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I woke up to find myself in a room filled with white. Everything snow white, except me. I instead was clad in grey. Utterly baffled, I thought for a while if I was being punk'ed or something by the gang, but I realized this was purely paranormal. I looked around and saw a secretary's desk and a door. Behind the desk was an elderly old lady wearing white.
I approached her, "Excuse me, Ma'am, but where exactly am I?"
"Ah, Minato!" She greeted, "Let's see... Do you have an appointment?"
"Um... Do I?"
"Oh, Minato you joker! Of course you do! They're waiting for you inside!" She chuckled.
"Who?"
"Why, the 14 Archangels and Archdemons. Ambassadors from Heaven and Hell." She said nonchalantly, "Better hurry. I think Beelzebub might pass out from hunger in there. And Lords Sandalphon and Astaroth are arguing who has better hair between the two."
Nodding confusedly, I proceeded to enter the room as the lady came ahead as she opened the door, "Announcing the long awaited arrival of the Messiah, Minato Arisato!" She announced grandly as she stepped aside.
The entities in the room looked at me as they sat on fourteen throne-like chairs, while the fifteenth and middle one, also the most prominent, remained unoccupied.
I smiled sheepishly as I sat on the empty chair in the middle as Angels and Demons gazed on me. The Angels were seated at my right, while the Demons sat at the opposing side. The winged Angels were obviously garbed in white, while the horned Demons wore black. The Demons were Arioch, Abaddon, Astaroth, Beelzebub, Belphegor, Belial and Helel. The Angels were Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel, Sandalphon, Metatron and another I didn't recognize. Suddenly, I recognized them, all of them, to be Personas, except for one. The one I recognized the most was none other than Michael, the former wielder of Deus Xiphos.
They all stared at me, unblinkingly, "Hey, how's it going?" I squeaked nervously.
Immediately, everyone made applause as they greeted me warmly, except for one Angel, a sour faced and proud looking one, with an impressive shield strapped to his back. As everyone chatted animately at me, he rolled his eyes, "Tch! Enough brown nosing and arse-kissery! Let's commence the meeting already!"
"Down to business, eh Lord Grumpy?" A Demon I recognized as Astaroth, said with a smile as his snake curled around his neck and hissed at the sour looking Angel, "See? Nagini thinks so too!" Astaroth then spoke to the snake with a sick combination of hissing and gurgling.
"Silence, Serpent-Rider, before I cut both your filthy heads off!" He snarled, "How dare you address me in such insolent manner?! I do not, under any circumstances, relate to any character from Snow White!"
"Aw, relax Camael... Y'know, that's not very nice. They're just teasing you." Michael laughed as well as everyone in the room.
"Tch..."
I didn't know why, but I felt a sense of burning dread. Never before had I ever seen the Lords of Heaven and Princes of Hell together in one place. I felt as if the entire place was ready to explode.
Every single one of them were at least 7 to 8 feet tall, and with them all looking at me, I felt as if a Horde of Shadows would be a walk in the park.
"Enemies of the distant past, friends of old... You have been summoned here to answer the threat of Elder... The entire world stands upon the brink of destruction, and there's nothing anyone can do to stop it..." Michael said smoothly before setting his gaze to me, "Except... the Chosen One."
"What?" I asked.
"We have been informed of Elder's movements. He and his three generals marshaling an army of Shadows, attacking innocent people, stealing souls and his attempts to attack the city."
"It is as Lord Lucifer predicted! Long has he foreseen this doom!" Beelzebub cried.
"Foreseen and done nothing!" Camael dismissed, "You lazy Demons are rooting for Elder to take over earth, aren't you?!"
"Not true!" Abbadon cried, "Don't you fools even understand what happens? Why blame the Demons again?!"
"For obvious reasons." Uriel rolled his eyes.
"Oh, sure, blame us! Blame us for Global Warming, blame us for financial recession, blame us for poverty and blame us for tentacle rape!" Belial cried.
"Well, most of it IS caused by Demons..." Raphael pointed out.
"Okay, to set the record straight, we are not rooting for this upstart little Demon-Lord to succeed. Sure, he uses the Dark Lord's Sword, but it's not like we're happy about it." Helel said.
"Isn't he, like, bringing a flux of souls to Hell?" I wondered.
"On the contrary, Lord Messiah, he's taking the souls for himself. He keeps stealing souls in such a way that we are starting to starve! We must be there to bring balance to this world!" Abbadon cried.
"You're one to talk about balance, fatso!" Sandalphon laughed.
"Hey, it's true! Someone needs to do something about him!" Belphegor cried.
