Chapter 10 - To the Abyss with my thesis!
Thea was panting slightly from all the running from one room to another and sprinkling holy water over the patients. Having emptied the last remains of it, the blonde had been trying to get back to her friends on the other side of the long corridor. She knew that the rest of the group had managed to reach the hospital wing - she could feel their auras, as well as the demonic and holy powers mixing in various attacks. Thea wished to join them in battle, but her path had been cut. "At least I know why there's no end to this swarm." she gulped, her heart beating like crazy, as she was looking into what must have been the pit of doom itself… Or at least that was the first idea that came to her mind when she saw the rocky rim spreading on the floor in front of her, lining deep, endless abyss. And from the pitch-black nothingness, hundreds upon hundreds of locusts were flying out. The blonde tried to remain calm, but this whole attack seemed to have come straight out of her nightmares. "Geez, things just couldn't get any worse. How am I supposed to return, now?" she thought to herself, carefully leaning over the pit, judging the distance she would need to cross if she attempted to jump over it.
Suddenly, her breath got caught in her throat and she quickly retreated back from the pit - a terrible demon crawled out of it. "Oh, shoot! I spoke too fast…" Her panic rose at the sight of the monstrosity. It was not an overgrown locust, but something more... vile. Distorted. And sadly, stronger. The thing was as huge as a horse, but still had the six spiked legs of a locust. A set of strong-looking wings rushed from it's back, as well as the long scorpion tail. However, the most disturbing was its human face, which bore a set of antennae, and a huge mouth with fangs reaching outward.
Before she could even think of what it was and how to approach a fight with this kind of a demon, it had launched at her and got her pinned to the wall by her shoulder, piercing it. A cry escaped her throat at the sudden pain, but the blonde gritted her teeth and clutched the strange limb with her hands. The monster flinched as its front legs started charring and burning from the touch, which gave Thea a chance to free herself. However, it did not stop its advances for long - the leg did dissolve at her touch, true, but she could already see it forming back. "No way… as soon as the limb falls off, new locusts just fly in to replace it! What now? Think Thea, think!" she urged herself while she turned to start running away from it, reciting every purifying incantation she could think of at the moment. "This is madness! We cannot fight these demons; we need to close that pit first!" she thought desperately.
A male voice cut through the buzzing. "-aaa! Theaaa! Where are you? Theaaableawsch… Dammit, it flew in my mouth! Die all of you!" the half-demon started hacking at the hopping and buzzing insects in irritation. "Rin? Rin, don't come any closer!" Thea tried to warn her friend while struggling to dodge another attack coming from the terrifying locust demon. "Thea? Thea! I came for you! Just hold on!" Rin shouted back and burned away a portion of the swarm around him. He couldn't risk spreading his flames too much without having an idea where approximately the others stood. He figured that burning to death was only slightly better than being eaten alive by some insects, so it was best to keep searching for options. "Damn these insects with their stupid miasma!" Rin thundered inwardly - he would normally be able to get a whiff of his friends, being a demon and all, but the disgusting smell of rot and plague was so strong that his nose couldn't pick up their position. "No! Wait! Stay where you are!" Thea shouted back. "There is some kind of a portal on the floor!" "Whoa! No kiddin'! What the hell is that?!" Rin shouted back, as he spread the flames around him, and his vision cleared enough to see the wide black, bottomless pit in the floor. "I… I don't know! But all the demons are crawling out of it! We gotta… we gotta close it somehow! Or there will be no end to them! Aaaah!" "Thea?! What's wrong?" Rin demanded as he heard the painful cry. A terrible bestial screech amidst the unceasing buzzing was his only answer.
