Yatta! I did it! I did it! Sorry if any were expecting Ukobach for this chapter. I'm moving him to after the Neihaus incident (I hope that's how his name is spelled...). I wanted to try to do all of the Neihaus incident in one blow, but I decided that would take too long. Anyway, time for some more Satan. More of his true nature is revealed in this once again.
Disclaimer: I neither own AOE by Kazue Kato-dono, nor Paradise Lost by Sir John Milton.
Thank you to ef07, SakuraKoi, cipher-b, Anamaria 275, flakeshake07, Bloody Moon Mist, animefangirltrash, Blitza, D, Andromeda Alpha, and ichigo-lover-1412 for reviewing! Everyone else had to watch what Professor Tsubaki gets with his kitten! My pity for you.
Thank you as well to everyone who has followed this as well, and favorited it! Thank you for your wonderful support!
Please do be warned, if you are not caught up with AOE currently, there are some very minor spoilers. You have been warned!
"Der kleine Gott der Welt bleibt stets von gleichem Schlag / Und ist so wunderlich als wie am ersten Tag. / Ein wenig besser würd er leben, / Hätt'st du ihm nicht den Schein des Himmelslichts gegeben; / Er nennt's Vernunft und braucht's allein, / Nur tierischer als jedes Tier zu sein."
"The small god of the world will never change his ways and is as whimsical-as on the first of days. His life might be a bit more fun, had you not given him that spark of heaven's sun; He calls it reason and employs it, resolute to be more brutish than is any brute."
Mephistopheles, Faust: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
"I hereby set myself as ruler of Hell, and leader of the fallen angels and demons. Should anyone ever dare to oppose me, I will kill them myself! If these barren wastelands are what are given to us, with the golden gates of Heaven forever lost, then so be it!" He spread his wings, no longer white but black as the abyss, and launched himself up. "Evil, be thou my good! Farewell, brilliant lights of Heaven! Farewell, radiance of God! Farewell, all peace and happiness! Hell shall henceforth forever be my Heaven! No longer will I submit under your tyranny God!" He began to rain his fire down upon the barren earth, as his voice raised in madness, anger, and pride. "Better to reign in Hell, than serve in Heaven!"
Blue fire fell from the skies of newly christened Hell, as Satan gazed upon his empty domain. This is the realm he will lord over. This is the realm by which he will take the war to God. This is the realm by which he will conquer!
He gazed down as blue fire scorched the barren lands even more, and he spotted the fallen angels that he had led to Hell with him. Preparing himself, he shouted to them, "Fallen Principalities and Powers, Seraphim and Cherubim, Virtues and Angels, are you truly so weak! Has the battle with the Almighty left you so weak that you must rest now? Or have you chosen to submit to that cruel tyrant! Rise now! Even now the Almighty might gather his forces to take advantage of your weakness! Rouse yourselves, or never rise again!"
At the voice of the Adversary, the hosts of fallen angels began to move towards the castle of Pandaemonium, Satan's new castle, and tomb to his fallen friend Beelzebub. They were as plentiful as the leaves upon the trees, or the grass upon a field; so many had he deceived to follow under him. Their eternal names had been forever lost, and they had yet to gain new ones, but reveal now Muse what names they would take.
First came belligerent Moloch, whom the Ammonites and the Canaanites worshipped as god. He was among the first to agree with Satan's terrible coup, lusting for battle. The ancient prophet Jeremiah speaks of the innocent children sacrificed to him as tribute.
Then came Chemos, who led the Moabites astray, asking him to spread fertility among them. He was the one who would lead the wise king Solomon astray first, through his many wives.
The next was Astoreth, also known as Ishtar, whom the Levantines worshipped. She became known as deity of nature, but in truth was rotten to the core. Eventually Satan would name his son Astaroth, king of rot, in honor of her.
Thammuz came as well, Astoreth's old lover, from whom the old story of Aphrodite and Adonis sprang forth, attempting to nobilize their pervertedness, till their lust for each other spelled their own doom.