"Right. Because fourteen powerful entities of Light and Darkness couldn't stop a 18 year-old Usurper and a teenager's gang from creating mass destruction." I said dryly.
"Because Ancient Laws require that we do not intercede directly in respect to human affairs. Our job is merely to guide, or in our visitor's case, tempt, potential humans into saving or destroying the world." Michael explained as the Demons grinned at recognition.
"Well, can't you guys break the rules for once?"
"You watch you tongue, whelp!" Camael said angrily.
"Lord Camael..." Michael began.
"No! You listen to me, Minato Arisato!" He juts a finger at me, "You may wear that title of yours like a crown, but in the face of my shield and judgement, all your efforts will be for naught and you will finally see your own shallowness!" Camael cried as Michael sighed.
"Hey, I'm not like that..." I pleaded weakly.
"Actually, the whole point of this was to vote if we should allow you to complete the mission of taking him out on behalf of both Heaven and Hell." Michael said as he motioned Camael to sit down, "All in favor of delegating this task to our brave hero?"
A few hesitant hands went up: Helel, Raphael, Sandalphon, Metatron...
"Hold on for a minute!" Belohegor cried, "This guy is dangerous for both of our sides! What say we just play it safe and smite him right then and there, save us the trouble of cleaning up if Elder convinces him to join!"
"Lord Belphegor..." Gabriel interrupted, "Minato has saved the world once, and is practically the Guardian of the Universe Arcana!"
"She's right. And I will not blast the Chosen One to bits." Michael said adamantly.
"Not Minato." Helel agreed, "He did well."
I nodded, appreciative for the support of my Personas.
Camael cleared his throat before standing up, "I am proud of the Messiah as much as the next Spiritual Being, but there's a security risk involved if we allow him to walk with nothing more than goodwill and a promise of fighting Elder."
"Camael!" The Angels cried, "Do you actually think he'd betray us?!"
"I'm just saying. " Camael cut them off with a stern look, "It is unfortunate if a Messiah were to betray us, and there's absolutely no chance of it happening, yadda, yadda, yadda, but you remember the old saying?"
"A Messiah has the power over Light and Darkness." The fourteen beings, to my surprise, said it in unison.
"Correct," Camael smiled, "As such, it wouldn't be totally improbable if he were to side with one of them. In fact, it's a certainty. We have to give our Demonic brothers some credit... They can be very convincing."
The Demons nodded solemnly, basking in their glory.
"So, tip the scales a little to their favor, especially since we Angels can't tamper with free will, and suddenly, they have a force to be reckoned with! Someone who could actually be strong enough to be a threat to the other! As thick-headed and stupid as he is, Belphegor does raise a fair point." Camael said.
"Yeah, yeah, that's right!" Belphegor cried, "Hey, just a second, who are you calling-" he tried getting up, but he yawned and sat back down, "I'll get you later."
"Oh please, Belphegor, save me the antics for later." Camael said dryly.
"You're one to talk, you grumpy old mule!" Belphegor cursed beneath his breath, "You seriously want to protect that little rugrat?!"
"I have no love for our little celebrity." Camael said coldly.
"Camael, do you truly think that destroying the Messiah would be in everyone's best interest?"
"I don't really want to pass judgement right now. Just to point out the risks. What ever happens to the Messiah we must all decide. Either to take no chances and destroy him before he becomes corrupted or we put our trust and the fate of the world to this... teenager."
"I will never allow Minato to be punished." Michael said as he bashed his fist to the table, "I will hear none of it! He has yet to be rewarded of his valorous efforts in the Nyx Crisis, and to punish him would be very unreasonable and we'd prove that we are nothing but vindictive and ruthless bullies. If this is called justice, I will hear none of it!"
"Geez, calm down." Helel said, "You guys heard the Grand Poobah. If Minato is gone, Elder will run around, unchecked, unchallenged, killing at will. Time and again, it has been proven that Minato is the only one who can stand up to him, and it we eliminate him, Elder will become powerful to a point of becoming stronger than all of us and destroying our realms. Without souls, either good or bad, entering our respective realms, we will all fade away."
Everyone gasped as Helel's words began to sink in.
"You guys should trust me." I said, breaking the silence.
"Trust a human? Trust a Son of Adam?" Belial scoffed.
"And why should we trust you, pray tell?" Raphael demanded.
"Because I was chosen. I'm still young." I insisted.
"That only means more time for Elder to tempt you. Much is expected of you, Messiah, and if we were put pull our trust in you wholeheartedly with nothing more than a pinky promise, we'd be the ones to lose." Camael said.
"Camael, how could you?!" Metatron cried.
