At the Byrne residence, Aine had just begun the preparations for a full course meal.

"Isn't that a bit overkill for just the two of us?" Kalawarner questioned. "Weren't the kids headed out to a restaurant?"

"Oh Kalawarner, you don't honestly believe I bought that, do you?" Aine chuckled.

Kalawarner suddenly went very quiet.

"I'm not mad." Aine put forward. "If anything I'm happy they trust you enough to keep their secrets."

"How did you figure it out?" Kalawarner asked.

"Please, I can read my family like an open book. That includes you too, Kalawarner." Aine bragged. "That and with the way you were talking about your old team the other night, it wasn't hard to put two and two together."

"And you're not worried about your kids taking them on?" Kalawarner questioned.

"Not at all." Aine assured. "If it was just Brandon or Azalea on their own I'd be quite concerned, but together they can take on anything."


I had no idea where I was in relation to the church, and no idea what direction I was headed in. I was starting to think it was a bad idea separating, but I promptly shut that thought down. No Azalea, if you hadn't found Dohnaseek and Mittelt, two people would be dead right now.

I continued forward, hoping I was going the right way. Suddenly I heard a rustle, and something jumped in front of me.

It was that lost child from the other day.

I could barely make a noise before they jabbed me in the solar plexus with an extended pinky finger, completely knocking the wind out of me.

I coughed and gasped, trying to catch my breath as they just stood there, waiting. I could've sworn I felt a rippling sensation flow through my wings.

"What was that for?!" I managed to hack out.

"That was for free." They matter-of-factly put.

"I don't have time for games, I need to find my brother." I strode past them, having fully caught my breath.

"But the church is the other way." The Lost Child said, stepping out from a tree in front of me. I wasn't even going to question it at that point.

"You know where the church is?" I asked. "Can you show me?"

"Of course." The Lost Child said. "Right this way, Yuriel."

"My name's Azalea."

"Sorry, just a little inside joke, it works better in writing." I didn't get it, but I didn't press on.

The Lost Child began walking back and to the right of the direction I'd been heading in. I made sure to keep my eyes on them until we arrived at the church. No tricks like last time.

"And here we are." The Lost Child said as I walked past them. All of the windows were now broken; Brandon wouldn't pull a maneuver like that unless he was unsure he'd win.

I turned back to quickly thank The Lost Child, but they were gone. I shrugged and turned back to the side of the church with spread wings and a clenched fist.


Back inside the abandoned church Shattered Glass now held both of Rias' hands in place, Kiba's legs were encased up to the knee, a circle of sharpened shards floated around Akeno's neck, and Koneko was stuck in the apex of a punch as Brandon clutched an injured arm. Dozens of church pews were charred, splintered to bits, or both. Raynare had not moved.

"God damn, she hits like a truck." Brandon complained. His outfit was in tatters.

"Too bad you survived." Koneko remarked.

"You'll have to try a lot harder than that to kill me." Brandon said. "Not that I'd suggest it. Anyone here know what Cnidocytes are?"

"The stinging cells of the jellyfish family?" Rias answered, unsure of how that was relevant.

"Very good, Tampon." Brandon said. "And what happens when these cells are separated from the creature they belong to?"

"They fire off at the slightest stimulus." Rias replied.

"Exactly." Brandon confirmed. "Now guess what happens if I lose my connection to my stand when Shattered Glass: Touch is already primed."

Rias didn't want to respond.

"Didn't exactly think that attack through, now did we?" Brandon gloated, entirely satisfied with his bluff.

Rias looked to the ground, but then gazed back up at her restraints. They'd become more translucent than when they originally appeared; the same was true for the rest of the shards holding her peerage. Rias knew that Brandon was hiding something.

"If that's the case, why haven't you activated it yet?" Rias questioned. "You clearly have no fondness for us, what's stopping you?"

"My sister's agitating 'no killing unless absolutely necessary' policy."

"And yet you killed Freed when you presumably could've restrained him." Rias countered.

"He was a rapist. It was absolutely necessary." Brandon asserted, momentarily slipping from his calm demeanor.

"Perhaps that's the case, or perhaps there's something else." Rias speculated. "I don't think you're telling the complete truth."

For just a moment, Shattered Glass flickered lighter. With Brandon's current mental and physical exhaustion, the stand was soon to fade.

"I don't believe you have the ability to finish the job at the moment." Rias was partially right. Brandon couldn't activate Shattered Glass: Touch and hold all of the occult research club in one place at the same time, not in his current state.

Brandon's eyes narrowed in conviction. Between each finger he spawned a glass shard, then tossed each full force at the weathered, brittle church windows. Broken glass rained down but stopped before hitting the ground. The levitating shards angled their sharpest edges at Rias' peerage and flew forward, stopping just before they made contact.

"Don't test me." Brandon warned, trying to ignore the crushing pain in his arm as it limply fell back to his side.

Brandon didn't know if the church glass was even sharp enough to break their skin, and the extra effort to hold each shard in place was going to take its toll, but Brandon refused to be one upped.

Rias had gotten quiet, but she didn't look particularly worried. Raynare on the other hand had gone back to fearing for her life.

Minutes passed in silence. One by one shards began to fall and dissipate. Brandon was beginning to show outward signs of worry.

"One Ton Punch!"

The church wall exploded into debris and a figure stepped through the hole left behind. As the dust began to settle, numerous rattling wings took shape; sparks rippled from the feathers. It was a fallen angel with jet black plumage and two tone blond and brown hair.

"Azazel?" Raynare muttered in awe.

The figure began to cough, and with a simultaneous flap of their ten wings the dust cleared away.

"What took you so long, Sis?" Brandon asked with a grin.

Rias and her peerage grew pale, particularly those that had no prior knowledge of Azalea's status. Brandon took immediate note. Unlike in the forest there was no possibility of a swift escape.

"I got lost." Azalea admitted, breaking a lot of the tension. "So what happened here?"

"There were a couple unforeseen complications." Brandon summarised, gesturing to the entrapped devils.

"I see." Azalea said, gazing over the state of things. "So what now, is the girl alright?"

"Yeah, she's fine." Brandon said.

"P-please help me." 'Yuuma' begged with teary eyes, gaining Azalea's attention.

"It's that cute girl from the bridge." Azalea exclaimed, before she stepped up to her, kneeled down, and placed a hand on the side of her face. "It's alright, sweetheart. No one's going to hurt you."

Raynare felt her survival was assured now. Not only that, but a ten winged fallen angel was giving her the time of day.

