Bell Cranel

11:30 AM

Ah crap.

I'm still nowhere I need to in order to face this beast. At best, my attacks deal paper cut damage. At worst, nothing.

Hell, even common run of the mill demons will have me pinned to the ground and wailing as they each take turns nibbling bits of my flesh off.

'Power isn't everything. For as long as your wit stays sharp, there is no other weapon that can match yours.'

Easy for you to say. What point is there to outsmarting your opponent when they can wipe you off the face of the earth in less than a second.

Letting out a "sigh" my conscious, explained further, all while the enemy morphed into a shape using the fire. 'You can buy yourself some time. Use everything to your advantage, even if it comes at the cost of losing something great. It is better to live and try again than to die and get nothing in return.'

I tried to refute his words, but nothing came out. Damn, he's right.

Dashing backwards, I pulled my COMP out, and with a spark of electricity, summoned Napaea. "Hel-. What the fuck is that! Master! Please, please don't tell me we're fighting that abomination!"

"Sadly, that is the case. Now focus on dodging and wait for my command." I barked out, running to the better lit portion of the room to seek an escape.

"Running away? Instead of facing me head on, you choose to run away like a coward!?" An angered booming voice rumbled, shaking the very foundation that I stood on.

"Because I refuse to be your next meal. And there's no way I'm dying this early into the competition!" I shot back, shuffling through the reverse side of the room with only a candle showing the light.

That's it, a window to the outside! "Sorry madam, but it seems we'll have to cut our meeting short. Thank you, goodbye, and go fuck yourself" Turning back, I returned the favor in a far more mocking tone. But by the time I had it half-way open, a different voice called out to me. One that was far more calm and commanding, in the same vain that a person of higher authority or even how a king would dictate commands out to his subjects.

"Stop! Need not be afraid, human Bel. I know these circumstances may not be ideal, but I can assure you of your safety if you just listen to me" Is that?

"Oh, really now? What makes you think I trust so easily that I would simply let my guard down at a few words. For all I know, you could just be lying straight to my face, as any Bel worth their salt would, you guys are demons, right?" I retorted, fully pushing open my escape route.

"Hm, hm." Napaea hummed supportively, drawing back towards my position.

"Because," In a mere breath's time, holy light suffocated the room with its luminescence, blinding all of the occupants in its rays. "humans normally don't take too kindly to nuclear blast, no? So, stand down, and listen to what I have to say."

She… she didn't just say what I think so did, right?

'No, no. You're far too young for your ears to even start malfunctioning.'

"Really forcing my hand here, aren't you? Fine. It's not like I have a choice in the matter anyway." Relenting, I unsummoned my demon (to her protest), and surrendered.

Pulling out a chair from nowhere, she gestured for me to sit, which I complied with relatively quickly. And putting up one for her own, this conversation looked to be more civilized compared to earlier. "Very well, now that we have calmed down, let me introduce myself. I am the angel Remial, a servant of Enoch. I would like to discuss the method on how to exterminate the demon known as Jezebel, but it would seem that you are too weak as of the moment, having only consumed but a fraction of the original Bel's power. Therefore, I see it in both of our best interest that you seek the other competitors that have yet to wake."

"Both? If only I am able to use this power, then wouldn't that benefit only me? How does that help you in the slightest? Besides the obvious of course." I quarried, testing the waters to see what sense of morality they teeter in.

The priestess nodded, taking a moment to think of a response. "Right. Though, it would bridge some sort of an alliance between us, would it not? Better to help the messiah than to build His antithesis."

"Still too early to determine that, but it doesn't hurt to be unprepared. Besides, what's the worst that could happen."

"Death in eternal hellfire and freezing cold… Or the perpetually warm pillow if the lord wishes to punish the slothful." What wicked life would you have to lead to be selected for that punishment?

"Before this conversation devolves into a series of anecdotes, I would like to continue with the very limited time at my disposal. First is Beldr the immortal, his appearance will come in two day and two and a half hours' time. Be wary as his fall will only come at the hand of devil's fuge, better known as mistletoe. Find a handful and your victory will be guaranteed." She explained with an expressionless tone.

"And where do I get this? You seem fully confident that people haven't thrown out their Christmas decorations by now."