"I'm just saying it like it is, my Lord Metatron. It's a bad stratagem, leaving him alive."
"I will NOT allow the Messiah's life thread to be cut if I can help it." Helel cried as he stood up, "And I CAN help it! Messiah, you may come seek shelter with us in our realm, at least until you are ready to fight Elder."
The Demons stood up and supported Helel.
Camael roared and unsheathed his sword, "I will not allow you to have that bargaining chip with you in Hell!" He clove the table in half, seeking challenge.
"You aren't taking the boy with you in Heaven neither!" Beelzebub spat.
With them arguing about who gets to have me, I felt as if I was at a custody hearing.
"Silence!" Michael cried, "We shall test the boy. The Seven Tests, similar to the one the Messiah Himself took, but much simpler since we're pressed for time. The Undertaking happens very soon... A full moon falls on March. All in favor?"
Several hands came up, enough for a majority vote.
"Wait a minute... Tests? What kind of test? Multiple choice?" I asked.
"Enough cheek, boy." Camael said dryly.
"It is settled." Michael snapped as a door appeared at the end of the hall, "Enter."
I stood up, looked back, and entered the door as everything became bright.
I woke up and found myself back in my room. I debated upon myself whether that was a dream or not... If it was, it was the most realistic one to date, almost as if I was there.
Seeing the time, 6:00, I decided I could sleep a but, but I knew that I would be late if I did sleep. I slept anyway.
Forty minutes later, I quickly realized that I was extremely late for classes. Rushing off, I wore my uniform, grabbed my knapsack and went down.
Leah was downstairs with Akihiko, eating a rather sumptuous breakfast of bacon, eggs, Froot Loops, grilled cheese sandwiches and many more. I yearned to grab one, but I was running really late, so I pushed those thoughts aside and ran towards the bus stop. Then, my stomach began to complain as I forced my way back to the house and grabbed as many food, stuffing my face as I ran back, missing the bus stop, forcing me to walk to the station. As I walked, my cellphone fell off my pocket. Before I could pick it up, a street child swooped in and took it.
"Hey, that's mine!" I cried as I ran after the kid. We weaved past traffic, "Stop, thief!" Then, I eventually cornered him. I looked sternly at him as he bowed his head in shame and holds out my wallet.
I grabbed it from him as he looked at me.
"I'm sorry... I just wanted to have a phone so I could sell it..." He mumbled.
I felt pretty angry about it. I wanted retribution, but looking at the kid, he looked no older than Ken.
"Tch... It's alright kid." I fished out my wallet and gave him a few yen-notes, "Just don't do it again." I said before leaving.
As I walked to school, there was a beggar, who I gave money to.
I ran to school and then, I saw the same guy at the Christmas, Mel Turner, lurking by the School Gate.
"Hello chap! I was wondering if you'd want to reconsider our deal last winter-"
"Listen, Mel-san... I'm not what everyone says, okay? I'm a 17-year-old orphan living with my friends. I don't have a girlfriend, my life is a wreck and I almost became a teen dad. Nothing more to my life story. I'm almost an ordinary guy." I said, "If you'll excuse me, I need to go to school now." I said hurriedly as I strode past him.
When I arrived, it turned out there was no classes on that day. Evident since there was hardly anyone in school. Minako was there, however.
We decided to walk home together.
"Boy, is it hot around here!" She panted as she opened her collar and fanned herself, indadvertedly revealing her breasts to me. She apparently didn't wear a bra on that day.
I quickly stopped her, "Minako, it's not good for girls to use their collars to fan themselves. Very unlady-like."
She blew a raspberry as she bent over to tie her shoelace. Fortunately, she was wearing underwear, otherwise I would have bled out from the nose.
"Um... Minako, your panties are showing..." I whispered to her as I covered her from behind, "Here, wear my coat." I said as I offered her my coat, which she took.
Then, three punks came from down the road, "Nice undies there, girly." He sneered as his friends laughed.
Feeling defensive, I stood in front of Minako and hissed, "If you don't stop saying stupid things, I'll kick your little asses!"
"Eh?" The punk said, looking scared.
"Hey, bro, we were just kidding around..."
"Come on, fella, we're sorry..." The tallest of the punks mumbled, "It's too hot to be saying shit like that, moron!" He hissed at his friend after cuffing him and walking away.
Suddenly, everything melted.
I was back in the room. The table had been mended with Duct tape.
"Well done." Michael grinned, "So far, you passed five of the test."
I bowed my head.
"Minato... How you live your life everyday determines what kind of man you are. And you don't need to be overly good to be a great man. In fact, you pass the test.
"Alright!" I pumped my fist in the air.