He clenched his hands into a fist. "Thea!" He couldn't just leave her there. Rin closed his eyes in concentration, remembering his tedious training with candles. He was able to pin-point the blonde's location by the sound of her voice. When he opened his eyes, a wave of his demonic flames surged forward, consuming the swarm in front of him, and for a brief moment, he got a clear look at her. Then, everything disappeared in another surge of locusts. "No way… Thea…" rage racked his body and he released a powerful wave straight through the pit on the floor and while his flames were still covering the entrance, the half-demon jumped over the pit towards where his classmate had been. "Get away from her!" he roared and unleashed the flames from his katana upon the creature - the terrible, misfit demon, which was clutching the girl's shoulder in its jaws while pinning her down with its thorny legs, one of them passing right through Thea's thigh. Rin spread the flames around him to cover his friend from the attacking swarm and simultaneously slashed at the demon with all his might. The scorching blue flames in combination with purifying golden light consumed the locust demon fully, and it went down in a terrible screech, no longer able to regenerate itself.
Rin swiftly turned towards the blonde, who was now lying on the floor, trying to lean on her uninjured hand, breathing raggedly. "Oh crap, Thea! Thea, it's OK, I am here. Gosh, hold on..." he cradled her into his arms. Thea quickly remembered to subdue her aura in order not to burn her friend - normally, it would leave her exposed to the swarm, but Rin's flames were burning gently around her, taking care of the problem. "Rin… Rin, c-calm down..." she tried to reassure him, but he probably couldn't even hear her weak voice through all the noise. Her shoulder hurt like hell and she couldn't move her leg an inch. "I'd better heal the leg first; I need to be able to move around… I can't waste it on the shoulder though, I might still need the energy." the blonde tried to think straight. "Hold on! Just… hold on!" Rin was starting to panic, already searching for their escape route. "Oh God, so much blood… I have to get her out of here before... " a translucent golden light suddenly enveloped the blonde and his eyes widened as he saw the terrible wound in her leg closing. As Rin tried to support her, a jolt of pain suddenly shot through Thea's shoulder, making it terribly difficult to breathe. "On the second thought, maybe I should fix at least part of it…" she gritted her teeth and whimpered as her collar bone snapped back to its proper place. "Rin!" she put her uninjured hand on his shoulder. "It's fine, I… I have healing abilities, remember?" she smiled, but her exhaustion was apparent. "Gosh, Thea, you freaked me out! That is one handy power you have there… OK, let me get you out of here. Come, we need to…" "Rin! Look out!" Thea shouted as three oversized monsters - identical to the one they had killed just moments ago - found their way to the surface. Rin's eyes narrowed at them. "Stay behind me." he said and then launched a furious attack at the opponent.
His sword sliced through strong legs covered with razor-sharp spines, through the thick skin on the sides. Rin was a blur of bright blue. However, Thea could see through his exhaustion. The demons were strong, the miasma sickening, and they were both too close to the pit. She could do nothing but stay out of his way, though. Seconds, which seemed like hours passed and Thea was getting nervous - there was just something about the demons' movement... "What are they doing? It looks like they are only dodging. Are they retreating? No… Circling around him… Oh, no! Could it be…" The blonde tried to process the options. "If I call out to him, I might distract him. But what can I do? Dammit, I am a doctor! I do not wear weapons around!" A heavy bag hit the head of one of the monsters, then bounced off right into the pit. "Hey! I am here, you wretches!" Fortunately, she got the attention of all three. "Thea? What…?" the half-demon turned towards her; confusion apparent on his face. "Rin! They are pushing you towards the pit!" she managed to yell.
Rin's eyes widened in recognition and he quickly jumped aside. Or at least tried to - two of the monsters blocked his path, positioning themselves right between him and Thea, while the third one launched at him. In a matter of seconds, he found himself on the ground, his left leg throbbing from the piercing pain. The locust demon somehow managed to pin its front leg right through his ankle and was trying to pull him down the pit. Rin's flames surged all around in a frenzy, and he hacked at the monster with his katana, severing the front leg. "Damn you to hell!" he roared and sent another fire blast straight down the pit, causing the monster to stumble back to where it had come from. The half-demon pulled himself up, desperately trying to scramble away from the rim. A wave of agonizing pain suddenly hit his stomach and he saw something curved and pointy sticking out of his body, then retracting out of it. His vision blurred and he coughed out blood.. His body felt as if it was on fire, excruciating pain throbbing in his stomach, his hands started to twitch in uncontrollable cramps. He tried to lift his body but found himself surprisingly weak to do so. "Rin!" Thea suddenly appeared in front of him and grabbed at his hands and T-shirt in effort to get him out, away from the rim.
