Chapter Twenty-Eight - The Sorrow in Truth

*Clang!* Sh-ting!* *Ptch-shwoo!* *Fwawf-ting!* *Blam!*

Irina slowly stirred in bed, her eyelids screwing tighter together as she attempted to hold firmly onto the reins of her once-blissful sleep. Unfortunately, her pitiful attempts were ultimately useless, as with a groan, Irina slowly opened her eyes.

Mumbling incoherent nothings, she glanced across the room to her desk, where a digital clock sat, the time marked as 5:38 am. That was nearly a whole hour and a half before they had to get up on a day like today.

Swinging her legs off the side of her bed, Irina slowly stood up, taking a second to regain the sensation of balance in her legs, before stuffing her feet in a pair of fuzzy slippers that sat by the door, and exiting her room.

Truthfully, her curiosity had bested her attempts to fall back asleep. Now, she just had to know what was causing that noise. The halls of the dormitory were practically silent, only occasionally would a muffled sound echo down their deserted, barely-lit halls. Following the cacophony of noise, Irina eventually made her way to the doors of the training hall.

As the door creaked open, and Irina slipped inside, she was met with a sight that left her gaping.

Traditionally, in their old team from around nine months ago, everyone fit a certain role, Xenovia and Ezekiel were typically the power houses of the group, Jafar and Vin acted as defense, Vanessa was a scout or 'assassin' type fighter, and that left Ethan and herself as the speedy fighters in their group.

So imagine Irina's surprise when she saw Ezekiel swooping, hacking, slashing around training dummies like an explosive rocket.

Each movement Ezekiel made was punctuated by a sharp blast of purple energy which sent him catapulting across the arena. Each swing of his blade met their targets, as he never stopped moving once. It was awe-inspiring, like a fireworks show made into a maelstrom of violence, yet upon further inspection, there was an undeniable grace to it all. No wasted movements, no senseless anarchy. This was controlled, refined.

Eventually, a low blast sent Ezekiel skidding across the floor in a neat slide, away from the dummies. His back to the targets, he spun the Judgement Sabre in his right hand, and right and the end of his little flourish, sheathed the weapon into an apparatus attached to his left arm.

It was a device that Irina hadn't seen before. She knew that Ezekiel had gotten a new combat prosthetic to go along with his more traditional one, but this was her first time ever witnessing such a device. It was a sleek piece that affixed to the stump of his forearm, the design reminiscent of a classic arm-cannon that Irina remembered from the videogames of her childhood. And attached to the side of the arm cannon was a sheath to house the Judgement Sabre, which ran up the length of Ezekiel's arm.

As she gawked at the invention, she failed to realize that Ezekiel had finally taken notice of her.

"Greetings, Irina. I apologize, have I awoken you?"

"You kinda did," Irina rubbed the last of her sleep from her eyes, "What are you doing up so early?"

"Training," Ezekiel stated matter-of-factly, "I've been working to get used to using Falchiden in combat."

"Falchiden?" Irina echoed in confusion.

"Ah, I meant my new arm."

"Oh~"

"Yes, it's been an adjustment to get used to, but I believe that this new device will be the key to allowing for the two of us to grow even stronger."

"I could tell," Irina nodded, "Zeke, you were moving like a whole other person!"

The chuunibyou nodded, staring down at his prosthetic, "Indeed. Sinclair and I had to become very creative to unravel the hidden complexities of Falchiden. So that we could illuminate a path towards greater success."

"Zeke," Irina yawned, " I love you, but it's too early in the morning, can you please just… give it to me straight?"

Face suddenly bright red, he stammered, "Well, uh, I… We took the stuff that seemed bad, and we used them to do something we couldn't do before."

"Oh, really?" Irina perked up, tilting her head in confusion, "What can you do with it, huh?"

Without a word, Ezekiel lifted his left arm, pointing the prosthetic behind him. The barrel of the cannon crackled with purple energy, before…

*BOOM!*

Ezekiel staggered back as a massive blast of energy fired out the cannon at incredible speeds, impacting a training dummy hard enough that the thing was sent rocketing into the side of the far wall. A sizable crater left in its wake.

