Hello everyone and welcome to the second chapter of this story.

So... Do you remember when I said that my next chapter would be posted "as soon as possible"? Yeah, I might have screwed on that one. But, to make it up for your wait, I give you an extra-large chapter, packed with everything I could produce (to be enjoyed without moderation ^^).

Anyway, before we start with this chapter I would like to thank Angron, Jake Shirk, CaptBurrito, hq816, Goodxbad13, frostmornebane, MOR4LE and of course my good buddy Dunedan for their follows; but also all of you who read my first chapter. You guys rock!

Like last time, you can find me at the end of the chapter with more information to share with you.

I wish you all a nice reading! :)

Quick reminder: Highschool DxD is the property of Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero and Fujimi Shobo. I do not own anything except the original characters. Please support the official release.


-"Fairy tales are more than true, not because they tell us dragons exist, but because they tell us dragons can be beaten."- Neil Gaiman

Istanbul, Turkey, 12th of October 2007

10:30 PM

The moon was shining brightly on this mild October night, with the city looking as lively as earlier in the day. And in the ongoing nightlife, only a few people paid attention to the white limousine sporting a silver owl on its cover, passing through the city. And inside of said car, the atmosphere wasn't as free spirited as outside.

"Uuuh…" groaned Yui who was slowly regaining consciousness. "Why do I feel so sloppy ? I defeated these creepy Devils and then…"

Just as the events of her previous battle in the dead end alley were replaying in her head, she then remembered the conclusion of this clash, with her defeat against the self-proclaimed Devil noble. Instinctively reacting, she opened her eyes to be greeted by the sight of her captor, sitting right in front of her, legs crossed as she was currently reading what appeared to be a newspaper written in some strange symbols. The young girl then began to turn her head left and right, making observations about their new environment, quite different compared to the alley-turned-battlefield with its comfortable azure blue colored leather seat, soft classical music playing in the speakers and a plethora of options, including elements like a minibar, a bookshelf or even a fully equipped work surface.

Seeing she seemed busy and not paying attention to her, Yui tried to use this opportunity by jumping to the door to escape but to no avail, when the brunette finally realized she was tied up in some black chains with luminous purple markings on them, preventing her from making any basic moves.

The sound of said shackles made her enemy take a look from her reading, finally noticing the young girl's awakening. "Well, well, well… Look who decided to wake up from her little nap? I hope you are not as grumpy as earlier, because while it's good to get someone with character like you occasionally, I don't want you to always be so brash. After all, I have standards to preserve…" she said, smiling a provocative smirk once again as she folded her newspaper before putting it down on the table next to her.

"Who are you? Why are you doing this to me? I'm sure we never met before and I swear that no crimes of any sorts were committed by myself!" said Yui in a panicked tone while still trying to break free from her bindings. "Listen, I don't know what you want from me but if you're looking for some monetary compensation or ransom, I'm sorry to inform you that I only have yen on me which were refused by every merchant I came across and that I don't know anyone in this city." she continued, before cursing in her head about the potential information she indirectly gave to her abductor.

"Now, now, now... What did I just say about your vocal excesses, young lady?" replied her Devil captor, looking slightly annoyed by the little brunette panicked voice. "But if you are so curious, I would gladly answer your questions. This is the favourite part of my job, right after collecting the paycheck from my clients." she added, her smile widening as she finished her sentence.

"First of all, I already introduced myself earlier in that sordid alley. But since my generosity bears no limit, I will make the effort of re-introducing myself. My name is Cynthia Stolas and I am the legitimate heiress to the House of Stolas, member of the seventy-two Pillars of the Ars Goetia and ranked as Marquis of the Underworld." she stated with noticeable proudness in her voice. "A person of your condition may consider herself lucky to be in the mere presence of someone like me. But don't feel intimidated: I will not harm you."

"And as to explain your current condition, I will cut straight to the point: I captured you because I thought you might have some potential to become a good servant inside a peerage, which is the reason why I'm going to sell you to some other Nobles who will be ready to put the price for your services." she declared, shocking the young girl to her very core by the revelation of her fate and the tone of Cynthia's voice, which sounded like the most basic and conceivable possible, similar to someone who would ask her about the weather.

"Now I know you may be surprised in some way, but fear not, you are not the only one in this case. You are just another number in my business plan, nothing more. So don't push yourself too much: you are not that much of a big deal." clarified Cynthia lightly, like she corrected someone who said something silly.

"You… You want to sell me?! How can you do this? Why would you do such a thing in the first place? What are your tr-"

"Enough!" cut an upset Cynthia, who was becoming more and more irritated by the Japanese's impertinence. "I already told you about your excesses. One more show of disrespect and I'll take some 'stronger' measures against you…" she followed, with a look in her eyes which promised retribution. "By the Satans, why am I always surrounded by the most frustrating and unreasonable lowlifes in the entire Creation? But since I already checked the state of Lilith's stock exchange and I don't have anything better to do except watching those puny humans live their life by the window; I suppose continuing our discussion might be the most appealing option. After all, watching your frightened facial expressions each time you discover something new is quite entertaining." she added, switching from a bored tone to a taunting one.

"You see little girl, my philosophy of life is as simple as fulfilling." started Cynthia. "We Devils are a race which has grown and developed itself thanks to one key factor: domination. For centuries and even millennials, we have tried to establish our domination upon others, whether they are other life forms, races or even among ourselves. We even dominated our own sins, which helped us to become stronger than before. Domination is a core part of the Devil's society. It expressed itself in the most important parts of our history, as we battled the crows and those cowards from Heaven in the Great War, and even today for our own distraction in the Rating Games." she continued, as Yui noticed she was getting more and more passionate about her speech. "Our current leaders say it's not domination which helped us progress and survive but our desire to stay united in the darkest moments to see another day. I swear, Sirzechs Lucifer's power needs to be commended but he really is an idealist. Even during the Civil War, the Anti-Satan Faction won not because they 'stayed united', but thanks to a common goal: the annihilation of their enemies and the domination of the Underworld. That's how important 'Domination' is to the Devil society and culture." concluded Cynthia with proudness before silence took over.

"And how does that answer any of my questions ?" retorted Yui with a mix of fear and boldness.

Stung by those words, the blue-haired snapped her head in the direction of her captive, fury in her eyes for being provoked once again, forming a magic circle in her left palm as Yui's bindings began to light up as the young brunette found herself in tremendous pain. "You really don't know when to stop huh? Those chains could crush your frail body with a just snap of my fingers. So now that you received your last warning, I'm going to pursue my explanations, just for you. So, am I not nice with you ?" said Cynthia in a rhetorical manner before making her magic circle dissapear.

"So, as I was about to address this matter before you so rudely interrupted my person, domination rules the Devil's society. But not just our culture, but also those of the other races of the supernatural world, whether they are Angels, Fallen ones, Gods, Monsters, Youkais or even you silly monkeys whose sole talent is to copy your superiors. I mean, how many wars did you cause just to see who was the strongest or to obtain a reward as a proof of your superiority. You denigrate my species but you are just as rotten as we are, maybe even more because you use 'reason' as an excuse while it's just plain hypocrisy." spitted Cynthia with pure anger, expressing all her disdain towards mankind. "But let's not digress. As I was saying, nowadays, we Devils need to express our need for domination to preserve our society. That's why Ajuka Beelzebub created the Rating Games between the Nobles with their peerages, reinforcing the necessity for the kings to obtain strong servants who would help them to defeat their opponents teams. And that's where I intervene." explained the arrogant Devil.

"My activities consist of 'finding' candidates with enough potential to be considered 'useful' servants and then to negotiate their 'services' with a client who would be interested. In the end, I'm just an actor who helps to perpetuate the cycle. So I don't hold anything against you. You were just the wrong person at the wrong place at the wrong time. Or the right person in my opinion... So no hard feelings I hope ? I'm just a businesswoman doing her work to help society to prosper." concluded Cynthia who was clearly mocking the poor girl from her position, adopting the fakest pity smile conceivable. "In the end, it's just about business. 'Consumers' want some of my 'products' and I make it available for the right 'price'. Once again, I express my domination, on both you, the product, and the buyers, the consumers. Are you happy now ?" finished the Stolas heiress who was serving herself a cup of tea as she finished her explanations.

Denial was clouding the young Japanese's mind. How could someone consider people like merchandise to sell just to prove their superiority over them. If she was indeed the heir of a noble Devil House, she should be quite wealthy. Therefore, monetary gain wasn't her prime goal. Was this woman really looking to just show how much more power and influence she possessed compared to others? Was she arrogant to such a point that 'lower people' were mere numbers and prices in her eyes? But most importantly: was she right about every species' mutual crave for domination ? Is this really how the world has developed since the first ages ?

"Awww... Look at yourself, crestfallen because you got the answers you were looking for. But don't worry, because if that can raise your mood just a tiny bit, you are not the only person who was captured today." expressed Cynthia with fake enthusiasm as she continued entertaining herself by tormenting the girl. "In fact, you will soon meet your temporary companions as we are approaching our destination. Talking with you helped me kill the time, so I will forgive your impertinence during this drive."

Taking the heiress' mockery into account, Yui once again decided to voice her thoughts as another question came to her mind. "Wait! You mean this car is driving us to a rendezvous point ? But since you are a Devil and you can use magic, why didn't you teleport us to this precise area in the first place ?" she enquired, preparing herself to be at the receiving end of her captor's anger after she once again questioned her choices.

But instead of feeling the pain created by her bindings, she only perceived silence as she reopened her eyes to look at the blue-haired female, seeing her quietly sipping her tea before addressing her captive once more.

"You do have a point, but let me reply to your statement with another one: why would I want to move quickly with a teleportation circle while I can still reach my destination in a far more comfortable and appropriate environment for a person like me ?" she retorted. "Of course, it would be 'quicker'; but once again: what am I demonstrating to those lowly peons outside when I can move in a vehicle such as this one? Domination. So now stop with those questions and just stay silent!" ordered the slightly irritated Devil.

As silence fell once again inside the luxurious limousine, Yui let her mind wonder about her imminent future, influenced by the cruel Devil's speech and its tarnishing words. Is she meant to become a servant to some Devil Noble who will probably use her for some demeaning deeds, if the rumors she heard about certain masters' lascivious habits with their peerages members were true. Deep down, she knew she couldn't bear to witness this kind of act on non-consenting people without trying to put an end to it. But she also knew her attitude might cause her problems, if her exchange with the Stolas was any concrete proof.

"By the way... Since you seem to have used up all your questions, I will take this opportunity to ask you in return." expressed Cynthia, abruptly cutting Yui's train of thought. "I took notice earlier that you are currently wearing a set of clothes which doesn't match with this country's culture. If I add this with your stature and facial features, I can easily presume that you are coming from the Far East, more precisely Japan. Am I right or not?"

The only answer Cynthia received was the sound of silence as the young girl decided to look away, not even directing her attention to the windows' outside view.

"No answers or relevant remarks to give me? Fine. If you don't want to give them from your free will…" Cynthia began before lifting her left hand, making the previous magic circle reappear as the young girl found herself once more in intense pain. "...I will take them by force. You can't dress like this, possess knowledge about the supernatural world and use magic without a proper background. So tell me: where are you from precisely? Kanto? Or maybe Kansai? To which clan do you belong to ? You might have more value than I thought…" interrogated the blue-haired as her smile widened more and more with the perspective to hold her current possession as a potential high ransoming hostage, who was busy struggling to breathe and resist the intense pressure coming from her bindings.

But before the Japanese girl could mutter a single word from her painful disposition, the limousine started to slow down as a new and more composed voice was heard. "Milady. We have arrived at the storage point. I note that almost all of your servants are gathered here and waiting for you. I hope you had a pleasant ride." said the voice in a calm and educated manner.

Slowly inhaling, Cynthia released her hold and let the markings on the chains disappear, letting the young Yoshikawa breathe again freely. "You are really lucky." stated the heiress before she began to fix her hair. "But your tenacity will not always save you. I will interrogate you more later, because for now, I must take care of my business. And if you didn't forget…" she said as she finished fixing her rebellious right lock and moved towards the door whilst the latter was opened for her. "... You are now a small part of it."

11:15 PM

The white limousine belonging to the Stolas heiress was being parked in front of a warehouse, located on the docks supplied by the Bosphore waters and serving as a meeting point for the members of Cynthia's peerage. The building was nothing fancy: a plain bonded warehouse used by some foreign fireworks company, making it a decent cover for illegal supernatural beings trafficking. In front of its doors, a group composed of six people were watching the luxurious car stop itself before the driver stepped out of it, moving around the vehicle before opening the passenger's backdoor, letting their mistress exiting gracefully.

The soft wind blew from her right side, making her previous well-kept hair a bit more ruffled as the cloak who was previously covering her body lifted itself a bit, revealing the stylish black silk pants which were adorning her legs and the base of some elegant high heels boots. Walking with confidence, she moved towards her peerage, eyeing each of her servants to see their expressions.

At the very left of the group stood a middle-aged man of medium length with a squared but smooth face, orange hairs tied in a ponytail and a large black trenchcoat, a set of clothes which was shared by every other member. At his left could be seen a green-haired young woman with long dreadlocks falling to her lower back and red lipsticks as distinctive signs, who was throwing a mocking look at the person right next to her. That person would be none other than the previously seen trilby-wearing Devil who first collided with the young Japanese girl, looking slightly stressed at the arrival of his mistress because of his earlier failure but hoping to appease her with his newest find. Next to him was another young woman, this time with soft purple hair presented in a short bob-cut hairstyle, showing an irritated expression whose source could be coming from the two bulky men at the end of the little group, currently busy giggling at each other without paying attention to their surroundings. These two almost identical men, with only the color of their common mohawk haircut to help distinguish them: red for the first and yellow for the second, both shared the same sturdy appearance, making the trenchcoats look quite tight on them, rough facial features and lack of intelligence in their eyes, reinforcing anyone's idea about them being related to one another.