The fallen angel's musings were cut short when Brandon placed a hand on Azalea's shoulder.

"Hey, Sis." Brandon spoke up. "Do you mind if I have a word with 'bridge girl' for a moment?"

"Alright." Azalea said, standing up and stepping back.

Brandon stood before Raynare with a look of utter contempt. The glass spear that had been laying in wait on the ground until now shot into the air and held itself above the fallen angel, ready to drop.

"Brandon!" Azalea shouted in concern.

"Don't you dare manipulate my sister!" Brandon firmly commanded, ignoring his sister's protest. "Show your real face!"

Once again fearing for her life, Raynare complied. The innocent visage of Yuuma transformed back into Raynare's. Outfit and all. The glass spear faded away.

Seeing Raynare's true self, there was only one phrase the nephilim could possibly articulate.

"Step on me." Escaped Azalea's lips before her cheeks went completely red as she froze from embarrassment.

"Okay, bad idea." Brandon said, realising his mistake. "Please change back."

"I-I don't have the energy." Raynare said.

Brandon let out a sigh before he turned back to his sister. "Okay Azalea, I'm going to need you to focus."

Azalea did not respond, she just continued blankly staring toward Raynare like a deer paralysed by oncoming headlights.

"Really sis? Gay panic. Now, of all times?!" Brandon exclaimed in exasperation.

Brandon couldn't wait for his sister to snap out of it on her own; the situation was far too volatile. "Snap out of it!" He raised a hand and smacked Azalea in hopes of bringing her to her senses. The strike did nothing, to Azalea.

"Ow ow ow." Brandon exhaled, very much regretting the use of his dominant hand. "Why did I do that? That was so stupid. Fuck."

Rias was beginning to wonder why she ever considered these two threats.

"Are you okay?" Azalea asked, returning to her senses.

"Sure, just fine." Brandon unconvincingly lied. "Just pulled my second dumbest stunt today."

"Brandon, you're hurt, let me see your arm." Azalea said.

"We don't have time for first aid." Brandon protested.

"Brandon." Azalea sternly commanded.

The older brother hesitantly held his arm forward. In one swift motion, Azalea tore the sleeve off. The limb had dark purplish discolored skin running from the shoulder to the elbow.

Without thinking Azalea placed a hand on Brandon's shoulder. Before he could protest an odd sensation ran through Brandon's arm, it was an almost electrical ripple. Gazing down at the process, Brandon instantly recognised the force repairing his arm.

"Hamon?" Brandon muttered, before clearing his throat. "Azalea, when did you learn that?!"

"I don't know, it just kind of happened." Azalea said, looking at her own hands in confusion, before looking back to Brandon's arm to see it was almost as good as new. "I guess it was instinct."

"A discussion for another time then." Brandon said. "Back on topic, the woman you were just drooling over is the one that nearly ended up killing Blondie."

Brandon gestured to the fallen angel on the ground, who was now hiding her face.

"She wasn't much of an issue, but after she was dealt with these assholes showed up, wanting to kill her."

"Sorry I didn't make it back in time to help." Azalea apologised. "So, what now?"

"Don't worry about it." Brandon said. "Now that you're here I have everything figured."

Brandon snapped his fingers and the shards trapping the occult research club in place vanished. The stand user then confidently strode toward Rias.

"Tampon, devils are known for making deals, correct?" Brandon asked.

"Why would I deal with you?" Rias questioned.

"I saw the look in your eyes when Azalea burst in. The look in your eyes now. You know you wouldn't stand a chance against her. That's why none of you are even attempting to exploit your newly acquired freedom to attack me." Brandon explained. "That, and I still have something you might consider very valuable."

"And what would that be?" Rias asked.

"Strap-on's life." Brandon whispered into her ear. "I still have the power to activate Shattered Glass: Touch one last time, and even if you don't believe it, would you be willing to risk what little trust he has left in you to call my bluff?"

"What do you want?" Rias begrudgingly implored.

"First off, Ray gets to live. Secondly, anyone from my household is off limits." Brandon extended his hand. "Do we have a deal?"

Rias hesitated to reciprocate.

"Come on, it's not official until we shake on it." Brandon encouraged.

"Very well, I accept." Rias halfheartedly extended her hand, which Brandon immediately grabbed onto. Rias felt a sharp pain in the center of her palm and pulled away.

"That'll do." Brandon said, turning over his hand to reveal a small glass spike holding a drop of Rias' blood.

"You really are just like those despicable, low-grade fallen." Rias spat.

"Aww, that's sweet." Brandon mocked, forming a small capsule from his stand to hold the drop.

Pocketing the makeshift vial, Brandon stepped up to Issei. With a snap of his fingers the shards within the reincarnated devil's leg vanished. Asia was immediate to heal the wound shut.

"It's been fun." Brandon lied, striding past his sister and Raynare on his way out the door. "Come on, Azalea."

"But, what about the nun?" Azalea asked. This set Issei off.

The Boosted Gear wielder burst to his feet. In a fraction of a second he bridged the distance between himself and Azalea, and plunged his gauntleted fist at her face

Azalea hadn't moved a centimeter. Her wings began to rattle.

Brandon furiously stepped forward, but halted when Azalea raised an arm.

"Nice glove." Azalea said, voice muffled by the fist planted against her cheek. A barely perceptible growl permeated from her throat. "You have ten seconds to get it out of my face, before I break your's."

"Nine." Azalea looked directly into Issei's eyes.

"Eight." Issei glared back.

"Seven." Rias and her peerage looked on in concern.

"Six." Azalea took a deep breath.

"Five." Azalea's rattling wings crackled with hamon.

"Four." The rattling reached a feverish pace.

"Three." Raynare watched with bated breath.

"Two." Brandon grinned.

"One."

"Boost!" Issei's gauntlet erupted.

Issei pulled back and launched a second punch. His fist stopped a centimeter from Azalea's face. The nephilim gripped it at the wrist with one hand.

Azalea slowly twisted Issei's arm to the side. No matter how much resistance he gave, the movement remained unabated.

Without warning, Azalea jerked Issei forward and kneed him in the gut. He didn't even have a moment to recoil from the blow before she swung him by the wrist, smashing him against the ground.

The nephilim chaotically flailed him through the floorboards, sending wood and concrete chunks flying into the air with each impact. Raynare's heart skipped a beat at the sight.