Irina stared in stunned silence, before slowly turning to face Ezekiel, her eyes sparkling like jewels as a wide smile went across her face.

"That… was… awesome!" Irina cheered, "You have an arm cannon?! That's so cool!"

"Thank you," Ezekiel smiled sheepishly, "The only issue with using it like this is the sizable degree of recoil. However, Sinclair and I found a solution: fire the blasts at the ground, and use the recoil to propel ourselves through the air at far greater speeds than my body ever hoped to achieve before."

"Well props to you, Zeke! I never would have thought of something like that," Irina dusted off her pajamas, "You know what? How about I go change, grab a bite to eat, and then… maybe we could do some training together?"

Ezekiel paused for a moment before smiling, "I'd love for that."

"Great!" Irina smiled, spinning on her heel towards the door, "I'll be back in a bit."

As the twin tailed Exorcist danced out of the room, Ezekiel's eyes continued to follow her. Even after the door to the training hall clicked shut, the boy's amethyst irises continued to remain locked on the door.

A beat passed, before the chuunibyou looked down at his Judgement Sabre, sheathed within Falchiden.

"Yes, I know I… fancy her, you do not have to mock me for it!" Ezekiel paused, as if to listen to his sword, his face growing red, "D-Do not tease me! I am allowed to like who I like! Grrr… Let us resume some basic drills while we await her arrival."


"Alrighty, Zeke! Are you ready?" Irina called, once more clad in her usual exorcist battle uniform, a sleek, steel sabre clutched in her hands.

"Whenever you are, Irina," Ezekiel nodded, dropping into a loose stance, sword still sheathed within Falchiden, "En garde!"

Smiling, the girl leapt forward, blade at the ready, "Then here we go!"

Irina thrust the weapon forward, looking to land a decisive blow right off the bat, however, Ezekiel was more than prepared, as he brought up Falchiden, and in a shower of sparks, parried the blade off course.

In a stylish pirouette, Irina brought her blade back around, before pivoting onto the offensive, laying strike after strike onto Ezekiel; who simply kept a cool head, backing up with each step that Irina took, his left arm flying back and forth to deflect any blow that came his way.

Finally, Ezekiel found his opening, a single strike that was more open than the others. Snapping up with a wide kick, Ezekiel forced Irina to handspring backwards, and as soon as the girl came bolting for him again, he assumed a new stance.

Feet drawn wide and sturdy, left arm bent down like Falchiden was a simple belt-sheath, hand hovering a ways away from the blade, open and ready to grab at any moment. A textbook Iaijutsu stance…

Irina's blade began to fall towards Ezekiel, before…

*BLAM-SHHHHIIIINNNGGG!*

The Judgement Sabre shot out of its sheath like a bullet, and perfectly into Ezekiel's grip. Using the momentum, Ezekiel delivered a hyper-sonic parry to Irina's attack, sending the sword spinning out of her hand.

But that wasn't all - as the chuunibyou spun around, his back facing Irina, all while spinning his sword into a reverse-grip, and sneaking the sword around his back; resulting in the tip of the Judgement Sabre's flaming purple blade hovering a few inches from Irina's throat.

After a second of tense silence, the two relaxed, Ezekiel's sword falling harmlessly to his side.

"Mou~" Irina pouted, "You got lucky that time."

"Luck has little to do with combat encounters such as this, Irina."

Irina turned around to face Ezekiel while she walked towards her sword, "You got lucky because I'm using this random thing. Mimic is still in for repairs, so if I had that, our roles would be reversed."

"Yes, Mimic would indubitably pose a greater challenge, with its amorphous nature and all. It's a fearsome weapon to fight against, especially in your hands."

"Flattery will get you nowhere," Irina teased, as she bent down, picking back up her blade, "Now, round two. On three, alright?"

Ezekiel nodded, a smile stretching across his face, "Of course."


"Thank you, once again for coming all this way, Lord Michael. It's an honor to be graced by your presence once more."

Raising his hand to gently placate the portly man in front of him, Michael smiled, "There's no need to grovel, Mr. Harcreutz. It's always a pleasure seeing you and the others again."