At their King's approach, the now-identified servants held themselves with dignity as the orange-haired man took one step forward. "Lady Cynthia, I hope your ride here went smoothly. As you can see, not everyone has arrived yet but I'll make sure to remind the latecomers that you strongly 'dislike' those who don't respect the established schedule." said the man while bowing at the end of his speech.

"Enough Magnus! I know my rules since I'm the one who created them." cut Cynthia with an annoyed voice while massaging her temples. "Anyway, just forget about three of these lowlifes. I already 'fired' three of them and took their pieces back. So just get the last catch of the day off my car so we can advance on the next sell." she said, showing three pawn's chess pieces in her left hand while showing the limousine with her right thumb.

"Of course Milady! Goran! Zoran! Please take care of the latest addition." spoke the man now known as Magnus to the two mohawked enforcers, who proceeded to move towards the limo before opening it and extirpating the still struggling Yui, hooking her arms with theirs which caused the brunette to not even touch the grounds as she and her luggage were transported towards the warehouse.

Now outside, the young girl took notice of the new location's landscape before observing her captor's cronies, eyes briefly widening when they landed on the Devil who first approached her back at the castle, making her remember the trial she was put through because of him.

"Now that I am here, to kill some time before the four idiots finally join us, I wish to make a quick check-up of today's 'catches'." demanded Cynthia as she turned her head in the direction of her peerage. "Magnus?"

The middle-aged man cleared his throat before moving to the side and starting to list the heiress current 'possessions'. "Well... On this day, Friday the twelfth of October, your peerage managed to capture five humans, two Yokais and one Fallen Angel, for a total amount of eight new 'products' for tomorrow's sale. Now if we had your latest addition, we obtain nine 'products', with three of them having an exotic touch, if I may say so, Milady."

"Excellent! I knew this day would be one to remember. The next sale should give us some decent profits." smiled Cynthia while rubbing her hands together. "Now let me have a look at my merchandise before we stock it."

From her position, Yui witnessed the scene where the two female members of Stola's peerage escorted a bunch of people with the snake hinds of chains around each of them. Among them, three were sticking out from the rest. The first one was a short-haired man who looked in his early twenties with a small brown pompadour and a pair of purple eyes; wearing what could be presumed as a complete "commando" set, with a camouflage jacket, trellises and black boots. With him, two young women were also standing out. While one had white hairs and the other dark ones, they both shared identical looks and generous physical proportions, with the same deep yellow eyes, cardinal red kimonos and double braid hairstyles, sending vengeful glares at their new temporary "owner". It wasn't that difficult for the young girl to determine from which species and pantheons those three belonged, while noticing the two women's attire was typical of the Kansai region in Japan. Aside from them, the others looked quite plain, with casual clothes and scarred expressions on their faces.

"Mmmh…" pondered Cynthia at loud as she inspected the eight people positioned in front of her. "That's not bad at all. They don't look injured, therefore we don't need to use the phoenix tears to cover anything. And we now have some novelty in the catalogue. I don't even remember the last time I put Youkais on sale; I think it was around the time of the Naberius Case, if I'm not mistaken. Magnus?"

"Indeed Milady, you are correct. It was precisely three years and four months ago since the murder of Duke Naberius by that rogue Nekoshou." indicated the orange-haired man to his mistress.

"Already three years, huh? Time sure flies when you don't pay attention... Anyway, do you have any precisions I need to be aware of before we proceed?"

"Of course Milady! We have discovered that this Fallen Angel is a four-winged specimen, which adds some value compared to the more common two-winged ones. Also, the two Youkais seem related as twins Okuri-Okami."

"Oh! So we have two tiny wolves among us? Remember my darlings: I don't want any barks or bites. Understood?" said Cynthia to the two Youkais with a condescending tone while patting the white-haired's head, making her twin growl in response.

"Put your hand off my sister immediately! Or be prep-" interjected the black-haired Okami before an excruciating pain struck her as the azure Devil disdainfully looked at her.

"I do not appreciate when someone below me tries to disrespect my person and what I represent. So when I perform an action or decide on something, 'people' like you just agree and bow before me." explained Cynthia in a cold manner, emphasizing the word "below" to make her point clearer for everyone. "Understood?"

The young woman couldn't answer the Devil and just continued to cry in pain as her sister pleaded to end the black-haired's sufferings; which the azure heiress accepted once she considered her message to be received. "Ayako!" yelled the white-haired Youkai after her sister's bindings returned to their previous state. "Do not worry." cut Cynthia. "I didn't kill her. I just put a little reminder in her thick skull about who is in charge. I hope for your sake that you are not as stubborn. Now, do you have any complaints to voice too?" Silence was the only answer she received as she ended this exchange in a mocking tone "Good girl! Now what about the five other lowlifes?"

"They are just humans with high spiritual signatures. I mean, higher than normal for their race Milady!" responded Magnus as he corrected himself. "I speculate at least two of them might have a Sacred Gear; but alas none of them should be superior to a mid-tier."

"It's alright. This shipment has enough potential to provide me with a good profit margin, thanks to my three key products for the next sale. I already know which clients could be interested."

"Please excuse me for this interruption Milady, but…" cut the purple-haired Devil working for Cynthia. "Could you tell us what you plan to do with that girl?" she asked while pointing at Yui, who was still hanging between the two "rooster twins" as she dubbed them in her head.

"Oh, her?" began the heiress. "I almost forgot to deal with her case. For your information, this little girl managed to defeat three of your comrades thanks to her knowledge of seal magic. Therefore, I was forced to do all the work myself to capture her, which I of course accomplished in a mere snap. What do you think of her, Liarra?" she asked the now identified purple-haired woman.

"Her spiritual signature is pretty impressive, far superior to the other humans assembled here. Given her traditional attire, I guess she is a priestess affiliated to the Shinto faction, which adds to her value. She has indeed potential, so I suppose she could be a good addition to your peerage. But you might have other plans for her, Milady?" answered Liarra to her mistress in a calm and composed manner, which for Yui was befitting of her personality.

"Interesting analysis like always Liarra." stated Cynthia with a slight smile. "And you are correct about the last point: I do have something else planned for her. At first, I thought she could have been a perfect Bishop to assist you in this task. However, her behaviour and lack of respect towards me don't enter in my established line of conduct. That's why I'm adding her to the next shipment. Once I obtain more infos about her potential alignment with the Shinto faction and her position, I will play my cards accordingly to raise her price and maybe even use her as a hostage if she belongs to a powerful clan!" she proclaimed while smirking at the young girl like a predator observing its trapped prey.

"Now, let's take care of stocking these 'goods' and then…" Cynthia began before her eyes stumbled upon the trilby-wearing Devil, her only Pawn present. "Basso... What are you doing here alone? Didn't I send you and the others to catch that dark-haired man? And why is he not among today's catches?" pressed his mistress as her facial expression started to darken.

"L-lady Cynthia! I mm-mean Milady!" stuttered Basso as sweats ran along his face. "You see... After the previous incident before the Topkapı Palace, I wanted to avenge the humiliation I suffered because of that pesky brat!" he said while eyeing Yui with anger. "That's why after discreetly chasing that punk-looking guy for a while, I sensed another presence with a high signature and decided to split from the group to catch them for you. I hope you will be happy with my decision!" he finished, grinning proudly while pointing at a scared man with no striking features except a bright orange t-shirt.

Silence fell on the group as Cynthia Stolas switched between her idiotic Pawn and his catch, looking more and more exhausted as seconds passed before she once again spoke. "*sigh* You know, I should be furious with you for your obvious lack of sense, deduction and plenty of basic qualities for a proper servant…" she began as she massaged her temples once more in front of Basso's slowly fading smile. "But, at least you managed to capture and bring back a catch by yourself without failing miserably like your comrades. Therefore I shall overlook your decision this time. But don't push your bravado too much. I may not be so clement next time, is that clear?!"

"Yes Milady! May your glory and the House of Stolas be revered by all the Devils of the Underworld and beyond!" thanked Basso on his knees, euphoric because he escaped to his potential execution.

"I know, I know… I am such a generous soul with lower lifes, offering them a chance to be useful for something instead of simply wasting oxygen…" said Cynthia with fake modesty. "Anyway, they still haven't arrived so I presume they must have also failed. *sigh* I'm really surrounded by incompetents... Liarra! Go fetch them! I trust you will easily find their signatures. And bring them to me quickly: I will take 'care' of them." she instructed with a sinister tone at the end.

The purple-haired simply nodded before letting her two wings out and taking off in the direction of the city. Meanwhile, the rest of the group finally entered inside of the warehouse to conclude today's operations, with Yui shooting one last glance outside to see that the limousine had dissapeared, leaving her witht he sight of a moonless night before the doors were closed behind her muscled escort.

11:45 PM

The Stolas Fireworks and Cracker® warehouse was pretty large. It contained a great number of wooden crates on all sides probably filled with numerous explosive tools and steel containers near its end. A second floor could be seen, from where people could easily oversee the production, illuminated by a bunch of lights fixed on the roof which were all blinking every once in a while, a sign that meant they really needed to be replaced by new ones. They were linked to a set of switches and a generator also at the end of the building. It was the most basic hide imaginable; but it was also the most effective in the eyes of the azure-head entrepreneur.

"Dear future servants, sadly this day is coming to an end and me and my peerage must leave you for the night." playfully said Cynthia faking her sadness once more while feasting on her captives angered expressions. "But beforehand, I will take a bit more time from you to get the informations I need to finalize tomorrow's sale plan. So I demand that you form a tight line while my Queen asks each of you more details about yourself and your connections. Now hurry!"

Yui was immediately dropped on the ground by the two brutes, while the one with the yellow mohawk kept her suitcase, before being put at the end of the line right next to the two female Okamis, who gave her a sympathetic look for their mutual cruel fate. "Hey! Are you ok ? These two idiots must have ruffled you quite a lot." asked the white-haired one. "My name is Ayaka and the other is my sister Ayako. We are from Kyoto. Nice to meet you!" she ended cheerfully.

"My name is Yoshikawa Yui. I am pleased to meet you too. And what a coincidence, I'm-"

"Silence!" interrupted Cynthia's Queen in a loud voice. "You will have all the time you want to discuss after the completion of your profiles. I advise you to be cooperative or else…"

Following those words, everyone's chains illuminated once again and a great number of pained screams could be heard before it ended, leaving the poor lined up souls out of breath. "Listen closely. If one of you tries to not answer to my questions or to disobey or insult Lady Stolas, he or she will receive a shock. And since you are all next to each other and your respectives bindings are in contact, you will all share the shock as a result. So I suggest you put your pride away and obey us."

Nobody objected but the four "great value products" kept their heads high, challenging not just the orange-haired man or the arrogant heiress but her whole peerage.

"Mmmh, some of you still have rebellious thoughts? Fine, then we will start with the little miss." The man then moved in front of Yui. "Tell me, what are-"

"AAAAH Crap!"

Magnus never finished his question as he was cut by the sound of something falling on the ground behind a range of large cases preceded by loud curses, which caught the attention of every person in the room, Cynthia in particular, who feared someone had discovered her illegal business. It was then followed by a muffled voice, confirming the presence of an unknown entity inside the warehouse.

"Owwww... Why do I always have to fall on my head? Stop laughing! I think I heard some voices behind the boxes…"

The sound of footsteps followed, before the form of messy black strands of hair could be seen from behind a firecracker's crate and then quickly disappeared for more whispers to be heard.

"Shoot! This place is crowded! I knew sailors would eventually come but I hoped to have a few more hours. Maybe they will accept to negotiate..."

The unknown voice then seemed to move back to its starting point by climbing a wooden crate and proceeding to create ruffles on it before jumping down, all the while trying to discuss with the group, who recognized it as belonging to a man. "He-Hello! How are you doing today? I feel truly sorry to bother you; particularly if I am not supposed to be there at this time of the day. But I'm not from here... And I don't have a lot of money left to pay for a hotel room... And I thought the night wasn't pretty enough to sleep under the stars with the covered moon… And the sound of the sea helps me to fall asleep… So maybe we can try to-"

The stranger finally showed himself, confirming he was indeed a man and also not such an unknown figure for three people, revealing to be the "eccentric-looking" individual that Cynthia ordered Basso and his comrades to chase after earlier without them returning. But for Yui, he was the man that lady Emel mentioned in her tale rescuing the little Mehtap from getting run over by the now-identified Stolas limousine, which gave the young girl one more reason to hate her.

And after meeting him in person, his portrayal by the older woman was perfectly accurate with his large stature, dirty tattered clothes, large backpack currently being worn on its designed position and long jet-black messy hairs. Strangely enough, he still wore his pair of sunglasses even in the middle of the night where it wasn't the most useful feature, which didn't help him hide his facial expression that gave the impression of someone under pressure as he suddenly stopped speaking for a moment.

A heavy silence fell on the room, as everyone waited for someone to speak up and break the deadlock, just as the mysterious man once again took note of every person gathered in this room.

"You... You don't really look like sailors. Who are you? And why are some of you chained? Because if it's some strange kinky theme evenings I will just take my leave to not bother you and... Huh what did you say?"

The man once again interrupted himself as he slightly turned his head to speak to someone, except no one seemed to be with him; making more than one person raise an eyebrow at this scene, except Cynthia who looked at him with more interest than before.

