Progression has slowed so arc is less rushed. I have added more description to my chapter overall, and but maybe more dialogue/scene changing. Hope you all enjoy. This will only be starting from now. I'm keeping the first six chapters as a lesson.
Issei's reveal will be soon, I promise that.
It'll take awhile, since school has started. Updates will no longer be every 2 weeks, but rather, monthly, or every two months.
Midnight Sun
Arc 1: Forsaken Utopia
Chapter 7
Gently Under the Leaves
Inside of the church, Issei sat across from Grayfia.
Despite the entire purpose of heading to the forest was to retrieve the exorcist, they had come back to the church empty-handed. In Issei's mind, they had simply forgotten, with the arrival of Kokabiel. He had willingly showed himself to perhaps the strongest person in the city besides the twelve-winged Fallen himself.
There had to be motive as to why he decided to risk himself so early against the Maid of Gremory.
"Issei." The silver-haired woman's voice was gentle and soft, as she called for his attention.
He looked at her with half-lidded eyes, the night's events catching up to him. He was drowsy, and it was showing.
"Yes, Grayfia?" His voice was so similar to all those years ago, as she remarked many times. It was close to his awakening, and his revival would signal the beginning of yet another era in the Underworld.
She sighed, as she chose a different approach to talk to him.
She stood, her chair scraping back against the old wooden floor. She walked behind Issei, who continued to look where she once sat. She embraced him from behind, her breasts pressed against the back of his head.
He tensed, before relaxing at the familiarity of the action. Despite their long years apart, his body was still able to remember the affectionate gesture she would do to him constantly those years ago.
"We will have to fight them soon. You will be able to channel your power?"
The silence following her question was daunting. It ate at her feelings as she awaited for her King's answer.
He looked at the broken ceiling of the abandoned church. After the seal had broken a bit, he was able to identify why Devils like him and Grayfia were able to stay within the church. It had long lost its influence, and so, no longer contained the Holy Elements houses of the Lord contained. The exorcists were merely taking shelter within the church because they had no other place to stay. It was also just out of Rias Gremory's and Sona Sitri's border of Kuoh, allowing them to remain out of their detection.
Griselda surely thought of this as she settled, while Xenovia and Irina most likely only agreed because it was a former grand house of the Lord.
"I think I will." Issei finally answered after pondering his answer for quite a while. "Kokabiel killed my parents. He caused that wreck, and he took away my ability to love."
"You say such bold words. Will you be able to back them up when it comes to it?" She rose a delicate eyebrow.
"If I was powerful enough to capture the attention of a Seraph, then surely I can defeat a Cadre, right?"
She felt as if she shouldn't encourage the thinking of the young male she still embraced, but he was her King. She could not lie to one she respected above all, even if he was severely weakened and did not remember a single thing besides his relationship with his wife.
A marriage not many supported, but understood. After all, God's Love would not attempt any kind of seduction upon a Devil. The only reason for Gabriel to willingly stay in the marriage with a Devil was due to her immense love for him.
"Yes. Back then, you were powerful. Powerful enough to clash against the God of the Bible himself and for it to be a stalemate, rather than immediate defeat." She gained a headache upon saying the cursed name of the Lord himself.
"I see...so I was that strong." He looked down at his opened palms, and clenched them into fists. "Why couldn't I be strong enough to fight Kokabiel now? Have I been weakened that much?"
Grayfia shook her head, before realizing that Issei couldn't see behind his head. She decided to reply verbally. "You are still strong in your own way. You will regain your power eventually, it just takes time."
"Time I don't have right now."
She frowned. Issei had regained some of his wisdom. The one she had taken care of for the past three years would not have said what he said.
"There is nothing we can do for you to regain your powers faster. Perhaps it may be similar to the many ways a Sacred Gear is unlocked."
"Ways? I thought the only way was to imagine the strongest thing."
"I'm not saying you have a Sacred Gear. I'm saying your power may be similar. One of the few ways a Sacred Gear is unlocked is through a large burst of emotion. Maybe if something traumatic happens, you can unlock your power faster."