As Michael looked around the underground hangar, a familiar figure drew his attention, "Speaking of the others… Griselda, it's great to see you again."

"Thank you Lord Michael," Griselda nodded, "Now if I may be so bold, although I do hold your visits in the highest regard, why exactly have you elected to arrive now. I believe the mission to retrieve the stolen Excaliburs was a success."

The subtle ice that clung to Griselda's final words caused Michael to… well, not quite wince, but at the very least, look a bit remorseful.

"Come, I believe it may be best to walk and talk, Griselda," Michael signaled. With a moment of pause, Griselda silently followed, the two leaving the hangar, and walking down the brightly-lit subterranean halls.

"So Lord Michael, you've yet to answer the question: why are you here?"

Michael sighed, "In the last week, heaven has received… an invitation from Azazel of all people."

"The Governor General?" Griselda raised a brow, "That's unexpected."

Michael nodded, "Yes, indeed. It was an invitation to a peace summit, of all things. Over in Kuoh."

"Wait, I thought that Heaven-"

"Was already in discussions over a peace treaty with the other factions?" Michael supplied, "Yes, yes we were. It seems that Azazel has elected to try and push it forward. The underworld is already apparently in support of this choice, meaning that we have little choice but to oblige as well."

"Wouldn't that cause issues?" Griselda asked, "Having a peace treaty on such short notice sounds like a recipe for disaster."

"It's not too much of an issue, actually," Michael shrugged, "The logistics and paperwork was already filled out in advance. All we would have to do is adjust the dates and whatnot; something Heaven is already in the process of doing. No, the issue revolves around attendance."

"What of it?"

"Well, I, of course, am the one who is going to attend. However, there is a need for bodyguards to accompany me, for numerous reasons…"

"Why not simply gather some angels to accompany you then?"

Michael hummed, "It's not as simple as that. You see, each faction will be bringing some of the most prominent members of their youth to act as bodyguards and spectators for the event. Basically a way to show the promising future of their faction."

Michael reached an elevator, opening it, he directed Griselda inside, for tapping a button, and heading up the long incline.

"And the youth that the fallen and devils wish to bring are nothing if not promising. It has been confirmed reputedly that the current wielders of the Heavenly Dragons will be in attendance on either side."

Despite her years of experience making her a hardened exorcist, Griselda couldn't help the shiver that went down her spine, "T-The Heavenly Dragons?"

The elevator shook to a stop, as the doors folded open with a chime. The two walked along the hallway, a viewing hall with it's left wall acting as a massive window to look down at the training hall below.

Griselda and Michael looked down at the two teenagers sparring below. Ezekiel blasting around at incredible speed, all the while, Irina, who had just come off recovery from a mission, and was down a weapon, somehow managed to keep up. The two going blow-for-blow with each other in a flashy duel.

"And if we're discussing promising youth for the church… I couldn't think of two people more suited for the task than these two," Michael smiled softly, his eyes never leaving the teen's spar. His green eyes reflected the light of the blasts below.

"However, it is impossible for an event of this magnitude to go on without discussion of father's status…" Michael spoke softly, "I'll need to tell them the truth. After that, it'll be up to them if they want to undergo this duty. I don't intend to force them into this one, after all."

"..."

Michael looked over at Griselda, puzzled, "You don't have anything to say?"

Griselda shook her head, "No… No, I don't. I'm a follower, not a leader. So while I may have reservations… You are the one who ultimately makes this decision."

The exorcist turned around, and began to walk down the hall towards one of the exits, only for Michael's voice to stop her.

Michael looked on at her sincerely, "Thank you, Griselda."

Griselda stared back, "You have nothing to thank me for, I didn't do anything."


The door to the training hall clicked open right as Ezekiel and Irina split apart from their most recent spar. They were on round… what? Round eight? Round ten?

Regardless, both were out of breath, sweaty, and yet, at the same time, so refreshed. Like for those brief moments crossing blades, there were no other issues in the world. It had an oddly euphoric quality to it, Ezekiel found.