For a while, he was completely disoriented, trying to comprehend what exactly was happening. A strong surge of Thea's energy flared around them in an instant, annihilating everything it touched . "So bright… It's like my flames… It's almost the same. Same, but different. But still the same…" was the only thought his slowed-down mind came up with. Then, that peaceful, calming aura of hers enveloped him. "Is she… is she covering me? From them?" his mind seemed numb and his body heavy. "Thea… n-no…" the half-demon uttered. In that moment, he could feel energy returning back to him. It didn't feel the same as the last time - as a strong burst, empowerment - but it brought him out of the slowly approaching unconsciousness. Golden eyes were looking at him with urgency. "Rin, stay awake. Please! You have to stay awake." The girl was leaning above him, the upper part of her body covering his head and chest. The beautiful golden light was purging any locust unlucky enough to be caught in it, while all the others retreated to the walls as far as they could get. Then, it slowly returned back, so it was no longer spread about half a meter around her, but was now outlining her figure, merely a thin line covering her skin. And his. "We can do this. We can…" her eyes were shimmering, switching between the golden and brown colors. Rin turned his head to the side slowly. "Where are the demons?"
OoO
"Any ideas, Konekomaru?" Bon asked, sweat running down his temples from the strain of holding up his barrier. The golden shell around the group was now a lot wider in its perimeter, shielding also several patients the Exwires had managed to transport from the nearby rooms under its protection. Thea had done a great job of sprinkling the holy water over the sick people, but the more time had passed, the less effective this measurement had been. "We gotta do something about the rest of the patients, and quick!" he urged further - the group had to leave some of the patients in their rooms due to the various appliances they had been connected to for life support. "I'm trying, Bon, really, I…" Konekomaru's voice was interrupted as a huge monster approached from the front and started scratching at their barrier, its terrible screeches resonating through the hall. "What in the world is that thing?!" Izumo exclaimed, as she spotted the huge monstrosity. Konekomaru's eyes widened. Never in his life had he seen such a horrible, misfit creature. And never in his life had he been happier for it - he recognized these demons.
"Bon! I've got it! They are from Abaddon's realm!" Bon's jaw dropped in disbelief. "What?! But that would mean… I thought he was on the other side... Abaddon - The Destroyer! The Angel of the Abyss!" Konekomaru inclined his head nervously. "Yes, I know. But the Biblical texts have never been completely united on the fact whether Abaddon was an angel or a demon… Just think about it, Bon - the locusts, and these demons..." he pointed outside "...it's the perfect image of Revelation 9." "Tsk." Bon gritted his teeth. "If that's the case, then the Bottomless Pit should be somewhere around, correct?" Konekomaru gulped at the thought of The Abyss and nodded. "Yes, that's where they must be pouring from." "Then we need to close it somehow, and fast! But Konekomaru, I know of no Fatal verse against one such as him…" His friend with glasses thought furiously. "How did the Revelation go again... 'They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads.' ...Well then, I sure hope it will work!" he turned towards his friends, a plan already forming in his head.
