to remain silent.
A few minutes passed, both of them gazing at the horizon until Iruma decided to act.
"Will you ever come back?"
"I don't know my little angel but when I do you will be the first to know." God smiled down at him and Iruma knew that he would never forget that smile. Even if Apocalypse came, he would remember it.
"I will miss you."
God combed Iruma's hair with his large hand before standing up from the cloud floor and hugging with his massive arms.
"It's never a goodbye, son. I have spoken with Michael and I have entrusted you with him until my return. He will train you and teach you to be a formidable angel in the future."
"Michael... but he is—" Iruma looked to be unsure. He had always been under Raphael's tutelage and this was a sudden change of scenery. He loved to learn medicine from the sympathetic archangel.
"Harsh? Severe? I know... but try to understand your elder brother. He grew up in a time when Heaven was still a tumultuous place so forgive him. He may be hard on you but that's because he wants you to grow strong so one day you can take care of your own." God reasoned with Iruma but Iruma look troubled, the little angel still trying to acknowledge those facts. He had never seen it from that perspective.
"Why?"
"One day you will realize..." God said before looking down at Iruma.
"You are the last angel I will create, Iruma-kun. My angel of charity and mercy." God patted the angel who roughly met his knee height much as a father does to his son, making the blue-haired angel blush.
"If that is your wish then I will strive to see it through, father." Iruma promised him. He will never try to cause reasons for his Lord to be disappointed in him.
God smiled at Iruma's resolve. He had bright future ahead.
"I will always be proud of you, little Iruma. And when you feel alone or sad, remember this..."
"I will always be watching you..."
"I know father. I know..."
"Is the food to your liking, grandson? I see a little smile on your face." Sullivan smiled, pointing him out with his fork while chewing on his food.
"Y-Yes, it is." Iruma recoiled from the sudden question. He was once more caught daydreaming.
"Well, don't hold back. After all you are still a growing boy." Sullivan urged him to eat more. Nothing make him happier than seeing his little grandson enjoying the meals that Opera prepared for them.
"I would like to but glutton—" Iruma stopped, hanging the word in mouth. He was about to spill the beans but managed to catch himself before falling off the proverbial cliff.
"Mmm..." Sullivan raised an eye, suddenly curious at Iruma's behavior.
"— Thank you." The angel added before resuming his meal, only eating the necessary to get by his daily day.
'Even so, I have to say, netherworld cooking is something else...' Iruma had to give them that, playing with his now empty plate after finishing.
Demon cuisine was something out of the realm.
"Ready for your first day of classes?" Sullivan inquired his grandson. Yesterday was a blast. Sullivan could only wonder what kind of amazing thing Iruma would do today.
"I-I am."
"Good. I bought you some presents here and there. Opera, if you will..." Sullivan turned to Opera who bowed and left the room.
Five seconds later, Opera appeared carrying a cart full of gifts for his master's beloved grandson.
Iruma gasped at the mountain of gifts. His adoptive grandfather sometimes when overkill.
"Wow. This might be a little too much grandpa." Iruma wanted to tell him that those were not necessary but recognized that Sullivan's thoughts would never align with his perspective of austerity.
'Why do demons have to be so luxurious?'
"Don't be modest, Iruma-kun." Sullivan started to rummage the cart looking for something special.
"Look! I brought you this. A Hellraiser clock alarm." Sullivan raised a Frankenstein-looking chicken alarm to his chest level, weirding Iruma with his alarm tone before the elder demon promptly put the alarm clock into his grandson's arms much like a baby.
"It is said to even wake the dead from their slumber."
"Thank you." Iruma sweatdropped but thanked him. Why did everything here had to be made with the horror theme in mind.
"Yes, just don't bring it to any cemetery... not wanna be rude to those resting in there now would we." Sullivan cautioned him.
It would be embarrassing to wake demons from their eternal rest since they tended to be grumpy once awoken.
"I-I will keep it in mind."
Sullivan looked over the clock. It was almost time to go to work.
"Well, it's time to go to school."
