Bell Cranel
17:00
Once again, I was dripping with blood, this time it wasn't mine. So glad to have that sorted out.
"Hey, umm," A shaky voice called out. "you doing alright? What am I even saying! Of course you aren't, fully drenched in blood that may or may not even be yours. Ha~.The name's Yoshino Harusawa, that's the least I could give you for saving my sorry ass." She self-deprecatingly said.
She was… weird to say the least. Not once during the encounter did she cower in fear, nor did she ever speak in a tone that would express cowardice. It was all done in a manner that could only be described as suicidal, as if she planned her own violent and grizzly suicide attempt.
"Mine is Bell Cranel, nice to meet you. You wouldn't be the Haru would you? I mean, the hair, the dress, it all matches up, all except for your situation stuck in this hell hole. Makes me wonder, what trapped you here in the first place?" Returning from my thinking pose, I found her eyes squinting before turning up to look at the sky. "Sorry, I didn't seem to realize the question was too personal."
"No, no, it's alright. I would too if I were in your shoes. Really, these circumstances do look very suspicious from an outside perspective." She commented, chuckling at my antics. "And maybe? The name is pretty common, but if you're referring to the vocalist for 'D-Va', then you have who you're looking for."
"Frankly, I would ask for an autograph, but it would give the impression that we are able to at the current moment. Anyways, why did these things go after you? Or better yet how did they gather this many to begin with?"
"I have no clue." She admitted. "They just popped out of nowhere I guess. Though, they did mention something about my singing. None of their reasons made even a lick of sense, sacrificing me to their 'lord', or whatever weird dreamland fantasy tainting their thoughts."
"Interesting." I spoke attentively. "From what I was able to gather on my end, they appear to be right about one thing, your voice alone can attract demons." The look on her face didn't change, as if she already knew of this earlier. Maybe she even knew of this whole mess before everything had occurred. "The power of song truly is wonderful, especially yours. Occasionally, I lay down and listen to them on my mp3. Sadly, it won't be like that for a while. Not with the lockdown keeping us all in the Yamanote Circle like this."
"Nice to see a fan of my work, but it looks to be getting late, and I'd rather not have the same thing happened again." Haru turned, nearly raising her hand to say goodbye until a thought ran through her head. "Hey, you have anywhere to stay in? Like a house or maybe an apartment close by?"
Bitterly laughing at my predicament, I replied. "No, it wouldn't seem like it. No relatives here either, so it's just me on my lonesome along with a few of my demons." Pointing towards the fairy behind me, she emoted a look of acknowledgment then affixed her vision back to me.
"You can stay with me if you'd like. It's the best I can do for the person who saved me and it beats sleeping in some dump where they are likely to find you." She suggested, sending me into a whirl of emotions.
Guilt, because I was basically planning to sacrifice her to a goddess. And shock, because she's inviting a person she barely knows to stay over at her place. I weighed out my options, deciding it was best to stay with her for today at least. My COMP's battery could only last me so long, so keeping Napaea up for an entire night was out of the question unless I charged it.
"Are you sure? I did save you and all, but are you certain about this?"
"I'm sure my caretaker wouldn't mind. Besides, it would be rude of me to deny you of help you could potentially need. And if Gin kicked you out, it would be cruel of him to leave you out in the pouring rain." Haru responded.
Unsummoning my only demon, I closed my tired COMP and trailed behind her. Taking time to relax in the calm atmosphere of the dead streets. Chatting every now and then to distract myself from the blood staining my clothes.
…
17:24
Standing in front of a bar, I wondered if I was going to become the next victim in a crime drama. Opening the door, we were treated to the scene of an older man setting a drink for himself, alone in the venue with nothing but his thoughts to accompany himself until we arrived.
"Welcome back, Haru. It'll be turning dark soon. But I can't open the bar today, and you just did that concert a bit ago. You should head to be earl-" Before he finished, he turned to notice the addition of my presence, staring at me with weary eyes as Yoshino tried to clear up the misunderstanding.
"This kid helped me out just a little while ago. We can let him crash here for a night or two, right?"
"I guess, but he better not dirty up the bar, you hear? Take him to one of the bathrooms for now, there might not be running water, but he should at least get some of the red stuff off him, enough so people won't assume the worst of him." The man tasked with me standing awkwardly in the middle of it.