Fear coursed through her when she realized what she had said, but relief filled her when Issei shook his head in disgust. "In order for me to unlock my power I must sacrifice more of myself? I must witness tragedy to gain victory. Knowing only victory tainted with bitter defeat. How laughable. I would rather not have my powers unlock at all if I must witness such a thing."
"I concur."
They were silent again, the silence practically choking the two. She was about to speak, but Issei spoke first. "Grayfia...did we used to know each other back then? When I was still married to Gabriel, before I lost myself within this madness?"
"Madness? What makes you think that you ever turned insane?"
His brown eyes flashed a dark black. A surge of anger exploded out of him, but Grayfia did not bulge from the embrace she still held Issei in. She was used to his emotions, their many years together forming a bond between the two.
She was in, technically speaking, his daughter. She was also one of his concubines from so long ago.
"Of course I turned insane. How else can I barely remember anything from my past?"
"Because you were defeated in battle."
Issei widened his eyes. Grayfia had let him go of her embrace, and stepped back a single step. She crossed her arms under her breasts, rising them slightly. He turned his head to look at her with wide eyes. "Defeated? By who?"
"You put aside your spite for He above, and teamed up with him to defeat the Heavenly Dragons, [Dragon of Potential] Y Ddraig Goch, and [Dragon of Entropy] Albion. With the combined efforts of you, He, Azazel, and Michael, the four of you managed to seal the two within a Twice Critical, and Mastema, a Unique Sacred Gear. They in turn, became the Boosted Gear and Divine Dividing. Azazel became severely weakened, causing him to pull out of the war. Michael was also weakened, his power draining from a twelve-winged to a simple six-winged Angel. Neither of them are at full power, much like you, but they did not lose their positions nor their memories."
"I see...I lost fighting against Vali's Dragon and...who is the wielder of the Boosted Gear?"
"Nobody knows specifically who the wielder of the Boosted Gear is currently in this generation. I have my suspicions on someone within Kuoh Academy."
"Someone so close to us?" Issei rose his eyebrow. "I'm surprised nobody noticed yet."
"Yes. She does not have any magic circuits to speak of, she is completely ordinary like most of the other students. The only reason I was able to tell was because of my long years in recognizing strange occurrences, such as a human without any circuits, yet still have such a presence."
"Who is it?"
"I believe it is Murayama."
Issei struggled to remember her. He knew that she was in the kendo club and was one of the main targets for the Perverted Trio's peeping. That was the extent that he knew of her.
"I...see. Will we do nothing to her?"
Grayfia took notice on how he said, "we." She shook her head. "No. We do not know for sure, and there is no use talking to someone about what they don't have."
She walked to the stained-glass windows. She watched as the moon slowly set. The sun would soon be out. "Issei, the sun will soon rise. Will you be heading to school, or will you continue with supernatural matters? I will be heading home."
"I'll be staying. I won't go to school until Kokabiel is stopped."
She nodded at his response. She understood where he was coming from. "I will see you later." She walked up to him, and kissed his forehead softly. She stepped away, and bowed.
Issei watched as she left the church, before he realized something crucial. Someone who had been missing this entire time.
"Where the hell has Asia been?"
Griselda and Xenovia sat within the club room of the Occult Research Club, facing the Queens of the two Devil heiresses, as well as the heiresses themselves. Their bodies were tired from the lack of sleep for the past two days,and their eyes continuously dropped. It was a struggle for them to constantly move around, and to have a potential political altering meeting while having no sleep made some nervousness arise in Griselda's heart.
But she knew she'll be able to outsmart the two young Devils, for they were still young and had hardly seen anything as corrupt as the Vatican's Leaders that she had to deal with many times.
"Now if we may begin, my comrade and I have had a very long couple of days without any rest. I am eager to get rest extremely soon. It's taking everything I can to stay awake and attentive."
"For the Strongest Female Exorcist to not even be able to stay awake for a few mere days." Rias smirked. "Are you sure you are the strongest?"
Xenovia widened her eyes, as she reached for her sword. "You!"