The man then refocused his attention on the group, his eyebrows looking more furrowed as he began to growl at them. "Devils... I knew this scene looked fishy. I swear, why can't I have a break for once and not get mixed up in some supernatural bullshit?!"

His sudden change of tone caught everyone's attention, as the man switched from timid to angry in a matter of seconds, clenching his fists and showing his teeth at the Stolas heiress, who decided to reply.

"Well, well, well... Look what fates have brought here. This is really my lucky day. No targets managed to escape and the only one who could have decided to hide here of all places. And it seems you are familiar with the supernatural world. Am I right young man?"

The man in question didn't respond immediately but instead took a couple of breaths to calm himself before he continued the conversation.

"Bang on! And if there is one thing I don't like about it, it's how you all seem to get a kick from abusing humans weaknesses to torment them without fearing repercussions. Ever since I started to travel, I always stumbled on scenes like this one, where profiteers like you used their powers to feed their greed by crushing others. But just like for them, I'm not going to let you do as you please!"

"Oh really?!" asked Cynthia in a tone which emphasized how much she underestimated him. "You sound a lot more confident than before. And why would you think my actions are nefarious?"

"That's simple!" the man retorted before starting to crack his knuckles "You look and sound like a bully. And if there is one thing I hate in this world, it's bullies!"

The two proceeded to stare at each other, gauging their mutual opponent, before Cynthia held the bridge of her nose as she sighed. "You have all decided to be rebellious today? Fine! I will discipline you too. Basso! This is the chance to repair your previous failure: take care of this 'edgy' idiot! You can ever consider the warehouse like enemy territory..."

"Uuuh?! But Milady! Miss Liarra hasn't returned yet and if this guy is indeed the one behind the other's disappearance, then I-" said Basso before being silenced by his mistress' authoritarian glare. "I-I mean... Yes Milady!"

The Pawn moved towards his designated enemy, trying to hide his fears by boasting in front of him. "Now listen up punk! You might think of yourself as some big shot but you clearly don't know who you are dealing with. You're facing the mighty Cynthia Stolas, a renowned noble in the Underworld, and her entire peerage, with the exceptions of the small fries. So be smart, stand still and just surrender before we put you down for good, OK?" he said, sweating a bit as he formed a magic circle in his right hand.

The "punk" didn't answer and simply placed his backpack on the floor before advancing as well with a calm pace, hands in his jacket's pockets.

"He-Hey!" shouted Basso, who was getting more and more stressed by the stranger's lack of answer and calm attitude. "I told you to stand still! You didn't hear me?! Or are your shitty shades blocking your sight? Stop trying to look cool and answer me!"

The young man continued to ignore the Pawn and continued to walk towards him at the same pace; his posture not flinching at all by his words. On the other hand, Basso, who had stopped in his track to insult the man, tried to back down to gain some distance but found himself unable to move, like he was stuck to the ground. Fear began to rise inside of him as he tried to move his legs to no avail, stuck under one of the lights that blinked repeatedly, making his opponent look he teleported every few seconds.

"I said stand still! Do you want to end with a bunch of magic bullets inside your body?! So please stop!" threatened Basso in a panicked state, putting his right hand forward to support his claim while asking himself why he was so scared of just one punk kid, as strange as he looked.

Seeing the man still ignoring his threats and staying silent, the Pawn's patience came to an end as he started to shoot towards his opponent during one of the blinks above him, surprised to find his arm too far to the right to have a proper aim when the light came back, making his bullets reach nothing but wooden crates.

'Impossible! My aim was perfect one second ago. I couldn't fail at this range. The stress is making me act insane. Pull yourself together Basso! Because if that guy doesn't kill me… I know she will!' thought Basso to calm himself before focusing on the man right in front of him.

Trying to correct his aim for another salvo of bullets, he found his right arm difficult to move, like if numerous tiny hands were pulling in the other direction. In fact, the more he thought about it, the more he felt something strange along his body, like a foreign presence was restraining him from moving freely. This lack of attention proved to be the Pawn's last mistake as he found the leather-wearing man just in front of him, throwing a mean right hook which sent him crashing through one of the containers.

This action caught everyone's attention, from the prisoners to the Devils, even though some traces of frustration and lack of compassion could be found on the latter facial expressions. symbolized by the mohawks twins and the green-haired girl laughs and their mistress simple summary of the battle: "I can't believe this idiot didn't use his Promotion… Anyway, this little show confirmed my suppositions about your potential. You really have quite some strength in your arms it seems. I wouldn't be surprised if you defeated my other Pawns with the same ease."

"Huh? Are you saying that the four gobshites who attacked me from behind earlier were some of your minions?!" asked the man with surprise.

"And that answers my previous interrogation; now I know Liarra is going to come back with bad news." said Cynthia without putting real weight in her words. "It could be useful to have someone like you working for me. I would offer you a role in my peerage, but from your previous reactions I think I already know your answer…" she followed, waiting for his comeback to her provocation.

"So why do you ask if you already know the answer?" "retorted" the man in a forthright manner, oblivious to the irony behind the Devil's previous sentence, causing an awkward silence for a few seconds before a surprised heiress spoke again.

"Ex-excuse you? What did you just say to me?!"

"What? Why are you so surprised? I just-" began the dark-haired before once again stopping mid-sentence to look slightly to his right, similar to listening to someone next to you; perturbing the attendance once more with his antics. "What do you mean by… Oh, she used irony... But you know that I'm bad with offbeat humour!" he said, speaking to himself while some of the people currently watching him, including Yui, started to worry about his mental health.

"I've had just about enough of you... Goran! Zoran! Just get rid of him!" ordered Cynthia, setting the tone for the next battle as the two twins grinned.

"Yes Ma'am!" they shouted before advancing towards their designated prey, trying to look intimidating but also winking at the other set of the twins in the room, making the two restrained sisters shuddered by the way.

As the two behemoths were approaching the rebellious fighter with clear intention of hurting him, the man in question simply stepped back towards one of the pillars supporting the structure before moving his arms to form a boxing guard. Laughing at his actions, the two brothers proceeded to remove their trenchcoats, which looked tight enough on them to hinder their movements, exposing their bulky upper bodies dressed only with straps of leather and chains linked to collars while brown cargo pants and boots completed their outfits.

"Ha! I knew there was something kinky about all of this!" exclaimed the black-haired with pride, feeling like he resolved a mystery, with the two brutes' only response consisting of a curious grunt while looking at each other as everyone else simply sweatdropped.

Now irritated by the stranger's words, the two brothers prepared to attack by charging right at him. But just as the one adorning a red mohawk launched his charge, he found himself in a curious situation as an open can of paint fell right on him, engulfing his whole head inside.

Zoran, stunned by the action, didn't notice their enemy had dashed towards him until the last moment, when he felt his shoe's sole striking him right on the left cheek, taking him off the ground for an instant before crashing down. "Superkick!"

Hearing the sound of battle taking place, Goran tried to help his brother but despite his best efforts, the paint can was firmly stuck on his head, preventing him from seeing anything.

"Wow! I didn't think it would fit with your crazy hair, but I'm glad to be wrong!" said the voice of his target, slightly distorted thanks to his new "helmet", before he felt himself bending forward followed by pressure around the metallic protection as he was put in a headlock by his slightly-shorter nemesis. "Mh? Hello? Is there anyone on the phone? Haha I can't hear you!" he continued playfully, knocking on the top (or in this case bottom) of the pot with his free arm as he kept his hold on Goran with the other.

Trying to get free, Goran moved his arms to throw them forward in an attempt to catch his opponent but found nothing as the pressure around his neck began wearing off while something seemed to roll along his back; before he felt his trousers and undergarments getting pulled upwards as a strain on his collar forced his head backwards. This accumulation culminated with a sensation of lightness taking over his body, now feeling like he was flying inside a tornado and then sent in a straight line before colliding with something really hard, cracking the paint can and probably his skull in the process.

However, for those who's sight wasn't obstructed by construction equipment, the scene was a little bit different. After getting blinded and mocked by the sunglasses-wearing man, Goran tried to attack him before he jumped over his attempt, releasing his hold in the process, before rolling along the bulky man's back. Then, he proceeded to take a hold of his pants and chains before rotating on himself, lifting and swinging the taller man with him, before throwing him on the other side of the warehouse head first like a battering ram.

"So... Who's next?" asked the man happily, keeping the same joyful attitude since he started fighting the Stolas peerage. His question was answered by a furious roar from behind him, as Zoran ran straight at him with all his strength. Just as he was about to connect his strike, the dark-haired dodged by sliding between his enemy's legs, waiting for him to turn around before twisting on himself to land a kick to his right knee, making Zoran lower his stance in the process as he launched another attack. "LARIAT!" shouted the young man before striking Zoran on the chest with his extended right arm, flipping him over in the process as he fell harshly on the ground, knocked out.

Shocked expressions were visible on the captives' faces and even among Cynthia's servants, but this time without the act of superiority and small laughs for the latter. Even the King of the peerage had let a small pearl of sweat run along her ravishing face, as one of her eyebrows slightly shook every few seconds from the shock of having her two Rooks played like bigger idiots than they usually were. However, for most of the prisoners, a small flame that had begun to reignite after slowly dimming up ever since their respective capture.

"Ha! I may not be a cowboy but I can still be pretty stiff, right?" declared the man who had become a thorn in Cynthia's side in a matter of minutes, forming the sign of the horns with his right hand. "Haha... Ha... Y-you didn't get the reference?" he asked with apprehension in his voice to a silent crowd. "Darn it! I really need to come up with a good catchphrase!"

Footsteps brought him back to reality, followed by the sound of steel cutting the air as he threw himself backward to avoid getting sliced in half by his new enemy's weapons. Checking himself for any injuries, he only noticed a large cut on his black shirt, showing some parts of his torso. "Crap! This shirt was 'almost' new!" he complained aloud. "Now I only have one good shirt left... You're going to pay for this Greeny!"

Now standing before him was the green-haired woman working under Cynthia. Her trench coat was now open, revealing a set of clothes composed of a purple blouse with the top button off, showing a small amount of cleavage in the process, a black short skirt with white frills on its edge highlighting her smooth legs and a pair of black business shoes concealing her feet. But her most eye-catching feature, except her hairstyle, would be the pair of swords she quickly pulled from her trench coat before attacking the peerage's target, composed of bent blades taking the form of a hook, large silver crescent guards and golden sharp tips at their ends.

"Holy crap! Are those real hook swords?" asked the surprised man with a hint of curiosity and fascination.

"The proper terminology is 'hu tou gou', but since your comprehension seems limited, I will let you call them hook swords." responded the green-haired woman in a snarky fashion. "You may have taken out the two meatblocks and that stupid show-off but I'll let you know I am on another level than them."

"Enough Marcia! You are my Knight! Do not waste anymore time and just kill him!" ordered her mistress, who was looking more and more like she might lose her temper as the fight continued.

"Yes Milady!" simply answered Marcia, not wanting to anger her King even more than she already was. She dashed right at her target, moving her swords in an harmonious pattern in hope to slash him while he once again jumped backwards to escape the blades' razor, barely avoiding getting touched as his ears vibrated thanks to the cuts in the air. The two continued their "dance" all around the building for a few more minutes, from one side to another, jumping over crates or bluntly destroying them as their "game of catch" progressed before the man wearing a Grim Reaper themed jacket landed behind the line of chained together prisoners, catching his breath.

"What are you trying to do? Using them as shields won't save you!" spitted a confident Marcia, even though she was also taking a breath discreetly, slightly surprised that the speed granted by her evil piece didn't work out already.

"I'm not hiding!" said the man to defend himself. "I was just checking something. By the way, shouldn't you help your friend with his 'little' problem?" he continued, pointing with his thumb to his left, showing Goran, busy removing the still stuck pot of paint from his head as he stepped over the crate debris he was previously thrown into like a dart.

As his return caught everyone's attention, Cynthia suddenly felt something strange had happened to her for a brief moment. Roaming her hands over herself in search for any sorts of attacks, she found nothing, but kept the impression of an unknown presence hidden somewhere around her.

"That big idiot... Don't you realize the more you hit it, the more tight it gets around that empty head of yours!" she yelled at her "comrade" in frustration before refocusing her attention towards the sunglasses wearing man, who hadn't moved from his position. "And you... Nice try but looks like your cheap diversion trick didn't allow you to escape!" she said mockingly. "You must be desperate to use such pathetic tactics."

"Hey! I'll let you know that my plans are always well-thought and not pitiful at all!" he said offended and ready to deny the Devil's accusations before smacking the back of his head. "Stop laughing I'm not lying! Anyway... I did try to divert your attention from me but not to escape."

"Really?" doubted the green-haired swordswoman. "And what did you achieve then?"

"Oh nothing grand at all... I just took this!" he answered as he moved his right hand to show a black key with an owl crest on its base, making the members of the Stolas peerage widen their eyes in shock, with Cynthia proceeding to reflexingly feel the back of her pants, not finding what should have been there. "How did he…" she whispered incredulously.

"How did you get this? Answer me!" Marcia shouted at him, trying to look threatening while internally starting to panic. "How did you know its existence and where to find it?!"

"Well it wasn't that complicated…" began the man with a simple smile. "Ever since I saw these fellas all chained together, I began to think about this problem. When someone is shackled up, there must be something to keep the chains tight on him or her, and it's usually a lock which does the job. And for each lock that exists, there is a key to open it. All I had to do to help them was to find that key."

"Bu-But how did you know that Lady Cynthia had the key on her?" asked Magnus from his position next to his mistress. "If you had tried the slightest attempt to approach her, I would have seen it immediately!"