"Got it, boss." She answered with a faux salute. Then, she took my hand and pulled me towards the back, going through a few corridors and ending up where I needed to be. "Here we go. There should be a few wet napkins near the tissue dispenser. You should be able to fix yourself, right? Or do you need a little assistance on my end to finish the job?"
"Yes actually. There are spots on my body where I can't fully reach, so it would be of great help if you could help me in those areas." I spoke shamelessly.
I had an idea. It might have been cruel, ruthless, or perhaps all of the above. But it just might work. Izanami never did explain how I should have summoned her, so most of this is littered with guess work on my part. Laying down my sheathed weapon in the sink, I pulled out my COMP again, and opened the auction app, seeing as it could, in practice, be used to communicate with demons in a sense. And with the only thing that cost Macca being the trial, it would only be logical that the mere chance to contact others would be cheap, right?
Not the case, there was a service fee if they inhabited a realm deeper than the common demon world. It was very costly, deducting 50% of my earnings. In the end, I simply kept chanting assuring words in my heart, hoping that it would be worth it. Calling upon said demon, the visage of a beautiful raven-haired goddess appeared before me, smirking with an air of elegance exuding from her.
"Nicely done, Bell. You may now relax, your work here is done, and I appreciate the effort you put into summoning me, particularly when it only took you a few hours to do so." Izanami thanked as her 'spirit' escaped from the device, then dived into the floor beneath Haru, inscribing it with what could only be described as a summoning circle.
"Uh-oh. Looks like trusting you wasn't really the best idea after all." She gulped nervously, trying to step away, but soon found a barrier trapping her where she stood. "It was fun while it lasted, thank you for accompanying me all the way here. I really hope we don't meet again in another life."
A flash of light swiftly blinded my eyes. That was the end of the singer, Haru… technically. In her stead, was a woman of similar figure, same clothes, same style of hair. Immediately, one of the first things I noticed was the difference in tattoos. Yoshina had a deep red flower style on her right shoulder. Now, it was replaced with intricate glowing lines that fully encompassed her body, almost as if it were alive in some way. Her hair also differed, where once was red, now stood pitch black, her eyes shifting to an ominous shade of crimson, taking over the green.
You could say, she switched souls.
"You really thought she was going to die, weren't you? Well, rest assured, the process was a success. However, there were a few hiccups. See, a reincarnation takes the consent of both beings to allow. Usually, the consciousness is far too young to make any decision, therefore, it simply happens without their knowledge. Problems arise when the vessel is fully developed. It's more like a tug-o-war between the two unless an agreement is secured, a contract if you would." The relocated goddess explained, letting out a few grunts as she got more used to her new body.
"Right, so you're putting her through torture for the chance to regain control over her body again?" I inquired, grabbing a napkin to clean myself with.
"No actually. This girl was very accepting of the situation in fact, even allowing access to the finer details if need be." She added, her tone filled with equal parts concern and disbelief. "Of course, I still let her have some control over her life, even if she tried to lessen it somehow. Having an emotionless doll would no doubt prove very "troublesome, more so with how weak human vessels tend to be early on."
"Can you sustain yourself like that?" I posed another question. "I mean, you were summoned with the use of my COMP, and by the look of things, the batteries will eventually run out of juice, and I'll no longer be able to run the system."
My words were quickly answered by a short stream of electricity, which seems to have super-changed the device weirdly enough. No big scary explosion at all. Direct lightning… but how? "Fufu~. I'm not so ignorant in the ways of technology, you know? It would be one thing to spend my time sulking, but to not use my spare time would practically be a waste. For a nigh-innumerable number of lifetimes, the amount of souls that passed through my realm was immense, a gold mine of information. Some profound in the arts and sciences, others, not so much."
Huh, soul reading's a thing. What did I expect? Still, that does solve the major power problem I had. Which means I can rest easy for a while, steadily gaining power, enough to best the other Bels. Also, enough time to find the person selling 'Devil's Fuge'.
For now, it would be most optimal if I were to rest. Prepare myself in both body and mind for the upcoming trial to face me.
Just as I end that though, the darkness in her eyes fade away, returning them to their previous luster. Letting out a sharp gasp, a shocked expression adorning her face. "That was… an experience to be had. Having another being invade your body forcefully then sit you down for a contract was sure an experience I didn't know I'd have to endure up until now."