"Shiemi, do you have any pens in that bag? I need something to write with." "Sure, just a moment." nodding briefly, his classmate rushed off to rummage through her bag. He quickly took the offered pen and held her head in place with one hand. "Don't move." he said as he started drawing the Seal of God. Or rather, its simplified version - there was no time to actually draw the whole set of two circles, a pentagram, two heptagons, and one heptagram, and label it with the name of God and his angels. Bon almost dropped the barrier for the second time as he saw what his friend was trying to do. "Don't tell me you remember that one, too! You are a mad genius, you know it? Seriously man..." he shook his head and smirked, completely amazed. "Shiemi, I need to ask you to do something... potentially dangerous." Konekomaru started in an unsure tone when he was done with the seal. "Please, try and leave the barrier - just for a few seconds, stay as close as possible to it." His friend nodded bravely, the look in her eyes resolute. "All right! I am sure your seal will work." she said and stepped outside of the protection field. As soon as she did so, the locusts moved away from the girl, flying every other possible direction, but towards her. "It's working…" she whispered and moved on, towards the huge demon, who had been scratching at the barrier this whole time. Its human head turned towards her, eying her cautiously, then disregarded her presence completely while continuing the attempts to destroy the shield. Konekomaru exhaled and called Shiemi back to the group. "Perfect, thank you! The seal seems to be effective, so here's what we are going to do…"
Shiemi and Izumo ran off to the patient rooms. Or rather, floundered towards it - Shiemi's fungus was so effective that both girls were almost knee-deep in dead insect remains. The stink was overwhelming and the crunching under their feet sickening. "This is the worst mission ever!" Izumo cringed and grimaced at the sight of the locusts' strangely shrunken and twisted bodies covered by the green and gray substance. The two exorcists quickly approached the patients and drew the strange symbol, which Konekomaru had copied down on a piece of paper for them, on their foreheads. "Look! They really are retreating!" Shiemi pointed enthusiastically, as the locusts slowly but surely left the room. "Great, let's move on then. We need to find the others." Izumo urged, tiredness catching up with her. "To think that I had to call off my familiars due to my weakening body... Stupid venom! Stupid locust-scorpion mutants! I will not faint here! Not a chance in hell!"
The group continued on with the task, until they reached the bottomless pit. "The Abyss!" Bon bellowed with disbelief. Konekomaru trembled with fear but tried to remain calm. "So it seems…" The locusts pushed through, towards the ceiling and flew above them. "Look! Over there!" Shiemi suddenly pointed with her finger across the pit. "What is it?" Izumo's brows furrowed in concentration. "I think I saw Rin and Thea. They are on the other side!" "How on Earth did they end up on the other side? The pit is so wide!" Bon got his answer almost instantly - the floor under his feet shimmered and he had to jump back, as the rim fell apart and gave way to the blackness. "It's spreading!" Izumo exclaimed. "Konekomaru, what about the Fatal verse? Is there anything we can do to close it?" The young Exwire pursed his lips. "I… I have no idea…" he gulped. "Whatever shall we do?"
"I believe you all have already done everything in your power, Mr. Miwa. Most remarkable feat, by the way, especially the Seal of God." a sonorous voice of their headmaster answered, and the demon appeared in front of them in a flash of white. "However, closing The Abyss is a feat only a handful of living exorcists can attempt. Starting with the Arc Knights, to be precise." "What?! But that's right under the Paladin! Only four people bear that title!" Bon blurted out, but Mephisto just smirked. "Well, that would meet the definition of 'handful'. No need to beat yourself up over this, you are still in training, after all. Now then, if you excuse me…" he turned on his heel, outstretched his arms and, facing the bottomless pit, started chanting. "What is he saying? I don't understand a word…" Izumo asked, perplexed. "I think… that it might be the demonic language…" Konekomaru stared, his mouth opening and closing, as if trying to process what was happening. "What is going on… The headmaster seldom appears to personally oversee the place of a demonic attack. Then again, he did say that only a handful of people could actually pull this off… Still, the look in his eyes... gave me the creeps." "H-he looks almost… angry…" Shiemi voiced his exact thought.
