Atreus was walking back home with a folder opened with various papers related to the archery club. He was still the captain of the club and even though he now had responsibilities with the Occult Research Club, he still had a real club to manage for himself. Most of it was administrative or forms that he needed to process and hand over to their faculty adviser and the student council. He however had been so busy looking through these papers that he accidently bumped into someone. Papers and a head shawl went flying and scattered over the walkway the accident occurred on.
"Got it… uh… this is yours." Atreus said as he caught the head shawl that the wind had sought to blow away from the crash. He caught it out of the air and when he looked down to the body that he had run into he blinked a bit at the oddity he had found. A nun. A young girl likely a year younger than himself in a somewhat unique nun uniform. She was cute and blond, two things that would normally disarm a boy but Atreus was more concerned about the fact she was a nun more than anything. Was she part of the church? Was she part of the sides of the church that allied with either the Pure Angels or the Fallen.
"Oh thank you, I'm so sorry for running into you like that. I'm a bit lost and have been wandering not knowing where to go." The girl said as Atreus helped her up and handed her shawl back to her. She was speaking Italian, something she would not do if she could speak Japanese. How she even got here was suspect. "Do you need any help?" She asked genuinely concerned as Atreus began to pick up the papers that he had dropped.
"No, and it was me that ran into you. I should have been paying attention to my surroundings more." Atreus answered with a welcoming and friendly tone. On the inside he was calculating if this could be another trap set by the Fallen Angels. It was most likely that she was with them than the Angels of Heaven. This was Devil territory and the Fallen Angels were already in town, he doubted that the Angels of Heaven would send a nun, a young girl at that, on top of everything that was happening.
He also didn't get any hidden malicious intent from her words. She as genuine as a soul could be and Atreus had to admit he liked that. It was a rare thing to meet someone as open and pure as this girl felt to his senses. Everyone in his family had their own inner darkness as all Gods from their world had. Both Katase and Maruyama had insecurities toward him and anger issues toward other boys. And all of Rias' household were holding a lot back… emotions that were buried and festering, he only needed his skill's with reading people without a supernatural aide to see that last one. But this girl, he felt a bit of pain and loneliness but she was still willing to be open and honest. It was refreshing.
"You can understand me?" She seemed greatly relieved at this. Atreus didn't exactly understand why whoever brought this poor girl would ever let her stray as she was likely to get kidnapped with how helpless she was.
"Yes, my name is Atreus Deimos. I speak several languages… it's sort of a special skill of mine." He said as he gathered up the last of his Archery Club papers and stuffed them all back in their folder. He would deal with them later but for now he needed to help this girl. Even if she did work for the enemy she was too defenseless to leave. "But how did you get here not being able to speak to anyone, why are you here in Japan in the first place."
"I came with a guide but she told me to stay in a park while she went to get something." The girl explained but then looked to the ground with a sad expression. "That was this morning." Atreus wanted to smack whoever this woman was because the sun was already hitting the horizon and it would be getting dark soon. "I'm supposed to go to the local church but I don't know the way."
"The only church Kuoh has is in a pretty bad state. There was a fire about three years and while its not in cinders it isn't a good place to hold mass." Atreus said as he glanced in the general direction of the town's sole Christian church, there was a few Shinto temples but that was it in terms of religious buildings. Given that Kuoh was Devil territory it made sense. "But if that's where you need to go then I can take you."
"Really thank you so much. My name is Asia Argento by the way." The girl introduced herself and Atreus could swear he had heard that name before but dismissed it. He then began to led Asia down the walkway and the streets that would take them to the hill that the church rested on. Atreus could note a bit of nervousness in Asia, some apprehension in the way she was walking. This however vanished when they both heard a child crying nearby. Atreus watched as Asia ran over like it was the most natural thing to do in the situation.
She calmed the child down like a pro and then began to heal the scraped knee that he had been crying over. Atreus watched and felt out the magical power in the air, it wasn't any power that he was familiar with. It wasn't Devil… duh. It wasn't Norse or Greek. But it also didn't feel like in the same ballpark as the Fallen Angel magic. Maybe closer than all the other things but not quite there, the Fallen Angels had a magic that was fiercer and more savage. This was refined but still very natural. He could also tell it wasn't entirely her own, it primarily resided in the two rings that she wore. Then it donned on him.
"She has a Sacred Gear." Atreus thought as Asia started to return after saying farewell to the boy even if he didn't understand her. He had heard of Sacred Gears before but had never encountered one. They were blessings given by God's System to any mortal human or being with human blood in them. Each of them did different things and some were more common than others. Then there were ones that were so powerful they were called God Killers.
"It must be strange to see isn't it?" She asked solemnly and Atreus could understand where she was coming from. Humans often reacted poorly to the unknown and her powers were something that could be scary if framed the right way… or wrong way as it were. Atreus however responded to her question by holding out his hand and twisting two fingers, between them a stem of a rose started to grow and soon bloomed into a perfect flower. Asia watched in amazement but then this faded as the rose did too, having been nothing but an illusion.
"The world is full of people that are just like us, special and different. Both are good things in my book." Atreus said with a warm smile and she seemed to freeze for a moment before returning it. He then turned and pointed toward a nearby hill, there stood the stone church that had nearly burned down three years ago. A date that seemed to coincide with Kuoh Academy turning co-ed and what Atreus was sure was Rias' arrival to the town. "There it is, I hope that you're able to settle in as best you can."