Griselda placed a hand on Xenovia's shoulder, before scoffing at the sister of Sirzechs. "Girl, I don't see you running around for two days straight looking for one of your comrades, as well as having to keep Kokabiel himself at bay alongside Freed Sellzen, the mad exorcist excommunicated four years ago, who is even more powerful ever since his exile, but also wields the Excalibur Fragments. Not only that, but having to avoid detection from someone who can make even Sirzechs look like you to me."
Rias's eyes lit up with anger at Griselda's words, as her tone was mocking, as if it were questioning her intelligence.
This time, Sona spoke up, calming Rias. "I hope we do not antagonize each other on something as simple as how tired one is. But...Griselda-sama, you said Kokabiel? He is currently in Kuoh so soon?"
Griselda nodded. "I'm honestly not surprised you didn't know. The only reason why we know is because the Vatican sent us specifically here. Or rather, Gabriel-sama herself told us. I believe that Gabriel is still connected to Kokabiel despite the two not agreeing with Kokabiel's goals."
"What? The Seraph Gabriel herself is involved with the Excalibur's theft?" The red-haired girl exclaimed.
Griselda glared at the young girl. "Gabriel-sama will never do such a thing. She loves everything and anything. As Kokabiel is her brother, she is sure to still hold love for him as they are precious family. She would never think about stealing the Fragments as she hates bloodshed as well."
Rias huffed in annoyance, and Sona stepped in. "Rias, please remain quiet and allow me to converse with the exorcists."
Sona looked at Griselda with respect. "I believe that Gabriel would not steal the Excaliburs. Such a powerful and kind figure would never weaken her own side. However, with the situation at hand, with the battle between us and Kokabiel drawing near, we must ask for assistance."
"Hoh?" Griselda cocked her head to the side. "You Devils are asking us to help you fight off Kokabiel?"
"Indeed. I am well-aware of your good deeds, Griselda-sama. If we were to fight Kokabiel with a combination of mine and Rias's peerage, we would still fail to defeat Kokabiel. We lack anything that has the potential to slay a God, with Rias's Power of Destruction being the only thing we can use to actually harm Kokabiel."
Xenovia spoke up this time. "What would us, the church, gain if we were to assist the Devils?"
They looked shocked. as Griselda nodded along with Xenovia's words. "There is no reason for us to cooperate if we will get nothing out of it expect for a thank you from the Devils."
Sona sat deep in thought. "I'm not too sure on what we ourselves can offer to you. Would you like me to hold a favor that even the Maous themselves have to answer to?"
"Sona!" Rias attempted to protest, but Sona rose her hand.
"A single favor that must be granted no matter how drastic...I suppose that is a good enough deal. There are no limits to this, correct?"
"No limits, for you are essentially saving not one, but two siblings of the current Maou, as well as two heiresses of Gremory and Sitri, who do not have any other descendants. Such a deed will be unable to deny even between Devils and the Angels. Such a deed will require absolute appreciation, and this is the only way we have as of now in this dire time."
"You sure know how to twist your words, Sona Sitri." Griselda chuckled. "You will grow into a strong politician in the future."
"I will accept a compliment from such an influential figure." Sona stood, and bowed briefly, before sitting down again.
Griselda stood. "We will assist you. Xenovia, myself, and one other nun will assist. This by extension, goes to the assistance of Hyoudou Issei and his caretaker Grayfia Lucifuge, as the young boy is helping us exorcists defeat Kokabiel at the request of one other exorcist, Shidou Irina, who is currently captured by Kokabiel."
"So you guys had already faced him..." Akeno spoke for the first time. "How strong was he?"
"I do not know. I believe Irina and Issei are the only ones to fight him, though at separate times. I have not yet met with Issei, we were about to until you Devils called out to us to have a truce."
"How did you know that Issei fought him?"
"While we were in the forest, we felt his presence just as we were about to exit to meet with you. I assume that he fought against Kokabiel, because I felt Kokabiel's presence near his."