"I'm off. See you later." Iruma raised his hand and said goodbye to his grandpa and their servant.
"Have a wonderful day." Sullivan raised a napkin and bid him farewell like those people on Earth used to do with sailors.
"Please be careful, Iruma-sama." Opera said in his usual neutral voice, also waving his hand.
As Iruma slowly disappeared out of view, Sullivan started to made his way to the manor, ready to continue his daily activities while humming a playful tune. He was finally a complete man.
Opera stayed watching the retreating form of Iruma.
Something didn't feel right.
The housekeeper couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched but after seeing nothing unusual, the servant shrug it off and followed his master example to. Perhaps Opera was being paranoid about it.
Sadly, it wasn't false.
In the distance, a lone white dove stood in the branch of a massive tree, recording everything in his mind.
Iruma walked alone on his way to school. He was whistling as he did. For once his grandfather and housekeeper had finally given him some room to breathe.
He was glad they did so.
Finally, he could relax his mind without a worry in the world even if it was brief.
However, reality came down unto him when he reached the last steps to Babyls, the building giving him strange vibes, all of them in the wrong places.
Perhaps it has to do with what happened yesterday.
He watched above him as numerous demons that his kin swore to destroy flew in the Underworld sky. All of them eager to see how this day in their school life would turn out.
Suddenly, Iruma felt an ache on his back. He had been having this strange sore feeling in his middle back since he woke up this morning.
"Good morning, Iruma-sama." A voice out of nowhere spoke, making Iruma jump in fright.
"W-What!?" Iruma yelped, making a 180-degree turn only to find himself with a familiar face of yesterday.
It was Asmodeus Alice. The demon he had defeated yesterday and the one that has pledge eternal servitude to him.
"What are you doing here, Asmodeus-san?" The undercover angel questioned his self-proclaimed demon servant. He was still a bit scared since he didn't like anyone making him those classes of tricks on him.
Alice dropped to one knee.
"I've been waiting for you, master. I've been here since yesterday." Alice said with smile, bowing his head before raising it to meet his master.
Iruma was about to brush him off when something that the pink-haired said clicked inside his brain.
"Yesterday!?"
"Well... six hours, six minutes and... six seconds to be exact." Alice clarified, looking at his wristwatch to be more exact.
"I appreciated it... but there is no need for that, Asmodeus-san." Iruma commented. He didn't wanna doom someone to the cold of the night just because of some sick tradition of losing to one another in this backwater society.
"If that is your wish then I will do so. And please call me "Azz". You have earned the right as my superior." Alice look distraught over it but regained his posture, smiling again.
"Ok, then." Iruma nodded, starting to walk forward. Alice stocked with him following much like a butler.
"Allow me to carry your bag for you."
'Here it goes again' The angel rolled his eyes internally. He was not born yesterday. He could do something as simple as that himself.
"There is no need." Iruma refused him but however, Alice's show of servitude managed to draw the attention from the masses.
"I can't believe it."
"He made the student representative his serf."
"Poor Asmodeus Alice."
Babyls School Grounds
"Where are we going again?" Iruma saw rows and rows of halls expand into the building. He didn't know where was he going but he at least he had someone to guide him through this labyrinth.
"To the Familiar's Hall." The pink-haired demon responded to his master, guiding him to the location of their interest. "You are in the same group as me, Iruma-sama."
Iruma scratched his head. He would play possum and let the demon do the explaining.
"Group?"
"Aye, they will divide the 163 first-year students into a number of groups until classes begin. It can't be all at once." Iruma found that reasonable, no way a teacher would classify all of them in a single day.
"Today is the familiar-summoning ritual." Alice lectured. The demon from the Asmodeus family had studied Babyls traditions even before he was accepted here. Not for nothing he was elected the freshman representative.
"Familiars?" The angel wasn't about to tell but he didn't understand what Azz was talking about. Everything here was in riddles.
'Are we about to summon a relative of our own of something?'
"It's a tradition here in Babyls as of the rest of the Underworld." Asmodeus explained to Iruma, shedding some light on the strange customs of the Demonworld.