"You're not going to take me all the way?" Asia asked, her voice a little needy and scared. Atreus wanted to help but he couldn't go further, the growing sense of dread in his stomach proved that point alone. Helping this girl alone was a risk but one that shouldn't be too bad.
"He can't, he needs to run along back home." At that the two turned around to find a woman standing behind them. Where before Atreus felt nothing but genuine kindliness from Asia, the woman standing before him now was the exact opposite. Feint memories of the feelings he got out of his world's Thor trickled back to his mind. Bloodlust and a hunger for battle. This clashed with the luxurious dress that the woman wore, along with the other signs of wealth she wore, fine jewelry, expensive shoes, She was beautiful and a bombshell of a woman that Atreus could vaguely recognize from somewhere else but couldn't place. Long black hair framed a gorgeous face, but whose crimson eyes told the former god a story of cruelty and evil like no other.
"And just who are you?" Atreus asked as he stood between the new woman and Asia.
"My name is Rehael, I am miss Argento's guide and guardian while she is traveling." The woman said with a wide toothy grin, as if egging Atreus on to start something. This woman had confirmed some of Atreus' theories as she reeked of Fallen Angel power and power that he wasn't too keen on fighting in this situation. Not with guarding Asia and with no backup. He was also still at a disadvantage when it came to flight and the fact he didn't have a real weapon on hand. "I had asked her to wait while I handled errands but seems she saw fit to disobey me."
"You left her alone in a country she has no knowledge of, can't speak to the locals or authorities, and did so for hours with no means of getting in contact with you. I'd say that she had plenty of reason to seek help." Rehael refocused back onto Atreus with a cold sneer, she did not like to be challenged like this. That much he could tell.
"This doesn't concern you boy, go back home before I see fit to punish you as well." Atreus stood firm, defying her direct order to leave. He really didn't want to let this devolve into a fight. But he could tell that she wanted that, if she didn't she wouldn't have even showed up like she did. Asia was about to leave him and it would have been better if she never came at all. He knew this as he had met her type before. He wasn't going to give her the fight she wanted. So instead he decided to leave, by creating a swirl of rose petals for Asia's eyes and a sudden flashbang for Rehael.
Though much to his disappointment, Rehael didn't so much as flinch at his sudden illusion but seemed more irritated by the fact he had been able to get away at all. He watched as Rehael looked around for him and even felt her flared magical power reach out around her to try and find him. But he was already far enough away to not care too much. Asia on the other hand seemed very happy with the manner he had departed. But that happiness was short lived as Rehael soon grabbed her shoulder and began pushing Asia toward the church. Atreus unveiled himself and felt the urge to go and help Asia but knew that would just get her in more trouble.
Raynare was shuffling out of her room with a yawn. She had been extra lazy these past weeks, much to the confusion and ire of her fellow Fallen Angels and even the cast out priests that worked for them. They had no idea that she planned on leaving them all behind, first chance she got she would fake her death and scamper off to be with her Greek Adonis.
"You seemed very relaxed, even though you failed in your mission." Raynare gave out an irritated sigh as Dohnaseek brought this up again. He hadn't let this thing go, still harping on her that she hadn't killed Atreus on that first. Never mind he failed even worse than she did.
"Blow it up your ass you closet flasher." Raynare responded with a pleased mocking tone. She could not give two fucks for these people and now was actually excited for the day when she could leave all these dumbasses to the wind. The only problem was finding the means to do it and how to hide afterward. But that was future Raynare's problem. The opportunity would present itself she just needed to wait.
"You see I have a little theory Raynare, I think you let that boy get reincarnated by the Devils." She didn't even stop in her lazy walk away from Dohnaseek at his accusation. He had no proof, there was none. The only people that could say what happened was her, the Gremory bitch, and Atreus. And she was sure that they wouldn't rat her out, or had the means to do so. "But that would be a betrayal, and that falls under Rehael's purview." That did in fact get Raynare to stop.
"You didn't." She sneered as she glared back at him. She had half a mind to run him through right now. But then the timely sound of the front doors of the church starting to open creaked through the whole church. To Raynare it was a bad joke waiting to happen and she ran down the hall to the main hall of the church just in time to see Asia Argento and her mother walk in.
"Raynare, so good to see you once again." Raynare locked up as she stared with a mix of fear and fury at the sight of her bitch of a mother standing in the same room. The last time they were together Raynare had sworn that if she ever saw Rehael again she would kill her. She had hoped that would be a few more years in the future when she could actually stand a chance against the bitch.
"Mother." Raynare ground out trying to keep her calm. The urge to outright attack was strong but the survival instinct was greater.
"Run along Asia, me and my daughter have some things to discuss." The blond girl looked more than happy to leave Rehael's presence and ran off toward one of the open doors of the church. Leaving Raynare, Rehael, and Dohnaseek who was lurking in a alcove nearby all alone. "I met the most interesting boy, one that I thought you had orders to turn to worm food." Raynare growled lightly at the dismissive way her mother spoke to her.
"I killed him, the Devils brought him back." Raynare snapped as she turned her back to her mother intent on going back to her room and getting everything she owned and getting the hell out of this place. She could hide and watch the carnage from a safe distance. Hopefully the Devils can ware her mother down to a point where she could deliver the final blow. Then she could come in, save everyone, and get on the Gremory bitch's good side.