I let out a soft chuckle, meeting her gaze with mine. "I don't think anyone would think that. From the way you said it at least, it sounds more lie talking to your boss if anything. But I'm amazed at how well you're taking this. Especially with the whole thing earlier. I do apologize for that by the way."
"Anyways, just because we're on speaking terms, doesn't mean I fully trust you yet though. I did have my doubts, and your actions with and without context still reinforce that image, only slightly peeling back the curtain enough to maybe justify your actions, with time." She finished, walking out of the room.
That was better than I expected.
'Indeed, it was. Your anti-social nature is truly shining at this moment. Things could have gone terribly wrong at multiple moments. It was mostly due to both luck and cooperation of the people around you that everything turned out fine.'
Something I can fix another time perhaps, my clothes are still stained with demon blood, and with the time I wasted, it has only gotten worse… Wait a minute! Where's my backpack!?
'You left it at the hospital in your rush.'
Noooo!
…
After taking some time cleaning myself up, I soon left the bathroom, a bit sad at the loss, but nothing totally major. All it had was some food so it wasn't like I was losing an arm or a leg this time. Strolling into the main bar area, I found both Haru and the older man who I assumed to be Gin talking over a few topics as I passed by them taking the next unoccupied chair.
"Hey," Gin called me over. "I don't know what happened, but from what Haru says she owes you. And with the lockdown and all that, I can't do much by ways of hospitality… nevertheless make yourself at home. Things can only get better from here."
"Certainly beats sleeping outside. I'm Bell, by the way. Bell Cranel. Just your everyday high schooler who thought going to summer school was better than spending time with his friends." I introduced myself, making light of my situation.
"Then the name's Eiji Kimiya, though, everyone calls me Gin. I'm the owner of this bar and this girl's wrangler when she gets in trouble." He said, playfully patting Yoshino's head as she tried to pry the hand off.
"Wrangler?" I exclaimed. "Sounds more like keeping a pet than living with a human."
"It does seem like that, doesn't it?" He commented, wiping his hands on a towel and preparing another drink. "There was another woman who used to live here, Aya. Haru stumbled in here one day, looking for her. At that moment, she looked more like a stray cat than anything else. We took her in and the rest is history." His gaze turned solemn, staring down at the glass before serving it to me. "Enough about me, let's talk more about you. We barely know anything, so it's only best, right?"
Taking a sip of the beverage, my eyes widen at the taste. Impressive. "Nothing much to say really. As I said, I'm just your average high schooler who happened to be at the wrong place, at the wrong time. Nothing more to it. Well, besides being surprisingly good at killing the demons roaming around."
"Is that so… And how did you accomplish that with no weapons?"
Consuming a large portion of my drink, I answered his question, pulling out my sheathed dagger. "Doesn't look like much, however, this thing can cut through those things as if they were tofu. That's actually how I helped her earlier." The atmosphere seemed to have lightened with my words, though I can necessarily tell. "If someone didn't come to help her, she would have been eaten by those things, or worse."
The air turned thick with concern, as he turned to the singer, who continued sipping on her glass-like nothing happened. "What? Oh right, those things. Everything would have gone alright, if it weren't for the batteries on my harmonizer running dry, I should have gotten that charger while it was on sale, it really would have become a lifesaver." Haru jested, laughing at her own joke.
Gin, for the most part, let out a sigh, seemingly tired from the other's antics, but the thought of it being not her fault stuck to the back of his mind. "As long as everything's alright, we can rest easy. The problem arises when it continues to happen."
"Sad truth of the matter is, it will." I interjected. "She's far too important for potential factions to drop her. Hell, I even met one of them just six hours prior." As the words spouted from my mouth, the air in the room became colder, not in a literal sense. "Whatever happens in the coming days… it's not pretty. Today alone, I myself had several near run-ins with death, what more with the less fortunate? Things are changing, and they're changing fast."
"Damn, and here I was worried about my business when the whole city, maybe even the world could be in danger." The older man mumbled. "It really begs the question. How do you know all of this? Based on what you said, it was only now that you entered the 'secret society'," He aired quotations. "were you a part of the organization beforehand, or have you been lying straight to our face just so you could capture Haru?"