"After entering the school, each student summons a magical beast and makes it their subordinate."
"So it's like a pet?" Iruma deduced. It sounded very familiar with the likes of a pet.
"A what?" Alice tasted the word. It sounded foreign to him and that's because it wasn't a very known world in the nether.
Iruma brushed him off, getting on topic.
"Forget about it... so that's a familiar, right?"
Alice nodded.
"Yes, our rank as students will be determined by how powerful our magical beast is."
Iruma noticed that Azz used the word "rank". So maybe it was like Heaven this place too.
"So it's like a hierarchy here, then?"
Alice looked thoughtful but presumes it is a fair comparing point.
"Sort of... climbing these ranks will lead to academic success here in Babyls."
"I see."
The pair walked until they found themselves before a pair of twin massive doors.
Alice grasped the doorknob and announce much like a herald.
"Here we are." The servant of Iruma said before opening the door wide for his master.
Familiar's Hall
The students inside the hall were shaken all of the sudden when the doors leading to the corridor were slammed open.
Alice and Iruma walked in together but the taller of them decided to remove the living obstacles from the path they were taking.
"Everyone make way for Master Iruma!" Alice announced, lighting a flame in his hand and making all the students in their path clear themselves away else get burn.
'So many people. I can say I am slightly nervous' The angel looked apologetically at his servant's actions but held himself high. He was an angel for God's sake. He had to act like one.
"I forgot to tell you, Iruma-sama. This will also determine what class we will be in." Alice added as they took their positions in the center of the room.
"Is that so?"
Alice nodded. "The person who will counsel us through is quite famous might I say."
'Infamous for me then'
"What do they say about him?" Iruma asked, wanting to know more about the demon that would be conducting the academic activity.
"He is strict and frightening."
"How do y—?"
Alice was quick to catch up the question. "Senior students, not me."
Swoosh!
The doors were kicked off their hinges but this time they remained open, cracks slowly appearing over the outlines in the adjoining walls.
The teacher due to his robes strolled into the room, carrying himself much like a regal monarch.
Iruma recognized the man. He would never forget that color of hair nor that face.
'That is the scary teacher from the ceremony...'
"Silence." The teacher spoke and after that only the sound from the outside could be heard inside the grand hall.
"I am Naberius Kalego, your supervisor." Kalego presented himself to his silent students while telling them the reason he was here. "I've always been in charge of the summoning ritual. Today is not the exception."
He started pacing out in the room much like a drill sergeant of the human world, inspecting every single one of the students he had been handed to test them.
"I will decide if you lot are useless trash or redeemable trash."
Kalego stopped before Iruma and turned to face him, reducing himself to the little angel's height.
"To name a few..." The professor of Babyls stared at Iruma but surprisingly Iruma returned the stare, showing no sign of intimidation.
"If a piece of trash uses the spotlight his grandfather gaves him to chant a vulgar spell and has the nerve to cause a ruckus afterward in the same day." Kalego expected Sullivan's grandson to do something rash like that Sabnock Sabro but the boy remained cool-headed.
Then, Kalego turned to the demon standing next to Iruma like a bodyguard.
"Same for the one who battled him, ruining school property." Alice growled but heeded his master's example, refraining from doing something that would lead them to no end of trouble.
Demons were sure to be proud and resentful.
"That would be immediate ground to get expel from this honorable school.." Kalego finished. Leaving his students to procure some distance and to show them the lesson guide he had been forced to show by his idiot of a director.
"I will expel any failures so be warned, insects." Kalego reminded them, scaring some of the most insecure students in the batch.
"Damn, he is scary." Iruma whispered to Alice.
"I know, right?" Alice said through gritted teeth. That Kalego will get what he deserves for treating his master that way.
However, they were not the only ones speaking about the qualities of Babyls #1 Strictest Proffesor.
"I wonder if his sternness is part of his charm..." Iruma heard some kind of demon cyclop girl remark. People here were truly strange and he wasn't saying that because of their shapes.
Well, maybe a little.
'Who else would think that about him!?'