But then she lifted off the ground, clawing at her throat as her mother choked her and pulled her up. Raynare grabbed at Rehael's fingers trying to free her windpipe. She thankfully got to breath again though only because her mother pulled back and threw Raynare into the ceiling of the church. Raynare coughed up blood as the impact broke several of her bones, she would later be healed by their new little pet nun but that didn't make the pain any less horrible. Raynare fell back down, her mind thrown off by the suddenness of the attack. She was immediately caught by Rehael, Raynare's ankle held in a new grip and then the woman was flung into a pile of broken pews.
"You were told to put down the boy, the intent behind that order is pretty clear my darling daughter. You're not usually one to leave a job half done." Rehael spoke as Raynare struggled to get back on her feet, checking her nails while her daughter was bleeding and likely had internal trauma. Raynare glared burning hate toward her mother, this was exactly like her. Barely giving her the time of day while at the same time being perfectly brutal. Vein, bloodthirsty, egoistical, selfish, she was by far the worst mother she ever met.
"I… I fucking killed… his ass once. N-none of… the others could do that." Raynare struggled to speak but was able to get out her lie. She was sure that her current difficulty would help sell it, the only silver lining here. "Unless… unless you're here to… tell me to do it again. Fuck off!"
"I'm not here to tell you to kill him. I'll be doing that once I get Twilight Healing for myself." Raynare's eyes widened at that. Both at getting dicked out of a super powerful Sacred Gear that she was promised and also the news that her mother would be going after Atreus. "Oh, you thought failing to finish the mission will still get you the girl's Sacred Gear you are sadly mistaken. Plus I have been working for months to rearrange my outfits to match the design of those tacky things. Do you have any idea how hard that was… doubt it."
"You bitch." Raynare growled as her mother turned on her heal with that last verbal jab. She needed to figure out a plan and soon.
"From what you have told me you handled it well enough… though ending it as you did was a little on the rude side." Rias lightly chastised Atreus once he finished explaining the events of his meeting Asia and Rehael. The Fallen Angels were up to something if they were bringing in a Sacred Gear user. But what did all of this mean? Their attacks on Atreus, the Scared Gear user, coming to her territory? None this made much sense to her but she deeply wished that it wasn't happening here. She already had a lot on her plate with her own business and didn't need the added stress of a possible incident that could strain the fragile peace that had settled.
"She started it." Atreus grumbled and Rias ignored this. She and her peerage were on their way to a abandoned development project that the city had been working on years before she and her family had taken control of the town. It was planned to be a new library or community center or some other civic building but Rias couldn't recall. Later the project was taken up by some wealthy family from America who wanted a vacation mansion in Japan. But that too was abandoned. Now it was just a strange mismatched building.
Rias had been thinking about tearing the whole thing down as it was a magnet for Stray Devils. They would escape Hell using the portal the Gremory family set up in their territory and run right for this place as a hide out before running out into the world. Normally Rias didn't mind too much as sometimes Devils had a good reason to go stray, but this one they were hunting was not one of those cases. She had killed her master, then ate him in hopes of gaining his power, and had started to consume other Devils. It devolved her into a monster and now she was here and Rias' problem.
The group of Devils approached the front double doors of the structure and with a impromptu kick from Koneko, the door was broken off its hinges. The moonlight shining down on them filtered into the central chamber of the building, illuminating most of the space but there were still many shadows that someone could hide in. Koneko and Kiba entered first followed by Atreus with the King and Queen both in the back.
Rias knew that Atreus was far from a novice when it came to combat. His telling of the second Fallen Angel attack had proved that. But he had insisted that he be kept at the middle and not the front, without the Leviathan Axe or a current substitute he was best used as a mid ranged attacker. He had his fists and Guardian Shield but those weren't optimal, instead he had brought his Talon Bow. Rias had to marvel at the workmanship that had gone into the bow. Atreus had insisted that it wasn't anything special, just enchanted and worked on by some of old family friends of his. But Rias knew that the bow was more than that. But it did confirm that it was a different type of special than his mother's axe as it wasn't imbued with Holy Jötunn power.
"Stray Devil Sarrya, we know that you are here. Come out and answer for the crimes you have committed!" Rias shouted into the shadows that covered much of the back half of the room. She watched the edge of the darkness as her household prepared for a fight. The only punishment that awaited the Stray was death. She had committed murder and ritual cannibalism. High crimes even for High Class Devils, and Sarrya was a Mid-Class Devil so there would be no protection for her whatsoever.
Both Koneko and Kiba readied themselves as they all heard a smacking of the lips and then a terrible ripping sound. The echoes of meat being torn off bone and gnashing teeth chewing very raw meat. Rias was absolutely disgusted by this response and she nodded to Atreus who cocked a arrow back and the other Devils winced slightly as the Light of Alfiheim was poured into the arrow. While not nearly as deadly as Holy power, the energy of light magic was a great irritant to them. Atreus however had been exposed to the Light of Alfiheim all his life and while being near it tingled slightly it didn't have the same effect. Atreus fired the arrow into the darkness and the bright blue light flashed over the shadows and there squatted the Stray.
