Smile Empty Soul

Chapter 8

I Call Forth…Chrono.

All at once, the directional winds came to life, soaring through the skies to find Chrono's soul. They combed the world with their breezy fingers, searching in every nook and cranny.

Within seconds, the Western Winds found him and cried out in triumph with its deafening whistles.

Good; now I can really begin.

The other, now powerless Angels watched as Reason unleashed the sphere of Chrono's power that Astral had extracted earlier; but they were rather shocked as he also called forth the Astral Lines.

At Reason's bidding, great waves of aqua power flowed through the walls to greet him in the center of the gold room. He tapped into Knowledge's power at that time, using the Riddles of Old and matching them up with his own answers.

The Key to Knowledge is Reason. If I can unlock the Riddles, then I can use the answers for what I'm about to do…

He combined the answers with the Riddles, unlocking the reward: complete control of the Astral Line.

"Geez," Astral whispered, her eyes as wide as dinner platters. "He's unleashed the Astral Line's full power!"

Not even I can do that!

…Show off…

Her eyes followed Reason's movements as he swirled the energy beside him, spinning it faster and faster. The Astral energy compacted and collapsed in on itself, forming a new creation.

Chrono's original power expanded from the central source of power and transformed using the extra energy. Within time, it began outlining Chrono's form. The wispy swirls wrapped around his shadow, and formed flesh.

Astral, Knowledge, and Time stared on in fascination, knowing that they might never see such sights ever again.

He's recreated Chrono…

…looks just like before…

-every last hair on his head…

-Is the same as he was in the past.

The Astral Lines slinked away from Chrono, its power dimming into soft, aqua flames.

Sharp amber eyes stared back at them.

Yet his eyes were lifeless; soulless.

"…Is he…?" Astral questioned hesitantly.

"No," Reason responded, gasping slightly from exertion. "I haven't called his soul into his body yet; This is the tricky part."

An uncontrollable chill slithered down his spine at that moment. The hair on the nape of his neck stood up, and Chrono shivered.

Why…why did it get so cold suddenly?

His teeth chattered as he turned around, trying to find the answer to his question. The Order's land certainly didn't look cold; the sun was rising, the birds were chirping…

….And yet he felt only the harsh stings of winter.

….What the Hell!

He couldn't stop shivering, nor could he shake the feeling of freezing cold.

And suddenly, it happened.

His surroundings flashed a bright white, nearly blinding the spirit. He staggered backwards out of surprise and covered his face with his arms. Chrono grimaced in pain as the cold flashes gave way to freezing.

What's…going on…?

The cold literally began to freeze him, and Chrono lost his ability to fight against it. An icy glass formed around his skin, and he was frozen in place.

I…I can't…keep my eyes open…

He couldn't fight it; darkness surrounded his mind as a feeling of weightlessness overcame reality.

It was the strangest feeling, really. The spirit, half conscious, felt as if he were flying, which of course he knew wasn't true.

Or at least he thought that way.

Knowledge watched along with Astral and Time as the Archangel finally managed to extract Chrono's wandering soul from the Earth.

A ghost-like spirit drifted from out of the looking glass, its body what looked to be an ice statue.

So, that must be Chrono's soul, Astral thought as she began picking out several of the devil's features. Reason must have frozen him from the inside out in order to transfer him without hurting his soul. Smart.

Reason melted away the magic that encased the soul, taking precautions to keep from melting Chrono himself.

I must finish this soon…I'm losing too much energy…He grimaced subconsciously, although he was determined to finish what he began.

With shaking hands, Reason used the remaining astral energy and forced Chrono's spirit back into his new body, melding the two together.

The once soulless amber eyes suddenly came into their character as Chrono's newly created body tried to adjust, confusion plastered all over his face.

Disoriented, Chrono collapsed to his knees, his arms shaking from the effort to hold himself up.

"W-what the Hell…?" he ground out, wincing at how his body wouldn't coordinate with his brain. He tried to figure out where he was, or what had happened, but he had no such luck.

He gasped heavily and tried to catch his breath, his heart pounding rapidly.

And that's when it hit him; he was breathing…his heart was beating …

His body finally connected with his brain, and instantly, Chrono was bombarded with the overpowering energy levels in the room. He craned his neck and came face to face with an angel. Well, an Archangel really. But he didn't know that…

"Chrono the Sinner," Reason said, slightly out of breath. "An interesting name."

"Never before have I had such a request," he stated, his eyes sparkling with curiosity as he observed Chrono with a critical eye. After all, he had been waiting to meet him for a while. "So tell me, demon, what is it that sets you apart from the ones doomed to Hell?"

Chrono looked from side to side, unsure of how to act.

What in the world?