"Astute observation!" I complimented. "No, actually. Simply acquired a power beyond human comprehension. Though, it has begun to feel like a curse recently. Anyway, could you give me another glass of this stuff? It's pretty great."
The fruity drink did taste good. Citrus marries well with the sweetness, like a sweet orange sunset kissing your skin with its warmth. Exactly what I needed to calm my nerves. Sadly, I don't think they had enough in stock, with Gin notifying me of its exclusivity.
Thankfully, the rest of the night wasn't as eventful, with less serious topics being had, and tensions loosened to the point where I could properly breathe without the air choking me. It was all jolly until we had to rest. By then, we had our bellies filled, a healthy amount of social interaction, and I unwinded enough to prepare for the long and frankly tiring night ahead of me.
…
Taking the room furthest away from anyone, I watched as Izanami prepared the silencing charms, slapping paper seals on each corner of the room to fully trap the noise. Bringing a chair to the corner, I furrowed my eyes seeing the event in front of me. She came here to watch. Why?
"Entertainment. The last human to do this was sucked down to the bone, literally. If anything, my job here is to supervise the happenings that occur, in case healing magic is required of me." She explained, a subtle blush encroaching her face while she does so.
Izanami
Race: Human/Megami
Weaknesses: Fire
Resistances: Almighty (1/16)
Block: Ice
Reflect: Curse
Specialty: Ma, Ag
Active Skills: Thunder God's Reign (Locked), Antichthon (Locked), Seal of Yomi (Locked)
Passive Skills: Life Aid (Locked), Reflect Ice (Locked), Anti-All (Locked)
Race Skill: Affection
"Riiight, and I'm a human-sized mouse."
"No, you seem more akin to an elephant in a circus, dancing for the weird entertainment of others."
"I get it, I get it. No need to repeat yourself" Waving her off, I summon Napaea to me, observing as she stumbled scanned the room with her eyes, eventually landing on me before wrapping her arms around my neck.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" She whispered into my ear. "I know you can never have enough power and allies, but shouldn't you take a break for a moment? We can do this at another time, more prepared and relaxed. You've done enough for today."
Knots formed in my heart, a grimace eclipsing my face. A tough decision ahead of me. To follow the desire of power, or to follow my veritable conscience. Both were valid choices, and neither was wrong to choose. Plus, preparations have already been set, it would be a waste to leave them be.
Giggling from her chair, Izanami looked amused by our interaction. "There's no harm in not following through with your plans, white rabbit. It doesn't bother me in the slightest. After all, you did free me from my prison. Do as you wish, whether it be to fornicate, deluding yourselves in lust, or sleep in the comforts of one another, in which case, I would leave."
Taking the to process her words, I stared at the gaming device at my fingertips then towards the colorful lady by my side. Whatever it might have been, I knew I had their support in the matter, but could I really do it? To venture deeper in the depths of greed, or hold closely the pieces of humanity left in my heart?
Metaphors aside, this was somewhat like a turning point with the way that it was presented. To choose one meant to lose out on the other forever. What came from a very casual joke, turned into something very serious. I would ask how, but with the constant barrage of events unfolding, it only made sense. Coming to a conclusion was tough, but it had to be done, for the sake of my survival.
"I'm sorry, Napaea, but I just can't. Even with her support, there are still powers that have yet to be accounted for, add on more support will at least place a band-aid on our problems while we focus on getting stronger." I spoke with a stoic expression my face. "We already had this conversation once before, and I still stand by what I said."
"I guess there's no way of penetrating that thick iron wall, is there? Fine, fine, have it your way. This is the path you have chosen to follow, and I will respect that by seeing it through till the end. So, Bell. Are you ready to face the toughest challenge so far?"
Nodding along, I opened my COMP, summoning Lilim into the human world. She was a winged woman of light brown complexion, black hair that reached up to her shoulders, and grey eyes. She wore very little, wearing some sort of shirt jacket which had a rather large segment cut out, exposing the better part of her body, and even a portion of her chest. Lower down were a pair of short shorts, short enough to picture her the full length of her thighs.
"Hmm~. A husband and wife? Let me guess, the other's too lackluster in bed? Or perhaps things have gotten too boring?" She queried with an air of allure surrounding her.