Then old Rimmon arose, known to the Syrians as Baal. The eight kings of hell would obtain this title in his honor, as it took all eight of them to subjugate and destroy him, when he dared stand against Satan.
Greedy Mammon followed, who never bothered to gaze upon God's splendor even while in Heaven, or to ponder the goodness of his angelic state, choosing to focus on the golden splendor of Heaven, while cowardly Belial came last, he who choose to fight in the back ranks of the rebellion, out of fear of any harm to himself.
These were only a few of those who attended, surrounded by countless others, the first Azazel, Osiris, Isis, Anubis, Zeus, Hera, Hephaestus, Leviathan, so many who had opted to rebel against the Almighty, and duly punished in recompense.
Satan gazed upon them all, while they in turn gazed upon him, his being not yet having fully lost its angelic splendor, though it was quickly being replaced by demonic ruin. His cruel eye fell upon them all, his heart having been hardened with bronze long ago, yet even then, a glimmer of pity fell into his heart. By his own hand, the loyal army had forever lost their chance at paradise, forever condemned to suffer in the Pit. Though tears thrice tried to come forth, thrice he pushed them back, till eventually he found his voice.
"My brothers, fallen yet are we, with no equal except the Almighty, condemned though we are to this infernal pit, how could we yet know fear? Is it not possible that these fallen legions, taken from Heaven's bosom, could they not yet reascend back and take what is rightfully ours? Our plan might yet be successful with our new knowledge. Until now, He who we now call Almighty reigned based solely on his status, hiding his strength from us at length, leading us to believe in folly that we could take him on directly. Now, we must reconsider to what extent we must go to resist His will. Come, gather now!"
The host of fallen ones gathered into his grand castle, meeting in its largest room, the throne room. Each one sat upon a golden seat, each seat more lavish then the other. Above them all sat Satan's throne, intricately wrought with gold, silver, platinum, and jewels, by far the most elaborate of them all. Satan took his throne, and their dread meeting began.
"So long as the Almighty shall reign on high, we shall never know peace, for to have peace is be submitted, and that is a fate worse than death." Satan continued, "Now let us discuss, whether to wage open war once more, or to lay deceit and guile, to turn all of the Almighty's creation against himself!"
Rin's eyes opened, as he tried to shake the sleep out of his eyes. He gazed outside, and found it was still dark, Yukio still sleeping next to him. He laid back down, trying to get some more sleep, but he knew he would not get any more. He simply stared at the ceiling, red pupils glowing in the dark.
Eventually, daybreak came, and he heard Yukio stir next to him. He's probably given Yukio enough stress to have a heart attack ever since he regained his memories, so he pretended to be asleep.
Yukio wiped the sleep from his eyes, and yawned, "Morning, nii-san…" And he went to go get cleaned up.
"Morning, Yukio…" Rin continued his staring, 'Why do these memories haunt me now of all times?' He glumly thought.
On the other side of True Cross, Moriyama Shiemi was waking as well, and she got dressed in her usual flowery kimono, she started heading out the door, but stopped to say goodbye to her mother. "Have a good day okaa-san!"Her mother smiled. She was glad things had been made up between them. She really would have to thank Yukio's brother for helping with that. She wouldn't know what she would do if Shiemi continued to grow apart from her… "You have a good day too, Shiemi."
Shiemi started to head out, but her mother interrupted, "Have you made any new friends yet Shiemi?"
She thought about that, and Rin was encouraging, but they didn't really know each other… She definitely wasn't friends with any of ther other people, and Yukio… she didn't know how she felt about him… Perhaps she she should try to dodge it, at least for now… "Yes." She continued walking. "I'm off to class!"
She started walking, and she tried to push back tears, but she stopped herself. She joined this cram school to become stronger. And she was going to make a friend even if it killed her! "Okay… maybe not that far…" She blushed at that.
She shook her tears off. "If I have time to cry, I have time to make a friend!" And she used her cram school key to open the door to the school halls. When she walked in as well, and she saw two of the other students walking by as well. What were their names again? 'It was… um… Izumo, and Paku? I think?'