Yet even without that reassurance, he stood up, his black wings infolding. With a confident and determined voice, he answered the Archangel's question.

"I have someone to protect."

Reason smiled happily, satisfied with the demon's response. "Hello Chrono," he said lightly, "I'm what others call the Archangel of Reason." He laid a hand on Chrono's shoulder.

"Welcome back to the living."

A sonic blast shook the walls, and sent the 16 year old girl flying to the floor. Her head cracked painfully against the hard concrete, and her gun flew out of her hand.

"D-dammit!" she grimaced in pain, finding herself susceptible to another attack. She tried to put her pain behind her though as she reached for her fallen gun, knowing that the demon wasn't just gonna wait to attack once more.

Unfortunately, her gun was just out of her reach.

"Double dammit!" Rosette whispered, fully panicked.

She hadn't wanted to take the mission it was presented to her, really she hadn't wanted to. But she had also realized that she couldn't keep running from reality.

And in plus, Rosette knew Chrono would have wanted her to continue in kicking evil demon ass, and be her old self.

But she found out only too late that she still wasn't ready to do that just yet. Even though it had been almost a month and a half since Chrono's death, she was still distracted while she worked and even tended to daydream over her memories of him.

Much to the annoyance of Sister Kate, by the way.

There was just something within her that wouldn't let Chrono go.

And now that he was gone, the sense of security and confidence she got around him was gone too. And that lacking kept her from doing her best in tight situations.

The shadows around her flickered, and Rosette swiveled her head to track where the demon was, mentally kicking herself.

My God, Rosette! She berated herself. If you can't even kill a 3rd rate, what good are-

The demon tore from his hiding spot behind the tall pillars of the building, revealing its hideous form.

Without even thinking, Rosette kicked her training in and lunged for her gun, never minding the pain that raced up her spine.

Her fingertips barely brushed the cold metal when a large force ripped the breath from her body, and slammed her into the wall.

The demon, practically three times her size, wrapped his claws around Rosette's body and squeezed, drawing a slight stream of blood from her side.

Rosette gasped in pain and struggled to get loose, but she knew, deep down, that it was a lost cause.

She gasped out, feeling as if her lungs couldn't get enough oxygen. Tears stung her eyes as she wished for her companion to come and get her out of there, like he sometimes did.

Please, Chrono…Help me, just this once!

Without any weapons…I'm useless…

"Heh, you fool!" the demon snarled, digging his claws a little deeper. "No one in this world will save you from me." His bright red eyes glowed with psychotic madness and lust as his sharp and dragon like features were revealed in the little light there was.

Rosette know she was trapped as he raised his claws.

I guess…this is it…She snapped her eyes shut in anticipation for the fatal blow she knew would come.

I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die, I'm gonna-

"Rosette!"

A panicked, thunderous voice shook the very foundation of the abandoned warehouse, startling both her and the demon.

She knew that voice.

That sounded so much like him…

Rosette hesitantly cracked open her eyes, curiosity overwhelming. Even the demon had hesitated in killing her to see what was going on.

Her jaw dropped.

At the far end of the building, bright Astral lines swirled like wind. And within that energy, was Chrono.

"Oh my God…" Rosette breathed, the world and time around her completely stopping. She couldn't look away.

Bright white flames of power burned around Chrono's fully transformed body and swirled throughout the darkness around them as Rosette noticed the horns proudly sported on both sides of his head. His claws and bone whip were raised in an attack position.

And he looked mad.

"Get the Hell away from her, you bastard!" Chrono shouted, his amber eyes flashing with anger. He flew across the length of the room within a matter of seconds, intent on protecting Rosette.

The demon dropped the nun and she crumpled to the floor like a rag doll as the dragon took a step backwards in uncertainty.

"What the H-"

He never stood a chance.

In an instant, Chrono tackled him to the cement floor and drove his bone whip through his opponent's chest. An agonized scream emitted from the dragon, and he retaliated, their claws clashing savagely. Rosette watched frozen in her spot as Chrono and the other demon became a fast moving blur.

And then, the next thing she knew, Chrono stood above the demon on the ground with its gnarled horns in his hands.

The demon she was supposed to have killed screamed in pain only once, and then turned to dust.

At that point, Rosette's mind was in overdrive, jumbled by all the questions that were longing to be screamed out. She could just barely grasp her surroundings as it was. She couldn't breathe, her sides hurt like Hell, and…

…And Chrono was standing in front of her…

Disclaimer: No, still don't own Chrono...

Hey, everyone! Thank you so much for your support with this story; 41 reviews! That's amazing!

I'm sorry I took forever to update, but I've been really busy...Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter, and please review, for reviews keep me inspired!

Holographic Shadow