"This one is easy. She looks like the most basic cliché of a greedy evil villainess. Of course she wouldn't trust anyone and keep everything around herself." explained the man pointing at the Stolas heiress. "And for how... Don't you know that a true magician never reveals his secrets?!" he finished playfully with an honest smile.

'That brat is mocking me now?! He is speaking about magicians, but I didn't sense any trace of magic emanating from him. So how did he steal my key? The only explanation is that he possesses a Sacred Gear and used its power to obtain the key while I was distracted.' thought Cynthia as anger continued to boil inside of her. 'Now, which Sacred Gear could help him do this?'

As Cynthia pondered about this new question, the back-haired man began to unlock the prisoners from their hindrances. Watching this, Marcia ran forward hoping to prevent her mistress' merchandise to escape but stopping at halfway when she sensed something coming from her left. Moving her swords in a straight line, she cut the foreign threat in half, only discovering it was just a steel bucket used as a projectile. "Huh?" was the only thing she uttered, looking in the dark corner from where the bucket came, before realizing her enemy had played yet again. But it was too late, because once she looked in the direction of the line, she saw that all the chains were on the floor and all their "catches of the day" free as air.

"Impossible! Lord Magnus, why didn't you sho-" began asking Marcia to the Queen of this peerage why he didn't used his powers to ignite the magic chains in hope to hit the dissident brat, but found her question stuck in her throat once she noticed Magnus was also "attacked" at the same as her, with the remains of a broom turning into ashes.

"Does that answer your idiotic question Marcia?" retorted vehemently the orange-haired man.

As the forces of the Stolas peerage were arguing between each other, the newly freed people heard the sound of the warehouse's large doors getting opened and then the voice of their liberator addressing them. "Hey! Now that you are all free, get the bloody hell outta here! Because I'm pretty sure they are pissed and that this place is going to morph quickly into a real battlefield. And I don't want to see anyone die today... Or tonight if I had to be more specific..." demanded the tall man to those around him before he passed them and walked towards his enemies.

Yui was shocked by the man's strong but yet gentle voice, which helped her stay awake after all of this day's events, as she started moving towards the exit; being preceded by five other people running towards it, looking way more scared than she was. She was almost outside when she remembered one important detail: the Devils still had her suitcase containing all of her belongings. Clearly decided to not let these fraudulent Devils get away with it, she turned around and saw that the battle had begun.

A few seconds earlier, Cynthia finally had enough of her servant's uselessness and stated her orders with the clearest and most relentless tone imaginable. "Listen closely you three, because I won't repeat it again: Restrain this man with everything you have, but do not kill him. I want him to live and then to feel what I have planned for him. Then make sure to take back as many escaped goods as possible. With how important tomorrow's auction could be, failure is not an option and will not be tolerated. Understood?"

The Queen and Knight gulped at their King's words, but silently answered her question before Marcia attacked the dark-haired man with all her strength. "Your time has come you bastard! Prepare to be-"

But her sentence was once again interrupted, this time not by Magnus' angered gaze but by a powerful kick she blocked at the last second with the back of her swords. The second big surprise was who tried to harm her, expecting to see the dirty looking man right before her but instead finding another dark-haired in the person of Ayako, now standing between him and Marcia and startling them both. "You?!"

"If you think that me and my sister are going to leave without making you pay for the atrocities you committed on all of us, then you really need a reality check!" stated the black-haired Youkai.

"Also, if we can repay your debt by helping Mister Edgy kicking your sinful Devils butts, it's a win-win situation, right?" Ayaka added, now standing next to her sister and smiling at the man she dubbed "Mister Edgy".

"Oh… Ok! Thank you very much for the help! I'll let you have the Greeny and Carrot Top while I handle their boss. But my name is-"

Before he could finish his sentence, Magnus had summoned a javelin of ice and threw it in hope to decapitate him but a light spear which came from the ceiling crushed both his weapon and hopes, creating a loud shattered noise in the process. Looking up, they saw the silent Fallen Angel watching from above, his four wings illuminated by the weak lights coming from the roof. "I'm sorry to interrupt you, but I would like to participate in this little exchange by taking care of this man." he said confidently while indicating Cynthia's Queen with the tip of another navy-blue light spear. "Like this young lady said, these people definitely need to learn to not disrupt the current peace between factions just for some monetary benefits. And I hope I can join you in this exercise without imposing myself."

"Well… I'm not used to being a team player, but in this case, I guess the more the merrier! So welcome aboard mister?"

"Captain Ballaton of the Zeta Squadron, Second Cohort of the Third Unit under the supervision of Lord Baraqiel. Regimental number 00732598. Waiting for orders, sir!"

"... Cool! Then I guess we are all set: it will be a triple fight!" declared the dark-haired man. "Good luck with your opponents!" he said before resuming his walk towards the King of this peerage.

In the meantime, Yui watched fighters from both sides positioned themselves for their respective battles, as Magnus flew in front of Ballaton while the twins took a slow breath before releasing their fluffy-looking tails and ears, each of the same colour as their hair. While they did this, Marcia took the liberty to come close to the still "trapped" Goran and with a quick movement managed to slice the paint of pot, freeing his now pink head. "I don't know if you heard Lady Cynthia's orders or not and I don't care. So shut up and help me crush these two pests, ok?" The only response she received was in the form of a grunt as the man she just talked to was busy cleaning his eyes from the paint; which she didn't mind, dragging him in front of girls. "Not so confident anymore huh?"

"Not really. We both find it's a good idea: the fight just seems more fair for you now." calmly stated Ayako.

"Yep! Your chances of winning have now increased by a little margin. But only a tiny bit, because he doesn't look like the sharpest tool in the shed!" snickered Ayaka as she looked at the giant with the pink head.

"Enough mockery! I captured you earlier and I will do it again now!" yelled Marcia before the four combatants charged at each other, echoing the chaos that had begun above them between the Queen and the Fallen Angel, both throwing and dodging projectiles at their enemy.

Taking advantage of the situation, Yui decided to slip behind the large wooden crates at her left to move forward, avoiding the risks of being hit by a stray attack. She advanced until finally seeing where her luggage was placed, on a barrel near the third battleground where the Devil heiress watched the tall dark-haired man arrive.

Finally, the two figureheads of both sides came face to face with one another. "I admit," started Cynthia "that I never thought you could produce as much carnage in such a short time. In an ascending order of importance, you managed to defeat my servants, to damage a property belonging to the House of Stolas, to make me lose my entire shipment of products to sell and to insult my person with the utmost disrespect. I am not going to lie: no one has ever angered me that much, with the exception of that lecherous Phenex boy at the Glasya-Labolas gathering from last year." she continued, gritting her teeth while reminiscing of "fond" memories.

"But before I take away your freedom and make you regret every decision of your pathetic life until your dying breath, I need you to answer one simple question." she added,trying to look more poised. "Which Sacred Gear do you wield?"

The dark-haired man, who had silently begun seizing his opponent while listening to her talk, simply cracked his neck before answering her. "What makes you think I have a Sacred Gear?"

"First of all, your spiritual signature is unusually high. Not just from a normal human standpoint but also from a Supernatural being one, and yet I didn't sense any trace nor use of magic coming from you. And yet, it has increased ever since you started fighting. Also, I am pretty sure that cleaning material can not fly and attack people by itself without a power source. The same can be said about the pot of paint that fell on one of my Rooks. Which means either you discreetly used an active Sacred Gear… Or that you are a Demi-god. But since I'm up to date with every major pantheon, I highly doubt this second hypothesis!" she finished her explanations, now awaiting his reply before unleashing all her repressed frustration on him.

Seeing the two not paying attention to their surroundings, Yui tried to reach her luggage furtively, which she achieved before the nearby blast caused by an Ballaton' light spear made her struck the barrel and fell with it loudly on the ground. "You!" hissed Cynthia as her eyes caught the form of the problematic girl who had contested her authority all night long. The state of stress she had been put in needed her to release some tension, and the young Japanese seemed like the perfect target as she formed a large magic circle and shot a range of magic bullets at her.

Yui only saw the bullets for a short instant but never felt them piercing herskin as the mysterious man had helped her dodging them by carrying the suitcase-holding young girl on his shoulder before jumping behind the crates' row she used to hide beforehand.

"Phew! That was close huh?" he asked her while looking between the cracks on the wood to see Cynthia's next move. The girl didn't answer but just kept her gaze on the wall in front of her, still scared by the near-death experience she almost lived a few seconds ago.

"Mhh? Are you ok? You didn't answer me earlier, so I-" began the tall man, cutting himself mid-sentence. "Or maybe…" he pondered for an instant before crouching to be face to face with the little brunette. "Hello! My name is Sétanta. Sétanta Donovan. Nice to meet you!" he then said with a timid smile which he tried to grow but ended up looking crooked, shocking Yui out of her trance-like state.

"Uhh... My name is Yoshikawa Yui… N-nice to meet you too! And thank you for saving me once again!" she answered after regaining her confidence, bowing to him in the process.

"No problemo! But I didn't see you among the others fighting those Devils. So why are you still here?" he asked her in a concerned tone, still looking for his enemy's next move. "Also, I don't know what you did to the other egomaniac but she seems to be pretty pissed at you!"

"I needed to get my luggage back from that wicked witch and her minions. It contains all my belongings and is all I have left." she began, holding her suitcase close to her.

"I can relate to that…" expressed by her companion.

"What did you say?"

"Oh nothing! You can continue."

"And let's just say that we both share a complicated relationship since this early evening…" she half-joked while rummaging through her luggage and stocking things under her kimono.

"Eh! I can see why people wouldn't want to be friendly with her." Sétanta said jokingly. "But on another topic, we need to get you out or you will probably be injured in the crossfire, or even worse!"

"Wait! But how can I-"

"But fear not!" he suddenly boomed. "Because I have a plan! I will create a diversion to catch that blue harpy's attention so you can run on the other side of the building; you know where I was sleeping before you all arrived. Then, you will walk along the range of crates and exit by the main opening. By the way, if you can take my backpack with you and put it outside I would be so grateful. So, are you ready?"

"W-wait, I don't understand-"

"GO!" Sétanta then proceeded to jump over the pile of crates and shout towards his nemesis. "Hey! You stupid owl lass! I bet you can't- OH SHIT!"

At the same time Sétanta started his "plan", a dark projectile impacted the boxes he was standing on, making him fall in the wooden shards, as Yui watched the scene unfold next to her. She recognized the unknown weapon as one of the monsters who had captured her earlier in the night, with its burly figure and empty purple eyes.

"Sétanta-san!" she cried towards the cloud of dust, concerned by the man's state after this attack, but only finding him looking at her from the ground with an expression she understood instantly: 'Run! I got you covered!'

In a blink of an eye, she gathered all of strength and pushed forward, focused on escaping this battle while she heard her saviour counter-attack in the background followed by the sound of strikes being exchanged. "Bah! I'm not going to be defeated by a big monkey. Eat this!"

She was halfway through her run when she felt the presence of another creature next to her, ready to smash the young girl's small body. Every other fighter was occupied by their own battles, so no one could come at her rescue. However this time, she was prepared to face threats like this and pulled out a rectangular slip of white paper with a kanji written on it and slapped it on the monster's belly before forming a pattern with her fingers. "O-fuda: Exile's Barrier!"

Like in the alley earlier, the talisman started to glow, followed by a white wave which consumed the beast, completely erasing it. But just as she was about to take a breath before resuming her escape, Yui caught the sight of another salvo of magic bullets being shot at her, preventing her from taking any actions in reaction except watching death's slow march coming in the Japanese's direction.

"Oh no you don't!"

The bullets never grazed the young girl's skin or clothes as they were absorbed by a strange black and purple form which came from her feet before returning to its first position, shocking both the aggressor and the defended one, while the sound of concrete shattering could be heard a little bit further. "Wha-what was that?! I didn't do anything!" exclaimed the tiny brunette in stupor before gazing at Sétanta who had pushed back the gorilla-like creature and thrown his hand in her direction. "W-wait! Are you the one who summoned this thing?"

"Ha... Haha... Hahaha!" laughed Cynthia in a sinister manner. "I knew it: you do have a Sacred Gear! And most importantly, I now know which Sacred Gear you are wielding!" she declared, full of confidence. "You are the possessor of [Night Reflection], also known as the Shield of Dark Night, which allows you to control shadows! That's how you could manipulate all those objects without touching them directly: you used the shadows created by the less lit part of the building while you distracted us." she continued, theorising how the man before her used his abilities to ruin her day. "I admit, that is an admirable effort to use such a powerless Sacred Gear to try to defeat me and my peerage... But courage isn't enough to win wars!"

"That's a good guess. But, did you just refer to my Sacred Gear as 'powerless'?" he asked a bit worried.

"Pff! I may not be a specialist in this field, but it's common knowledge that [Night Reflection] is reputed for being the 'Cowardly Sacred Gear'. Even among the other low-tier Sacred Gear, this one is despised for its long list of weak users preferring to use it to hide rather than for fighting those who threatened them." stated the Devil heiress condescendingly. "Now that I know its identity, I admit it truly befits someone like you: you are both poor, dirty and good-for-nothing specimens of living beings. I mean, who in their right mind could-"

But before she could finish her speech, a loud scream cut her, followed by a thunderous voice which resounded in the entire warehouse.

"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY ABOUT ME?!" shouted the new presence with very noticeable anger. "A POOR DIRTY GOOD-FOR-NOTHING SPECIMEN OF LIVING BEING?! YOU LITTLE BITCH!"

"AH! What's going on?" shouted Yui while covering her ears, an action everyone has mimicked ever since the new voice made itself known, and identifying her as a woman thanks to her tone.