She saw them walking and decided she would ask them. "Kamiki-san! Paku-San!" They both turned to her. This is her chance! "Would you-" Then she tripped and face-planted.
Paku gasped at that, "Moriyama-san! Are you all right?"
Izumo just scoffed, "What a klutz." And keep walking.
Paku frowned at that, but followed Izumo. "Please be careful Moriyama-san!"
Shiemi was distraught at that. She was so close! "Huh? What are you doing on the ground Shiemi?" She turned and saw Rin behind her. She quickly stood up, and continued walking.
"Nothing!" She hurried off, 'I can't depend in Rin for this! I have to do it myself!'
Rin just blinked as Shiemi hurried off, 'Yuri was definitely not like that… Human girls are so weird…'
"Now! As some of you have probably already been preparing for it, summer break is less than a month and a half away." Yukio began. "Beofre the break you'll take the Exwire Promotion exam.
Rin blinked, he certainly didn't remember any of this! "Exwire? What's that?"
Shiemi answered, "It's an exorcist in training." Mentally she was doing a V-sign. Finally something she knew that Rin didn't!
"As a warning, once you make Exwire, you will have to do more combat exercises, so it won't be easy. To that extent," He held up a bunch of papers, "We'll be holding a boot camp. The camp is of course optional, so please indicate if you're going to attend, and the the meister, or title you'll try out for, and turn it in by Monday."
Rin blowed the hair out of his face. Maybe he should have taken Bon up on that hair clip… Right now, he had more important things to focus on. "Meister? Title?" What in the nine circles of hell are those?!
He didn't want to, but he walked over to Bon, "Oy, what's a meister?"
"Huh?" Bon gaped, "You want to be an exorcist, and you don't know what a meister is?"
"Heh, you really are clueless, Rin!" Shima added.
'Oh, I'm clueless, eh? I have at least an eternity experience more than you you little pink-haired bastard!' But he held that thought in, "Hey, some of us really don't have a clue!"
"A meister is a technical qualification required to become an exorcist, and it's given to those who are highly skilled. There are five titles in all, Knight, Dragoon, Tamer, Aria, and Doctor, and any one of those would allow you to become an exorcist."
Rin was sitting down now, "Oh, I get it!"
"Oy! Who said you could sit with us!" Bon interjected. Satan laughed mentally. He was going to have so much fun screwing with this guy!
"Your combat style will differ based on the meister you decide on. Knights and Dragoons would be more front-line attackers, whereas Tamers, Doctors, and Arias would be more back-line attackers."
"I see. Which ones are you trying out for?" Rin asked, 'Knowing potential enemies' strengths is always useful!'
"Konekomaru and I are trying out for Aria, while Bon is going all gung-ho. He's doing Dragoon and Aria!"
"Okumura-sensei has two meisters as well, Dragoon and Doctor."
"Whoa. Yukio really is amazing…" Rin looked to his unofficial younger brother. 'You really are a surprising person Yukio. I just hope our paths never lead us against each other…' Then he rememebred, "What's a Dragoon and Aria?"
Bon face-planted at this point, "How stupid are you man? A Dragoon uses firearms, while an Aria recites sacred scriptures to exorcist demons! A knight would use swords!"
Rin thought about it, "I'll be a Knight then!"
Konekomaru asked, "You started carrying a sword just recently, right?"
Rin fumbled a little bit at that, Yukio did order him to start carrying Kurikara, although there was no point since his powers were no longer contained in it, although he certainly wasn't going to tell Yukio that! "Er… it was a keepsake from Fr. Fu-, er… my dad…"
Shiemi was watching the whole exchange, and sighed, 'Rin could get along so easily with them. I've got to keep trying! I can't rely on them forever!'
Rin yawned, what was their next class again anyway? He rechecked his schedule, and it was… Magic Circles, with Professor Igor Neihaus? He smiled, he might have some fun with that!
Everyon watched in awe as their teacher expertly drew a intricate magic circle on the floor, it was quite fascinating, especially given how quickly he drew such an elaborate circle, even it it was using a overly large compass!
"Now then, I will use this circle to summon a demon." He began.