Looking around her, she soon noticed the goddess sitting off to the side, a hand supporting her head. The lustful demon's eyes widen at the sight before averting her eyes, placing them back on us. "T-two C-consorts, I see that now. I apologize for my insolence, I shall perform to the best of my abilities. Now, shall we~?"
Taking the first steps forward, the nymph clung to my arm like glue, but carefully let go after some time. Once I was in range, a pink mist enveloped my senses, clouding my vision as I took the loosely clothed lady's hand.
Pulling me in, the clothes on my person suddenly vanished, as her silver lips met with mine, her tongue lapping with my own. Both of us were vying for dominance, wrestling for control. My inexperience soon adapted with some time, and the gap between us closed ever so slightly.
From behind, came Napaea, whose fingers found themselves teasing the other's chest, taking advantage of her dexterity. A gentle breeze blew through, leaving my naked body cold and seeking heat.
In that instant, a warm set of digits found themselves on my member, sheathing the tip for a moment then moving onto the shaft. It felt pleasant, especially when her movements inside my mouth were becoming more sporadic, forceful, having mapped nearly every inch inside.
Not wanting to lose, I pushed back, moving forward to assist in her defeat. Laying my hands on her most sacred place, I unceremoniously undo her belt, diving in and methodically rubbing the outer rim. Now, there was surely no way she would survive. Three separate attacks all happening at once, with her only outlet being my lower area, her hands secreting a lubricant of sorts, making them glide with more ease.
A few grunts left my throat as we continued our silent exchange, a backup plan forming at the corner of my mind while I did so. Enacting said plan was easier said than done, we were on the cold hard floor, but luckily there was a couch just a few feet away, which, I've fittingly named the sex couch for reasons.
Lifting Lilim off the floor, a sharp "Eep!" left her mouth, seeing as we were still continuing our tongue battle. Disengaging for a moment, I dropped her like a sack of bricks, letting out a few breaths to recover before diving back in for more.
"A little rough don't you think? Well, I wouldn't want to leave a man such as yourself unsatisfied, so be as rough as you like." She encouraged, taking off her white top to fully reveal her breasts, two rock-hard points standing proud at the center of them. "You like them? They're certainly not the biggest, but they're satisfactory nonetheless. Do as you please."
Obliging, I placed a thumb on each one. Firmly pressing down, then fiddling with it like a thumbstick, tracing the nubs and getting a good grip on her body. Napaea, who didn't want to be left out, moved to the base of the couch, taking comfort in the crook of Lilim's neck, kissing and sucking over the area.
However, things quickly grew boring. There was only so much enjoyment with playing an imaginary video game before you lose interest. Staring at the other scene happening in front of me, an idea popped into my head. "Napaea, get on here and lay down." Doing as she was told, the nymph complied without any complaint, taking position while I directed the other. "You, get on top facing me and start sucking."
With both in their respective places, the spawn of Lilith, bend down, extending her tongue out to the base of my shaft, dragging it under its full length. It was agonizingly slow, almost like she was begging me to do something about it or "suffer" the consequence.
Reaching for her cheek, I simply rubbed it gently, a grin raising from the edge of my lips, manipulating hers to match my own, though lopsided. Her eyes widened at my actions, her expectations subverted for a moment, those thoughts were swiftly squashed when I pulled her head up, matching hers with the bulbous head.
With the sudden development, she continued her job enthusiastically, taking it into her mouth with nothing more than the sounds of her work filling the room. On the complete other side, our dear fairy took to the night demon's lower bits, the sounds of her activities reverberating through all three of us. The grunts of effort, the wanton moans of pleasure, and sounds of eager sucking, all playing like a symphony, feeding into one another for the other's enjoyment.
Reeling my head back, a longer groan left my throat. Though my lust was practically non-existent at points, the physical stimulation was still there, and it came with a vengeance.
The way Lilim masterfully weaved her tongue around my tool was awe-inspiring. The webs of saliva building up only served to smooth things out, adding another layer of intensity to her craft. That noise echoed in the small room, spreading infectious enjoyment like a disease. And I soon fell for it, leaving the first climax of the night mine, quickly followed up by Lilim, whose mind overloaded at the taste of my essence.
It spurted like a geyser, releasing in bursts and exploding inside her mouth. Spunk leaked from the corner of her mouth as it quickly grew too much to contain, an impressive display of human anatomy all things considered.