"Fortunately, there exists a merchant with such a product. That is as much as I can tell you, knowledge on this individual is scarce due to the frequent supply raids that the followers of Beldr perform to ensure nobody has a hand in his defeat. You could potentially use your newfound ability to prophesize to locate this man before any of the cultists find him." A revelation would seem to turn its head today.

"So, you're saying I wasn't high on drugs?"

"Indeed you were not. You can ask you nymph friend to verify this information, but we would be going too far off topic as we are right now. So for your survival, it would be best if we continued with the next Bel, Belial." Like that, mountain suddenly sprouted on my growing list of concerns.

"Belial? Like Ars Goetia Belial? As in Lucifer's Belial? You can't be serious, right?"

The expression on her face failed to shift either significant or minute manners. Drat. There hasn't even been a given time frame and here I am quite frankly quivering in my boots. But whatever comes out of her mouth, I just knew that it wasn't a response my ears would be pleased to hear about.

"Correct." Crap baskets. "Though worry not. For allies will inevitably flock towards he who hold the key in changing the world, that I can guarantee is ever-constant. These friends will help you in battle, supporting you through your journey and eventually integrating themselves in your army as high-ranking leaders ready to lay down their lives for the sake of your goals." She consoled, still using the deadpan voice.

"I suppose that tid-bit helps. Then… how long do I have until he shows up? Or do a certain number of prerequisites need to be accomplished before I can do so?"

Nodding back, my headache was only reassured of its trouble. "The girl of song, someone capable of controlling demons with the primal common tongue. Find her in time, and you can perform the ritual and summon his demon army. Doing battle with him will cause the rest of the other competitors to rise, during which, you will only have until the end of the seven-day period to slay the rest of them."

If things could not get any heavier, now, it was as if the weight of the world rested on my shoulders. How do heroes do these types of things? Bravery? Confidence in their strength? Sheer cowardice in the fact that certain annihilation only awaits them otherwise?

"I know this task may seem daunting-"

"Of course it is!" I cracked under the newly mounted pressure. "I had these powers for barely even a few hours and I'm already being thrust into a mega battle with demons, gods, and whatever eldritch being lays in the basement. And now you're telling me that not only do I have to fight them in a set amount of time, but that length only comes out to less than a week? It's like teaching a 5 th grader basic physics and telling him to build the next rocket ship. Hell, maybe I should try to evict the demon dwelling in me instead, at least then I could live a life of peace and quiet while someone else takes on this grueling mantle!"

Once again our eyes met, mine seething with frustration and stress, and hers: calm, emotionless, uncaring. She may be a simple messenger, but I'd be lying if I didn't want to punch her straight in the face. The urge growing steady, fist eagerly shaking, and skills activating.

Today was not my day. And now wasn't the time for that. Settling a battle with these Shomonkai folk seems too much like a hassle than its worth. An army of demon tamers, versus a skinny teenager, wouldn't be too hard to see who'd come out on top.

Letting a sigh escape my breath, I tiredly slumped my shoulders, standing up from my chair and walking towards the window. "You aren't worth it. Let's just hope out next meeting won't be as rocky. I need to clear my head for a while…"

Amane

I guess that interaction wasn't up to your standard?

'Of course, it wasn't. My lord's image will forever be ruined in that boy's eyes. Perhaps showing sympathy would mend the growing rift between the human, but I can't see that with either of our manners of speech.'

'Humans are unpredictable, but why did the foreign Bel have to pick a teenager out of all the available vessels? A fondness towards that age bracket? Whatever it may be, we have to recruit him to our cause, no matter what. Amane, you have been granted permission to do whatever you see fit to make the boy join while I steadily continue fixing the seal on Jezebel.'

Yes, his holiness. I shall accomplish this task with the utmost diligence.

'You are dismissed.'

… Turning to one of the library shelves, I pull out a book from within, then another from the previous one. Inside was a small booklet, something I had always kept with me out of curiosity, but only kept as a remembrance. "Emotes 101: how to characterize manga characters"

[A/N: Law/Amane fans please don't crucify me, I want to see her feel something too, just not in this fic… or maybe? Idk.

If you find anything wrong, then please tell me. I'll try to fix any problem to the best of my ability. Oh right, after this, I'll continue writing my ds 3 fic since that hasn't been updated in forever. So yay for that I guess?]