After a large chunk of the foundation had been thoroughly pulverized, Azalea raised a limp, barely conscious Issei by the arm. Her wings stopped crackling and spread out full length.

Azalea rapidly smacked her feathered limbs against Issei, like an enraged capercaillie. It would have almost looked comical, if it weren't for the accompanying sound of the bone cracking wingbeats tearing through the air with every strike.

Just as Issei was on the verge of losing consciousness, Azalea threw him toward the end of the church. His body smashed through the back wall, blackened with severe bruising and twisted with broken bones.

Asia immediately rushed to tend to him.

With the curbstomp symphony they'd just witnessed Rias and her peerage didn't dare make a step in the nephilim's direction. Brandon, on the other hand, casually walked up to his hissing sister and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I think that's enough, Sis." Brandon chuckled. "Funny, I was just going to say leave her with Strap-on, but it looks like he needs her more than ever now."

"Maybe I took things a bit too far." Azalea said, letting out a guilty laugh. "My bad."

"Eh, no harm no fowl." Brandon shrugged. "Now let's get out of here already."

"What about her?" Azalea asked, pointing to Raynare, who seemed to have passed back out. She was still in her true form, but her wings had receded.

"I guess all of this was just too much excitement for her little heart to take." Brandon said. "She'll be fine."

"We can't just leave her." Azalea Argued.

"Just scoop the bird up and let's get going." Brandon groaned. "We'll figure things out later."

"By bird do you mean?" Azalea began to ask.

"Yes!" Brandon exclaimed.

Azalea looked over the unconscious fallen angel, shivering from fright. Or possibly exposure; her outfit offered zero protection from the elements. Azalea found it difficult to think harshly of the woman at the moment.

"Be still, my poor gay heart." Azalea muttered to herself, carefully and respectfully scooping Raynare into her arms.

Azalea took great care to make sure that Raynare's head and neck were supported, then wrapped her wings around the woman for extra protection. She was awfully light.

"Okay, let's go." Azalea resolutely said.

Brandon held the doorway for his sister to exit, then left with a final message.

"Ta-ta. See you guys Monday." Brandon cheerfully stated, to the utter chagrin of the occult research club.


"That should not have gone half as well as it did." Brandon blurted after he and his sister had made some distance from the church. "There was so much I didn't account for."

"Yeah, I'm just glad everyone made it out alive." Azalea replied, taking a brief glance at the fallen angel in her arms. "Kind of hard to believe she was the ringleader."

"From what I could gather she was doing it all out of desperation to get some recognition." Brandon shared. "Explains the ridiculous outfit."

"Poor girl." Azalea doted.

"Are you forgetting the fact that she brought a gang of dangerous thugs to town and planned on killing a nun for some magical first aid?" Brandon questioned. "One of said thugs was a psychopathic rapist." He emphasised.

Azalea stopped in her tracks.

"He didn't run free did he?!" Azalea asked in concern.

"Nope, he was there when you burst in. You were stepping in him." Brandon informed.

Azalea grew a bit pale, remembering the feeling of something odd and pulpy under her shoes.

"I don't think I want to question how that happened." she said, continuing forward again.

"No, no you don't." Brandon concurred.

"So, what happened with Rias' group?" Azalea asked, moving on.

"Right after Strap-on and I took care of Raynare, that's her name by the way, they just strutted in like they owned the place."

"Did you at least try to be diplomatic?" Azalea asked.

"It's like you don't even know me." Brandon gasped in mock offense.

"I'll take that as a no."

"So anyway." Brandon continued on. "They wanted Ray dead, and I wasn't having it. Unfortunately they decided to call my bluff and attack all at once; The pup ended up blindsiding me."

Brandon let out a yawn.

"Then I stopped everyone in their tracks with Shattered Glass, but because of my fatigue and the damage I took, it wasn't holding up." Brandon explained. "I thought I was dead for sure before you showed up."

"Again, sorry I wasn't there to help sooner." Azalea guiltily apologised.

"It's alright, everything worked out in the end. I just need to plan better." Brandon said. "So, what happened on your end?"

"Well." Azalea began.


Dinner preparations were complete. The table was set, the food was piping hot, and Aine had seated herself in the living room. All there was left to do was relax and wait for her children to make their return.

"So, do you think your old teammates are causing my kids a lot of trouble right now?" Aine asked, turning to Kalawarner. A chat would help pass the time.

"Please. None of them would be dumb enough to even try once they see Azalea's wings." Kalawarner paused for a moment. "Maybe Mittelt, but she's tiny. You can just throw her."

"Azalea could just throw any of them." Aine mused, with a short chuckle.

Visible just outside of the living room window, a dark shape descended, about human size with black wings. Aine's eyes narrowed.

"Kalawarner, did you see that?" She asked, dropping her lighthearted tone.

"See what?"

"Maybe it was just my imagination then." Aine said, standing up. Her expression made it clear she didn't believe what she just said for a second. "I'm going to get some fresh air."

"Alright then?" Kalawarner replied as Aine marched to the front door.

Stepping outside, Aine saw a young girl in a maid outfit and an older man with a hat and trench coat seated on the edge of the sidewalk. Thankfully, it wasn't who she initially assumed.

"Hello there." Aine greeted the pair as she approached, returning to a bright disposition. "What are you sitting out here in the cold for?"

The man swiveled to face Aine, shortly followed by the girl doing the same.

"Oh, pardon us." The man courteously apologised. "We're not intruding, are we?"

"Not at all, handsome." Aine replied. "My name is Aine, by the way."

"I'm Dohnaseek and this child is Mittelt." The man introduced, earning him an elbow to the side courtesy of said child. "We were told to wait at this spot."

"By who?" Aine queried, already having a good idea of what the answer will be.

"This, like crazy strong nephilim." Mittelt answered, matter-of-factly. "She threw a tree."

Dohnaseek brought his palm to his forehead at his cohort's careless reply. They had no idea what this woman's reaction would be, or if she had even been aware that they were supernatural.

"In that case, why don't you wait inside?" Aine suggested. "It's going to start getting dark soon and out in the cold is no place for a little one."

"We appreciate the offer, but the orders she gave were to remain out front." Dohnaseek replied, somewhat caught off guard by the woman's casual response.

"Well I'm her mother." Aine revealed. "I'm a higher authority."

Dohnaseek pondered for a moment. "Sound logic." He concluded, getting to his feet. If this was Azalea's mother he might as well. She made a valid point.

"Like, why should I trust a human?" Mittelt spoke up, as if she hadn't just blathered potentially delicate information a moment earlier.