To say that the Lord of Time was angry would be an underestimation. He was enraged - in his own, cold-hearted, composed way. "To think that that imbecile would go so far as to open The Abyss! I did expect some kind of foolishness from him, but this?!" His thoughts took a sinister direction and he had to consciously concentrate on keeping his barrier in check, lest he wanted to crush his students with its tremendous pressure. "You will return to your realm this instant!" he ordered after he finished the incantation. The disgusting misfit creatures - Abaddon's Apocalypse Riders - looked at him in defiance. "Our masssster commandsss otherwissse." one of them screeched, causing the demon lord's eyes to narrow at the insolence. "And, as the master of your master, I command you to return." he let a portion of his aura through his barrier, allowing his demonic features to manifest. "Sssamael!" one creature hissed in what could be compared to astonishment. "My Lord! Ffforgive usss. We had ordersss." "I have no doubts about that. Now get out of my sight. My mood is not particularly merciful today." he bit off, titling his head. "Offf courssse, we ssshall obey." another one stepped away. "Your Graccce, beware offf the human with ardent light. Ssshe isss dangerousss." the next one seeped and Mephisto narrowed his eyes at the strange warning. "Sshe killsss. Beware!" it retreated slowly back to the Abyss.
The bottomless pit closed, as the last of his kind disappeared to Gehenna, and with them, the rest of the locusts and the nauseating smell of rot and plague. Unfortunately, Mephisto's sensitive nose was graced by another sickening smell. The smell of blood. Her blood. Too much of her blood. He closed the distance between them in a swift time-space shift. Completely unnecessary action, of course, but he had a strong urge to vent his energy, to use it in some way... Rin was crouching on the ground, breathing heavily, his tail twitching nervously. Upon a closer look, the half-demon was pushing at Thea's shoulder, trying to stop it from bleeding. "Mephisto? You are here? Damn you, why so late?! She needs help!" he snapped at the demon, then coughed out some blood. The girl turned her head slowly, resting her beautiful chocolate-brown eyes on the demon. "Sir Pheles…" she exhaled and smiled "... nice to see you."
No matter how relieved Mephisto was to see that beautiful smile, his temper went from enraged to infuriated at the sight of her state; the thought of paying a visit to Gehenna and blowing off some steam was getting more and more tempting. "Mephisto! Quick!" Rin urged. "Rin… it's OK… it's not that serious." she said, trying to calm her breathing. "The Doctors will be here shortly." the demon said and then knelt in front of them. "You can leave her in my care now, little brother. That body of yours needs some rest, as well. Demon locust venom is incredibly potent." The demon lord said without taking his eyes from the girl on the floor. "It's not that bad, she healed the wound somehow." Mephisto rolled his eyes inwardly. "Of course, she did… and used up all of her power on that..." "No, Rin." the blonde started. "Go see the Doctors. I… I cannot heal the venom… yet." she tried to explain, but Mephisto stepped in. "You heard the lady, let the Doctors take a look at it. And while you are at it, be so kind and send some of them over here and to Miss Kamiki. I gather she has been stung, as well." Rin nodded reluctantly and pushed Thea gently towards Mephisto.
"Rin! Thea!" The Exwires came rushing towards their friends, meeting Rin first. "You made it out alive!" "Yeah, thanks to you guys! What did you do? It was so… oh boy…" Rin stopped mid-sentence as a wave of nausea and drowsiness hit him. He put a hand over his mouth. "Yeah, welcome to my world." Izumo grinned a little from her crouching position on the ground, while fighting the same terrible urge to puke. Bon pat her on the back gently. "Just a little longer." "Rin!" Shiemi came running towards her beaten-up friend. "It will be fine; the Doctors are here. And Yuki, too!" she reassured, trying to support him. The Doctors started running through the long floor, checking on the Exwires and the regular patients. "What about Thea? She was right there with you, wasn't she?" Konekomaru asked. "She's over there with Mephisto…" Rin pointed towards the headmaster. "He stayed to keep some pressure on her wound…"