"Silence and watch..." Kalego returned with a giant pad and promptly stopped all kind of disorderly conduct in the room.
'What now?' Iruma thought as he saw the violet-haired professor start turning on the gadget.
The next that followed was a cute tutorial that disperesed all of Iruma's questions about familiars.
It was reliable, simple and sweet. Somehow his mind told him it was linked to his grandpa. This didn't look like something Naberius would use to teach them.
Four: The smoke will take a form and your familiar will appear!
A fuzzy familiar appeared and screamed "Yuruma"
Now, let's —
THRUSH!
Kalego slammed the pad into the ground with his hand, turning it off with such hard punch.
"That's enough explanation."
'Was that really necessary?' Iruma sweatdropped. Thankfully, he was not the only one thinking alike.
"He smacked it to pieces...
"Guess he hates that cute lesson guide."
"Touchy, are we?"
Kalego paid them no mind and started handing them some patches of paper to all students.
"Make sure you use the parchment with my seal on it." He raised an example on his hand.
"I can tell immediately if it's fake. So beware... any questions?"
Iruma saw a demoness that looked like a small-sized dinosaur or crocodile raised her hand timidly.
Kalego huffed, letting her know he had his attention.
"Is this dangerous?" The girl asked.
"What a stupid question. You will be summoning a creature that will serve you." The professor answered, gripping the gadget hard and making the girl that raised he hand shy away in the crowd.
"That's what a familiar is... and should any familiar disobey their master —"
Kalego grasped the lesson pad until it exploded, dusting his hands from the residues.
"— there will be punishment. That's how deep the blood pact goes." Kalego was sure that the students had comprehended it fine.
"Line up!" Kalego strolled to the altar where a five-pointed pentagram was painted on the ground and in the center stood a lone candle, starting to throw the names for the ones that would begin the summoning ritual.
While everyone else moved to carry out the action, Iruma noticed as Alice was soaring slightly at the rigorous teacher.
"That man isn't even trying to hide his animosity towards you, master Iruma." Alice pointed out. From what he discerned Kalego had some feud with his master.
"I know..." Iruma mumbled, trying to think if he had done a slight against the adult demon somewhere.
"I will gladly beat him up if you order it, Iruma-sama." Alice offered, looking happy if they need ever raised. He would teach that Kalego dude a physical lesson in how to behave in front of people like Iruma-sama.
But Iruma will not have any of that, quickly shooting that idea down. He wanted no trouble.
"Wait, up! No one is saying that." The angel refused. He would never go to such extremes for a few rough words.
"I see..." Asmodeus deflated. He was looking forward to making Kalego pay for his disrespect against Iruma-sama.
"You two, quit chit-chatting and line up!"
"Wow. I have never seen anything like this." Iruma was transfixed. He had never seen such a parade of magical animals in his life. All around the room, the students that had successfully summon a familiar were playing with their own.
Some familiars look cute and tiny while other were more big but none of them surpassed the normal stature of a person.
So far, no student has failed the ritual. That was something.
Either way, Iruma was anxious. He had never done anything of the like. Angels like him could not own in any shape or form individuals. Be it sentient or animal.
He had the magic but he wondered if the summoning would actually work with a holy being like him.
Suddenly, Iruma was brought down from his clouds by the call of one his fellow classmates.
"It's Asmodeus-san turn."
Iruma watched as his servant entered the circle, biting his finger and painting the parchment red with his blood before holding the paper over the candle, letting it be consumed.
Unlike most students, this time smoke flew off the circle in waves and a flash of purple appeared.
When it was over, a big Gorgon snake was now circling the form of Alice.
It was by far the biggest of the familiars that had been summoned this day.
"Iruma-sama, what do you think?" Alice asked for his master opinion on his work, feeling proud and sure of himself.
"That was awesome, Azz-kun! You are cool." The blue-haired teen praised. That was by far the best of the demonstration he had seen.
Alice smiled and humbly bowed his head to his master.
"You humble me with your words."
"I am sure this won't be anything compared to what you will summon, master." Alice retorted. Nothing that he did would ever compare to his master since Iruma was the epitome of extraordinary himself.