"Come on, aren't you hungry, sweetheart?"

"You have food?" Mittelt quietly asked, making a full one-eighty on her tone.

"I just finished making dinner." Aine confirmed.

"Like, what are we waiting for, Dohnaseek? Let's go already." Mittelt urged.

The diminutive fallen hopped to her feet and rushed past the two adults through the front door. Leaving Aine and Dohnaseek on their own.

"Is that your daughter?" Aine asked. "She's adorable."

"We aren't related, I've just been looking out for her ever since we were both assigned to this shamble of a mission." Dohnaseek explained. "I'd like to gut whoever thought it was a good idea to send a child like her out in the first place."

"I see." Aine nodded. "Well you definitely seem like father material."

"Was that intended as a compliment?" Dohnaseek questioned.

"Very much so." Aine answered, before leading Dohnaseek inside.

As Aine and Dohnaseek entered the household, they witnessed Kalawarner and Mittelt staring each other down.

"Do I, like, know you?" Mittelt enquired.

"I guess the hair dye is doing its job." Kalawarner dismissively stated.

"Kalawarner?" Dohnaseek asked. She wasn't in her normal outfit, her hair was now brown, and she was seated in a wheelchair with her leg in a cast, but there was no mistaking that voice. "What happened to you?"

"Oh look who finally decided to show some concern." She scoffed. Definitely Kalawarner.

"We thought you just abandoned the mission and left." Dohnaseek said.

"Well, you were half right." Kalawarner said.

"So how'd your leg get all busted." Mittelt bluntly asked.

"Freed." Kalawarner spat. "And he tried to do a lot more than that."

Dohnaseek's eyes widened, immediately picking up on Kalawarner's implication, not that it would require any significant thought after being forced to work with the mad ex-priest.

"I am so sorry, Kalawarner." Dohnaseek said. "I knew I should've eliminated that psychopath the moment I met him."

Kalawarner let out a sigh. While they all hated Freed, Dohnaseek had always been the most vocal against his inclusion. She couldn't blame him.

"There's no need for apologies, you weren't responsible for that maniac." She said, letting her tone even out.

"Even so, I shouldn't have dismissed your disappearance." Dohnaseek insisted.

"Well, I'm glad you did." Kalawarner said. "I'd probably just get shipped back to the Grigori and sent back out the second I can walk again."

Aine walked to Kalawarner's side and placed a hand on her shoulder. "This is her home now."

"I see." Dohnaseek nodded. "So I take it you've fully separated from the Grigori."

"This family saved and cared for me at my lowest moment." Kalawarner replied. "The Grigori has just been using me from the moment I fell."

Dohnaseek knelt down in front of the wheelchair bound fallen angel.

"I understand, Kalawarner. You don't have to justify yourself."

"I appreciate it, Dohnaseek."

"Why don't we continue catching up over food?" Aine suggested. "Mittelt looks like she's getting impatient."

True to Aine's word, the youngest fallen was beginning to get fidgety.

"Finally!" Mittelt blurted, making Aine chuckle.

"Come on, sweetheart." Aine said, gesturing for Mittelt to follow her.

The byrne matriarch put a hand on Mittelt's back as she escorted her to the kitchen, leaving Kalawarner and Dohnaseek as the living room's only occupants.

"She's a very kind woman, I can see where Azalea got it from." Dohnaseek commented.

"Just be sure not to piss her off." Kalawarner snickered.


Aine, Kalawarner, and Dohnaseek conversed in between bites of their meals as Mittelt scarfed down the food provided for her without pause.

"So you were the one that took his eye out." Dohnaseek said.

"Yep, I was lucky I had that scalpel on hand." Aine said.

"Brutal." Mittelt commented, then immediately resumed eating.

"He got off easy." Kalawarner stated.

"Agreed." Aine said as Dohnaseek nodded. If there was ever a next encounter Freed wouldn't be so lucky.

"I have to say, Aine, it's quite a surprise to hear about how well a human had been caring for a fallen angel." Dohnaseek commented. "We generally aren't well liked, but you were willing to risk your life to defend her."

"You make it sound like I'm a pet." Kalawarner chided.

"Think nothing of it." Aine said. "Kalawarner is practically family at this point and this household protects our own."

A loud knock sounded from the front door.

"Oh, speaking of our own." Aine said, getting up. "You three should finish up and head to the living room."


"Are we almost there yet?" Azalea asked. "It's already dark."

"Yes, Azalea." Brandon said. "We're just around the corner."

The Byrne siblings made a turn and Azalea suddenly recognised they were on their block. She also noticed the lack of two fallen angels in front of her house.

"What?! I can't believe this." Azalea blurted out.

Raynare began to stir from her sleep, something Azalea immediately attempted to rectify.

"Oh no, it's alright. You're alright, sweetheart. Everything's fine, save your strength." Azalea shushed, cradling Raynare a bit closer. Her stirring came to a stop.

Brandon rolled his eyes at the display before him.

"What was that about?" Brandon asked.

"I told Dohnaseek and Mittelt to wait in front of the house until we got back so we could figure things out later." Azalea whispered. "But it looks like they just decided to fly off."

"You. Did what, now?" Brandon asked with an even tone and a twitching eyelid.

"Was I not supposed to?" Azalea asked. "I thought if we had a word with them we could prevent this from happening again in the future."

"I guess that makes sense, but couldn't you have had them wait at the front gate?" Brandon asked. "They could've gone in and attacked Mom."

"Brandon, it's Mom." Azalea deadpanned. "If You were able to handle their strongest," One of the nephilim's wings unwrapped itself and pointed to the unconscious Raynare's face. "What makes you think two underlings, one of which is a child, would be any threat to her?"

"I guess it doesn't matter in the long run anyway, since they decided to piss off instead." Brandon supposed, walking up to knock on the door. "Besides, we have worse to worry about."

Barely a minute passed before Aine answered Brandon's knock. The second the siblings came face to face with their 'mum' any explanation died in their throats.

"Welcome back you two, how was that restaurant?" Aine asked with a smile, knowing full well her kids' guilt.

Brandon and Azalea just stood in awkward silence, unable to answer. Seeing how she wasn't getting any verbal response Aine continued.

"Oh, and it looks like you've brought even more company." Aine said, commenting on the scantily clad fallen angel resting in her daughter's wings and arms. "Why don't you bring her in?"