"Gah! Who dares threaten me, the heiress of the House of Stolas? Show yourself and be prepared to pay for this insolence!"

"SILENCE! YOU WILL BE THE ONE WHO WILL PAY FOR YOUR INSOLENCE! SETH! SHOW HER WHAT HAPPENS TO THOSE WHO INSULT [NIGHT REFLECTION] AND AVENGE MY NAME!" commanded the angered voice to Sétanta, whose only answer could be described as a low and painful groan as he held his shaking head, followed by: "Owwww… My ears... For the last time: I AM NOT A MEGAPHONE! And don't worry, I'm on it!"

The Devil simply snorted at his words before starting to unhook unbutton her cloak, tossing to the side for her gorilla monster to catch it and hang it to a nearby hook, revealing her complete outfit consisting of a smooth black wrap top with loose sleeves, showcasing the Devil's curvy silhouette and generous bust thanks to a plunging neckline and a luxurious golden necklace. This cloth's touch of originality could be seen at the end of its sleeves, forming a pattern resembling a collection of silver feathers. "You seem pretty confident. I like that, but don't be blinded by it because you managed to defeat some of my servants. As you can see…"

She then took out the whip she held behind her back and made it clack against the ground, which led to the appearance of several magic circles in front of her, summoning another set of creatures similar in some aspects to the two gorillas behemoths, but smaller and more reptile-like. They hissed at the man and started to crawl towards him, as Cynthia smirked. "... I am on a whole different level than them. Witness the House of Stolas unique power: Grand Summoning!"

Adapting a new fighting stance, Sétanta gave a brief look at Yui as he focused on his new wave of opponents. "Hey little lass!" he said, making the girl's attention switch from the monsters to him. "I think it's your cue to leave."

"Uh?! But I can't leave you alone with these things!" retorted the young girl, scarred of the potential outcome of this fight.

"Fear not!" boomed the man, sticking out his torso forward and talking with a tone even deeper than his original one. "I am not going to lose against such fiends! It's not my first fight and definitely not my last one. So you can leave serene." he said, flexing his muscles before adding: "And please, don't forget my backpack on your way out. You can leave it at the door."

As he finished his sentence, one of the creatures threw itself at Yui, ready to tear her body apart with its claws before Sétanta intercepted it with a spinning heel kick, sending it crashing on the side. "Goodbye and Good Luck!" he saluted as he ran towards Cynthia's Minions, a weird mass of black and purple forming under him.

The Japanese stayed still for a few more instants, eyes glued on the man's form before resuming her run, suitcase on the side. She quickly dashed behind the wooden crates ranges, seeing the fighting continue between the gaps as she advanced, catching Sétanta's heavy luggage with her free hand and pulling it along the way as she finally escaped from the building.

Letting go of her load to breath a bit, she watched the empty docks and the moonless sky, gave her a sense of calm as battle still raged on behind, her ears still ringing as she noticed the barrier surrounding her and the warehouse, cutting off this surreal atmosphere from the rest of the world. Now looking at Sétanta's backpack, she saw all of its quirks, like a badly stored garish red sleeping bag, the tip of a black tassel coming from its inside and a strange sign placed on its front, reading: "Please do not steal!", which formed a small smile on her lips.

Walking towards the edge of the barrier while thinking of a way to break it, she stopped dead in her tracks and jumped on the side, dodging a stream of magic bullets coming her way, having caught the sight of a humanoid standing on the warehouse's roof with the corner of her eyes.

"Mh... Good reflexes. It really is a shame that you are not cooperating with us because you would have made a fine addition in Lady Cynthia's peerage." commented the figure standing on top of the building, who was none other than Liarra's, Cynthia's Bishop. Next to her could be seen the five previously freed humans, who had been once again captured and bound together.

"You... You are the woman from earlier! I knew it was strange that you didn't come back after all this time." said Yui in anger before trying to play mind games with her by adopting a mocking tone. "Why aren't you helping your comrades? Is loyalty really that low among Devils or do you lack the free will to make your own choices?!"

"You don't understand... I know Lady Cynthia is strong enough to take care of that rebellious man and the prisoners who assist him. I fully trust her and it's just a matter of time before they are utterly defeated. Meanwhile, I stayed outside and prevented my mistress' merchandise from getting lost or calling for help from foreign powers which could have revealed Milady's secret business. So as you can see, everything goes as planned." answered the Bishop in the same calm and detailed manner she used earlier; making Yui wonder if she always speaks like that and how tough it must be for those around her to bear with it. "And now that you tried to leave the base, I must make sure you do not escape. So surrender now or be prepared for an important wave of pain to quickly submerge your entire body and to fall unconscious thanks to the severity of your injuries!"

"I don't know if I should feel intimidated or confused…" pondered Yui quietly, not answering directly at the purple head's threats as she put her suitcase next to Sétanta's luggage while beginning to plan a way to face her, refusing to succumb to the Devils again. Seeing her lack of response, Liarra spread her wings and sighted at her new task, grumbling in detail about how the most stubborn are always the first to lose and why this girl had to be such a pain for not realizing that.

Rising from the roof, she casted several magic circles around her before diving towards Yui, unleashing a torrent of fire in her direction. The brunette quickly took out another one of her talisman and threw it towards the Devil's attack as she repeated the same pattern. "O-fuda: Exile's Barrier!". Another white wave was created, protecting her from being harmed by the flames, which were extinguished as Liarra went up in the air to recoil.

'Mmmh... She just used a spell from one of the great Eastern Magic Types in the form of the talisman summoning. It confirms Lady Cynthia's doubts about that girl's affiliations: she must be a member of Shinto clan; maybe even a cadet branch from one of the Five Principal Clans! I need to capture her at all costs!'

"You seem to be pretty well versed in terms of magic." expressed Liarra from above with genuine respect. "I understand how you managed to defeat the three Pawns sent after you. This was not a basic protection spell but a concentrate of white magic sealed inside of this piece of paper, which is quite noxious for beings such as Devils. You are way more dangerous than I thought you were."

"Uh? Really?" asked Yui confused, before adopting a more boastful behaviour. "I m-mean... This is nothing but a sample of my vast knowledge of magic. Fufufu... So if you don't want to suffer from my full power and be reduced to ashes, let all these people go right away!" she declared with confidence in her eyes.

"But you seem to be pretty naive. I suppose it's because you are still so immature. But if you think so highly of yourself, I should also use all of my powers to bring you down. Let's see if your Eastern spells can overcome my Devil magic." declared the Bishop before casting joining her hands together, as fog began to form on the ground, encircling the entire area within the barrier.

"Where is this coming from? I don't see any new magic circles. Does she also have a special power like that harpy?!" wondered Yui aloud as the grey curtain soon encircled her, blocking her view in the process

"Eh! What's happening now?!" "This must be a dream! Just a dream! I mean, magic and monsters don't exist, right?!" Please just end this already!" yelled some captives from the top of the warehouse as they saw the mysterious mist filling the area, their nerves cracking the more the fights continued.

"Now that your eyesight has been hindered, let's 'see' if you can keep on fighting for long without your visual support!" shouted Liarra from somewhere in the fog. Yui tried to locate her position thanks to her hearing but small sizzles were disrupting it. "What are these?!" she cursed while picking her ears. "I can't focus with these little noises in my ears. Furthermore, I can't sense her aura nor her magic signature either. This mist must have some blurring effects which affected my senses. What do I do now?!"

Just as those words left her lips, she felt the space behind getting warmer, making her dodge to the side as a fireball landed on her former location. Quickly looking back, she didn't see anyone as other sources of heat began to approach her new position. Pulling out a new talisman from her kimono, she pressed it on the ground while chanting her formula, repelling the demonic flames once more and a small part of the mist which created a path. But just as she was about to move on...

"Gaah!" Yui suddenly felt a sharp pain coming from her left shoulder, making her yell in pain as she had to hold it, the warmness of blood dripping down her fingers.

"You really are crying for nothing. My bullet just grazed your shoulder. You don't even need a healing spell for such a minor injury." commented the purple head from somewhere unknown, as the cleared path was obstructed. "But maybe my next move will be more painful than some scratches…"

'Damnit! It stings quite a lot!' lamented the young girl in her head, as she resumed her game of dodge with the Stolas' Bishop, blindly ducking her attacks without finding the right opportunity to strike back, resulting in more scratches and less talismans for the Japanese.

This exchange continued until the girl stumbled on something heavy, making her collapse on the floor, out of breath. "Huff... Huff... No, no, no…" she lamented, turning her head in every direction to try to locate her enemy or herself on the battlefield. 'I need to quickly find something or I'm done! Think Yui! Anything!' she thought while palpating the ground until her hands touched a large rectangular form, pursuing until reaching a handle. "My suitcase!" shouted the brunette with surprise before reality struck her and she clapped her mouth.

"Oh! It seems you just found one of your belongings. Congratulations. But now it's time for this little game to end. So please stretch out at full length on the ground and do not resist as I tie you up." said the voice of her pursuer right behind her back.

Plunging inside her kimono to catch the last of her talisman, Yui realized she wouldn't be able to use it in time with how close Cynthia's Bishop was. Resigned, she began to move her body along the cold concrete, one hand still on the heavy suitcase as she let her mind wander over memories to keep her from breaking down.


"Why does this vase have to be so heavy?" complained a squeaky voice. "I can't lift it at all!"

"Well I think the main reason is because little girls like you shouldn't try to carry such objects." responded a more mature and relaxed voice. "Don't you think so, Yui?"

"No, I still consider this unfair." stammered the tiny voice. "Little people like me should be able to help others with such heavy burden!"

"Oh really? And do you have any ideas on how you could fix this issue?" playfully asked the second voice.

"Of course! I would use magic to give every heavy object a pair of wings and make them fly in the air to send them to their destination!" proclaimed the first one proudly, awaiting the other's praises for a moment but instead found them lightly laughing at her proposition. "Why are you laughing?!" she shouted on the verge of tears as her cheeks started to puff.

"Hahaha! No-nothing! It-it's j-just that your idea is so simple it's marvelous!" laughed the other voice enthusiastically. "But you should know that Human magic doesn't work like Devils or Angels types. Not do you have to use mathematical formulas; but you also need to consider the outcome of your equation. It's a lot more than just imagining wings on objects." calmly explained her companion, making the little girl pout from sadness, her dream of winged extras crushed.

"But…" continued the voice. "If you are so curious about flying charge, I could show a little something with this vase. But don't tell anyone about it, Ok?"

Eyes now sparkling, Yui nodded as she watched the spectacle created for her amusement, where she suddenly saw the vase rising in the air, all thanks to…


'Of course!' realized the young girl. 'I still have one last card to play. Why didn't I think about that earlier?! Anyway, I need to focus...' she thought, staging her next and possibly last move if it failed while faking her surrender, pressing both hands on the ground as Liarra revealed herself, stepping out of the fog with a fireball next to her..

"I appreciate your cooperation. Even though you do possess a strong character, you can understand when a fight is lost in advance." she said, approaching the brunette until standing over her. "Now, could you please turn around so I can-"

She never finished her sentence, because Yui used this opportunity to roll on her back and throw her hands towards the Devil, holding a magic circle of her own which. "Wind Arcane: Fujin's Blast!" At her command, a great wind bursted from the circle, pushing back the Devil while scattering the heavy fog which surrounded them.

"What is this? How did she cast a spell this difficult in such a short time? You-"

But Liarra's questions were never answered, as she saw the Japanese lunged at her, slapping her face with her palm and sticking a rectangular form to her forehead in the process. And just as she caught on the nature of said rectangle while falling, she heard her chant signaling her defeat. "O-fuda: Exile's Barrier!"

The Bishop's body was then covered by a white mantle as she yelled in pain before hitting the ground, smoke coming out of her severe burns, unconscious and utterly defeated.

The young girl fell on her hands and knees, panting from exhaustion but smiling nonetheless, happy from the result of this confrontation. "Cough... I... I did it again! Five in one night! She would be proud of me…" While speaking to herself, Yui rose her head and watched the purple barrier dissolve, allowing them to finally flee the Devil's base of operation.

"Um, excuse me, Miss?" heard Yui from somewhere before taking a look at the sky, seeing the five captives still stuck on the building's top. "Could you help us get down from here, please?"

Groaning a bit from the numbness in her arms, she managed to stand up and faced the front of the warehouse. "Listen up. I want you all to stay calm as I fly you down. OK?" The people, who were free from their ropes, simply nodded as they felt a soft breeze slowly lifting them from their position, as they moved in the direction of the girl, who was sweating a bit from the effort put into this spell. 'It looks like your little show helped me in the end. Thank you for your help, Mayumi.' fondly thought Yui as the prisoners finally landed in front of her. "Huff... Are you Ok? I know all of this may be frightening at first, but, as of right now, you are out of danger." she said, looking up to see that four of them had already run away from the scene, leaving her with only one man looking concerned. "Oh…"

"Thank you so much for saving us, Miss. I really owe you one." thanked the shaking orange t-shirt wearing man. "But someone needs to take down those freaks. Good thing I have this on me." he continued, taking out his cell phone and dialing a number on it. "I'm calling the police and an ambulance for you, so don't move or your injuries will get worse." Waiting for the cops to pick up, he noticed the large backpack and suitcase next to each other. "I saw you with luggages earlier. I'll go get them for you."

As the man walked away to retrieve her belongings, Yui simply fixed the warehouse, eyelids heavy, exhausted from this everlasting chase she took part against her will. Closing her eyes, she listened to the different sounds surrounding, from the soft rustling from the sea to the murmur of the wind whistling in her ears to the explosions…

"Wait, explosions?!"