From afar, Kalego watched the two interact, making notes of the progress made today.
'A Gorgon snake. Guess I shouldn't be surprised due to Asmodeus's lineage'
He continued to scribble down with his magic pen while scratching his chin at seeing the Asmodeus heir lean his head in respect to Sullivan's grandson.
'He is this powerful and he lost to Iruma. I wonder who you are, boy?' Kalego could only marvel at the question.
"I shall find out soon enough." The professor mumbled under his breath before clearing his throat.
"Next, Iruma." Kalego pointed at him to enter the circle and Iruma sighed.
This was it.
'Showtime'
"Ok." Iruma nodded and strengthened his column, walking tall into the pentagram.
"Knock them dead, Iruma-sama!"
At the name, all the students stopped playing with their familiars to watch Iruma's summoning.
"It's Iruma's turn."
"Shhh. Be quiet, you don't let us listen..."
"I wonder what kind of creature he will summon!"
Iruma could feel all of the eyes if the room centered in him like in the entrance ceremony. It made him feel odd.
'I can feel everyone's eyes on me. I have never seen any of my brothers do this kind of thing...' Iruma looked at the paper he held between his hands.
He brought one of his hands to his mouth and bit one of his fingers and started smearing his blood on the piece of rugged paper.
'Kalego-sensei said that if anyone tries ended in failure, they could be expelled from Babyls.' Iruma placed the bloody paper above the candle and closed his eyes. He prayed fervently that this would work.
He had a job with Heaven to accomplish.
'Forgive me, God-sama. If I am to be expelled. I only ask that you spare Uriel-senpai from punishment, he is not guilty of your disappointment. Guess I will be returning to heaven sooner than I thought' Iruma hand trembled slightly as he drew the paper near the candle. The fire from the candle starting to burn the parchment from one of its corners.
Kalego was the only one to notice it, thinking about what was happening with the teen.
'He looks nervous, what is your grandson thinking about, Sullivan?'
Iruma opened his eyes, only to widen them in sheer surprise at the sight.
The paper was starting to release smoke.
He was summoning a familiar.
All around the room witnessed as the smoke instead of staying inside the circle, began to propagate through the room.
Kalego looked confused.
'What in the devil is happening here?'
Once the purple smoke covered a vast area surrounding the summoning circle, it stopped and for moments it looked like that that was it.
Kalego grinned as nothing transpired, grabbing his pen to personally to cross out Iruma's name from Babyls list of potential students.
Finally some payback to that inconsiderate demon.
Then, it happened.
The area under Iruma's feet flared alive, taking all the students and Kalego by surprise as a massive flash of light erupted from the pentagram, painting everything in flashy white, encompassing the whole room.
"What is happening?"
"I don't know!"
Everyone covered their eyes as the wind slammed into everyone faces and bodies, some dropping to their knees while others were practically blown out of their positions by the strong gusts of wind being released from the center of the room.
Whatever was being summoned, it was going to be huge.
The light finally diminished and when it was over, a massive figure now stood over the extinct altar.
It was dark and almost four meters tall. The beast had a pair of black feather wings on each side of it's back and stood on four legs. The eyes of the creature shone a bright red that spoke of fire and death.
Iruma watched as the massive being neighed as if urging him to stand but Iruma still took some second to stand up as the kinetic force of the explosion tossed him into the floor.
The other demons slowly opened their eyes only to gasp loudly at the sight of Iruma's familiar.
It was by far the biggest familiar they have ever seen.
"What's is that!?"
"I have never seen a horse like that!"
"Look, it's gigantic."
"Are those wings!?"
"What kind of being is that?"
Finally, Kalego got out from his stupor as he made his way next to Iruma, who was slowly caressing the snout of his familiar.
"What did you do, Iruma?" Kalego questioned the teen who only shook his head.
"I-I don't know."
"What is it?" The violet-haired teacher asked the questions that all present in the room were asking inside their heads.
In all his years as teacher and as student, he had never seen a familiar that looked remotely like this. He was sure that he knew all species of familiars by heart. So what kind of being could this be.