Brandon broke from his silence as both teens stepped inside. "Even more?" He repeated. Only to immediately be answered by the sight of one familiar and one unfamiliar fallen angel.

Dohnaseek and Mittelt were both seated at the living room couch.

"Care to explain what happened tonight?" Aine asked.

"One moment, I desperately need some mouthwash." Brandon excused himself, dashing past everyone to the upstairs bathroom.

Even if Azalea wanted to find an excuse to run off, she couldn't do anything while she was still holding Raynare.

"Ah, Azalea. I apologise that we weren't able to wait at the location you requested, but your mother insisted we come inside." Dohnaseek affably greeted as the nephilim walked further into the living room.

"Is she dead?!" Mittelt gasped, seeing her unconscious boss cradled in Azalea's limbs.

The sound of gargling could be heard from upstairs.

"She's just kinda passed out." Azalea assured. "Mind standing up?"

Dohnaseek and Mittelt surrendered their seats so that Azalea could gingerly lay Raynare down on the couch.

"There you go." Azalea said, shifting a cushion to make sure Raynare's head was still supported. She took a moment to brush a lock of hair away from the fallen's eye.

"I'm still waiting." Aine said, making Azalea jump.

Azalea swiftly turned to see her mom looking down at her with crossed arms. Kalawarner came up next to her with a guilty expression.

"Sorry, kid." Kalawarner apologised. "Aine knew from the start."

"Well, umm. You see." Azalea nervously fumbled with her words under her mother's scrutinising gaze.

Aine sighed. "Azalea, I'm not mad. I just want you and Brandon to explain yourselves."

"We wanted to know what was up with the abandoned church." Azalea said, composing herself. "We found out that Raynare here wanted to remove a sacred gear from a nun, which would've killed her, so we had to put a stop to it."

"I don't see what the big deal is." Mittelt chimed in. "Lady Raynare needed Twilight Healing. So what if some human had to die for it?"

"I apologise." Dohnaseek said. "Raynare and the Grigori have not been good influences on her."

"I can see we have a definitive villain here." Aine commented. "I get why you'd send her peons this way, but why'd you carry her back?"

"She looked so scared." Azalea said. "I knew she'd attempted something awful, but I also thought she could use a second chance."

"That's a lie." Brandon contested, re-entering from the staircase. He still had a bottle of mouthwash in his hand, half emptied. "She took one look at her true form and immediately went into gay panic."

Blood immediately rushed to Azalea's face. Mittelt began snickering.

"Really, Azalea? Raynare?" Kalawarner had some serious concerns about the nephilim's taste.

Azalea brought her hands up in a shrug, unable to verbally answer.

"I wanted to question her to get a better scope of the entire situation." Brandon revealed, before leaping over the railing onto a Shattered Glass platform, which then dissipated, dropping him to the ground. "Hey Donny." He said, landing on his feet.

"Hey Brandon." Dohnaseek casually replied.

"And then what?" Aine asked.

"What?" Brandon replied.

"And then what?" Aine repeated. "What did you plan for after she gives you the information you wanted?"

Brandon went silent.

"You're just improvising, aren't you?" Aine surmised.

"It was a stressful day, alright!" Brandon defended. "There were so many unexpected variables I had to work around."

"I understand, but that doesn't change the fact that we now have three 'guests' that we were in no way prepared for." Aine explained.

"I was hoping I'd figure it out after I got the full picture from Ray." Brandon said.

"Alright, wake her up so we can get all of this sorted." Aine instructed. "No point in idling."

"I can handle that part." Brandon approached the unconscious fallen angel and inhaled, only for Azalea to grip his shoulder and pull him back.

"Brandon, I will fucking bury you." She whispered into his ear.

"I'll let Azalea handle it." Brandon said, backing off.

Azalea turned her focus to Raynare and kneeled down. She tried gently jostling her shoulder, but wasn't having any success.

A single wing emerged from the nephilim's back. Azalea plucked a downy feather from the underside with a quiet "ouch."

Azalea brushed the feather along the underside of Raynare's nose, almost immediately eliciting a sneeze. The full blooded fallen angel began to open her eyes.

The first thing Raynare saw as her vision began to go into focus was Azalea's concerned face. And then the rest came in. An older woman who had some resemblance to Azalea, a long haired brunette in a wheelchair who looked oddly familiar, Brandon, but worst of all her two remaining subordinates. Now they've seen her at her weakest.

"Sorry to wake you." Azalea nervously apologised. "But-"

"I'm going to need you to explain exactly what you thought you were doing." Brandon unapologetically cut his sister off. "In detail."

Raynare's expression soured. "Who do you think you are, trying to order a superior fallen angel around?!"

Dohnaseek and Kalawarner rolled their eyes. Brandon was going to step forward but Azalea held her hand up.

"Hey now, no one's superior here." Azalea asserted.

Raynare's expression changed and she sat up.

"Would you please explain yourself?" Azalea asked. "I promise you aren't in any danger."

Raynare seemed nervously hesitant. Maybe guilty? She didn't want to admit anything while Dohnaseek and Mittelt were there.

Azalea got up and sat by Raynare's side. "You can take your time." She said, placing a hand on the older woman's shoulder.

It didn't look like Raynare was getting out of this one. She could stall, but what good would that do her? It wasn't like she had an ounce of respect to her name after the day's humiliation anyway.

"I was assigned by Azazel to watch over a sacred gear user named Issei Hyoudou, and kill him if his gear ever went out of control." Raynare began. "I had other plans, so I requested backup and decided to off Issei early to make sure he didn't get in the way."

"Most of us already knew that much." Brandon said. "Didn't work out too well, did it?"

Raynare sent a glare Brandon's direction, but continued. "I got an anonymous tip that the Grigori was going to be taking in an excommunicated nun with a rare sacred gear."

"Which one?" Aine asked.

"Twilight Healing, it can mend nearly any wound, extremely useful for those of us who've lost God's blessing." Raynare explained. "Once I had it I'd be indispensable to my kind, but then he showed up." She snarled, pointing an accusatory finger at Brandon.

"Yo." Brandon waved.

"If you hadn't barged in I could've completed the ritual and easily dealt with Hyoudou. But no, you had to give him enough time to boost." Raynare raised her voice. "Do you have any idea how hard I worked for this? My one opportunity for greatness! I had to betray my superiors, and for what?! For some human worm to ruin everything?!"

"I'm sorry." Dohnaseek spoke up. "Could you repeat the part about you betraying the superiors?"