"Strange. We have not felt the power of a Cadre at all. Do you know what he uses to conceal his appearance?" Sona cocked her head as she reported Kokabiel's presence from her side.
"No, we don't know. I believe Irina does, and we can ask her once we manage to recover her. We don't know how she is, or if she is even alive, but I believe she is. I have my suspicions, but Issei is close to Gabriel, and as I have mentioned before, Kokabiel and Gabriel have a bond no other sibling has. I have no proof of Issei and Gabriel's relationship, but I suspect that the two have some sort of mutual love. As Irina is Issei's childhood friend, having her killed will affect Issei, and in turn, affect her. Kokabiel would not want to risk angering Gabriel."
"I see. There is no other information to be shared, unless there is some you have not shared yet?"
Griselda shook her head. "Irina and Issei have all the information. I'm not sure if Grayfia does yet, as I'm not sure if Issei has even kept contact with her. I am the one who told Grayfia where Issei is currently residing. I know not if they had reunited."
Once again, Sona nodded. "Thank you for your time, Griselda Quarta, and..."
"Xenovia Quarta." The blue-haired exorcist answered Sona's unanswered question.
The Sitri heiress nodded, and she held her hand outwards. "By your leave."
Griselda and Xenovia stood, exhausted from yet another event within seventy-two hours. They left the club room without offering a farewell, and the four Devils did not offer one in return.
He had taken a nap, and awoke when the sun was high in the sky. By his estimation, he had only slept about five or six hours.
He found himself immensely tired after being awake for a few minutes, but he shook off the feeling, and proceeded to walk to his home. He still wished to maintain his hygiene. He showered and brushed his teeth within his home for the first time in a week.
He took his time in the bath, for he was glad to finally to be able to adjust the temperature.
He dried himself quickly, and looked into his closet. Once again, like last week, he did not reach for the Kuoh Academy uniform. He instead, reached for the right side of the closet, where his much darker clothing was. He put on a dark long-sleeved hoodie and a pair of tight, but flexible black pants. While it was sunny outside, it was not that hot.
He exited his home, and locked the door behind him.
He then walked to the park that he had met Asia at.
It was also the park that he and Irina used to play at when they were younger.
He frowned as he sat on the park bench, thinking about what Grayfia and him had spoke about just hours before.
He was a King. The way Grayfia had addressed him, and acted proved it was such. However, the only King of the Devils that he had known is Satan, the Lord of Wrath. However, there was something within him that denied that he was Satan.
He didn't know how, but he knew he wasn't Satan. He was almost completely sure of it.
But then, who was he if he wasn't the [Lord of Wrath]? Who else can he be, if he wasn't Satan?
"Mind if I lend an ear to your troubles."
A sudden voice broke his thoughts.
"I don't think you would beli-" he turned to the voice that spoke to him, before blinking. And then he blinked again.
"I wouldn't believe you?" The beautiful man threw his head back and laughed. "Please. We have seen a lot of things, it makes it hard to have us not believe something, even if you don't remember."
"Why are you here?" Issei was on his guard, but he knew he couldn't do anything to the one who stood in front of him. He had just openly opposed Grayfia and him just under twelve hours ago.
"Is it a sin to visit one's brother?" [Star of God] Kokabiel looked down at him, not because he thought he was superior, but because Issei was sitting and he was standing. His red eyes shined with a glint of kindness and comfort.
"When you killed their parents, and openly said that we would battle, yes. Yes it is."
Kokabiel waved a hand as he sat down in the bench beside Issei. Issei made sure to move himself a few inches to the left, as Kokabiel sat on the right side. "A simple quarrel. And I have never said that we would battle, just that we would meet on the battlefield." He gave another one of his dazzling smiles that caused Issei to question his sexuality. Kokabiel was a man of beauty, even as a Fallen. "As for your parents, well, I can't say anything to argue that. I truly expected you to die in either the impact, or the fire following afterwards."
His brown eyes narrowed at the man's face of beauty.
"Yes." Kokabiel sighed. "I do admit I'm the cause of the horror you witnessed."
"Why?" Issei growled. "Why would you do that to someone so young?"