But by the time the two looked over to the door, and found none other than an Archangel watching them with a smile on his face, the teens quickly scrambled to bow before him.

"L-Lord Michael!" Irina squeaked, "I-It's an honor to see you once again."

Michael chuckled, all with that fond little smile on his face, "The pleasures all mine, at ease you two."

Something about that smile always rubbed Ezekiel the wrong way, and now more than ever, it irked him. Nipping at the corners of his psyche incessantly.

"Ah, Lord Michael, I humbly apologize!" Irina begged, "I didn't wish for you to see me in such a state…"

"It's very alright," Michael reassured, "You look fine, Irina."

While Irina cupped her cheeks with her palms silently muttering 'Michael-sama knows my name', Ezekiel instead simply stared down the archangel, his eyes drawing narrow.

"Why have you come here, Lord Michael?"

"Ah yes, you see, I've come with a request," Michael addressed, "Heaven has been invited to a Peace Summit hosted in Kuoh. I would like to bring some bodyguards with me, and after discussion with Griselda, we came to the conclusion that you two were the best candidates."

"Why not recruit people with more experience for such a cause?" Ezekiel asked, "Frankly, the logic seems rather idiotic."

"Zeke!" Irina hissed, slapping him on the shoulder, "He didn't mean what he said, Lord Michael, I'm sure it-"

Irina's voice fell silent the moment Michael's hand came up to silence her.

"It's alright, Irina. Ezekiel is free to speak his mind," Michael turned to face the one-armed chuunibyou, "You'd be most correct. I certainly don't need bodyguards. However, there is a certain precedent set by the devils and fallen that seems to indicate that there shall be a sizable number of prominent youth from each faction present at the summit. Including, most notably, the Red and White Dragon Emperors."

"Wait, Issei?!"

"Ah, yes, reports of your mission did say you had a prior connection to Ddraig's current host…" Michael hummed, "Well, then that would certainly be a net positive for accepting this mission. After all, you'd be able to meet significantly more… pleasant circumstances."

"Also, while we're on the topic of Ddraig…" Michael added, "I believe that I may have some sort of gift for Issei. Just as a little means to curry favor, make sure we're all getting on amicably. After all, relationships between angels and devils have always been the most strained."

With a wave of his hand, a golden ray of light overtook one of Michael's hands, the golden particles coalescing and eventually disappearing, an ornate sword taking their place. The hilt like a dragon's talons, a blade of brilliant craftsmanship.

The sight of the weapon was breath-taking. Irina stood, gazing at the golden blade in awe.

And yet as Zeke gazed at the blade, all he could feel was dread. Pure, unfiltered dread. Every fiber of his being itched and screamed at him to evacuate, to run as far as he could from the sword.

It's entire aura reeked of something vile to him. A sharp contrast to the majesty of the sword's aesthetics, it's energy was like the sharp blade of a grim reaper, promising nothing but pain and death.

"Woah…" Irina gawked at the blade, "What is this? It's so pretty."

"This, dear Irina," Michael chuckled, "Is Ascalon. A special sword that was wielded by Saint George. My plan was to provide it to Issei as a gift, since I believe it could prove useful to him later down the line. Beautiful, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it really is…" Irina agreed, "Hey Zeke, you've been really quiet, I thought you liked seeing swords like this?"

Irina turned around, only to widen her eyes as she saw the cold sweat that was covering Ezekiel's face.

"Zeke, oh my god, are you alright?!" Irina quickly darted over to his side, "You look like you've seen a ghost or something!"

Michael stared at Ezekiel, following the teen's gaze, which was locked to the blade that rested in his hand. Giving a nearly silent hum, and the most subtle twitch of the brow, Michael cast the sword back into it's magical pocket dimension.

"Alright, then. How about it?" Michael asked, "Would you two like to become my bodyguards for this event?"

"Yes! Yes, I'll do it, I'll do it Lord Michael!" Irina cheered.

Meanwhile, Ezekiel gazed between Irina's excited face, and the careful, calculated concentration on the Archangel's, before eventually sighing.

"Very well. I suppose I shall act as your bodyguard."

Michael smiled, "Thank you, thank you both."