Sarrya hissed and howled at the Devils for interrupting her meal. Her body was gaunt and ghoulish, covered in tattered robes. Long clawed limbs extended out of those robes, covered in blood and gore. Under a faded hood shown a decayed face that could have once had beauty and an enlarged maw filled with spindly teeth. Around her lay several human corpses, some of which had chunks and limbs torn from them. The monster hissed again as the magic of the light faded and the shadows began to conceal her again. They had her attention and they prepared for the fight she would give for her life. All of them knew not to judge based on appearances. Despite her decayed state, they could still feel a being on par with a mid-class devil and maybe even stronger.
"I can sense her, she's moving to the right." Koneko said calmly as Kiba readied his sword and Atreus knocked back three arrows in his bow. Both Rias and Akeno stood back at the door, making sure that the primary exit was covered. Knowing that this place was a favored hiding place for Strays, Rias saw fit to bar every door in this room with ruble or other inconspicuous obstacles. All but the front entrance, this was a long set trap for any Stray that wanted to squat here.
"She's pretty damn quiet when she wants to be." Atreus commented as he thought back to the Revenants of his world. He hoped this Stray wouldn't be as troublesome as they were. Both he and Koneko were the first to detect the initial attack. The sound of bare feet jumping off the ground alerted them, turning to right they caught the Stray mid jump with Atreus firing his arrows into her chest. The force of the shot stopped her leaping assault and stunned her long enough for Koneko to deliver an uppercut into the monster's oversized jaw. A crack echoed through the room and was followed by a thud as the Stray Devil fell back in the shadows.
"Those two seem to be already very in tune with each other." Akeno commented to Rias who just smiled brightly at the quick tag-teaming that her servants were showing. But then the sound of loud scuttling interrupted the moment. It reverberated all over the chamber and no one could pinpoint where it came from. But only one person was able to figure out what it was.
"Why did it have to be Dräger… it's always Dräger." Atreus grumbled as the first of shambling corpses began to stumble their way out of the shadows. The zombies ranks were made of the many corpses that the Stray had collected in her two years of killing in hell and then the few months of going unnoticed by Rias in Kuoh. Summoned to fight for her by necromantic magics.
"Meat and bone, flesh and blood. Such delicious smells have entered my home." A dry grasping voice traveled out of the shadows. Before a sudden great thud boomed and a cloud of dust blew across the faces of the Devils. Then a lumbering zombified giant peered out of the shadows. "Heiress Gremory… your skull and spine with become the stock in my dinner soup." The stray cackled as she clung to the back shoulder of her most prized zombie.
"I'm so honored." Rias smiled as she held up a hand, formed a ball of her Power of Destruction and sent it flying toward the right flank of the little army of undead and completely decimated it. Within a instant half of Sarrya's horde had halved with a single attack by Rias. "But I have other plans so I'll have to raincheck that dinner date."
"Attack! Flay them limb from limb!" The Stray screeched and her zombies moaned as they began their scuffle forward. With only coming from the front and the left, Koneko and Kiba divided their attention to their respective sides. Koneko charged forward toward the undead that were surrounding the zombie giant, knowing that between her and Kiba she had the better chances with the oversized cadaver. Kiba meanwhile took the flank that had the more numbers, slicing and cutting his way through the many undead that all tried to surround him but only to find him gone in a instant.
Atreus took a moment to watch, he was a Pawn and so he could take either the power of a Rook or Knight so he wanted to know how both powers worked. Watching Koneko and Kiba was goo research to better himself when he finally used their respective powers of Rook and Knight. He assumed that Bishop would just power up his summons and magical arrows. And Queen would just make him more powerful in every respect. But Rook and Knight were more focused and so he needed something to reference. But eventually he returned back to the battle and as the zombie giant started to lift its meaty hand to smack down on the white-haired girl smashing skulls around it, Atreus took the time to interrupt it. Firing a few arrows toward the one controlling all of these things, the giant moved to block the incoming arrows instead of attacking the nearby Rook.
The former god smirked as he was proven right. These things operated on the orders of protecting their necromancer at all costs. They would automatically move to drop what they were doing if it meant saving Sarrya. Knowing this, Atreus lifted off the ground with his wings and began harassing the giant undead. The thing immediately stopped anything to do with Koneko and began swinging violently at Atreus. Like someone trying to swat a fly from the air, the giant was slow and Atreus moved around its attacks like nothing. All while firing more arrows into its decaying hide. Each shot was intended for the Stray but she kept moving and climbing all over her massive protector in a effort to further her miserable life. But this all came to a stop when a strike of lightning came crashing down on the undead giant and Stray Devil, charring them both in black.
"You look like you needed some help." Atreus looked over to Akeno flying across from him, giggling and seemingly very much enjoying the fact that her attack only did superficial damage. Both the giant and the Stray were very much… alive… but certainly in pain after the Queen's attack. But that wasn't what Atreus was focused on, he was focused on the fact he could see through Akeno's Glamored wing. He had the sense to keep his eyes on her face, not hard to do as it was a very distracting face, but he still noticed the fact one of her wings was the same as a Fallen Angels. Like the Glamor over Koneko, he didn't like that he could without effort discover secrets that he wasn't meant to know.
"No, but you look like you're having fun so I'll leave this to you." Atreus said with a friendly smile, lying and faking emotion had come naturally to him. He of course looked himself up in this world. He knew all about Loki and what the two of them were supposed to be. So he knew exactly what godly talents he was proficient at. He didn't like using these traits as he really didn't like to encourage that side of himself. He was not Loki, he would never be.
