A.N I've been re reading the manga and re watching the anime and I'd forgotten just how much I loved them. As far as I know, the last chapter of the manga was chapter 82, if I'm wrong please let me know but I couldn't find anything after that. So, this story will be set after that.
I'm writing it with the view that it will hopefully feature some Abel and Astha romance at some point, because there's nowhere near enough of that. Also rather than a chronological story, it'll be more of a series of oneshots because I just can't be bothered to write chronological stories anymore. But it will all make sense...at least in my head, lol. I'm just going to summarise what I think would've happened and this is going to focus on the aftermath of Cain's defeat. if find the time or the inspiration, ill write the actual story for it. I guess that'd make it a prequel.
After his revival and his fight with Cain in the church, Abel left to track his brother with Ion, the Earl of Memphis in tow. His sister Seth had sent the young Earl to help her brother and he'd been grateful. With his changing abilities, Abel had had a difficult time of it. His powers were stronger and much more present than they'd ever been. He noticed that he needed much more blood to fuel his energy and Ion had provided much of it. At first, Abel had been reluctant but Ion had eventually convinced him that it was better for them to keep a low profile than to keep attacking Methuselah everywhere they went.
They traveled together for about two months, following Cain and eventually the two Crusink clashed in the ruins of a long forgotten town. The battle had been fierce from what Ion had seen. He'd helped all he could but after being gravely wounded, he couldn't do much more. But by then, the two winged Crusink had ascended into the sky, flying so far into the air that the young Earl had lost sight of them. All he'd been able to see were flashes of lightning in the sky.
Wounded, Ion laid in the ruins of the battlefield for days while he sluggishly healed and then he'd immediately started to search for any signs of Abel. But he'd found nothing. After a week, he'd reported to the Empress and then he searched for another month before she recalled him to the capital.
It had broken Seth's heart but if Abel had fallen after the battle, surely Ion would have found him. She had lost her brother again and mourned for him a third time.
As for Ion, he'd come to respect Abel over those long two months of travelling. He too, mourned with the Empress and with Astharoshe who, the Empress had trusted enough to tell their secret to. She'd told them both as well as The Duchess of Moldova, Ion's grandmother, that they were both Crusink and that they were siblings. They proved to be a great support to the grieving Empress as time passed.