Raising his hand out of his robes, Michael snapped his fingers, as the training arena was covered by a shimmering golden dome. Almost immediately, Ezekiel brought his hand down to Falchiden, his hand gripping the hilt of the Judgement Sabre.

"Calm yourself, Ezekiel," Michael directed, "I simply cast a barrier to prevent anyone from hearing us."

"And why would you need to do that?"

Michael let out a sigh, one that seemed to sap the strength from the Archangel's shoulders. The angel rubbed a hand over his face, as if to clear his stress.

"L-Lord Michael?" Irina asked hesitantly, off put by the sudden shift in the Archangel's demeanor.

At least, Michael spoke, his voice quieter, rawer than ever before, "...What I tell you two cannot leave this space. I'm only letting you know about this because it will undoubtedly surface in conversation during the peace summit itself."

"W-What do you mean, Lord Michael?" Irina asked.

"During the Great War… it wasn't only the original Maou who met their end."

Ezekiel's breath caught in the back of his throat. The implications of the statement were… more than troubling.

A gasp drew his attention to his partner. Irina stood there, her entire body shaking, her eyes wide, brimming with tears that slowly spilt down her face.

"...No…" Irina muttered, as she stepped towards Michael, "No, no, no, you have to be lying… Don't lie to me, God wouldn't want you to lie…"

Even as Irina grabbed a fistfuls of the front of Michael's robe, he did nothing to stop her.

Looking up to his face, Irina's voice began to choke up with tears, "Please, Lord Michael… Please, tell me you're lying. You can't… He can't…"

Michael's tone came out even, but no less vulnerable, as if the archangel was on the verge of tears himself, "I'm sorry Irina… But I saw it with my own eyes. God is dead."

Losing the strength in her legs, Irina ungracefully fell to her knees, her hands returning to clutch the Archangel's robe tightly, as her face tilted to the ground, "...N-N-No… I… No.. I…"

With the last of her strength, Irina got herself back up to her feet, before turning on her heels, and speed walking out of the hall.

"Irina…" Ezekiel raised his one hand out for Irina, watching as the door slammed shut as the girl ran away, choking on tears.

"I apologize for bringing such heartbreak," Michael said, "Like I said earlier, this topic would have surfaced at the summit regardless, and while it may seem cruel… I consider this the much more desirable alternative to having this happen at the summit itself."

Ezekiel found himself split at that statement. On one hand, the sheer audacity of the Archangel angered Ezekiel beyond belief, and the fact that the man drove Irina to run away in tears certainly didn't help that fact. Ezekiel wanted nothing more than to curse out the faction leader in front of him…

Yet, at the same time, the pragmatic part of Ezekiel's brain could easily rationalize Michael's choice, and even more so, agree with him. In the end, he didn't have to like it, but ultimately, the chuunibyou agreed that this was the best outcome that could have happened.

"Spare your apologies," Ezekiel sighed, "Is there anything else that we need to know, Lord Michael?"

The angel shook his head, "No, I shall leave any of the spare details to Griselda. I thank you for your understanding about all of this, Ezekiel. I must prepare to return to Heaven, God's system has remained, and allows for all of your prayers and exorcisms to function, it requires upkeep on a rather regular basis. Now, I need to leave. Have a wonderful day, Ezekiel, and may God be with you."

As Michael turned around, and walked out of the training hall, Ezekiel could only bitterly sheath the Judgement Sabre, "God be with me? How tragically ironic…"


Ezekiel could tell from the hics and sobs that muffled through the door that Irina was still battling her emotions within her room. The one-handed swordsman would never consider himself very adequate at comforting people: that was usually a role that fell to Jafar, but in lieu of that, the duty fell to him.

So, after fifteen or so minutes of careful deliberation in the training hall, Ezekiel summoned up the will to at least try. He wasn't sure if he could make her feel better, but Ezekiel knew he would never forgive himself if he didn't at least try.

Rapping his good hand on the door, Ezekiel listened closely as the sobbing quieted down. Taking in a deep breath, Ezekiel closed his eyes and opened his mouth.