Atreus flew out of Akeno's way as she began to deliver more lightning down on her victims. Atreus just sighed with a smile as he could feel Akeno's ambient glee at what she was doing. It didn't feel malicious like how a certain pair of brothers felt when they were trying to torment him and his father, but it was still sadistic. He hovered in the air and began taking headshot at the many remaining zombies that were below him. But their numbers were beginning to be chopped down by the Devils.
"Enough! Enough-cease-stop-go-away!" The Stray Devil roared and threw up her charred hands. Necromantic energy pooled in her hands and with that all of the remaining zombies collapsed into piles of bones and what remaining meat they had on them. But in turn the giant zombie's skin began to bubble and steam started to waft off its body in large pillars. A crunching sound echoed through the hall and spiny bones shout out of various places of the undead giant's body, its skin ripped and tore itself apart as massive pulsing muscles threatened to spill out. Its eyes began glowing red as it reached back and took the madly laughing Stray Devil off its back. She continued to cackle as the giant slipped her down its throat. Everyone waited for the giant to also die, thinking that this was some mad gambit or some horrible mistake on the Stray's part. But nope, instead the giant reached out toward Akeno with a speed that its huge frame should allow.
"Þruma!" Atreus shouted and fired a thunderous bolt of lightning that quickly formed into pouncing wolf. The shot cut the reaching arm in two, the undead giant screamed in pain. Something that he had not done before even after being blasted several times by Akeno's surface level shots. The Queen herself blinked a few times as her mind caught up with what just happened. "She's fused with the zombie, take her down now!" Atreus yelled as all of his attention was on the current fight.
"Yes, I think it is about time we end this." Rias said as she felt it was time that her servants had gotten their workout. Plus this thing had just threatened her best friend with that surprise attack. The undead giant roared as it turned its maw toward Atreus and barreled toward him. Only to find itself falling to the ground as its lower body were destroyed utterly by Rias' magic. The rest of the body of the zombie flopped onto the ground and out of its exposed intestines slid out a malformed Sarrya. The poor Stray evil contorted and spasmed in unnatural ways as a slew of gibberish fell out of her mouth. "What a poor excuse for a Devil you are, I doubt there is enough sense in that rotted head for final words." And with that dismissive note, Rias finished the Stray off, leaving nothing left of the maddened woman.
"Are Strays always this gross?" Atreus asked as he landed back on the ground, Akeno not that far behind him… really not that far. And soon enough Atreus found the feeling of Akeno's generous chest pressed into his back as she hugged him from behind, intently pressing her breasts into him. He blushed as she felt her kiss his cheek.
"Thank you for saving me Atreus, who knows what could have happened to me had you not stopped that horrible monster." Akeno cooed as she draped herself over Atreus, feeling very in the mood from both her sadist side and her submissive side. But then Rias had to go and throw cold water on the two.
"You would have been fine Akeno, a hit like that one wouldn't have done much." Rias said with a frown on her face at the conduct of her Queen. She wanted her servants to be close to each other but she knew Akeno and that was getting too close too fast. The raven haired beauty on her part pouted a bit at her fun being cut short but detached herself from the Pawn but was intent on continuing this later. "And to answer your question Atreus no, the vast majority of Strays are just runaway Reincarnated Devils that take issue with the Master they either agreed to serve or found themselves serving. This one was not in such a pitiable situation."
Rias fired off more of her Power of Destruction to clean up the entire room. The black and red flows and ebbs of power flooded the room and destroyed every trace of the corpses that the Stray Devil summoned. It flowed around her servants as they gathered before her and then just as quickly as it came it vanished.
"While it wasn't too difficult that was one of the more challenging Stray Devils we've had to deal with." Kiba said as he wiped the blackened blood of one of his many swords. Koneko nodded in agreement and Atreus had to think that these Stray Devils were too few and weak to really present a good means of training with his new Devil powers. He hoped that maybe he could get some of his new friends to spar with him some time.
"Okay everyone, this was just doing our job but we discovered this Stray far to late. Be sure to stay alert for any new presence in our town." Rias said and all her servants nodded in understanding. Now that this was over all she had to deal with was the Fallen Angels, she really wished they were as simple as a monstrous Stray devil.
"No Father Freed!" Asia yelled as she was pinned to the wall by one of the top ranking exorcists in the group she had found herself in. Ever since the church proper had declared her a false saint she had been struggling with both her faith and just surviving in general. She knew that joining the Fallen Angels wasn't the most devote thing to do but many of them still wanted to further the goals of the almighty. She had hoped to be apart of that if the Church didn't want her anymore.
"No? Keep at that, it gets me hornier when they scream that." Freed lewdly chuckled as he began to reach down toward her chest. All her hopes of still doing god's work were dashed when she somehow fell into a group of former priests, exorcists, and Fallen Angels that were all very unvirtuous. Freed was one of the highest ranking exorcists and he was by far one of the worst men she had ever met in her life.
Asia snapped her eyes shut and hoped that God would send someone to stop this false servant of his. But a small part of her that had been growing for a year now said that nothing would happen. That Freed would take her innocence and use her as he pleased. She started to resign herself to this fate when her hopeless thoughts were dashed. Freed was yanked off her and slammed into the opposing wall. When Asia opened her eyes she saw the Fallen Angel Raynare punching the air out of Freed's lungs and then kicking him to the floor.