"Actually, that was another test... In which, YOU FAILED!" Michael cried.
"Nooooo!" I cried, cringing from his fury.
"Geez, I was just kidding. What does an Angel have to do to get a laugh around here?!" Michael cried.
"Ahem. Lord Michael, time is running out. He will awaken soon." Camael said.
"Hey, listen here, Camael." I said boldly, "I will convince you are wrong about me and that I am not what you think I am. I'll prove it to you."
"Oh, I'm shaking." He said curtly.
"In the name of Heaven and Hell, we entrust to you the fate of this world, Minato Arisato." They said in unison, "Much is expected of you."
I nodded.
"Alright, get out of here." Astaroth said.
I turned around and went out and saw a cloaked figure outside. My first impulse was that Elder somehow got inside my dream and is looking for trouble, but the figure felt more... Benevolent.
I looked back to see the door disappear behind me.
"Hey, who the heck-"
To my surprise, he grappled me and we began to wrestle. Feeling furious, I fought back and we tussled for some time. He was unimaginably strong, but I used all my willpower to fight back. When he would overpower me, I braced my legs on the ground and went on the offensive.
It was getting ridiculous. He apparently watched WWE to some extent, since he kept doing classic moves, such as the chicken wing.
I even did a MasterLock on him, along with an STFU. He knew some moves as well, giving me an Ankle Lock before doing an Del Rio Crossarm lock. I broke it and did a headlock.
I felt scared, knowing this person is not who he, or what, it is. Despite knowing the odds are against me by astronomical measurements, I forged on and grappled with him.
Seconds turned to minutes, which turned to hours. The next thing I knew, it was dawn.
He did a massive push, and I felt my bones cracking on my hip. I stifled an almighty scream.
"Let go of me!" The person cried, "The sun is rising... And you are injured. Give up."
"Dawn shall come!" I hissed in pain, "Before I give up!"
"What do you want?" He said solemnly as I grabbed him again.
"I know... you're not human..." I panted, "Christen me."
"Fine... What is your name and title?" He asked solemnly.
"I'm Minato Arisato!" I growled, "The Conqueror of Death."
"You shall no longer be Minato Arisato, the Deathslayer, Shi Sureiyā... From now on, you shall be Minato Arisato, the Evenstar, Yoi no myōjō for you are the last and one of the finest of the latter generation who fought with the forces of Good and Evil and struggled and won in the face of defeat." He placed a hand on my head as I felt a kind of power entering me. It was warm, soft and invigorating.
"Wait... Whom do you serve!?" I asked as I let go of him.
He smiled, "I serve The Lord." He began to glow.
"Will you tell me your name?" I asked.
"Why?" He asked, "Why do you ask me for my name, when I had given you yours?" He questioned before exploding in a ball of light. Immediately after, dawn rose. I knew he was the Dawnstar.
I tried to get up, but my hip was dislocated, "Ow... My hip... And..." I wondered, "If I did face the test of whoever that was and lived... Could this mean I was meant to fight the Elder?" I had little time to ponder as I felt my dream breaking as I entered the dawn of awakening.
A/N: Well, that was fierce. Okay, the next chapter is gonna be really good and I'll wait for your reviews, since I'm really excited to post it, please review quickly! Thanks, and vote on ze poll, okay? Thanks!
Again, Minato finally admits to Minako of his love! /(o)\
Q/N:
Kronos: Yes, and no. I'm not gonna elaborate, it's gonna be more fun for you to just read for yourself! :)
Death: You're not wrong. In a few chapters, or so.
Aaron: Well, Lee isn't a Marine, since he's not American. And what question?
Hoshi: Yeah, well, I'm not fond of writing her, so to speak.
Yeah, Mako from Avatar has a cool name. Named after Iroh's voice actor.
Don't know who?
Rick: Don't worry about it. Giving tips and helping out shows you care, so it's very okay if you helped. But I assure you, it is all relevant.
Blah: Ah, so you were wishing the baby would die? Talk about heartlessness.
Uh, it just happened. And doing 'it' is kinda a physical form of love. I'm sure they explain to you that in school... Or not.
Listen here, Blah, I'm tired of you not reading it properly. It's annoying. Lee accidentally raped Fuuka, that's why Minato acted that way. What if someone raped your longtime friend, how would you feel? Nothing, right? So don't talk about anything you don't know.
MinaexLaggante: Yukari may or may not be Guinevere. You'll see in the later chapters! Frankly, I'm already excited!
DarkBlah: Well, Minato finally, FINALLY confesses his love to Yukari.
Donald: Don't worry about it, man. It's fine! But I think you'll like the next chapter.