"Easy there." Mephisto slid one hand under Thea's head and pushed with his other hand on the terrible wound on her shoulder, the blood slowly soaking it. She winced a little at that, but then eased. "Honestly, Miss Thea. When looking at the smear of blood on the floor, I can't help but wonder - you could have come up with a less devastating excuse for asking for another dose of blueberry juice." he grinned. "And you could have… shared your secret provider of… disinsectization services with this hospital. Make it deratization and disinfection, too, just in… just in case." she smiled faintly and Mephisto couldn't help but chuckle. "Seems like someone still has enough energy to jest. Good." he thought with relief. Thea turned her face slightly away from him, murmuring. "And regarding the… the blueberry juice - why risk it, when I have already discovered a way that is well worth it…" she finished, her cheeks slightly pink on her pale face, as she remembered their last encounter in the Academy gardens. "Annoying demon, fooling around like that… First he kisses me... or, well, kind of kisses me... whatever that was, then he disappears into the thin air without a word! she thought, the strange 'kiss' she had received from the demon flushing in her mind. Not to mention how completely puzzled and embarrassed she had been about how much she had actually liked it. And how much she wished it to repeat... "Gosh, I am such an idiot - I am laying here, in a puddle of my own blood, and the only thing I can think of is him! Still, it is... really nice to see him again…"
"Miss Thea, …" the demon started, but the blonde's eyes suddenly grew wide, searching. "Sir Pheles, the patients!" "Here we go again… The Doctors are here, Miss Thea. Let them do their work now. The patients will be…" the demon trailed off as he felt the girl's hand on his tie. "No, please listen. Some of them… it might be too late. I can feel their auras. They are too exhausted. They won't make it…" she seemed a little panicked and tried to sit up. "You really are one troublesome little lady. Stay put. There has already been enough foolishness for today." he pinned her with a firm look. His forest-green eyes met her chocolate-brown. A command met a plea. "Dear Lord, she would probably attempt to go and heal them all! You are one oblivious, foolish, little… absolutely enchanting, breathtaking, unique human being..." Mephisto exhaled, closed his eyes in concentration and whispered "Null. Verweile noch."
When he opened them again, his breath caught in his throat. "Miss Thea... what's the matter?" His eyes swiftly searched for any sign of injuries he might have overlooked. Tears rolled down the blonde's cheeks and her uninjured arm suddenly wrapped around his neck while she buried her face into his neck. "Danke, Mephisto. Danke!" she whispered. She didn't really ask him to, she couldn't offer anything in return for their lives. He wasn't in any way obliged to fulfill her wish. And yet, she knew what he did for them. She could feel the patient's auras stabilize. They remained unchanging, frozen in time - until the Doctors would arrive to treat them... Thea clung to the demon, trying to convey her gratitude in, hopefully, not too inconvenient and daring way. She simply couldn't muster the energy for more words. And somewhere deep down in her heart, she felt the huge walls around it fall, as the demon pulled her into embrace, burying his face into her golden locks.
The strange, peaceful moment was suddenly interrupted by one of the Doctors who finally found her way to the far end of the long corridor. Mephisto exhaled, reluctant to let go of the girl, but then he carefully lifted Thea to the litter, adopting his nonchalant demeanor again. "You should know dear, that it was in fact your classmates who saved the patients - the Seal of God proved most effective." he said, stepping away, revealing the group of Exwires. "Thank you so much, you guys." Thea breathed out. "That's just fine. You did great, too - it was a team effort!" Bon grinned, a little pale and exhausted, but certainly in a better condition than poor Izumo, who was now laying on a litter as well. "That's right, we did it. We solved the problem, no more trouble." Konekomaru nodded encouragingly. Thea grimaced strangely at that last remark. "I am afraid that the trouble is not over yet…" "What do you mean?" Shiemi inquired, voicing Mephisto's exact question. Thea covered her embarrassed face with her uninjured hand. "I used my… my bag to distract the demons from Rin. It fell right into that pit, with all my things in it! Oh God, I can see that already - 'Professor Isao, I am sorry, but if you want to check my seminar thesis, go to hell… You know, 'cause that's where I threw it.'" she finished, and a wave of joyful laugh followed...