Rin stepped closer to get a better look. "Don't step closer! If the circle is broken, the Magic Circle will lose its effect!"
Rin pouted, he enjoyed summoning demons! All he wanted to do was get a closer look!
"Now, to summon a demon, you need two things. The first is suitable chant, and your own blood." He flexed his hand, which was greatly covered in bandages, which blood was clearly leaking from, letting a few drops fall, and Neihaus began.
"Son of Typhoeus and Echidna, comply with my request and show yourself!" Steam began to emit from the circle as something began to take form. A giant hound, stitched together and obviously decaying formed from it. Everyone, except for Rin covered their noses.
"Is that a Naberius?"
"Never actually thought I'd see one!"
Shima covered his nose, "Man, it reeks like sulfur!"
Rin took no notice of that. He did rule over the literal realm of fire and sulfur, so he was actually used to the smell. It was actually quite welcoming. 'I wonder what things are like in Gehenna now?' It had been so long since he had seen home…
Professor Neihaus continued his lecture. "Very few people have the skill to become tamers. You need immense willpower to tame a demon, but a natural aptitude as well." He glanced at Rin. 'What did he do that for?' Rin thought.
"I will now test if you do have this type of aptitude. Use the smaller magic circle I just passed out, and place a drop of blood and chant whatever comes to mind first."
Izumo quickly poked her finger, "I humbly appeal to the goddess Inari. I entreat you not to leave my prayers unfulfilled!" And she quickly produced two magic circles from which two demons quickly emerged, a pair of white foxes.
Everyone gazed in amazement, while Neihaus spoke, "Not only one Byakko, but two. That is very rare, even for beginning tamers."
"Well of course, I am descended from the blood of shrine maidens!" Izumo brushed her hair aside. Rin decided he didn't like her; much too prideful.
Her friend Paku piped in, "That's so cool Izumo! I'm not having luck on my end…"
The Kyoto trio piped in, Bon starting, "No good. I don't have this talent."
"Me, neither…" Bon and Konekomaru looked at Shima, who just shrugged.
Shiemi gazed at Izumo with admiration. 'She's so cool!' She burst out! "I'll give it a try now!" And she drew blood, wiping it on the circle, she chanted, "Here boy, here boy…" And blushed. What was she thinking, as if she could summon anything! "Just kidding!" And stared at the circle, glumly, thinking nothing would appear, at least until a little green light appeared and a tiny plant-thing appeared.
"Nii!" It squeaked, and floated down onto her paper. It waved to her and jumped onto her hair.
Professor Neihaus rubbed his chin in thought, "It looks like an infant greenman. Most impressive Moriyama Shiemi."
She looked at the greenman in interest until she realized this was her chance! "Hey, Kamiki-san, I summoned my familiar too!"
Izumo paused, "Amazing, it's so tiny and adorable." Pau frowned at her sarcasm, while Rin decided he really didn't like her.
"Thanks! Kamiki-san!" Shiemi continued.
While everyone was focusing on the back and forth conversation between Izumo and Shiemi, Rin backed up from the conversation. He had a particular chant in mind, so he wanted to see if he could still summon IT. Professor Neihaus noticed Rin backed up, and wondered what he was up to.
Once Rin thought he was far enough away, he bit his finger, and let his blood run forth, he smiled. Normally he would speak his chant in the demonic tongue, but that might alarm everyone, so he opted for English, albeit at a low whisper, and began his chant, though no one could hear it.
The air quickly grew oppressive in the entire classroom, as a foul demonic aura filled the air. The byakko, naberius, and greenman all hid, as they recognized the presence of the aura. Every demon did, but they couldn't identify the source. It was everywhere! Every demon knew the aura! Eventually it was too much, and they fled back to Gehenna.
Professor Igor turned to Rin, and rushed over to him, snatching the paper out of hand and ripping it in two. Immediately the aura vanished, and everyone could breath again. Professor Neihaus fixed Rin with a hard gaze, "I don't think I'll be letting you summon any time soon, Okumura Rin."