"It's a... Pegasus." Iruma answered. He had only seen this magical beast when cleaning the Bestiarium.
'How did he made it here?'
"Pegasus..." Kalego tasted the word, feeling the strangeness of it on his tongue.
After the explanation, it was now Kalego's turn to look awed at the giant horse-like being.
The massive pegasus glanced around the room, noticing how these creatures were gaping at him.
The pegasus started neighing, feeling overwhelmed by the many demonical presences in the room. After all, it has been accustomed to angels for the last centuries.
Iruma only had a few moments to react as the Pegasus suddenly stood on his hind legs and start galloping like a wild mustang, making the ground shake which each of his footsteps.
"Everyone take shelter." Iruma shouted as the students used the pillars inside the summoning room as obstacles less they wanted to be roll over by the massive hoofs of the familiar.
"Iruma, calm your familiar down!" Kalego shouted as he ran over to an unsuspecting student about to be run over.
"How!?"
As the pegasus turned the room into a full-blown rodeo, the undercover angel tried to think what to do.
However, his planning time was cut short as Iruma saw the mighty pegasus start to charge against one Naberius Kalego who stared at it in shock while trying to help a female student that had fallen on her feet. The demon raised a hand to shield himself and his student. As if that would actually help.
Iruma raced to their position with magic-enhanced speed, just in time to stood in front of the giant magical equine, separating him from the ruthless teacher and the clumsy classmate from being splattered in the ground.
The pegasus halted his charge suddenly in front of him, surprising all the demons who looked at the scene with mouths hanging open.
"Stop, I command you!" It was the first time that all present had heard the scholarship student shout. No one had ever seen him so out of character.
The pegasus breathed out hastily at Iruma, ruffling his cow-lick hair with the hot air coming out his snout like if challenging him. Iruma stood his ground and before he knew, the pegasus bowed his large neck and head to him, obeying his last order.
"You are free to go."
The dark pegasus heeded his caster, exploding in a cloud of smoke and disappearing from the room, leaving a shocked classroom, a shaken teacher and a quiet angel in his way.
At the same time, Naberius stood, regaining his bearings and looking at Iruma with a strange expression before adjusting his collar. Everyone was looking at him expectantly.
This was going to be hard.
"Everyone... passes."
Everyone cheered and applauded. But if it was for Iruma's taming beast capabilities or at the teacher's announcement was hard to guess.
Alice approached his master, looking inches away from crying due to him witnessing in first person one of his master's grandiose exploits and Iruma looked annoyed at Alice's antics saying that was nothing.
All the while it seemed like another normal day for Babyls was due. Kalego could attest to that.
'Who are you Iruma?' The serious teacher just didn't know what to make of him. The boy was something else indeed.
Babyls Teacher Lounge
In the after-hours, when all of Babyls student population retreated to their dwellings after a day in school, several teachers chose to remain inside school. This because some of them still had work to do and preferred to finish in Babyls rather than bringing their problems home.
Either way, Kalego had finished his work on time as was now waiting on a couch, maintaining his ever-cold face in a perfectly still frame for all other fellow colleagues to see while waiting for someone.
While he waited, he couldn't help but overhear some of his coworkers conversations floating in the background of the room.
"Did you saw the newspaper?"
"Aye. I have looked it up in the Dark Web."
"Do you have any idea what it is?"
'A stupid pegasus. That is it' A tick mark slowly grew in Kalego's forehead. All day he had been bombarded with questions from other teachers like Morax Momonoki asking if he was okay or how he felt. It was overwhelming.
And frankly, he was not.
Not that he would say it to others but someone would ask how could he not be okay when he got out unhurt and unscathed from the incident.
In reality, Kalego felt puzzled and that gave him a void in his body. All of his life, he had prided himself as being one of the top students from Babyls if not the best of his generation with that obnoxious Opera next to him.
He had always been the head of the class, the most intelligent and the most outstanding student but now he felt different.
He had excelled in all school subjects including filler courses like Underworld Animalia for extra points that he never needed in the first place.