OoO
"Well, Abaddon? I am listening." Mephisto intertwined his fingers and leaned closer from behind the huge carved desk in his office. The red-haired demon twitched - there was something… particularly unnerving about his 'master's' demeanor that night. "Sire, I only did as you requested." he started in that polite, degrading servant tone, while anger boiled inside of him. "Oh?" the demon lord arched an eyebrow at that statement. "Well, it was a test, of course. The whole group of your Exwires was present, a barrier was erected around the designated training area and medical support was at hand. The challenges presented, in my humble opinion, a balanced variety of targets and fulfilled their purpose." Abaddon reported, his head still slightly bowed. A sniff was his answer. "The only thing you tested were the boundaries of my patience with your borderline actions." The Duke of Abyss looked up and froze at the sinister expression on the face of The Lord of Time.
"Sire, I have no idea…" the duke started, only to be cut off by a chuckle. "Oh, don't belittle yourself, you have a perfect idea." he pinned him with a firm gaze. "Listen carefully, Abaddon, for you are walking on a very thin ice." Mephisto stood up, slowly walking towards the red-haired demon. "You are here, because I found the punishment my brother had in mind for you most wasteful. You got the chance to make yourself useful for a change. Instead, you continued to settle your petty personal grudges." he spoke smoothly, deliberately, putting down his tie and gloves in the process. "The way I see it - had I been but one minute late, they would all have been dead, Seal of God or not." he slowly disrobed his jacket and rolled up the sleeves on his shirt. "That one minute shall be your punishment." he snapped his fingers and a small stopwatch appeared in his hand. "This is not a warning, mind you. You had a warning already. This is… a sample." an evil grin appeared on his face as he pushed the button on the stopwatch and cracked his neck in anticipation, then hurled Abaddon to his personal piece of hell.
OoO
Cries echoed through the vast place Abaddon had been casted to, the bones in his body breaking at the impact of all the punches and tosses he received. The Lord of Time was standing in front of him with a smug, vicious grin on his face. "Now, now, Abaddon, do not make this so boring for me." he chastised, following up with his claws piercing the duke's shoulder. The red-haired demon gritted his teeth in anticipation - he knew that the demon would aim for his left shoulder again, whatever the reason… Another cry escaped his throat as he felt the flesh being ripped apart. "Stop it already! How long has this madness been going on?!" Abaddon found himself on the verge of begging - a thought that would have never crossed his mind. "Not long enough, if you ask me." Mephisto's lips curled into a smile, his fangs flashing. The Duke of Abyss growled - years must have passed by now, about ten if he was not mistaken… However, he didn't even get the time to think about it, for his 'master' launched another attack. He did that sometimes, over the long years - the demon Lord would show up personally to punish his actions, only to leave him to be ripped apart by the Dark Matter again...
Mephisto grinned in satisfaction - he strongly favored the subtle, gentlemanly approach in his fights, however, there were certain occasions, which required a more... direct approach. Not to mention the beautiful, exhilarating feeling of using his raw demon strength from time to time. "Time to prepare something more inventive for my guest…" the Lord of Time thought, as he felt the stopwatch he had left on his office desk click, signaling the tenth second that had just passed in Assiah…
OoO
The Lord of Time and the Duke of Abyss appeared in the huge principal's office in the True Cross Academy at the moment the stopwatch alarm sounded. "Now then…" Mephisto towered above the beaten-up, sixty years older servant "...if you continue to ignore my direct orders and fool around in Assiah, I will personally make sure that the time you will spend awaiting the return of your title and privileges will feel like eternity." he threatened in an ice-cold voice. "Have I expressed myself clear enough?" The red-haired demon gulped, sweat running down his spine. "Perfectly, Sire." "Splendid. You are dismissed." Mephisto grinned and waved the demon off.
OoO
As soon as Abaddon left, Mephisto clasped his hands behind his back. "Gin." he called out and a middle-aged man with short, neatly combed hair, appeared at his side. This nondescript, average-looking man was Sir Faust's secretary. And he was also Mephisto's livelong eyes and ears in Gehenna, his ability to perfectly cloak his presence making him the ideal individual for the kind of job. "You will travel to Abaddon's realm. Follow his Apocalypse Riders and find out the details about today's attack." The secretary nodded. "Is there any specific piece of information you are searching for, Samael?" The demon inclined his head. "Listen for the mentions of 'ardent light'." Gin raised one eyebrow. "Ardent light? I am not familiar with that term." "It is not exactly a term as of yet. However, I have the suspicion that it will soon become one... It is how one of the Riders described the power of one of our students - Althea Heilbrunn."