As the young girl opened her eyes, she was greeted with the sight of flames erupting from some parts of the building as banging noises could be heard coming from its insides. "Uh-Oh! This place is bursting into flames. That's not good at all!" complained the man, pulling the backpack behind him. "Come on Miss, we need to leave immediately!"

But the young girl didn't pay attention to his call, as she remembered who was still trapped inside the growing furnace: the rigid but friendly Fallen Angel, the two fellow Japanese Youkai sisters and finally...

"Goodbye and Good Luck!"

Not caring about her wounds, the teen dashed with all of her strength left towards the warehouse, overshooting the bright orange t-shirt as she heard the man wearing it calling for her to stop. But his pleas were useless, as she only had one thought in mind: 'I will not leave anyone behind again!'

Passing through the steel doors, she saw how far the various fights had progressed, with her allies standing victorious over the Devils, as the atmosphere continued to warm up. "Ayaka-san!" called the young girl, making the white-haired twin turn around.

"Yui-chan!" shouted the Okami. "What are you doing here? I thought you already left." She then took notice of the girl's physical condition. "And what happened to you?! How did you get all those bruises?" she asked with worry in her voice.

"That's nothing. I just got into my own battle and won too. So don't worry too much!" answered the young girl, trying to cover her cuts from the Youkai's watchful eyes."What about you? Did you and your sister manage to defeat your opponents?"

"I think you can see by yourself." expressed Ayako, who entered the conversation holding both unconscious Marcia and Zoran by the collar of their respective garments. "I really enjoyed this fight. It helped blow off some steam from that obnoxious heiress misconduct. But I agree with my sister, you are in no condition to be in such a dangerous environment."

"But I said I was okay! I appreciate your concern but I know my limits." retorted the shortest kimono wearer while stamping her foot. "But where are the Fallen Angel and Sétanta-san?"

"The Captain is retrieving the other Devils who were knocked out in the fighting and checking if there are no more people locked here." indicated Ayaka. "And for Edgy Man... He is still in the back of the warehouse fighting that filthy slu-"

"Watch your language, Ayaka!" reprimanded her sister.

"Sorry! You know I can lose my temper easily, hehe…" awkwardly laughed Ayaka to appease her black-ahired twin. "I meant to say that naughty blue meanie. We wanted to help but he said he got it under control. Anyway, let's move on and get you- Stop! Where are you going?" she shouted as Yui ran in the direction of the last confrontation. The two Okamis tried to catch up with her but one of the balconies from the second floor crashed in front of them, blocking the path. "Shit! This place is falling apart! Yui-chan! Come back!"

Yui continued to run until stumbling upon the scene of the two figureheads clashing, as a gigantic hybrid-like creature began to fade away, a large hole traversing its body, as dark blood fell on the ground. Cynthia was crawling back on a spilled container, breathless and a panicked expression stretched on her previously delicate and composed face. Meanwhile, Sétanta had his back turned to Yui, slowly inhaling and exhaling, but she could sense something different about him; something more aggressive emanating from him, as if another person was standing in front of the Japanese and the Devil.

"Sé-Sétanta-san?"

Upon hearing the brunette's voice, the tall man moved his head, growling and glaring at the girl from behind his shades, looking more like a beast than a man at this moment in her eyes with blood pouring down his face, which deeply scared her. But after seeing her, he started to shake his head and groan before giving himself a big slap, seeming to come to his senses. "Ah dang it, I overused it again! I really need to find a trick to fix it when I get busted open." he said, speaking to himself, before addressing Yui. "Thank you for your help Little Lass. You probably don't understand but your presence was pretty useful. I almost... Wait... What in the bloody hell are you doing here?!" he suddenly yelled at her. "I told you to take to your heels and run away from the battlefield. Why does no one ever listen to me?!" he screamed to the sky, completely ignoring the Devil heiress behind him, as she looked at the two people who made her life a true nightmare in less than an hour. Furious, she took her whip, targeting the young girl and following this by launching it right at her. "You little pest!"

The silver leather line was however interrupted before hitting its designated target as Sétanta caught its tip in motion with his left hand. "I thought I already told you…" he began while he threw his right hand forward, a flexible dark line rapidly emerging from his sleeve and clacking Cynthia's wrist, making her drop the weapon. "... That you don't know how to use a whip. So back off!"

"You... You…"Holding her painful wrist, the azure-head became livid as her hate for the man exploded. "YOU FILTHY DEGENERATE! DON'T YOU KNOW WHO I AM?! I AM CYNTHIA STOLAS! I DON'T TAKE NO FOR AN ANSWER! ANYONE WHO DISRESPECTS MY PERSON WILL BE PUNISHED! I WILL MAKE SURE OF THIS! I WILL-"

Cynthia's howling came to an end when Sétanta appeared right in front of her, lifting the Devil by one of her arms to make her stand up as he overlooked the heiress.

"One: I know who and what you are." he stated severely. "Two: the beating you received was, in my opinion, a good lesson on 'accepting a refusal". And three: you will not do anything else. Unlike you, I don't like to kill people. So I will let you go so you can explain yourself to any of the gobshites who rule over you Devils. Do you have more complaints you wish to voice, 'Milady'?"

Boiling with anger, the only daughter of the Marquis of Stolas made one last desperate move as she slapped Sétanta with all her strength left; not affecting him that much with the exception of making his sunglasses fall to the side, triggering a strange reaction from the man, as instead of striking back, he covered his eyes with his hands. "AH! Don't look at my eyes! Don't look at me!" he shouted in a panicked tone, starting to hyperventilate.

And while Yui didn't understand why her companion was acting like this, Cynthia's reaction was not to continue her attacks or to flee from the burning building, but to laugh at his predicament.

"Hahahaha! So that's what you were hiding behind those glasses?! This is ridiculous! You are ridiculous, like a rabbit with myxomatosis! And I here thought you were just a punk in a weird phase! But no: you are a freak!"

"SHUT UP!" screamed Yui in rage, tightening her grip on the sunglasses she just picked up. "You don't have any right to insult him! That man didn't know any of us. And while he could have just left without doing anything, he decided to stay and help us! You are just a selfish woman who likes to stomp over people and crush them to feed your fragile ego! So open your eyes and stop tweaking reality to make you look good while you are clearly not!"

The Devil ended her laugh and looked over the young girl. "Did you get everything off your chest? If so, then congratulations, you finished your therapy and learned a valuable lesson. That lesson is: in life, there are losers…" she began, kicking Sétanta in the gut, making him crouch and spit blood as he was still shielding his eyes. "And there are winners! I am a winner, therefore, I have the rights to do anything I want. Did you already forgot my little lesson about 'domination'?" she asked, energy sparking around her finger, ready to finish off the Japanese as fire began to slowly catch up on them.

"Maybe I don't know much about 'Domination'. But I do know something useful…"

"Which is?" asked the disheveled, possessed-looking Devil.

"How to make a good pitch!" she proclaimed, twisting her body as she threw the sports shades towards her ally. "Sétanta-san!"

Not looking at the two women, Sétanta just lifted an hazardous hand to his right, catching the flying object, feeling a small familiar form which made him calm down.

"This was your last mistake!" shouted back Cynthia, ready to attack when she suddenly felt a strange tightness restricting her movement. Looking down, she saw a dark fabric coiled all over her body, immobilizing her as Sétanta moved between the two women, grabbing his nemesis by the collar of her wrap top, making them see each other eye to sunglasses.

"You know… You really used a low blow… But bad luck, you wasted it to trash talk us. I'm pretty accustomed to insults, so tough shit! Because now, it's my turn to strike!" he declared, cocking his fist backward to unleash it on the heiress's face, which had morphed from anger to blatant fear.

"You... You wouldn't hit a lady; would you?! You seem like a gentleman after all! A rebellious-looking gentleman, but still a honest person…" said Cynthia in a scarred but sweet tone, trying to appease the man in front of her, who didn't speak for a few seconds before snorting.

"Tsk! Someone already played this trick on me a few months ago. At that time, I didn't dare to hit a woman because a true hero would never do it." he spoke without lying. "But since then, I learned to read people better and to distinguish specific cases. That's why I can say what the Seth from before couldn't, which is…" He interrupted himself and proceeded to adopt a deeper but more lively tone. "You're right! I can't hit a woman unfairly. But you forgot one fact: you are not a woman… You are a cunt!"

"Huuuuuuuh…" questioned Yui in the background while Cynthia cried and struggled against her own shadow.

"No! Please listen!" she pleaded to him. "Ask me anything and I shall grant your wish! What do you want: money, power, women... Everybody's got a price! So tell me yours!"

"Are you really trying to bribe me? After all the shit you did; you are trying to escape your fate like that?! Too bad but it's only making me more pissed at you..." he growled, his grip starting to rip off the Devil's clothes as he readied himself to finish her off.

"Wait! Wait! Wait! I… Huh…" begged the Stolas heiress to buy herself more time to think of a strategy, which she finally found thanks to a sudden epiphany. "Listen! Stop this nonsense at once and I will let you go unharmed!" she demanded with authority, looking far more composed than a moment ago.

"Uh? Oi, what are you rambling about?" asked a curious Sétanta. "You are definitely not the one in the strong position! Sure, your 'not giving up act' redeems yourself a little bit in my eyes because I can relate to it; but that doesn't mean I'm going to forgive you."

"Ohoho… I think you misunderstood my point. I meant to say: Stop this nonsense at once and let me go so you avoid the dreadful consequences of your action!" Cynthia rectified, a small smile forming on her lips.

"You are not helping your case, because your bluff doesn't work on me!" retorted Seth with anger, sending his fist forward.

"Don't do this or you and the girl will die!" commanded the azure head, making him stop his fist a few millimeters from her nose.

""What?!"" questioned the two dark-haired.

"Good. You see, I may work as a people trafficker but that's not the sole purpose of my presence here." she began. "As an adult Noble, heiress to a high-ranked House among the Ars Goetia, I can be considered an actress, if minor, of the Underworld's political life." she paused, making both Sétanta and Yui raise an eyebrow at her revelation.

"And in order to improve relationships between the different factions, I have been appointed to an official ambassador office in this city by Lady Serafall Leviathan herself, one of the four Satans who rule the Devils' society." she proudly declared, irking Sétanta at the mention of the Satans while Yui refused to believe her.

"Stop lying! Why would you work as a peace maker when you told me that you think the Devils are superior to any other species?!"

"First of all, you little idiot, I never said that! I explained to you the importance of superiority and domination in Devil's society; and by extent in every other society apart from the Supernatural world, even the multiple Human ones!" pointed out Cynthia, irritated from her words being doubted. "And secondly, can you name a better idea for an illegal people traffic's cover than an ambassador's status promoting exchanges and mix between multiple species and factions? This is almost too perfect…" she said as her small smile morphed into a wicked one.

"And does that change anything in the fact that I am going to embed the shape of my fist on your face?" questioned a more cautious Sétanta.

"It's simple. Since I'm an ambassador in the Human world, I can be considered as an official representative of the Ars Goetia government. Therefore, if you ever lay a finger on me in an attempt to harm my person, it would be equal to directly attacking the Ars Goetia and its fundamentals!" she proclaimed, her purposes becoming clearer for Yui. "You would become a wanted criminal for threatening the Underworld's structure! And you not only would be chased by my fellow Devils, but also by mercenaries, bounty hunters, the exorcists from the Church, the Fallen Angels and most of the pantheons outside of the Biblical Factions. Because while we all hate each other's guts, we can accord on one subject: when you see vermin, you exterminate it! Go ask the Stray Devils!" she said both triumphantly and euphoric to Sétanta's face, who stayed silent, his grip over the noble getting more loosed up.

"So think logically and do the right thing: let me go. If you do so, I will personally make sure no charges are held against you for all the property damages, abuses on my employees and perturbations of my business plan you caused. I will even allow you, the girl and your friends to leave without retribution from my part." she stated confidently. "However…" she continued, switching to a less cordial tone. "If you choose to defy me, all that awaits you is a life of misery as you are hunted down by every powerful living being in existence, anywhere you go from here to the depths of Cocytus…"

Sétanta didn't respond immediately, staying still for a few seconds, but suddenly, the shadows restraining Cynthia faded away as he released his grip over her; shocking Yui at first before she came to understand his motives, the terms imposed by the Devils were unfair for what they went through but almost impossible to contradict because of the refusal's consequences. The Stolas heiress will not pay for her crimes but at least they can all leave without being covered in chains.

"Good, I see you choose the right decision." congratulated the disheveled Devils smugly, a feeling of victory emanating from her as she looked at the flames that had caught up with them, licking the entire foundation and fretting the wooden crates. "Now that this issue is settled, I suggest we all leave this place in this insta-"

But to Cynthia Stolas' surprise, it wasn't a dot which put an end to her sentence but a crushing feeling as the large fist of the leather-clad man connected with her small button nose, sounds of popping echoing, before the impact propelled her backward to pass through the last intact container, landing on the power generator. "Megaton Punch!"

"Tsk! You really thought I was going to happily accept your freakin' deal as you threatened me and your other victims?! You can go sit on a cactus to sing an opera, because there is no way in hell I would agree with you on anything!" Sétanta roared with anger, pointing at the now perforated blue steel structure. "I don't give proper crap about your threats and you can take them and put them where you know! I'm freakin fed up with all your diktats over the weakest because you Supernatural people see yourselves so superior and unique that you can do anything you want without repercussions! But guess what? I'm not going to stand on the sideline! If you try to abuse your powers and put lifes in danger; I will intervene! And no matter the cost, as long as I do the right thing." he stated, taking a quick breath while Yui just stood behind, eyes like saucers and her mouth hanging, frozen in place by Sétanta's declarations and his clear lack of common sense, not even noticing the white flickering which enveloped his frame for a brief moment.