He sighed. "Let me tell you a story."
"I don't need a fu-"
His red eyes sharpened. A single look caused Issei to fall silent. The gaze was full of killing intent, enough to cause Issei to shiver.
"Long ago, there was a boy in a city. He was...a hunter of sorts. He had just stopped a deity of sorts from killing everyone within the town. But in the process, they lost too many lives. So, the city put up an execution for anyone related to him or the one he served. He wanted them to save her. And her. And her. And him. And himself. He wanted them to save everyone.
But they wouldn't. They laughed at him as he attempted to defy them. He should have known, but he refused to believe it. Ever since the beginning, when he was turned down by all but one, he should have known of the wrath all humans possessed, including him. She introduced herself as a goddess, with her black twin-tailed hair and blue eyes that gazed upon his soul. She gave him love. She gave him a home. She gave him equipment. She gave him her blessing to allow him to become stronger.
He had wanted to be a hero, a childish dream born from his childhood wishes to have women flock to him."
His red eyes turned sad. "Because he was never revealed the World's Evils when he was young, he was naive. His actions and naivety led to the deaths of the goddess, himself, his love, his partner, and his blacksmith."
Issei absorbed the story. He felt grief for the young hunter, and he felt sympathy for him. But one question remained on his mind.
"How does relate to me?"
"You see, I fully intended to kill you that day. You just happened to survive with a small burst of your power. Either that, or you couldn't die because of your dormant power. But that is besides the point. You survived, and I decided not to finish you off, because I had already broken the naivety that would cause you to follow the same route as the boy. There would be no difference between killing you and leaving you alive once you survived it."
Issei fought to keep in his rage. Kokabiel was speaking of such a horrid action as if it were something he did everyday, something trivial that it didn't even phase him when such a young boy could've been killed.
"Enough about me and the other boy. Why have you come Kokabiel?"
"That is oddly vague." Kokabiel placed his hand on his chin.
"Why did you steal the Excaliburs? What is the purpose of even obtaining them if you don't even find yourself to be worthy? And...what is your goal?"
The Fallen sighed. "So Grayfia told you..."
"No. It was Irina, one of the exorcists."
Recognition. His red eyes recognized the name. "Ah. Your woman. The light brown-haired girl, no?"
"Yes. Where is she?" Issei attempted to control his voice.
"Let me start from top to bottom. Also, they aren't the 'Excaliburs'. Only one sword can hold such a name, and those wretched pieces cannot hope to match what King Arthur once wielded. They are called Excalibur Fragments for a reason. But...I stole the Fragments to fuse them into the True Excalibur: Sword of Promised Victory. At its peak, it is the gathering breath of the star, a sword that can rival even the Star that Ruptured Heaven and Earth. An instrument of the Fae, crafted for the [Once and Future King]. If I fuse the Fragments together, then that would cause King Arthur to emerge from the shadows, and attempt to take back his sword.
Once King Arthur emerges from the shadows, I will kill him."
Issei was silent, before uttering a single word in a flat tone that questioned one's mental state. "What?"
The watcher of the stars gave a heavy sigh. "I should have expected that. But the thing is Brother, there are many things out there that just sound so beautiful, as if it were something that you can never reach. However, just because they contain great beauty doesn't mean that they can't be full of ugliness as well. I have my reasons to suspect so, but King Arthur of Camelot is the enemy. And I must kill him in order for Gaia to survive."
Kokabiel said it with such confidence. Confidence that one of the greatest Kings, the King of Knights, was their enemy.
But...hadn't King Arthur been a legendary figure that fought for his country? Why is he counted as the enemy? And...the enemy to him, or the enemy to Kokabiel specifically...?
The thousand-years old Fallen seemed to have read Issei's mind.
"He is the enemy of Gaia, in turn, being the enemy of Alaya. If one is the enemy to the consciousness of the world itself, it is the enemy to the collective consciousness of mankind itself as well. That means that [Once and Future King] King Arthur, is the enemy of the Counter-Force, the Counter-Guardians themselves."