"You don't get to take liberties with this one you sick fuck. I thought we made it explicitly clear about that." Raynare sneered and Freed just laughed as he spat out a bit of blood on the floor. Both Raynare and Asia felt creeped out in the extreme by Freed and Raynare felt her fists clutch tighter as he stood up.
"Hah… ha… what's the point of letting her stay a virgin? Might as well-" Raynare flung a spear of light past Freed's face, cutting across his cheek and cutting some of his silver hair. He then quickly crawled back on his hands knees, shouting out fake and mocking apologizes to Raynare as he back out of the hallway and ran off to annoy someone else.
"Thank you lady Raynare." Asia said bowing but then was pulled back up by her hair.
"Listen you little shit, I don't care about you in the slightest. But you're in big fucking danger and if things go the way they look to be going you'll end up dead and my bitch of a mom will get your Sacred Gear." Raynare growled as she held Asia up, not caring in the slightest for the girl's pain as she held her blond locks. This was important and she needed to have the nun pay attention. "Here's what you're going to do, your going to find a boy named Atreus…" Raynare stopped as Asia's eyes opened in recognition. "You already know him?"
"Y-yes… he helped me find my way to the church." Asia said as Raynare loosened her grip on her hair. She didn't know what Atreus had to do with all of this but he so far was the first genuinely nice person she had met in a long time. When they first met she didn't get any feeling that he was after something, had bad intentions, or was outright creepy. She didn't think she was a great perceiver of people but she had been given enough examples of bad people to know what to look for.
"Good, than you know who to look for." Raynare then pulled out a slip of paper and a letter and shoved it into Asia's hands. "That will tell you where to find him, and you'll give the letter to him when you do find him." How did she know what park the Gremory bitch had Atreus handing out flyers? She just did, it wasn't like she had been stalking him or anything. The important thing was that her mother wouldn't get Twilight Healing. "Now get going, I'll stall and meet up with you later."
"Okay, but why are you doing this?" Asia asked as Raynare dropped the nun to the floor. The only answer she got was a scowl before Raynare shoved Asia forward and walked the other way. Asia still didn't really understand what was going on but she clearly understood that her time to leave was now.
"It's not my fault no one seems to need me." Atreus grumbled as he kicked an empty box of flyers. After finally working his way up to real jobs, he found that he wasn't in nearly as much demand as the rest of the Gremory Household. So Rias had him put back to flyer duty as his people skills got them more flyers out there than anyone else. Was it a small blow to his ego, maybe. He saw a nearby open trash can and with perfect precision he kicked the empty box over and into the trash can. "Now if only I could find someone that needed useless skills like that. Look out people, here comes Atreus… profession trash kicker." He grumbled but then heard someone cough to get his attention. He turned to see Asia standing there looking both happy and worried.
"Uh… hi Atreus." She meekly said having spent the last hour searching the park Raynare sent her to finding him. During which she had started to worry that maybe she missed him and the Fallen Angels were going to come for her and take her back to the church. A prospect she never thought would be a bad thing until now.
"Asia, I doubt that this a chance meeting." He could feel the fear in her voice, there was panic that was being held back by hope. If she hadn't been in such a state he would have tried to wave her off in some way, the less interaction between them the better. But she shook her head and held out a letter.
"Lady Raynare told me to find you, to escape from the Fallen Angels at the church. She said my life was in danger and that they were planning on stealing my Sacred Gear." Asia explained as Atreus took the letter and began reading it, and first thing he did was turn away from Asia as the first half of this letter was extremely dirty. He quickly connected Yuuma to Raynare, likely her real name, and was honestly very surprised by the level of lust that was packed into these written words. "Hey! What does it say?" Asia asked as she did the human thing and tried to curiously glance at what he was hiding from her.
"Nothing! Nothing to see here." Atreus quickly responded while covering the naughtier bits of the letter and focused on the more important stuff. Raynare explaining what the Fallen Angels were doing here in Kuoh. They had originally been ordered by the Governor-General to watch and observe Atreus. He supposed that would have been the first responses to his godly presence, agents sent to look into the sudden appearance of a power that didn't belong.
But then Raynare went into detail about how another high ranking Fallen Angel had ordered her group, a group that really worked for him, to just kill Atreus and then use the pretense of the earlier mission as a reason to stay in the town. That way they could secretly steal the Sacred Gear Asia had without the Governor-General ever knowing. Raynare admitted that she was supposed to get the Sacred Gear but now wasn't. Atreus had to sigh as he started to get a better insight into Raynare as she ranted and raved about that and who it was now going to. Namely her mother Rehael. That was a bit of a shock but he now finally knew why Rehael looked so familiar.
Raynare then began to explain that she sent Asia to him in the hopes he could protect and hide her. Even telling him that Asia should seek protection with the Devils as it was no longer safe for her in the Fallen Angels' camp. This all came with the add-on of Raynare wanting to seek asylum too. Exactly how this would work he wasn't too sure, Raynare seemed to be under the impression that things would fall into place as long as she set them up to. Asia was one thing but Raynare was another.
Atreus knew that Rias would welcome Asia in no problem. He knew that there was a good chance she would also offer a position in her peerage. He didn't know Asia well enough to know her response but he did know Rias enough to say that safe harbor would be extended regardless of her joining the devils or not. Raynare however… that was tricky. But that was something that he could deal with when it came. He would give the letter to Rias, and hopefully she would ignore the spicy bits and focus on the important stuff. The last thing on the letter was a small note saying she looked forward to seeing him with her kiss pressed at the end.