Raynare gulped. She revealed far more than she meant to.

"Do you mean to tell me that the extraction wasn't under orders? You not only put all of our lives in danger trespassing on devil territory, but also made us accomplices to treason, for your own selfish whims."

"It's Raynare." Kalawarner interjected. "Don't act so surprised."

"I just wanted to be loved." Raynare barely held herself together. "Is that too much to ask for?"

"The Grigori was never going to love you." Aine spoke with point-blank certainty. "They'd just see you as what they've always seen you as. A tool."

Aine's words caught the room off guard. There wasn't a nano angstrom of doubt or deceit in her voice. Just harsh, blunt truth.

Raynare broke down into tears, as much as she'd like to deny it, she knew Aine was entirely right. She felt worthless.

The sobbing fallen angel was surprised to feel a pair of arms gently wrap around her, followed shortly by several pairs of wings.

The newcomers were once again taken aback, but Aine, Brandon, and even Kalawarner knew this would be Azalea's reaction the moment the tears escaped Raynare's eyes.

Azalea held Raynare closely. As the fallen angel let herself melt into the nephilim's embrace, Azalea began stroking her hair with one hand, and rubbing circles on her shoulder with the other. The inner feathers of her wings softly rippled in an undulating pattern, sending pleasant waves down the pure blooded fallen angel's back. At that moment Azalea wanted nothing more than to make the crying woman in her arms feel just a bit better.

How long has it been since she's been held like this? Has she ever been held like this? Azalea couldn't help but ponder.

"Um, like, what's happening?" Mittelt questioned.

Aine let out a sigh. "A pretty girl is crying, so Azalea can't help but try to comfort her."

"She's down bad, isn't she?" Mittelt deadpanned.

"Yep." Brandon confirmed. "My little sister is cuddling up to a killer."

"So did your father, dear." Aine divulged.

"Ah, touché." Brandon granted.

"Should I be concerned?" Dohnaseek asked.

"You're fine, Dohnaseek." Kalawarner said. "She's not a serial killer, she just knows how to defend herself."

"That's relieving, but on the subject, what exactly happens now?" Dohnaseek questioned. "We can't exactly go back to the abandoned church, and Aine is under no obligation to assist us."

"I don't plan on kicking you out into the cold, especially when you have a child with you, and especially at this hour." Aine stated. "Why don't we sleep on it and get things completely sorted out in the morning?"

Dohnaseek wasn't sure how to respond.

"You don't mind taking the chair do you, Dohnaseek?" Aine asked. "Mittelt is a growing girl, so she's going to need the couch."

"Works for me." Mittelt chimed in.

"I suppose it can't be helped." Dohnaseek said, looking over the piece of furniture. He didn't seem particularly upset.

Brandon turned and discreetly snuck a glance at Dohnaseek and Mittelt's faces. He could tell they weren't scheming anything, so he trusted his mother's decision.

"Well, if that's settled, I'm going to bed." The elder brother excused himself, heading to the stairway. "See you tomorrow."

"Brandon, don't think you've escaped from anything because of that mouthwash excuse." Aine said, stopping her son in his tracks. "I know you're usually the mastermind, and tomorrow you're giving your piece."

"Yes, Mum." Brandon said, before slinking off to his room.

Raynare's sobbing began to quiet and Azalea gave her some space. The former leader got to her feet, moving toward the front door. Her long black hair draped itself over her face.

"And where do you think you're going, little lady?" Aine spoke up. "I don't recall you mentioning you had somewhere else to stay."

"What does it matter?" Raynare asked, stopping in her tracks. "It's not like I deserve one."

Aine put herself between Raynare and the door, then brushed the hair out of the fallen angel's face. She was a tear stained mess, but thankfully unlike when Azalea cried there was no excessive mucus involved.

"Listen, because you clearly didn't when I said I wasn't kicking you out into the cold." Aine asserted. "You're sleeping here, and that's final."

Raynare exhaled a defeated sigh. "I guess I'll just curl up on the floor then."

"Oh heavens no, I wouldn't do that to a guest." Aine said. "You can share Azalea's bed for the night. I'm sure she won't mind."

Azalea's face lit a bright pink. Raynare's did as well.

"Or I could probably find something else if you're opposed-"

"No!" Raynare blurted, before growing redder. "I mean, I wouldn't want you to go through all that effort for me."

"Sure you wouldn't." Aine gave Raynare a knowing smile. "Just head upstairs, Azalea will show you."

Raynare eagerly obliged, traveling up the stairway.

Azalea tried speaking to her mother as Raynare moved upstairs, but the words got stuck in her throat.

Aine simply winked and mouthed "Good luck."

The nephilim shut her mouth, vigorously nodded her head and rushed after Raynare, leaving Aine alone with Dohnaseek, Mittelt, and Kalawarner.

"Are you sure that was a good idea?" Kalawarner questioned.

"Trust me, everything's going to be fine." Aine assured. "Now if you excuse me I'm going to get a couple spare blankets for these two."


Raynare waited at the top of the staircase when Azalea arrived. It was impossible for the blushing nephilim to form sentences at the moment, so instead Azalea gestured the fallen angel to her bedroom door.

After both entered, Azalea immediately rushed toward her attached bathroom, locking the door behind her.

Azalea singled in on her sink, twisted the cold water knob, cupped her hands under the faucet, and splashed her face repeatedly.

"Okay, settle down Azalea. This is just because she needs a place to sleep. No need to make this weird for her." The nephilim steeled herself. "Self inflicted or not, she's been through a lot today."

Azalea smacked her hands down.

"You're just sharing a bed with the most gorgeous woman you've ever seen. No big deal!" Azalea told herself, unintentionally raising her voice.

"And all of that was out loud, wasn't it?"

Fortunately for Azalea, Raynare was in the middle of her own crisis and hadn't heard the nephilim's ramblings.


"This can't be real, this can't be happening." Raynare repeated to herself in a half elated disbelief.

If she wasn't already a fallen angel she'd be wondering if she'd died and gone to heaven, but there was still that creeping doubt that made her question everything.

Throughout her entire existence, Raynare had craved the admiration of her peers. Now after the humiliation of her lowest moment she's being shown kindness from someone so far above her rank. Why? It just didn't make sense.

"Sorry about that." Azalea said, exiting her bathroom. The collar of her shirt was soaked and it was clear her face had been towel dried. "I just needed a second to cool off."

"Why did you stick your neck out for me?" Raynare asked.