"So if you wish to unleash hell on me, then be it!" he exclaimed, his thumbs now pointing at himself. "You can send anyone and everything, from lower grunts to stuck-up noblemen and even your 'so mighty' Satans; I will take on every challenger! So focus all of your hate on me and leave the others alone!" he commended, breaking Yui's shock as she now knew the scheme behind his words.

"Also, joke's on you! I am already on the run from the Church and the Vampires! So having another faction trying to kill me will not make that much of a difference, right?" Sétanta added, looking up to gaze at no specific feature.

"Seth... You have taken quite the number of stupid decisions in the past, but this one might the stupidest I have ever witnessed, even for your established high standards of stupidity." spoke the previously heard angry female voice.

"Bah! You should know that when someone pisses me off I need to vent the pressure. Didn't you do the same earlier, Bunny Girl?" Sétanta playfully answered her inquiries.

"I TOLD YOU TO STOP CALLING ME LIKE THAT, YOU SNOTTY BRAT!"

"Yeah! Yeah! I love you too. Now where was I..." began Sétanta just before one of the lights fell next to him in a glass shattering noise, striking the tall man with the realization of his current environment. "Oh yes... A burning warehouse... Maybe fighting in a storehouse full of explosives wasn't my best idea…" he pondered, scratching his cheek as he turned his gaze towards the young girl. "Oi Little Lass! Let's go before this place collapses for good!"

"Uh? Yes please? But I thi- Eeeeeeek!" yelled the Japanese as Sétanta lifted her over his shoulder and started to run towards the exit; that is until he stopped dead in his tracks after noticing the debris from the destroyed walkways blocking his path. "Dang it! Ok, Plan B it is!" Sétanta turned around as his shadow began to stretch on the floor, forming an irregular pattern while the explosion sounds grew louder and louder once the crates' contents got affected by the flames. And it's only with the corner of his eyes that he saw one of the fireworks rockets shoot itself straight to the generator, as he resumed the situation in one word: "Brilliant…"

Meanwhile, outside, the Fallen Angel Ballaton and the Youkai twins were waiting for the short brunette and their extravagant-looking benefactor to flee the burning building. Next to them could be seen the entirety of Cynthia Stolas's peerage, with the exception of the King herself and the seven Pawn who, on this day, had met a cruel fate, all unconscious and handcuffed to a nearby pole, a few meters away from the two dark-haired respective luggages.

"Why are they taking so much time? Edgy Man didn't seem to have that much difficulty against the snobby skank!" cursed Ayaka who was getting more worried every passing second, as she felt the burning gaze of her sister from behind. "Sorry…"

"You should be." pressed Ayako. "But you are right. It's not normal for them to still be inside. Maybe that young girl's state has gotten worse."

"I'm tired of waiting and doing nothing." expressed Ballaton. "Let's try to do something. I will pierce a wall and you two will use your senjutsu to sense their ki inside. Now let's move!"

As their rescue plan was about to proceed, the three allies watched with horror as a gigantic explosion erupted from the warehouse, destroying the entire building while a swarm of firecrackers went off in the air, adding a colourful touch to this moonless night, in contrast with the atmosphere of carnage.

"Oh no…" lamented Ayako, one hand hiding her mouth as she looked at this spectacle, while Ballaton bowed his head and Ayaka lifted her gaze towards the sky, where green mixed with blue, orange, red, white, black and yellow.

"Wait black?" wondered the white-haired Okami, forming a visor with her hands for a better view, focusing on that strange black dot until it disappeared to show…

"Whoahahaha! They did it!" shouted Ayaka in joy, startling her two companions who watched the direction the young woman was pointing in the sky, where they saw…

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

"Don't let go of me! Or else you'll go 'splat' on the ground!"

In the middle of this improvised firework display, those with very good eyesight could view a biker-looking man doing a parachute descent thanks to a black cloth he was currently holding, with a small woman dressed as a Japanese Shinto priestess clinging on to him by his torso. "Ha... Hahahahaha!"

"Why are you laughing in such a situation?!" cried Yui in both fear and fury, locking her legs around his waist. "We almost died!"

"It's because I have never used a parachute before this! And now, I know why people say the sensations are amazing. Also, I don't think many people can claim to have done this inside a firework!" shouted back Sétanta, excitement in his voice. "Goshes, now that's a proper adventure! So relax and enjoy the show!"

Yui did what he advised her and watched as trails of dazzling lights spread in the sky, celebrating the end of the fights and their victory over the Devils, captivating her gaze while making her ears ringing in a scene she will never forget. But soon, the voice of her protector brought the young girl back to reality. "Welp, looks like it's time to land. Please don't screw up! Please don't screw up!"

She suddenly felt their fall accelerate for a few seconds until Sétanta finally touched the ground, dampening the impact by flexing his legs at the right moment, as the dark parachute vanished into the night. Climbing down from her improvised 'harness', she quickly dusted herself as their three allies approached, with the white-haired okami jumping to catch them both in a tight hug. "UWAAAAAAHAHAHA! YOU DID IT! YOU MADE IT OUT! I'M SO HAPPY! I WAS SO SCARED! MY EMOTIONS ARE FUCKED UP!"

Ayako wanted to correct her sister about her language, but she thought it could wait for now; seeing how happy Ayaka was to know them alive and well. "You two are really full of surprises!"

"I fully agree with her statement." declared Ballaton with a small but noticeable smile. "I'm impressed. How did you manage to escape this furnace; and by the airs nonetheless?! I thought neither of you could fly!"

"Ha! This was a pretty deadly move!" said Sétanata, still held by the iron embrace of kimono-clad Youkai and shaking a bit. "You see, back inside, the exit was sealed by the rests of the fallen walkways and the entire building was on the verge of crumbling on us. I then tried to use my Shadow Dive to send us in the nearest shadow giving on the outside but I saw that the generator was about to explode and I wouldn't have time to explain to her what to do. So, on instinct, I used my shadow to cover us like a shell as the big boom blast of the explosion sent us straight to the last solid part of the wall from where my Shadow Shell bounced towards the sky before the heat consumed it completely. Finally, I drew the shadows from the inside of my jacket's sleeves and created a parachute with them."

Finishing his explanations, he was met with a mix of curious and impressed looks by his allies. "That does sound pretty impressive." admitted Ballaton. "I didn't know [Night Reflection] offered that kind of action. I'm sure it will catch the Governor General's attention when he will read my report."

"And do you have other combos like this one?" asked Ayaka with genuine fascination. "I remember seeing you use some weird chains and chainsaw-like things on your arms when you were fighting those beasts."

"Aye! I have plenty more of them to show you if you want. But in exchange, I want to see some of the martial arts techniques you used to defeat the Rooster and Moss-dreadlocks!" bargained Sétanta, still locked in the Youkai's hug with an out of breath Yui.

"Deal!" beamed Ayaka, releasing her hold over them. "So first, we have the-"

A sudden strong head chop from her sister cut the white-haired from showcasing her techniques with this uncanny assemblee. "Ayaka! You know we cannot share our knowledge of the family's ancestral style with just anyone; even if those people saved us both from an unfortunate fate." reprimanded Ayako to her sister, busy holding her head in pain, before gazing at the last two arrival. "I'm sorry about this. I would like to thank you by complying to your wish but our duty must come first. I hope you will forgive us." she said, bowing her head at Sétanta.

"Bah, don't blame yourself! I'm sure I will get more opportunities in the future to learn cool martial arts. 'Most important thing is that everybody looks fine!" he replied lightly while scratching his neck, making the black-haired Youkai raise her head, smiling softly at him as her eyes fell on the person next to the tall man.

"I would not say everyone…"

Following her gaze, he understood the meaning behind the Youkai's words when he noticed the number of cuts and bruises present on the small girl's body. "Oh... Right... I think I still have some bandages left in my bag. I'll go grab them!"

"No need for such things!" retorted Ayaka, coming back in the conversation. "Me and my sister will take care of healing her thanks to our mastery in the Sage Arts. It will be our way to repay you for your respectives helps!" she explained, adopting a puppy eyes expression to convince her twin. "Please…"

"Haaaa… I suppose we can break the rules for once. If it's to help a friend…" sighed Ayako in resignation as she agreed with Ayaka's proposition. "Now if those gentlemen could turn around so we can perform the healing ritual in peace…"

"And no buts! Because if I catch any of you two peeping, no techniques will help him retaure from our wrath…" Ayaka added jokingly but with a discernable threat in her voice, wiking at them as she proceeded to discard her sash and open her kimono followed by her sister.

"I don't really get it but I'll go with it." expressed Sétanta with some fear as he complied with their demand. "By the way, Mr. Ballaton, you talked about a 'Governor General' or something like that earlier; am I correct?"

"Indeed! I referred to Lord Azazel, leader of the Grigori, by those terms. Are you looking for some information about him or the Institute?"

"Not really, but that sounds pretty cool. Can I ask you a question since the girls don't want to be bothered?"

"Of course! As long as it does not involve confidential elements; I would gladly answer any of your questions!" declared the Fallen Angel as they moved away to talk.

"Ah boys... Them and their boys talk. Am I right?" asked Ayaka to the two other Japanese, looking for their acknowledgement but just found her sibling sighing at her remark. "Mou…"

"Anyway... How are you feeling? Do your injuries still hurt as much as before?" enquired Ayako to Yui who was currently held between the two Okamis naked upper bodies, their "generous" busts squishing her head as a sensation of well-being took over her body.

"I'm better!" managed to say the girl from her "fleshy neck braces". "It still stings a bit but I can feel the pain subsiding."

"Good. You had quite the number of bruises but they were all minors. It will take a few more minutes and you will be perfectly healthy."

"Sweet! I must say, your level of mastership in Senjutsu is far superior to mine!" admitted the young girl impressed but with a sad undertone.

"Thank you!" replied Ayaka. "But we wouldn't be nearly as good if Granny didn't beat it into our heads for years. So you should praise her instead of us."

"Granny?" pondered Yui.

"She meant to say our grandmother." answered Ayako while glaring at her sister. "She is the leader of our clan and holds a powerful position in the West Youkai Faction's government. And in her spare time, she trained us to become proficient Senjutsu masters. And even though we haven't earned this title yet, we are both working very hard to obtain it." she explained with a nostalgic look in her eyes. "That's the reason for our presence in this city. Our grandmother sent us on an initiatic journey to improve our mastery in the Sage Arts, which should have ended in Istanbul where we were supposed to meet Kyoto emissaries to bring us back home."

"And instead of them, we stumbled upon those stupid Devils and their bitchy boss!" complained Ayako, this time ignoring her sister's reproaches. "One damn day! We arrived one damn day earlier than expected and just look at the result: we almost ended up as slaves to probably a perverted Devil Noble who would have tried to defile our purity!" she cursed while shaking her fist. "Good thing 'Edgy Man' was sleeping in the warehouse, as strange as it sounds!"

"You are right, we really dodged a bullet here!" replied Yui with relief. "But his name isn't Edgy Man but Sétanta-san. He told me his name back inside!" corrected the young girl.

"'Sétanta' you said?" thought Ayako aloud. "Strange, it feels like I have heard this name in the past, but I don't remember where or when."

"Meh! With this type of sonority, it's probably from some Westerners who visited the Kyoto Tower when we used to hang out there. It sounds way too European for us!" expressed Ayaka with laziness. "Anyway, I think we are done. Try to stand up so we can check you up one last time."

Yui did so while the two older women rearranged their appearance, hopping from one foot to another, feeling much lighter and without pain in her limbs. "Amazing! Thank you so much for your help!" she thanked, bowing at them as they did the same in return.

"And thank you for your help in defeating the Bishop of their group. Without you, we would have been stuck by the barrier and caught in the explosion!"

"How do you know that?' asked the startled girl.

"We met that guy with the orange t-shirt when we went outside and he explained to us what happened. But not before we reassured him that we wouldn't try to eat him alive…" added Ayaka to enlighten the girl on this subject. "And speaking of boys, it looks like they finished their discussion."

Just as she said her remark, Ballaton and Sétanta joined the kimono-clad trio, still speaking to each other. "I am sorry that I couldn't help you with this issue. But it doesn't recall anything to me. I hope you will have more luck in the future."

"Don't worry, it's just a setback. And you never know what tomorrow has in store for you! Maybe I will find what I'm looking for soon." replied Sétanta before addressing the scene in front of him. "Hey! Feel any better now?"

"Yes! All of my injuries have healed up!" said Yui happily, spinning on herself to prove her point.

"Nice!" smiled Seth as he looked at the destroyed building whose last standing parts were still ravaged by flames. "Man, it's my third fire in less than three months and my second one in just two weeks; it must be some sort of new record!"

The others didn't reply to his statement and just stared at him from behind, stunned. "Maybe I shouldn't be so proud of this…"

"Is this guy even real?" asked an incredulous Ayaka to those next to her who didn't respond and kept staring at Sétanta now cautiously, before Ayako noticed the dried blood on the side of his forehead.

"Mmmh, Sétanta-san?" called the black-haired Youkai.

"Yup?"

"We should probably treat the injuries you received during your fights. The cut on your forehead is still open and could get infected if we don't do anything."

"Right... OK, let's do this! How do you want to…" began Sétanta before cutting interrupting his sentence as he seemed to listen to something. "Change of plan! It looks like people are coming this way! Probably the police and the firefighters if those sirens are any clues."