Yet another bold declaration, yet filled with such confidence that Issei couldn't help but be convinced.
"What brought this on? How can such a legendary and famous figure be a threat? How is he even alive?" More questions than answers filled his head.
"Once again, I'll start from top to bottom. I still haven't answered the question on your friend. She is alive, she is currently captured. Her state is questionable, but she is alive. I will return her once I get the opportunity to. After all, who am I to keep one away from a loved one?" Kokabiel chuckled, his voice filled with bitterness, showing that there was a story behind his last statement. "What makes me suspect King Arthur himself? It can't be explained. Alaya himself whispers to me, he whispers to all members of the Counter-Force that are able to respond to this threat despite his weakened state. There is going to be something similar to the Norse's Ragnarok soon, and King Arthur will be apart of it. Which side, I do not know, but I wish to eliminate threats before the catastrophe happens. You would be one such example. As for how he is alive...you truly do not know what happens after death if you become a Champion of Alaya?"
Once again, Kokabiel's explanation for that fateful day three years ago was changed. But Issei couldn't dwell on that. That was in the past. But...another question arose with Kokabiel's answers. It was almost as if Kokabiel was purposely going in circles just to gain Issei's ire.
But...his last question. What happens after death for a Champion of Alaya?
"After death? What are you talking about?"
Issei assumed the Champions of Alaya were the ones who gained titles within the world, such as Kokabiel himself, Azazel, Sirzechs, Vali, and so much more. There were too many. Was there really such a grave consequence for such unimaginable power that causes the World itself to recognize?
"So you really don't know. That is why you are trying so desperately to have that Outsider be acknowledged to be able to freely travel through the Dimensional Gap." Kokabiel mused. "You were trying to have her become a Champion of Alaya so she can return to her world."
"Stop avoiding the answer. Tell me." Issei attempted to channel his power into his powers, but it failed to have the desired effect.
If Kokabiel noticed the change in tone, he didn't acknowledge it. He simply continued to treat Issei as a simple boy, despite calling him his brother so many times.
"When you become a Champion of Alaya, when you are still living, you continue living like a normal person. You continue to live with ascended power granted by the World itself. The only difference is that you are more powerful, and you can hear the whispers of the World itself, warning you of any calamity. If you wish to prevent it, you must travel there yourself, Alaya will not transport you across space.
However...it changes when you die. When you die, you will be constantly summoned across space and time, same world or not, past or future, to stop catastrophes from breaking out. It doesn't matter the way, whether a complete slaughter or a peaceful talk, all that matters is that the ones behind the disaster are stopped, and the disaster itself is stopped. For an endless time, you will continue to serve as a dog, called upon for your services, no matter how trivial or serious. You are expected to stop it, else it might as well just destroy the entire Realm you failed to save.
Alaya doesn't care about the world. It only cares about the survival of mankind. It would much rather prefer to have the humans slaughtered before the world transforms into a world of steel, devoid of any life. There are an infinite amount of worlds, what is one less? It can always raise more champions on a different world. It cares not for this world, only that humanity, somewhere, can survive. Do you honestly think that he cares about a single world when he was an infinite amount of parallel ones?"
Issei was not about to come up with a retort, as he tried to absorb the information.
If Luna became one of Alaya's Champions, she would be able to return home, but at the price for being an eternal servant to one of the few beings not bothered by the concept of [Time].
It was going to be nothing but hell.
"Don't allow such a thing stop you from becoming one of humanity's dogs. After all, you do essentially gain power needed to overcome an immense trial."
"You get stronger once you attain a title?" Issei cocked his head to the side. Vali had never mentioned being able to gain power upon ascending.
"Not necessarily. More like you reach the peak of your potential in a single moment. You don't get break any of your limits, but you do reach the strongest you were ever expected to become, so says [Fate] itself. After all, why would Alaya allow someone that hasn't even reached their full potential become one of its attack dogs? They only want the most powerful. The only problem is...while you cannot get any stronger, you are able to grow weaker in time. So it is still important to train despite no reason to do so if one cannot get any stronger."