Azalea had moved on to rummaging through her drawers. "Huh, what do you mean?"

"You saved me from the princess of ruin, you held me when I was breaking down." Raynare emphasised. "You're a ten winged fallen angel; What am I worth?"

"People hurt you, didn't they?" Azalea deflected Raynare's question with her own.

"I didn't exactly make it out unscathed tonight."

"No, before that. Long before that." Azalea said. "Maybe recently too, but no one shatters their entire sense of self worth in just a night."

"I was created weak…" Raynare took a moment to continue. "The strong crush the weak. That's just the way of the world for fallen angels."

"That's not a world I want to abide by." Azalea stated, resolutely. "And I'll break the arms of anyone who tries to force it on me."

"You'd go against the majority of the Grigori?" Raynare questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Are they really strong if they're just following the path of least resistance?" Azalea replied.

Raynare couldn't help but chuckle. Azalea was such a naive girl, it's no doubt she was raised by humans. The Grigori would have crushed that hope out of her. She was thankful that wasn't the case.

"Now for a lighter subject, which set of pyjamas do you prefer?" Azalea said, in high spirits, quite satisfied with the effect she had on Raynare's mood. She held up a set decorated with violet flowers and a set decorated with white doves. "Sorry I didn't have anything more your style."


"There you go." Aine said, tucking in the diminutive fallen angel. Mittelt let out a yawn, already half asleep. Aine gave her a kiss on the forehead goodnight before turning her attention to the other fallen angel in the room.

"Are you comfortable, Dohnaseek?" She asked.

"This is quite an improvement over what I had at the church." Dohnaseek said, reclining back. "Honestly, I'd be grateful even if you had me sleeping on the floor."

"Well, if you ever need help getting more comfortable, my room is just a short walk away." Aine said with a wink, before sauntering off, leaving Dohnaseek to question if he had read her correctly. Did she just make a pass at him?


Raynare had reluctantly picked the floral print pyjamas, and to her chagrin Azalea had excused herself to her bathroom to get changed in private while allowing Raynare her own privacy.

She hadn't the energy to simply morph into something else, so Raynare was forced to physically take off her current outfit in order to change. It had been ages since the last time she had to go through the effort. The process of removing her standard attire proved much more frustratingly arduous than anticipated. Were her clothes always so elaborate?

On second thought Raynare was glad Azalea wasn't in the room to see her struggling like an idiot.

After unstrapping the belts at her midsection Raynare was finally able to awkwardly slip free of the remaining latex straps. Once that was said and done slipping into the pajamas provided for her was child's play.

Just in time for Azalea to begin knocking.

"Are you done yet?" She called from the other side.

"Were you waiting on me?" Raynare asked, attempting to save face. "I've been ready for a while."

Azalea opened the bathroom door and stepped back out into her room. Seeing Raynare she came to the realisation that while the outfit she handed her was loose fitting for herself, the same couldn't be said for the full blooded fallen angel. She desperately tried to ignore her chest, but she could feel the blush already creeping up her face.

The nephilim quickly switched focus to her bed.

"So this is where you'll be sleeping." Azalea said in an octave louder than she meant, giving the mattress a couple rapid smacks. "I'll sleep over the blankets so there's nothing weird about it, I barely use them anyway." She let out an awkward laugh. "Or I can take the floor if you're uncomfortable."

"I think I'd feel safer if you're on the bed with me." Raynare said.

"Ok." Azalea quietly replied.

Raynare climbed under the covers and looked expectantly toward Azalea. Azalea took a deep breath and to Raynare's bewilderment, unfurled her wings. Before Raynare had the chance to question her, Azalea cocooned herself and laid down on her back.

"I've never seen someone do that with their wings before." Raynare commented.

"I never knew that I could fly until recently." Azalea responded, staring at the ceiling. "So when I was younger I started trying to figure out what my wings were meant for. This is what I came up with." Her feathers rippled down the cocoon for emphasis. "It makes me feel warm, and safe."

Raynare let out a giggle. "That's oddly cute, Azalea."

Azalea's blush returned. "Thanks."

Azalea had no idea how she was going to fall asleep that night. She hadn't shared her bed with anyone since she was a kid, and now she's lying down next to a woman who she's very much attracted to, who had left very little to the imagination. This was going to keep her up all night.

Azalea was asleep within minutes.


As Dohnaseek was beginning to doze off, Aine returned to the living room, dressed in her nightgown.

The Byrne matriarch stepped up to the male fallen angel and lightly shook his shoulder.

Dohnaseek slowly opened his eyes. Before he could ask what Aine wanted from him, she placed a finger over her lip to shush him.

"Don't want to disturb the little one." She whispered, gesturing to the snoozing Mittelt on the couch. "Just follow along."

Dohnaseek stood up and Aine looped a finger around the collar of his jacket, leading him in the direction of her room. He now knew exactly what was going down.

The fallen angel followed along without resistance, hoping this wouldn't end with him on a dissection table.


It had been over an hour and Raynare still wasn't able to sleep. She stared at the slumbering nephilim to her side. With the way Azalea cocooned herself, she was able to get a good look at her wings. There was no mistaking it, the shade of the feathers was completely identical to Azazel's.

Raynare pushed back the intrusive thoughts about how Azazel would sleep with some human, but not with her.

The girl she was lying next to, the one that saved her life, was Azazel's daughter. How could she possibly fall asleep?

She reached out to brush her hand against Azalea's feathers, but pulled back before she could make contact.

Why did Azalea bother with her? The question repeated on loop in Raynare's mind until she couldn't take it anymore. Raynare folded the corner of the blanket and slid herself out of Azalea's bed, making sure not to disturb the nephilim's rest.

Raynare gave one last contemplative look toward Azalea, then silently exited the room. In the hallway she briefly pondered knocking on Brandon's door–she didn't care about waking him up–but then she'd be interacting with Brandon, and why would she want that? So Raynare continued down the stairs into the living room.

Mittelt was snoozing on the couch, but the chair that held Dohnaseek was empty. Had he left? That doesn't really seem like him, but he was nowhere to be seen.

Raynare didn't dwell on it, instead moving to look over Mittelt. The brat was sleeping so peacefully, Raynare almost wanted to shake her awake just for the reaction. The amusing thought didn't last long, instead the image of Mittelt's disappointed face surfaced in her mind. Not even she believed in her anymore.

The grown fallen angel tousled Mittelt's hair for old times sake, then moved on. Walking past Aine's room she heard some pretty aggressive creaking. That answered where Dohnaseek disappeared to. Raynare had no desire to listen in and learn the details.