"Well, it looks like you're in need of something to cheer you up." Atreus said as he slid the letter in his jacket and looked down to Asia. She beamed as she had been having a long day and felt some of her worries pass by just by seeing that genuinely friendly smile Atreus had. She nodded and took the hand that he had offered, Pulling her shawl down a bit to avoid him seeing the small blush that was dusting her cheeks.
Atreus then took Asia to a small dinner, the same one that he had taken Raynare on their date. He did this hoping that Raynare would show up as she had been pretty unclear in her letter as to where and when she would meet them. So he hoped that the importance this place had to them would be a good landmark. But more importantly he wanted to cheer Asia up. Thankfully he did accomplish that, he was able to relax as the worry and fear in her words gradually left and were replaced with enjoyment and happiness. The changing of her words and tone crystal clear to him. But there was always a undercurrent of hopelessness and sadness that she was trying to mask.
"Thank you, this has been the best time I have had in my life." Asia said and Atreus had to find that sad in of itself. This was only a meal between what were essentially strangers and yet he could only feel truth in her words. She really did believe that this was best time of her life. Atreus couldn't help himself and needed to ask.
"Why is that?" Atreus asked and Asia's smile faded a bit but she tried to keep it up.
"All my life I have been in the church. And when I discovered my power, I knew it was a blessing from God." Atreus pressed his nail into his palm in order to mask the sharp pain that spiked through his head. He didn't want to ruin this by revealing that he was Devil. "And soon enough I was a saint, people from all over the world came to be healed by me. I was happy but I had no idea that I was being used by the church, I later found out that they were charging for my miracles. Disgraceful, helping the weak and poor is doing God's work."
"Y-yes. It's supposed to be." Atreus said finding his new aversion to invoking the biblical god's name ironic and annoying.
"But then none of that matter because one day I found a Devil on the verge of death." Atreus looked up even more focused on what she was saying now. He could already picture what was about to happen in her story and was getting pretty damn pissed about it. It didn't matter where it came from, cruelty, greed, and hate whether it came from mortal or godly origins all sickened him. "I healed him, and was caught doing so. The church said that doing so was heresy and that I was a false saint. They casted me out and excommunicated me. Later the Fallen Angels found me and brought me in. I was so hopeful that I had found another place to do God's work but I see that I was wrong."
"You don't need his permission to do good things." Atreus said and while he had nothing against the biblical god, he had every reason to be in favor him, he still didn't like someone basing their morality on a god. "Odin, Zeus, God from the Bible, they all have just as much capacity to be evil and cruel as humans. If you want to be a good person than be a good person. No one should stop you from that."
"I… I don't know." Asia fidgeted in her seat unsure about what Atreus was telling her. On the surface it sounded wrong but he had been the first person to truly be kind to her. It was hard to deny him some influence over her. "But I want to leave the Fallen Angels. I'm not safe with them."
"Let's go talk to my friend, she can help keep you safe. I promise that-" Atreus stopped mid-sentence and listened carefully. Extending out his senses and when he confirmed his suspicions he flipped the table over and covered Asia as a fiery explosion blasted the dinner apart. The smoke plumed up and over the town and in the middle of it was a glowing spectral turtle. The summon soon began to fade and out from under it Atreus and Asia emerged unharmed. "Come on, we need to get moving." Atreus grabbed ahold of Asia's hand and led her out of the ruble of the ruined dinner. He planned on breaking whoever was responsible for this and the lives of customers and staff alike lost.
"Lost little lamb, come back to us." They both heard out in the smoky skies. They both looked up and with a swipe the smoke that clouded their vision was dispelled by the one that caused this destruction. Atreus glared with fury as he saw all of the Fallen Angels that had attacked him flying in the air behind Rehael. And in the lead woman's hand was the neck of Raynare, beaten and bloody. "Oh dear me, you seemed to be perfectly fine. Seems my attack did nothing."
"I told you he's stronger than he looks." The other female Fallen Angel sneered and Atreus seriously wished he had some magical means to contact Rias.
"So he is, but that's why I brought insurance." Rehael smirked as she held up Raynare who struggled to breath. "Devil boy, I propose a trade. My little slut of a daughter for the former saint." Rehael said as she tossed the broken body of Raynare down to Atreus. The Pawn jumped forward and caught the crashing woman in his arms. There was no real trade as the second he had moved to save Raynare from what could have been a final death blow given the height that the Fallen Angels floated at, Asia was snatched up by a Fallen Angel that Atreus had never seen before. "Nice doing business with you devil boy, have fun fucking her corpse."
"Get back here!" Atreus shouted as he fired off a storm of spectral hawks all infused with the poisonous mists of Niflheim. The hawks focused on Rehael and so those with the woman were able to dodge the ones that were sent to them. But Rehael had an entire flock of them. She effortlessly beat back all but one of them who swooped into her blind spot and delivered its toxic payload right into her side. Rehael screamed in agony as the Fel mists of Niflheim infected her, the side of her dress withering away and her skin turning a few shades green with black veins at the point of contact.
"You little brat… this dress was expensive!" She shouted as she turned to go back and finish her attacker once and for all. But then Dohnaseek flew in her away with his hands up.