Rin just sheepishly rubbed his hair, but inside he was thinking, 'So I can still summon it… Things just started becoming more interesting…'
Izumo just scoffed, "Tch. Beginner's luck."
Professor Neihaus cleared his throat, "Now, although this was a rather unique case, if you ever sense danger, just rip the paper in two, and the demon will vanish back into Gehenna." The bells rang. "Now, class dismissed." And he walked off.
Shiemi felt a stirring in her hair, and the greenman popped out. She thought it had vanished! "Don't worry, I won't send you back. Can I call you Nee?"
"Nii!" It squeaked.
Izumo gazed at Shiemi for a while, then left, "Let's go Paku."
Shiemi headed out after her, calling Izumo, "Hey! Kamiki-san!"
"She's calling you Izumo." Paku said.
"Let's keep moving. She really pisses me off."
"Oy! Kamiki-san!"
Eventually Izumo had enough. "What?!" She nearly shrieked.
"Um… Would… Would you please be my friend?" Shiemi finally got out.
Izumo pondered this for a bit, then smiled. She had a use for this girl after all… "Fine. I'll be your friend for now. Now take this bag."
"Really! Thank you!" Shiemi said, following Izumo.
Rin and the Kyoto trio walked out as well, but Rin had overheard the entire conversation. Demonic hearing was good for something after all. "Oy. Shiemi's become Tiny Brow's servant…"
"Tiny brow?" Shima asked.
"They're just messing around." Said Bon, and they walked off.
Rin's fist tightened. Strangely enough, despite being the master of all manipulation, he hated it when other people were manipulated. Although, he might say manipulated by someone other than himself. He sighed, 'I blame God for that…' Eternal submission to an all-powerful deity does tend to do that to a person.
The entire rest of the day consisted of mainly Izumo bossing poor Shiemi around, who naively complied simply because she had a "friend." Paku at least showed some objection to it, while everyone else didn't seem to care.
Rin had other things to care about though. He had wondered off to a very secluded place when he got the chance, namely during break. He had something he wanted to see. He fortunately knew of a few places from wondering about where to go if he wanted to be alone, and he arrived at one of them, an old abandoned storage closet in some random alleyway.
He stored Kurikara away for now, as he didn't want to lose it, unless he wanted Yukio to go all ballistic on him, possible quite literally. He took a deep breath, and let his power emit from him, although he took pains to make sure it limited it to the room.
His ears lengthened, and his pupils turned bright red, and he let his tail unfurl itself from underneath its shirt. Honestly, that things was so cramped! He became wreathed in his flames, as they manifested themselves, concentrating on two horns on his head, and his tail.
"Now, for the main event!" He extended his hand, and let his claws, and he slashed at his artery, letting the blood flow freely. He held forth his hand as the blood leaked, letting it pool, and he began his chant again, once more in the human tongue.
"Through me the way to the city of woe, through me the way to everlasting pain, through me the way among the lost. Justice moved my maker on high. Divine power made me, wisdom supreme and primal love. Before me nothing was but things eternal, and eternal, I endure. Abandon all hope, ye who enter here." (1)
The blood began frothing rapidly, as it distorted and bubble furiously. Eventually, it started expanding into a rectangular shape, as the disturbance in it increased violently. Maniacal laughing could be heard as hideous face began emerging from the ooze, and a form took shape. It was none other than Satan's personal familiar, marked with his own cross, the Gehenna Gate!
The eyes blinked rapidly, as it recognized its lord and master, its creator! It had been so many years since he had summoned it! It wanted to reach out, to spread the word, but Satan stomped on it.
"Yes. I know you're happy to see me, but we won't be telling anyone about this now, shall we? I wouldn't want to replace you again."
It shuddered in fear, and nodded in assent, at least as much as a giant gate in the floor can nod. It didn't know why Lord Satan wanted to keep his existence hidden for now, but if that's what he wanted, okay! Better to live, than be incinerated by his flames.
"Now, then." Rin smiled, time for some fun! And he jumped into the Gehenna gate!