Seeing nothing to help put her mind at ease, Raynare began trekking back toward the stairs. But that's when she noticed one room she'd passed by earlier had its light on, and its door slightly ajar.

Raynare pushed the door open slowly. Inside was the brown haired woman on the wheelchair; she was facing the entrance as if she had been waiting for a visitor.

"Couldn't sleep I'm assuming, Raynare." The woman said with a level of familiarity that confused the fallen angel.

"Who are you?" Raynare asked.

The woman looked downright offended.

"You seriously don't recognize me?" The woman griped. "I was assigned to help you with the sacred gear business, you've known me for years."

"Were you one of the stray exorcists?" Raynare questioned, scratching her head.

The woman brought her palm to her forehead and revealed her wings. "I'm Kalawarner!"

"Kalawarner? I didn't recognize you without your tits almost spilling out." Raynare said.

"That's the part you're caught up on?! Not the change in hair colour, or the wheelchair?!" Kalawarner exclaimed in exasperation. "You know what, nevermind. Moving on. You can't fall asleep, right?"

"No shit." Raynare replied. "I nearly died today."

"But that's not the only reason, is it?" Kalawarner pushed forward.

Raynare didn't want to respond.

"You just can't grasp why a family of humans stuck their necks out for you, a fallen angel." Kalawarner assessed. "You think it has to be a trick."

"... It's not just that." Raynare reluctantly admitted. "It's Azalea."

"You saw her wings." Kalawarner realised. "And you want answers."

Raynare nodded her head.

"Alright, I've been here for a while." Kalawarner said. "Hit me."

"She's Azazel's daughter, isn't she?" Raynare asked.

"Yep." Kalawarner answered. "But if you want the details of how her mother shacked up with the governor, Aine never told me."

"Why does a high class cadre like her care about what happens to a weakling like me?" Raynare asked.

Kalawarner resisted the urge to giggle at the thought of Azalea being considered high class. She's seen the girl eat food directly out of the garbage when she thought no one was watching, then scarf it down and deny it after being caught red handed.

"Azalea is just like that. She doesn't care about rank, power, or status. She just sees us as people." Kalawarner explained. "She saved my life without a first thought. Thanks for asking about that by the way, I appreciate the concern." She added with a sarcastic huff.

"How did-" Raynare began.

"Stick to questions about Azalea." Kalawarner cut her off.

Raynare took on an irked expression, before letting it go and switching to one a bit more resolute.

"Does she like women?" Raynare asked, cheeks turning a light pink that was only visible due to her already pale complexion.

"A-are you blushing?" Kalawarner questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"I am not!"

"Of course not, must be the light." Kalawarner remarked, with a smirk. "After all you were only swept off your feet, whisked to safety, and tenderly held by the spawn of Azazel."

Raynare's blush became clear as day. "Just answer the damn question." She demanded.

Kalawarner rolled her eyes.

"Yes, Azalea is a lesbian." She confirmed. "I never took you as that dense."

"I just wanted to make sure." Raynare justified.

"Sure you did."

"Well that's all I needed." Raynare huffed, beginning to walk away. "Thank you, Kalawarner."

"Oh, and Raynare."

"Yes." Raynare stopped.

"If you make that girl cry I'll force you to deepthroat a light spear." Kalawarner threatened.


The memory of nearly dying played a bigger part of Raynare's insomnia than she cared to admit. Now that her other nagging thoughts had been more or less alleviated, the memory of the Gremory heir standing over her with her palm outstretched floated to the surface.

In spite of the fact that she knew no one else was around, Raynare silently rushed up the stairs and back into Azalea's room.

Azalea had rolled in her sleep to face Raynare's side of the bed. Seeing the slumbering nephilim wrapped snugly in her own ten wings made her feel a tinge of jealousy.

"Hey." Raynare whispered, reaching her arm out and nudging Azalea's shoulder. "Is there room for one more in there?" She jested, not expecting any kind of response.

Azalea's eyes cracked slightly, barely aware. Her arms and wings spread open, as she mumbled something unintelligible. Raynare took it as an invitation.

Before Raynare could properly lie down at Azalea's side, the twelve limbs closed around her like a venus flytrap, cocooning the both of them in a feathery embrace. Her wings were warm.

Azalea unconsciously snuggled into the older woman, who found herself growing calm as the nephilim held her close. Raynare felt her fears begin to fade as her eyelids grew heavy and she slowly drifted to sleep.


Brandon lied in his bed thinking over the events of that day. He was particularly disappointed in himself for not accounting for the occult research club. If Rias considered Issei her property, of course she'd want to keep an eye on him. He got sloppy, but he wouldn't allow that to happen again.

Moving on from that there were the new guests. He knew Dohnaseek, he had a fairly good read on Raynare, but then there was the blond one.

"Damn that girl was creepy." Brandon muttered to himself. "Why'd it have to be maids?"


Fun fact: when writing this chapter, autocomplete correctly guessed The Lost Child's true identity, TWICE.

Regarding Cyberior's question about the last chapter: Brandon's initial threat against Asia was him testing the waters with the occult research club. He wanted to get an idea of where they stood as well as drive a wedge between Issei and the rest. After the shard burst from Issei's leg he admitted he was lying about Asia being the one in danger.

Brandon is an intelligent person that likes to have things planned out, but when he lets his temper get the better of him he can make some very, very dumb decisions. (Like needlessly escalating dangerous situations.)

Azalea has her own aggressive side that's far more instinctual, and now she has use of Hamon as well.

As usual I had my sister beta read some snippets before upload, and her commentary on Azalea was as follows: "Damn, she horny." Astute observations as always, Sis.

Juxtaposed to Azalea's gay panic, Aine knows exactly how to get what she wants. And she makes an excellent wingmom (Puns).

What does everyone think? Did I foreshadow the Azalea/Raynare pairing well enough or did it come as a total surprise? (I hope the reveal didn't upset or disappoint anybody.)

This was something I planned from the very beginning of the concept phase, before stands were thrown into the mix, before the backstory elements, heck before Brandon and Azalea were even conceptualised. In fact, you could say Raynare is the reason I started writing to begin with.

With this chapter the first arc is complete. I'm going to take some time to get what I have finished to ao3 as well before I move on to the epilogue (which should be about two or three chapters to allow everyone to settle into their new environment). After that is the Phenex arc. Thank you all for reading.