"Irina? Can you hear me?"

"Z-Zeke..?" Irina's choked words came through the door, "...I'm sorry, I want.. I need to be alone…"

The boy laid his back against the door, "You don't have to open the door. You don't even have to reply, I just want you to listen, okay?"

"..."

At Irina's silence, Ezekiel sucked in a breath, "I understand that our newest revelation has left you very upset; and you have every right to be upset. I… I know what it's like to grieve. I was once in that same position, believing my life could never be the same. All of the sudden, everything was uprooted in an instant."

Ezekiel continued, "I knew that no matter what I did, where I went, nothing would ever quite go back to being the same. But at the same time… You cannot let the grief consume you. You can grieve, you can cry, I'm not here to direct you through your own emotions. But at the same time, you have to live in spite of it."

"You know how I worked through it? I lived. I lived in spite of my grief… No, it's more accurate to say that I lived because I knew, as long as I did, a little piece of my mother still lived… It's the same, no? God is dead, but they're not gone, they still live, in that little spark that's touched our souls, our spirits."

Ezekiel rested his right hand over his heart, feeling the warm thump of his palpitations against his palm, "You have a choice now, Irina. You've become aware of an undeniable truth, yet you still have the option to either let that little piece of God, that lasting legacy carry on in you, or dwell in despair and let it truly die out."

The sounds of footsteps approaching the door caught Ezekiel off guard, especially as the door swung inward, causing the teenager to fall over onto his back. Looking up, he saw a teary-eyed Irina staring down at him.

"..."

"..."

The two basked in the awkward silence for a moment, before the absurdity of the situation was too much for Irina to bear, as she snickered, before cracking up.

"Thanks Zeke," Irina knelt down, wrapping Ezekiel in a hug, "I needed to hear that."

"We all do, I am glad that I was capable of providing those words."

"In that case, I guess we have to get ready, huh?" Irina shrugged, "For crying out loud, I was just there… But hey, on the bright-side, I get to see Issei again, so that's something to look forward to."

"Not just Issei," Ezekiel chimed in, "This new mission places us in a very unique position. We get a chance to find our former teammates."

Irina's gaze turned noticeably more clouded, as she stared off to the side, eyes locking with the cross affixed to the wall.

"Teammates, right…"


Two Days Later

The cacophony of screeching metal as the bullet train slowed into the station rocked Ezekiel awake from his standing slumber. The glove-clad fingers of his prosthetic gripped tightly to the handle of the traincar, while his right hand remained clenched around a large suitcase, which contained Falchiden.

Sitting on the seat across from him, Irina smiled, "Wakey, wakey, sleepyhead!"

"My apologies," Ezekiel groaned - a faint, but nonetheless noticeable slur in his words "I wasn't nearly as prepared to deal with time zones than I had initially expected."

"It's fine, Zeke," Irina stood up, stretching out the tension from her back, "That layover was a pain, and with all the late-night boarding's, yeah, I expected you to be tired. Still, c'mon! We're finally here!"

Stepping out of the train car and onto the platform, Ezekiel tailed Irina sluggishly as they made their way through the gates, and eventually emerged out into the main plaza before them.

"Here we are, Zeke," Irina announced, "Kuoh Town…"

"Yes, it seems wonderful," Ezekiel commented, his eyes squinting as a harsh ray of sunlight shifted into his eyes.

"So Michael isn't meeting up with us until two days from now. So we have some time to actually do some stuff! Well, first things first… We should get to the hotel."

"Right, of course," Ezekiel replied, "Lead the way."

The next little while was like a blur for the chuunibyou. Travelling across multiple streets, through crowds of people. He cursed himself for his inability to keep himself truly cognisant. But alas, his fatigue wouldn't allow it, so he settled for keeping his eyes glued on the back of Irina's head, and following her.

He had no idea how long it was before they got into the front lobby of the hotel. Irina had easily gone up to the concierge and began to talk to the employee in fluent Japanese as Ezekiel tried to keep himself balanced.

He really shouldn't have been like this… Sure, unexpected delays and late-night flights resulted in a… Okay, a very large lack of sleep, but he should have at least most of his wits about him.