'So what happened today?' Kalego couldn't find an answer to that. Was he going senile or was that just a fluke. A dent in his armor.
He had already selected the ranks to all of today's students in his group based on their familiar, having known by memory which would fall in Aleph or Bet categories from each species of familiars. But he couldn't say he already finish and go home like that. There was one remaining student that was still not ranked in the meantime. All but one.
Iruma
Kalego slapped his hand over his face to cover his embarrassment. That boy certainly knew how to press his buttons. First, the ceremony and now this.
It was also no help that the picture of Iruma stopping that thing from throttling him and that student was circulating all over the school. He had seen it in the newspaper that Morax was carrying in her hand when she approached him.
In that moment, Kalego felt someone sit next to him.
"Ah! Kalego-kun. Heard you had quite a day." A voice that he knew well greeted him while asking how was he faring.
Kalego frowned turning to look at his newest companion in the couch. He didn't look delighted.
"Pftt. Don't push it, Balam. I didn't come here to humor anyone. I was waiting for you." Kalego retorted, blowing some fringes of his hair that had fallen on his face with his breath.
"Oh... how can I help you, then?" The half-masked demon sounded confused. It was known among the teachers that Kalego didn't do or like small-talk. Still, he tried.
Kalego only talked in short sentences and when he did it was to get straight to the point.
"I need to see some of those books you have. You know those books." Balam looked at Kalego with alarm while the latter just stared forever serious in his gaze.
After a few moments of trying to guess the why to that action, Balam spoke.
"Alright. Come to my house. We'll talk there." Balam accepted before doing a once over in the lounge room for any eavesdropper.
"And come alone..." The harpy-looking demon whispered.
Kalego raised an eyebrow but nodded, like if he would actually bring someone else with him.
And Balam still asked why other teachers were weirded out by him.
He must know now by then.
Shichiro Balam's House
As Balam has expected, Kalego arrived on time to his abode later in the night and as soon as he stepped into his house Kalego had all but demanded to take a look at the books.
Balam complied, rarely did someone showed an ounce of interest in the mythology of the Underworld and Balam was happy that his friend was now starting to show some of it, so he gladly allowed Kalego to take a look at his collection.
Throughout the night, Kalego read the books from Balam. All of them talking about the mythological beast and being such as humans, cats and others of the like.
Honestly, Kalego found those insignificant. He was looking for the pegasus in particular but there was nothing about it. Not a single mention.
He had to know what kind of thing his annoying chairman's grandson had just summoned. He has never seen any familiar of that nature during all his years as supervisor of the ritual.
"Found anything about it, Kalego-kun?"
Kalego seethed, frustrated since he had to make any progress yet.
"No, not a clue. This only talks about the creatures in that fairy tale land of the humans." Kalego slammed the book shut and stood up.
He was getting stressed by this.
"Really? Then it seems we have to get hardcore."
Somehow, the way Balam had said that raised some interest in him.
"What are you talking about?"
"Follow me."
Balam turned on his back and Kalego followed him, leading him into the basement of the house until they stopped at wall.
'Maybe this was pointless' Kalego saw Balam start to press every single on the books like in some sort of secret pattern.
"What are you doing?"
Balam touched a certain book from the shelves as the wall opened to reveal a secret passage.
Kalego for the second time in the day found himself slightly awed.
"What is this?" Kalego questioned after both demons drew themselves inside the mysterious tunnels under Balam's home.
"This is my vault. I use this place only to carry on with my... most controversial of investigations." The owner of the vault admitted, looking at the secret lab where he stored most of his secret research.
"Why are you showing me this?"
"Because I trust you, Kalego. That's why."
Kalego was conflicted when he heard that. Was he supposed to feel special and say "Thank you" or something.
"Mmm..." Instead, he settled for something ambiguous. Typical of him.
"Here."
Balam lead him to a chest that looked as old as Babyls itself, inviting him to open it.
"What is this?" Kalego opened the container only to find rows and rows of dusty scrolls.
"Ancient scriptures about our past history..."
"From whom?"