"Ah, right. That charming blonde lady, is it?" Gin grinned, rubbing his beard, casting meaningful looks at Mephisto. The headmaster shot him an annoyed stare, which earned the Lord of Time another laugh from his supposed servant. "Are you done? As far as I remember, I sent you on a mission." "And I shall obey, my lord." he said almost mockingly, his lips twitching. "Might I add a piece of advice before my departure?" Mephisto sighed. "If you keep it brief, unlike your reports of our board meetings, then by all means." Gin smirked. "And here I thought I did a good job on those. Honestly, Samael… If you are this irritable already, then I suggest you take vacation. Or even better, go pay the lady a visit. That always seems to calm you down. I can't believe I still bother with the calming tea… Speaking of which, I left a serving with some sweets in the guest room. I'll be off now." he said almost enthusiastically, then bowed and disappeared. Mephisto's eye twitched. "I swear that old man's attitude is getting more and more irritating…" The demon was older than Mephisto himself and had taught him a thing or two as well. He was probably the closest thing to a friend, if he was to put it in the human terms. The least he could offer in return for his lifelong servitude and loyalty was the strange companionship they shared. He would also occasionally suffer through his annoying remarks… "Irritable, am I?" he shook his head and then smirked. "Well, I was never known for refusing sound advice…"
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Abaddon paced, locusts flying in circles all around him. He had already gone through the long list of colorful names he had for that poor excuse of a demon who dared to call himself his 'master'. The list of things he had planned for Samael's oh-so-precious humans, however, was far more interesting. "He will pay for all he put me through during those sixty years! He prepared a personal hell for me… Well, I - I will prepare a special kind of hell for his brats." One human in particular needed his extra attention, though. He turned towards one of his Riders. "And? Found anything yet? Speak!" The misfit demon with body of a locust and human face full of sharp teeth bowed even lower. "Massster, I ssswear it on my demon heart. Three offf my vasssalsss have not arisssen. Their esssence isss nowhere to be fffound." Abaddon's mind raced furiously. "So, I was right, after all. There really is something to gain from that filthy wench. Never in my long existence have I heard of such power, though… How is that even possible? For her to actually kill a demon… The mere thought of it is just preposterous! Still, I need to be certain, before I make any move…" the duke eyed his servant. "Continue the search. And Satan's own mercy will be upon you, if you ever speak of this to a soul! Go!" The creature bowed again and scrambled away. "At least some of them remained loyal…" he thought, grimacing at another Rider who had been foolish enough to offer Mephisto a kind warning. Terrible screeches echoed through his makeshift liar in Gehenna, as its wings were being torn apart. They sounded like a sweet melody to his ears, partially calming his internal rage. Usually, he would just release his swarm upon Assiah and reap the energy from the despair and suffering of the Earth itself. That one realm called 'Africa' was one of his favourites. However, ever since Samael became his 'master', Abaddon had been ordered to cease all entertaining activities. The red-haired demon clenched his fists, eyes flickering with crimson color. "Just you wait, Samael! I will bring you down with your own weapon!"
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Disclaimer: Blue Exorcists belongs to Kazue Katō. Please, do not re-post or publish my story without my consent.
Author's note: Hi All! New chapter is out and I am quite pleased with the results :) Hope you will enjoy the reading at least as much as I enjoyed the writing! Just for the record, I had to do some research for this chapter and my oh my, Bible is one scary book :D I could have never even imagined all the creatures described there, but it sure was inspirational. Just google "Abaddon locuts" in pictures, I dare you! :D
P.S. Thank you all for the subscriptions and follows ^^ It makes me really happy to know that you people like it. Feel free to drop a PM or a comment, I am eager to hear your opinion and better myself :)