"Then...you are currently at your strongest."
Kokabiel nodded. "Indeed. I hide my full power so one does not become able to know everything about me. If I do release my full power, I make sure there are no survivors to speak about one of my greatest secrets."
"Secrets?" Issei asked, almost as if Kokabiel would answer it despite being enemies.
And answer he did. "I am reported to be a ten-winged Fallen, but the truth is, I've been had six pairs of wings ever since my fall from grace. After all, that was the time when I became a Counter Guardian."
"Wait...Vali said its possible to change one's title. How does one do that if the moment they enter the Counter-Force, they are at the highest potential?"
Kokabiel chuckled. "You see, it is possible to obtain other sources of power. One such thing is the extraction of a Sacred Gear. Simply gaining a Twice Critical can skyrocket one's strength, despite being seen as one of the lowest of Sacred Gears."
"Is that really possible? Just attaining a single Sacred Gear and you can grow even more powerful?"
He shook his head. "No. Of course not. Like everyone else, you must do something unique that only you have done if you wish to grow even more stronger permanently."
"Another thing. Is it possible to have two Sacred Gears?"
Kokabiel shook his head. "No. It's impossible. The only known Sacred Gear that is able to do that is Vritra's Sacred Gears, and that is only because all four pieces are compatible with each other simply because it is all the same Sacred Gear, just split into separate parts."
They fell into silence once more. Minutes went by as the two males didn't speak again. They simply observed each other, before Issei broke the silence once again.
"Your goal. What is it? You never answered."
The Fallen gave a tired sigh. The single sigh caused Issei to feel sympathy. It contained a lack of energy, full of exhaustion. He was tired.
"I thought you already knew. Did you regain your memory?"
"A small fragment. I just...wish to confirm it."
And so he told him.
The breeze blew gently as Kokabiel told him his dream. Issei's eyes widened as Kokabiel continued to talk. Gently under the leaves, did the millennium year old Fallen Angel give his dream to the millennium year old old Devil.
Issei was silent in shock, as Kokabiel gave a sad smile.
"You...are crazy."
"I was told that many times."
"No...this isn't crazy. This is insane. It's impossible to even accomplish."
The Cadre shook his head. "No. Nothing is impossible unless you never attempt to do it. If you don't fight, you won't win. In order to triumph, in order to thwart [Fate] itself, you must keep on moving forward."
He looked at the sun, almost as if he could tell time by simply looking at it.
"I must go. I no longer have any time. I must retreat else the exorcists and Devils would come looking for me at any moment." He stood, and bowed to Issei. "I will see you soon, my Lord."
Kokabiel walked away, and Issei remembered one last thing.
"Brother...the young hunter. What was his name?"
Kokabiel did not turn around to answer, but he did stay still. He looked at the sky, before giving another sorrowful sigh, before finally speaking.
"Bell Cranel of Hestia Familia"
Chapter End
Hope you all enjoyed. Next chapter will be the first part of three segments of the Kokabiel fight (not including however many chapters. Only like, boss phases). I don't know when this arc will be finished, as once again, I'm only counting the "phases" of the Kokabiel fight, not how many chapters. It really depends on how long I want to make the fight, as well as what I want to do after the fight, but before the start of Loki Arc.
Where is Irina? She's alive. Next chapter she will appear.
Who/What is Issei? Also next chapter.
Hope you all enjoy this information packed chapter. There is a lot to absorb this chapter, to the point where I wasn't sure if I really should put this much info. A few hints on a few more characters, as well as one huge confirmed one. There are still a ton more to be introduced during either Arc 2, or any of my original Arcs (essentially Arc 3+).
See you all next time.
-Houvdon
[Pairing]: Gabriel, Irina, Luna
Arc 1:Forsaken Utopia
Arc 2: Godslayer
Arc 3: A Hero's Regret
Arc 4:End of the Dream
Arc 5: Second and Last Sun
Arc 6:The Delusional Guardians
Arc 7:To the Abyssal Dawn
Epilogue:To the Tomorrow We Walk