Balam looked away, not knowing how to tell Kalego. "I don't know if I can tell you about it."
"Why not?" The violet-haired crossed his hands over his chest as if to try him.
"Because you will laugh or call me crazy." It was the truth. What Balam was about to say went against what all demons held as true facts for their history.
Kalego snorted, not liking the build-up suspense forming between them.
"I will when I hear it. Now, tell me."
"Fine. The originals..." Balam spat quickly before slumping his shoulders.
But Kalego heard it just fine.
For the next few moments Kalego stared at him, trying to see if Balam had suddenly tried to become a comedian or was he actually serious. When Balam show none he frowned.
'Is he serious?'
"Common Balam, are you five? You and I know that those are just myths. I am more inclined to believe in humans and cats than those... originals." Kalego reproached, not liking that his friend was trying to talk about him about beings that no one could prove their existences.
"Oh, but they existed, Kalego. They did. Thousands of years ago. The demons in the outer provinces talk about them in their folktales." Balam explained, trying to make his partner see some reason in his work.
"So what? Those superstitious people have always exaggerated everything they see or do." It's not that Kalego was being bias but he actually knew people from the outer regions of the nether and they were not to be taken seriously.
"And what of it? I am looking for information about that thing in the school paper. Not about the missing link..." Kalego tried to get the conversation on topic again. Not wanting to debate Balam if those myths actually existed or not. It would be counter-productive.
"See for yourself then. Maybe you will find the answer to your problems here." The teacher of mythical zoology persuaded him to give it a shot.
"Are you sure you dont have other books laying around there?"
"Negative"
Kalego shook his head but conceded, taking a seat and started to read the papyrus inside the chest.
It was written in Old Demonic but he understood it well. Seems like those language classes really paid in the end.
Soon after, Balam left as midnight approached but Kalego brushed him off, too hooked with the scriptures to go to his house.
So Balam left him alone as he went to sleep, entrusting the vault and all it's contents to him.
Kalego kept reading the scrolls. All of them talked about the early days when the Underworld was created and the beings that arrive in the beginning of time.
Just when Kalego was about to call it quits, he reached a certain scroll from the chest. It was the last one since he had read all others in the growing pile next to him.
This one unlike the others had an illustration that worn as it was, it still depicted a similar massive horse-winged creature that his student had summoned being rode by a mysterious figure while other winged individuals surrounded him.
"This is it." Kalego could not believe. At last, he would get the answers he needed.
He read the piece of old paper attentively, but the more he read the information, the more it unsettled him.
"This can't be right..." Kalego stood up from the table and left. This couldn't be possible.
When morning came, Balam went down to his vault only to find it deserted. Kalego was nowhere to be found.
'Where did he go?' Balam called out his name but alas it was for nothing. This place has been clear off people for a while.
Balam put his hand to work and started to tidy up the underground room, gathering all the ancients scripts that Kalego had piled out after reading and putting them in his chest.
"Guess that was all of them." Balam said to no one after finishing but as he turned on the table he noticed that one single scroll had escaped his eyes.
Inspecting it, Balam noticed that this one was different from the other and the creature in the drawing had similarities with the one in the taken photo in the school newspaper.
Everything looked fine there but that all changed when he finished reading the footnote down the hand-drawn image. In that moment, Balam forgot how to breathe properly. If not all-together.
King Lucifer. The first King of the Demons and the Princes of Hell arriving in the Netherworld.
"Oh my devil."
AN: My lord, this was a large one. Hope you like it. The other one will take a while to publish since I am preparing for University so it will be more sporadically.
So, yeah. Kalego and Balam find that the mighty Pegasus was the familiar Lucifer took with himself to the Underworld. Will they see a connection there? Who knows...
As you may notice. Demons don't know their actual origins so they probably never heard of angels but some of them know that like humans they exist but only a handful do. You will have to wait and see how the story turns out. I will try to follow cannon so you can expect this story to be large.
Fav and Follow if you think is good and thank you for your reviews. I read them and I take suggestions to better the story.
Until much later.
DragoonMen