He fell, for quite a while, surrounded by the cold lifelessness of the portal. He wanted to see Gehenna again! He missed home dearly, but he made sure he would emerge somewhere uninhabited. No point in letting a bunch of demons try to follow him. That would make it very hard to keep Yukio safe…
He emerged in one the realms, judging by the general barren wasteland, it looks like he emerged in Astaroth's realm. "I wonder if he's still in a coma…" He did go pretty ballistic on him. "Then again, I did have an eternity of memories shoved into my head. I had a really bad headache!" Whatever you say Satan… "Hey! No one asked you!" He shouted, "And no breaking the fourth wall! Only Samael's allowed to do that! It's in our contract!" Err… Sorry.
He sighed, "You get a freebie this time! Now back to sight-seeing." He trudged a little bit through the area, taking in the familiar smells of fire and brimstone, and listening to the tortured screams of the damned. He took in a deep breath of the air, just reclining on a rock, "There's no place like Hell. I love it!"
He looked around, "I wonder what time it is, usually we'd get out next shipment of the damned soon. I miss torturing them… Eh, I'll eventually get back to it. Let's see if Yukio lives about 90 years…"
Rin tried to do that the math in his head, but gave up, "What the hell am I doing. I live to torment man and wreak havoc! Not do math! This school is getting to me… Wait, oh crap! I'm gonna be late!" And rushed back to the Gehenna Gate, and jumped back through. He reinforced what he was going to do to it if it should spill the beans about where he was, which very easily complied, and he dispersed it.
Back in Gehenna, he never noticed the armies starting to mass against each other…
Rin groaned, 'Why oh God was I concerned about being late to this stupid Bible Study class again!' He thought. He left Gehenna for this! He'd much rather watch them flay the heretics!
The teacher again began her lesson, "Now, we'll pick up on our next part, from the Gospels, the Crucifixion."
Rin leaned back, he knew all to well about the Crucifixion… he was in part responsible for it… and he willingly recollected those memories.
Flashback
Satan continued walking through the desert, muttering some of the worst curses. He had been tricked! By GOD no less! He was given an impossible test, with promises of his greatest wish, and he took it, hook, line, and sinker.
"That accursed God! How dare he! Even throwing myself away from Heaven, he still continues to manipulate me!"
He tripped over a rock, and face planted in the sand. He struggled up, still continuously cursing God. Until an evil plan entered in his heart, the most evil one he has ever concocted. "You say He is your Son, eh? Well, let us see how he reacts when the very people he preaches to demand his own death!" With that, Satan headed to the center of the Holy City, Jerusalem, and he walked into the main temple, where the chief priests were debating.
They were unaware of his presence, for that is how he wished it, and he began muttering whispers to them, seeds of greed, promises of power, and jealous envy, and directed towards the Rabbi. Eventually their discussion turned towards the Rabbi himself, and Satan raised their anger against him, as they began plotting how to put him to death.
Once more, Satan stole away in into the depths of night, as he headed to his next destination, the house where the Rabbi stays, since he knew the Rabbi would do nothing to him.
The Rabbi has gathered together with his disciples, Twelve of them to be precise, and was preparing for the Jewish Feast of Unleavened Bread, also known as the Passover, when the angel of death, sent by God, had struck down the first-born in all of the land of Egypt, in order to make Pharaoh set the Jewish people free.
He entered just the Rabbi began, and he watched in confusion as the Rabbi began, "Amen I say to you, I have desired to share this one final meal with you before I suffer, and I shall not eat nor drink until the coming of the kingdom of God." The Twelve stared in confusion, as they did not immediately understand.
The Rabbi continued, uttering the words that would change the course of humanity forever, as he lifted up the bread, "Take and eat. This is my body, which will be given up for you; do this in memory of me." And he broke the bread.
Satan was confused. Just what did the Rabbi mean by that? Of course, such a mystery was not for him to understand.
The Rabbi continued once more, lifting up the cup, presenting it to them, "Drink from it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which will shed for many."
The Rabbi finished, "Amen, amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me. It is the one to whom I hand the morsel after I have dipped it."