Ezekiel forced his eyes to refocus when he felt something be shoved into his right hand. Looking down, Ezekiel saw that it was a simple white keycard, printed with the number and floor of his room, along with the logo for the hotel chain they were staying in.

Eyes travelling up further, he met the concerned gaze of his beautiful twin-tailed partner, "Zeke, are you sure you're alright? You haven't gotten any sleep in nearly… God, in nearly twenty-three hours! I told you that I could have stayed up and watched out for the plane during our layover!"

"I'm fine, Irina," Ezekiel comforted, "If I had slept instead of you, you'd be feeling the exact same way, and it's more important that you are awake properly, since you're the one who can actually speak the language here."

"Alright," Irina conceded, "But you need to get some sleep, seriously."

"Yeah~" Ezekiel yawned, "I need to get adjusted to this time zone though… I'll go and grab a coffee after we drop off our things… That should keep me awake until nightfall."

"Good plan," Irina nodded, before turning around, reaching down to pick up not only her own suitcase, but Ezekiel's as well, leaving the chuuni with only his briefcase to carry.

"Irina, I can carry that," Ezekiel whined.

Irina sighed, "Zeke, don't worry about it; I'm strong, I can carry another suitcase. Plus, you look like a stray breeze will knock you over."

"I resent that," Ezekiel grumbled, as he began to follow Irina down a hallway towards an elevator, "It would take at least a maelstrom to send me to my feet…"

As his eyelids grew heavier and heavier, Ezekiel closed his eyes to blink, holding them there for only a moment, enough time to properly rest his eyelids.

Unfortunately, that was enough time for him to accidentally collide with someone.

With a grunt, Ezekiel fell down to the floor, his eyes quickly shooting open as the small jolt of adrenaline shot through his nervous system. Quickly, he took in the details before him, he seemed to have walked into an older, taller gentleman, a man wearing a crisp suit, their head of long crimson hair a shock to his senses. Unfortunately, his swimming vision couldn't quite help him make note of any finer details.

"My apologies, are you alright?" The man asked, his voice smooth to the ears, like velvet.

"I'm quite alright, although the apologies are all mine," Ezekiel bowed his head, "I was the one who walked into you, I'm so incredibly sorry."

"It's alright, honest mistakes happen," The man reassured, reaching down to grab two sets of keycards that fell to the ground in the impact, humming, the man turned to his companion, a silver-haired woman who stood close to the man's flank, "Darling, which room were we staying in, again?"

"Room 2365," The woman replied with no a beat of hesitation.

"Of course, of course," The man repeated, getting to his feet, dusting himself off, before offering a hand to Ezekiel, which the chuunibyou gratefully took.

"Now, I believe that this may be yours?" The man placed the other keycard in Ezekiel's hand.

"Ah- Yes, thank you, sir," Ezekiel bowed again, as the man smiled.

"You're welcome," The man smiled, turning his gaze to who Ezekiel assumed was his spouse, "Now darling, shall we continue to head out? School's already started, and the admission time for parents and family is coming up."

As the two began to walk away, the last thing Ezekiel could hear was a final remark from the grey-haired woman, "Of course, I've already taken the liberty of charging the video camera."

Irina rushed up to his side, "Zeke, are you alright?"

"Yes, yes, a simple mistake, was all," Ezekiel reassured, "All the more reason for me to get some caffeine in my system."

"Right, you should go do that," Irina replied, "You have your phone and wallet on you?"

The boy nodded, "Of course."

"Great. Pass me your key, and I'll drop your stuff off in your room for you. You just go with your briefcase, and get a coffee, there should be cafes nearby."

Ezekiel turned on his feet, taking a quick glance over his shoulder, "Thank you, Irina."

"You're welcome. Just be sure to be back soon, and make sure to call me if you get lost, okay?"

As the teen gave a final nod, he turned his gaze back to the exit up the hall, and began to take off, lumbering with the grace of a tipsy man as he lumbered out the hotel's doors.