"Wait until you have Twilight Healing you can then fix that and kill-" He never got to finish his sentence as his head was removed from his shoulders by a sudden swipe of Rehael's well-manicured nails. But even as the man's body fell to the ground she mulled over his last words. The sudden piercing pain in her side sold it for her, she wasn't about to lose to some brat because he got a lucky shot and poisoned her. So with one last dismissive growl she returned back to her flight to the church.
"Bitch, killing her comrade like it was nothing." Atreus mumbled as he had seen the whole thing. At the sound of someone weakly laughing he looked down to see Raynare chuckling.
"That's my mom… the original bitch." She joked as a trail of blood slipped out of her mouth. "This isn't how I pictured us seeing each other again. Not enough sandy breaches and wine." She reached up and held his face, she hated irony. The last time they saw each other she was the one holding him as he died and now the positions had reversed. "I don't want to die, life just started getting worth living. No more chasing the impossible and finally having what I want."
Freya closed the door behind her as she ignored one of the many nurses pleas to listen to her troubles. She really made a mistake when she became so dependable for everyone. Now everyone came to her to solve their impossible problems. It really did get tiring at times. And this was with her extra human stamina and limits. But she still had them. Mostly now with how much begging and sob stories that came to her. Most of which were utter crap and stuff other doctors could handle but they came to her anyways because she was the doctor that did the impossible. Then there were those cases like the one she was just being begged about which wasn't a real medical problem.
"If I have to explain to another obese man that there is no magical way to lose weight I'm going to-"
"What, you can't hurt a fly." Freya did not appreciate her son's comments but her annoyance at that was dashed when she turned around to see him at the open window with a bleeding Fallen Angel in his arms. She raised an eyebrow but nodded for him to place her in the small medical bed she had in her office. Something for her to bring in patients during the graveyard shift who looked like they just needed a checkup.
Her son placed the woman on the bed and Freya immediately went to work looking her over. Deciding that it would be better to just start healing everything instead of particular wounds, Freya pulled natural energy from the nearby garden of plants that rested at her window and all over her officer and began healing the woman. She had to use a good deal of her clout to grant this many plants in her personal office but in times likes these it was worth it.
"There are only two injuries that need my attention immediately. The rest she can heal herself once she's out of danger of dying." Freya wasn't too sure what happened to this woman but whatever it was, it was brutal. This was done by something bloodthirsty and vindictive, ninety percent of the injuries weren't fatal but incredibly painful. It was only the damage to the neck and a single stab wound to the chest, inches from the heart but still very deadly. "What happened."
"Her mother apparently." Atreus mirthlessly chuckled but his eyes held a different emotion, rage. It was a look that Freya had seen in the boy's father several times and had hoped to never see in Atreus but supposed that was foolish thinking. But she had her own anger boiling in her. What mother could do this to their child? Even now with how she felt, she still couldn't bring herself to think of situation where she would strike Baldur. "The Fallen Angels have a nun that has a powerful Sacred Gear and Raynare tried to help her escape. This was the result." Atreus nodded to the woman, Raynare.
"And this is the woman that saved your life before?" Even if it was after changing her mind on killing her son. She still saved him. Freya would save her life for that alone, though it looked like her step-son was starting to get attached to this woman.
"Yeah, please don't be too weird to her." Atreus said without another word before flying out of her office window, she supposed to go save the nun. Freya chuckled a bit and reached out to the largest pot of flowers, Vanir magics were that of nature and extremely tied to plants and animals. Vines grew from the dirt and tethered to her outstretched arm. Growing along her shoulders and down her other arm over the Fallen Angel, Freya began infusing her magic into Raynare's wounds. It wasn't long until Raynare began to stir.
"W-where am I? Atreus!" Raynare attempted to sit up inly to be locked into the bed by vines. She angrily tried to free herself but while Freya couldn't attack she still had her godly powers and could bind a person. She had a theory she could use this loophole to actually cause harm by arranging certain situations where the harm would come from somewhere else and her bindings would just make it possible.
"Calm down, Atreus brought you here so I could heal you." Freya said in a stern yet motherly tone, the latter part made Raynare freeze up more than the former. "I am Mrs. Deimos, Atreus' stepmother." Freya didn't want to give a first name purely because she couldn't do so to a person that could connect her to the goddess. She doubted that this young woman knew the Vanir god and goddess' names but she had to be safe.
"Really?" Raynare asked skeptically as she pulled on her restraints again.
"Yes." One of the vines connected to Freya reached over and grasped a rare photo of the entire family together. She showed it to Raynare and the Fallen Angel studied it intently.
"Two things… dammmmmn… please tell me that Atreus is going to get that buff when he grows up." Raynare had a sparkle in her eyes that Freya took as a mix of great lust and anticipation. As a woman Freya could agree that Atreus came from very good genes, as a mother she tightened the vines a little more as a warning. "Second, is his father actually bald or shaved?"
"This are very shallow questions trying to hide the deeper feelings you have for Atreus." Raynare looked shocked that she had been figured out so quickly, then she turned her head and looked away. The response was the vines pulling her head back to keep her looking at the other person in the conversation. "That was rude, when someone asks a question you answer it. It can be a lie but you should still answer it. So, do you love my son?"
"Yes." Raynare despite not wanting to answer this woman answered quickly and without hesitation. Freya knew this type, they fell to love fast and hard. But the question was if this would last or would flame out once she found a new love to catch her eye. But that was a question that needed to be answered over time. While under observation.
"If that is so I have a proposition for you."