Looking in the same direction as him, the others indeed sensed multiple low auras approaching quickly. "Already? Someone nearby must have called them." suggested Ballaton as he created a magic circle under the arrested servants of Cynthia. "We should leave immediately."

"Bang on!" responded Sétanta as he grabbed his backpack. "I don't want to have more problems with the cops. It was nice meeting you all; I had a whale of a time this evening but it's time for me to go!"

"Wait! We haven't treated you yet!" shouted Ayako to the departing man.

"Don't worry! My body heals pretty quickly: I'll put a band-aid and everything will be fine."

*Sigh* "In that case…" The Okamis twins proceeded to jump on the nearest roof as they bid their farewell to the others. "It's time for us to part ways with you. Thank you all for your efforts during these times and let's hope to meet again in the future." proclaimed Ayako as she bowed to the group one last time.

"Goodbye Captain, Yui-chan and Sétanta-kun! Let's find a way to have even more fun together next time!" waved Ayaka at them before the two disappeared into the night.

"These two really make quite the pair of siblings!" commented Ballaton as he presented his hand at Sétanta. "Farewell comrade! I cannot thank you enough for what you have done but you have my eternal gratitude. If you ever need help in any way, try to contact the Institute and ask to talk to the captain from the Zeta Squadron, Second Cohort of the Third Unit under the supervision of Lord Baraqiel. I will answer immediately; or at least as quickly as my superiors allow me."

"...Cool." Sétanta replied, shaking his hand with Ballaton'. "But I think I will just ask to speak to Ballaton."

"Then I will warn the Head of Communications about this in my report. Goodbye to you too, Miss Yui. May your week be not as restless as today."

"Hehe… Yeah, I had enough actions for a lifetime!" joked the brunette in response. Ballaton then moved to place himself on the magic circle, facing the duo one last time.

"I shall take my leave as well. These criminals are coming with me to the Institute where they will be interrogated about their actions and then delivered to Ars Goetia's officials. Take care of yourself and maybe see you soon!" he declared, before he was transported elsewhere with the defeated Devils, thinking to himself as he held his right wrist: 'That's quite the grip he has…'

Now there were only Yui and Sétanta left on the docks, the breeze coming from the Black Sea softly blowing behind them as it rejuvenated the burning flames.

"So… It was nice meeting you but I have to go." said Sétanta as he rearranged his backpack on his shoulders. "By the way, I didn't ask you: where are you going?"

"Uh?"

"Well you have quite a big suitcase for someone with such a tiny body. And your name and set of clothes don't sound very Turkish." analysed the tall man. "So it's pretty easy to assume that you must be a tourist. Correct?"

The young girl simply nodded at his supposition, wondering what he wanted to know about her whereabouts; his expression being concealed by his sunglasses.

"Ha! That's what I thought." said Sétanta as an awkward silence fell on their conversation. "So… Do you have to go to a specific location? I… *cough* I can escort you if you want me to." he continued, more nervous than before which Yui noticed.

And just as she was about to ask him if he was ok, the sirens' noise grew louder and louder.

"Crap! They are already here! I better go before they catch me and want to see my ID." he shouted as he began to run away. "Goodbye Little Lass! And good luck on your travels!"

The Japanese watched him escape, waving her hand at him when his previous statement repeated itself inside her mind and brought back one of her major issues.

"I better go before they catch me and want to see my ID… ID… ID…"

"OH NO! I don't have my identification papers!" she shouted in réalisation, taking off in a hurry after Sétanta.

"Hey! Do you also have problems with the cops?"

"Yes, I forgot my identity documents ! Please help me! I don't want them to hurt meeeeeeee!" cried Yui to her companion.

"OK! Follow me! We are going to try to lose them. So just run with everything you have left!"

Yui nodded at his instructions and sprinted at full speed, passing Sétanta and leaving him behind, stunned by her performance. "Wow! She is crazy fast for someone with such small legs and weird shoes." he commented before he speeded up too to catch up to her.

As every actor had now fled the scene, the orange t-shirt wearing man looked at the carnage caused by the different combatants from behind the corner of an alley, a cellphone in video mode open, shocked to his very core by the revelations this day offered to him. And as the police and firefighters finally arrived and began to take actions concerning the fire and the damaged area, only one thought occupied his mind: "Who the fuck were these guys?!"

Meanwhile, a little bit further in the harbour's waters, air bubbles could be seen bursting on the surface...

Istanbul, Turkey, 13th of October 2007

01:30 AM

In the small streets of the former Byzantine and Ottoman capital, nothing could be heard as the darkness of the night had spread everywhere; being only pushed back by the few lampposts which could bring to light some minor details. Details like the loud steps of wooden sandals and worker boots clicking on the cobblestones.

"Aaah... Aaah... I think we're good... I don't hear them anymore..." breathed out Sétanta, busy catching his breath while looking around. "Phew! That was close! Are you ok, Little Lass?" he asked the young girl, who was in a far worse state than him, collapsed on the ground with her limbs stretched in a starfish-like form.

"Huuuuff... Huuuuuuff... Thank the gods… I can't take another step..." groaned the girl between heavy breaths. "Aaaaaaaaah... I'm so hungry... It feels like my stomach is stuck to my back…" she complained, trying to stand up on her own when large hands caught her form and put the girl back on her feet. "Thanks! I think it's the first time I have run that much in such a short amount of time. My body isn't-"

"Dry biscuits?" interrupted Sétanta, presenting a sachet of small round biscuits to the brunette, who, after she recovered her breath and gave a brief look at it, began to nibble them, finally filling her stomach with something comestible.

"Mmmmh... So good! I live again!"

Sétanta didn't comment but just looked at her with shock on his concealed face, calling upon the munching girl's attention. "What's wrong?" she inquired after finishing her snack.

"It's the first time someone accepted my biscuits when I offered some... It's a miracle…" he whispered to himself, but not discreetly enough to not be noticed.

"Uh-uh…"

An awkward silence then fell on them, the two not knowing what to say to the other to prolong the conversation.

"Soooooo…" began Sétanta nervously. "Nice night isn't it? Warm but not too hot to prevent people from sleeping properly."

"E-exactly! The weather is really nice, so to speak. And the same can be said about this city's scenery. Maybe it was painful for my legs but it was also worth the effort."

"Oh absolutely! I love visiting things at night, it gives such a unique atmosphere."

"Indeed! But now that I think about our run, I may have one question for you."

"Sure! Go ahead!"

"When we were talking with our friends about how you helped us escape, you mentioned a 'Shadow Dive' or something similar. What is it?"

"So you are interested in my 'Shadow dive" huh? That's one of my favourite moves. I use [Night Reflection] to enter inside a shadow and then exit elsewhere by another one. My range isn't gigantic but I can still travel pretty quickly thanks to it." explained Sétanta with proudness. "Impressive huh?"

"That's what it sounds like... But if it's so effective; why didn't you use it when we were trying to escape the authorities instead of making us run all this time?" asked Yui, whose tiredness had begun to take a toll on both her body and mind

Sétanta opened his mouth to respond, but no words came out of it as he kept still, not even one muscle moving, his gaze lost in the distance.

"Sé-Sétanta-san?" fumbled Yui.

"Ha! Good job kid! You managed to break the big idiot!" declared the ethereal voice once again, coming from somewhere around them. "Even I can't believe he forgot his own technique…"

"I didn't forget!" finally snapped Sétanta at her accusations. "I... I'm just a little bit low on stamina and so I can't make a proper dive. That's all!"

"Seth... You should remember that I can tell when you are lying. Also, it's actually a good thing you didn't use it, since you still don't have full control over your destination and you can't take someone else with you in the void. Otherwise, that poor girl would have probably died of asphyxia inside the passage. So by screwing up once more, you avoided a bigger failure down the line."

"Why do you always have to be so mean with me?! I don't screw up that much anyway!"

"Do you want me to list your mistakes in chronological or alphabetical order?"

"Hey! Don't be so harsh with him!" shouted Yui to the voice, trying to defend her tall friend. "Maybe he has trouble remembering things…"

"Oi!"

"... But he is also the one person who saved us all back in the warehouse. So could you talk in a nicer tone when you speak to him, please?" she demanded, waiting for its answer which never came.

"And now she is sulking up. Good job, usually not that many people outside of me can annoy her that much this quickly." joked Sétanta, looking far more relaxed than earlier, his smile now similar to a natural one.

"Her? Well she earned it." huffed Yui in protest. "I don't like people who badmouth others when they are in a vulnerable position, like that greedy woman when she stole your sunglasses." As she finished her tirad, the evocation of that incident sparked her curiosity.

"Hmm can I ask you something else? What is the problem with your eyes?"

That sudden question revived the nervousness surrounding the jet-black haired man, who looked far more tense as he closed his hands into fists. Seeing this, Yui gulped, realizing it seemed like a sore subject for him, and thought of a way to defuse the situation.

"I'm sorry. I didn't want to bother you with something like this after all that happened. That's your business and I don't have any right to demand details about your life. So forget about this and-"

"It's just a minor health issue." cut Sétanta, who had removed his glasses and looked up to watch the moonless sky. "Docs told me I have a rare case of ocular albinism. My eyes are very sensitive to light, so I have to wear tinted glasses to see properly. I don't really need them at night but I got the habit of always wearing my sunglasses, no matter the time of the day. Back in my childhood, I was pretty unpopular because of it and for some other things; that's why I don't like to show my eyes." he explained, putting back his shades. "And when she removed my glasses, I panicked like a fool and almost got killed for this if it wasn't for your intervention. I should be the one thanking you and not the other way around. So thank you, Little Lass!"

"No... I don't deserve all this praise... Stop that…" refused Yui with fake modesty, feeding her small but existent ego with these compliments. "Also, my name is Yoshikawa Yui. You don't have to call me like that, Sétanta-san."

"Ok Yui! But you know, my name isn't 'Sétantasan', but simply Sétanta. So you can just call me Seth! Everybody I know already calls me Seth!"

"Understood Seth-san!" chipped the young girl with a military salute.

'Why does she keep adding a "san"? It's not even in my name!' thought the young man in confusion.

"Anyway! Now that these issues are settled, I guess it's time to part ways!" he added with a bit of sadness, which was shared with the little priestess. "Let's take different roads. I'll go left while you take the right-"

The crash of a nearby trash can caught their attention, as Sétanta put himself between Yui and the noise's area. "I don't know who you are but get out and face us like a man!" But this time, the mysterious newcomer wasn't a new enemy but a simple black stray cat, busy rummaging the fallen dumpster.

"Awwwww! It was just a kitty trying to find food. We can calm down, right Seth-san?" cooed Yui before turning to her companion to see a "different" reaction from his part.

"Caaaaaaaat…" growled Seth at the feline, showing his teeth to intimidate it, which worked when the cat hissed at them and ran away from the scene. Just as this happened, a soft breeze blew over them, making the man's frontal spike shake from left to right, which led Yui to think: 'Pffff! He looks like a doggo wiggling its tail at someone!'

Both her internal laugh and his growling were then interrupted when another loud growl made itself known, this time coming from the girl's stomach.

"Oops! Looks like I'm still hungry after all; I knew biscuits wouldn't be enough..."

Seth looked at her for a short instant before he cracked a small smile and took a wallet out of his pocket. "You know... When I first arrived in the city, I passed by a pizzeria who should still be open at this hour. Wanna try to grab a bite to eat there? I have a little bit of money left; so it will be my treat!"

"Really?" said the girl with tears of joy ready to be shed.

"Aye! I'm famished after all this fighting and a good adventure never lies! I just need to at least keep one coin for my collection but we can spend the rest on a good meal! You're coming?"

And this is how the battles of the twelfth day of October 2007 came to an end, as the two companions marched towards their new destination; small talks keeping them busy on their way.

"You know... I think she didn't hear my epic speech because I knocked her out on the spot."

"Yep, I think so too." laughed the girl. "By the way Seth-san, you told me you were a tourist earlier, so made you come to Istanbul?"

"Well, I…"

"And how do you know how to do all these crazy moves with shadows? And who is this weird voice which talked to us? And why are you dressed like that? It doesn't look trendy at all."

Seth just took a small breath as he reached to grab something behind the collar of his cut-open shirt, looking nostalgic for a moment, before returning his attention on the Japanese. "You see, that's a long story…"

Wind of Change: The END


Hey again!

I hope you liked this chapter, which marked the end of the prologue. I wasn't sure (which is still the case right now) if I should cut this chapter in half or not because of its length; but since we are still at the start of our journey together, I can try to experiment about some aspects. You can give me your feedback in the reviews, something I definitely need to have so you can tell me what you like or not (remember: I'm still inexperienced and your opinion counts). Like I said in chapter 1, I take every kind of criticism, whether it's good or bad (the best way to improve is by making mistakes and then learn from them). Also, it's fun to speak to yourself, but after a while it gets a bit boring.

Now, I promised to give you more details. This time about one of the key parts of this fandom: Romance, followed by its direct result: pairings.

Now that you met our main character, some people might be curious about his love life (please tell me I'm not the only one…). As of right now, the pairings are not yet determined. I can't tell with who Seth will end up, if it's a single pairing or a harem (even though the last one has a very low probability to happen, not gonna lie to you) or even if he will be in a couple with anyone (but that might be a bit harsh for him). So once again: comment and give me your opinion about this. I'll make sure to read everything. :)

That's all for now ! Thank you once again for your attention. Please review, fav and follow if you liked. That's the best way to support me (I need those reviews…) Next time we will make a jump in time to find out more about our new protagonist. But when and where will we be? Who knows… (except me of course)

In the meantime: Have a nice day!