Taking a long breather, I exhaled a sigh of relief, a wave of tiredness draining me of my strength. Peeking at my partner, she seemed worse for wear than me. Eyes feverish, hungry even, eyeing me like a perfectly cooked steak-
Immediately, she got off of Napaea, leaving the girl confused as to what was happening. And in an instant, she lined herself up with my shaft, brushing the gate to her entrance enticingly before impaling herself through the mighty spear. It was without warning, like a flash of lightning in a storm, and the thunder came in the form of her lustful shrieks and moans, filling every corner of this small room.
There was no fanfare, no extra foreplay, not even a rest period, it went straight in without resistance, her inner flesh clinging to my cock with the grip strength of a vice and the heat of a furnace. It was slippery, concerningly so, as if someone slathered a layer of lubricant on the surface. The way it slip in and out, the sweet clapping of my pelvis meeting with hers. It all meshed one and the same in my head, losing myself to her charms.
All, until I snapped back to reality. Returning to the sight of three girls with their behinds facing me. With a finger in two of the cunts, and my member inside the middle one, which seems to have been Izanami, based on the actively glowing tattoos writhing on her body with each successive thrust.
Feeling another release on the horizon, I pull out of the others and grab her by the hips, pounding further and further until I bust into her womb. My body grew tired, and I collapsed on top of her. Wait a second. When did I get here? Why am I screwing a black-haired version of Haru?
[A/N: Apologies for the sequence break, I just wanted to say that I'll release an extended version of this once I get over the mental drought that comes with writing more than 1k words of smut, relax and be patient]
Naoya
*click click click*
It was once again back to the computer scene for Naoya. Hours have past and the anomaly seems to have been doing a lot of work, killing demons and strolling the streets with a certain singer.
*click click click*
Things couldn't get much worse for him. In all his years, he never expected for any of this to happen.
*click click click*
But finally, he reached a breakthrough.
*click*
Even if he were to get a chance to figure out the meaning of life, death, the universe, it all didn't matter, as what was in front of him fixated his attention fully.
There, right there. The final line of code he was looking for. A sequence of events which took hours of trial and error, finally in the palm of his hands, was a fixed version of Laplace.
You see, there are limits to what the human mind can do. No matter how many reincarnations, repeats, redos someone takes, they will never beat a machine in pure processing power. Yes, the potential for humanity was infinite, but technology was the next logical stepping stone for evolution. And this was the first step.
*enter*
In that instance, all of humanity's actions, whether it be past, present, or future, were known by this machine. An infinite number of possibilities waiting to be explored, each one calculating the probability of success. Naoya stared with bated breath, guzzling another bottle of water and watching the numbers go by on-screen.
Compiled were three separate routes for humans. Each differing greatly, but in all of them, he only saw his brother appear in one of them, a side character supporting His grand scheme. A seething rage built up inside of him as he typed his keyboard once more, searching for a timeline where it was possible for him to win.
[Loading/Search results could not be found/ Restarting process/]
The lines once again repeated, his entire life had built up to this, and whether he though it was useful to keep it would be decided by whatever came out.
*BANG*
The door crashed out, revealing the cheery god of mischief. "Oh Naoyaaa~. You wouldn't believe what I just found earlier today~." He called in a sing-song tone.
"What is it now, Loki? Another cicada fly into your drink? Or perhaps you'll bring another girl with you this time? Is it Dom again?" Naoya quipped.
"'Even better~! I found the boy you were looking for!"
"And you didn't kill him?"
"Of course not, running in without a plan would be detrimental, even for someone like me." Loki replied with a tinge of pride in his voice. "I merely probed his strength, sending in more than a few demons from my army as sacrifice, including the almighty Pendragon. Too bad the boy wielded Excalibur, or else the dragon would have won for sure."
"Is that so…" Typing in a few more words, he finally got what he was looking for, a moment of weakness to exploit against a seemingly invincible opponent. "I'll need you to kill this girl, and make sure to take her soul, don't want the goddess of death to return her soul like she did for the boy."
"Cause the boy to grow over-confident and snip him when he reaches his peak. I like your style, Cain. This exactly why we're the bestest of friends." The suited man complimented, closing the door behind him.
"Hm, yes, whatever helps you sleep at night. We'll have our next opportunity in two days. Do as you wish until then, but do not interfere with his progress, it will sour my plans faster than you switch sides."