The city streets of Kuoh were bustling, crowds passing each and every way. Combined with the damned rays of sunlight that seemed to strike his eyes no matter what way he was facing, leaving him with a killer headache; Ezekiel quickly found himself overwhelmed.

He began to take off in a direction. He didn't quite know which one. He just kept his right hand gripped tightly around Falchiden's briefcase, and kept walking.

After five minutes, he was sure he just needed to walk one way.

By ten minutes, he determined that he must have taken a wrong turn somewhere. Did he turn left on the street back? Or was it two? Was it even a turn at all?

By fifteen minutes, Ezekiel couldn't even tell where he was going anymore. Every direction bled into the next; he felt like he was walking in circles, and worst of all, even if he was walking in circles, he couldn't find his way back to the hotel.

Ezekiel was well and truly lost.

He was on foreign soil, in a place where he couldn't speak the language, all the while, his brain felt like a melting soup of unintelligible, sleepy-nonsense.

Yet amidst the crowds of people on the street, the sounds of cars, the clapping of shoes on the pavement, or the singing of cicadas in the early-summer air, there was one noise that ran through it all, jolting Ezekiel's senses alive for the briefest of moments.

"...Ezekiel?"

Gazing over, the one-handed swordsman saw another teenage boy standing a little ways away from him. Tall build, long brown hair tied back in a ponytail, emerald eyes that twinkled and shimmered in recognition. Ezekiel stared at the male before him, his brain trying to make sense of it all, yet that timbre of his voice, and his appearance… Even despite the fact that they were dressed differently than Ezekiel had expected… It was him.

"...Vin?..."


Hey everyone, so glad to be writing for you all again! Between university and just general stuff that's been difficult with this arc and it's planning, this chapter has taken a bit longer to come out. But at long last, it's here!

This chapter was one I felt really needed to be done for a variety of reasons. One of which was the fact that I felt we needed a good amount of development for both Ezekiel and Irina, especially since, as you probably guessed by now (I really hope you did), those two are going to be playing a role in this arc.

Another reason I felt like this chapter was needed is because it allows me to actually adapt a scene that was only ever implied to have happened offscreen in canon. You might recall that I did this a while back, where I showed what happened with the implied events of Kokabiel breaking into the Vatican to steal the Excalibur's, and now, we have a proper scene about how Irina learned about God's death. As an aside, I want to make this very clear, Irina has not gotten over God's death, she's just moved on from a phase where she's not bawling her eyes out over it. When it's brought up (like in canon at the summit), she'll still be noticeably downtrodden and sad. I just wanted to make that clear, so that no one thinks I'm writing Irina out of character or anything.

Also, yes, Ezekiel has a new weapon, Falchiden. It was implied to exist when Irina got picked up at the airport by Ezekiel, but finally, we see it in action! It's a magic arm-cannon with a sheath attached to the side for the Judgement Sabre. If you all were sharp enough, you may have even picked up that yes, Ezekiel can use the magic blasts to fire the Judgement Sabre out of the sheath, full-on embracing the Jetstream Sam influence there. I thought including that was too cool to pass up. If you were wondering what Falchiden stood for… Well, in true chuunibyou fashion, it's a horrific, bastardized mix of German words, roughly equating to 'False Draw'.

There are a lot of hints at things to come in this chapter, ones that are far beyond what this arc alone. I'd like to see if you picked up on any of them. I always like to hear the theories you all come up with…

So yes, next chapter, there'll be a lot that happens, since we finally got a reunion between Vin and Ezekiel! It's like the family is a little bit back together, no? There's a lot to be excited about in the next chapter.

Please, if you enjoyed what I read, and really want to show your support in any way, leave a favorite and/or follow on this story; and be sure to share your thoughts, feelings, theories and more with me by leaving a review! I really, really appreciate them, and I make sure to read through every single one.

Plus, leaving a review that you've clearly put thought and effort into does incredible things for my motivation in general… So, if you want to try and have any influence over how fast these come out… I won't ever purposefully restrict chapters, but leaving reviews and whatnot does have the effect of getting me pretty motivated to continue working just that little bit more sometimes.

Anyway, that's enough said by me, I hope that you all have a great day, and until next time… Rock on!