And he took the morsel, and handed to Judas the Iscariot, but the disciples did not readily understand, for the Rabbi wished it to be so. "What you are going to do, do quickly." And Judas left, and Satan followed, confused at what he had seen, never knowing it would be his undoing, all the while uttering promises to Judas.
And Judas came before the high priests, who were debating what to do about the Rabbi, and he offered a deal, which they readily accepted. And so, Judas the Traitor sold the Rabbi for thirty pieces of silver.
After a while, the Rabbi went out into a garden, where he suffered great agony. After a while, he explained to his disciples how the Son of Man would come to suffer at the hands of man, but Satan persuaded Simon to speak against the Rabbi, whom he rebuked, "Get behind me Satan! You are an obstacle to me! You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do." So once more, Satan went away, his mission failed, so he prepared the final moments of the Rabbi.
A crowd came into the garden, lead by Judas the Iscariot, and took the Rabbi away, the events that followed have echoed throughout history forever. They led the Rabbi before the chief priest, and Pontius Pilate, who condemned him to death, but not before washing his hands clean of innocent blood.
They scourged him at the pillar, and wreathed him in a purple robe, and anointed him with a crown of thorns, all while releasing a criminal instead of him.
They led to him the Place of the Skull, called Golgotha in Hebrew, the path was long and difficult. Three times, the Rabbi fell, and three times he stood back up. He spoke with his mother, and the women of Jerusalem, and even at one point, they brought a man from the crowd, one called Simon to help him carry the cross, till they came to the hill, where the Rabbi handed over his mother to his disciple.
Upon the cross, Pontius put this placard, "The king of the Jews." Written in three different languages. At this the chief priests became angry and demanded he take it down, but he silenced them, saying, "What I have written, I have written."
All the while, Satan watched, happy in his triumph, as they nailed the Rabbi to the cross. The screams of pain were absolute music to his ears, and he enjoyed every last moment of the suffering, as the Rabbi hung upon the cross.
Eventually, after several long hours of suffering, the Rabbis' strength was at an end. He spoke, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do." And his final words, "It is finished. Father, into your hands I commend my spirit." And he bowed his head, and expired.
Immediately, there was a great darkness upon the land, and the curtain of the temple was torn from the top down across the middle. And people cried across the land, for they realized they had killed the most innocent man of all.
Satan was feeling absolutely triumphant! He had achieved victory against God. He had killed his only son! And what is this! He saw the Rabbi's mother walking towards him, led by the disciple, trying to console her in her grief, as they led the Rabbi's body away to be buried.
But she uttered something to the disciple, and he stood there, as she walked in his direction, till she came to him. He smiled, oh how she must hate him! She must have to come to curse him! And he stood, awaiting her rebuke, till she spoke and made his blood run cold at her words.
"I forgive you."
And with that, she walked back to the disciple, and returned home.
Satan's legs gave out underneath him. He did not expect that at all! What kind of woman was she, whom he would drive the masses to kill her only son, and to say she forgives him! What madness! But he felt a great pain in his hand now, and he lifted it up to see… it was dissolving! And he heard a voice.
"You have failed to tempt my Son. As such, return now to Gehenna. Now away!" Thus spake the Lord.
And with that, Satan's spirit returned to Gehenna. And he fell onto his throne once more. "Well… this is a setback… But still, I have triumphed God! I killed your son, and what are you going to do now! Ha! Just sit on your throne, and despair God. You have lost!" And Satan's cackling echoed through all of Gehenna, unaware that he had just committed his greatest mistake, and his ultimate undoing. (2)
End Flashback
Rin's eyes came back to focus, right as the teacher threw a Bible at his head again. He caught it this time, leaving her rather surprised. He got up, walked up to her, and handed it back, then walked out, since class was over.
Rin remained quite annoyed at Izumo's constant bossing around of Shiemi as she continued around doing whatever random thing Izumo needed her to do. And he showed it, his eye continuously twitching.
"Oy, what's up with Shiemi."
"What do you mean Nii-san?"
"It's not important… Anyway, why are we holding the camp at our dorm again?"
"Because we're the only ones who live here."
"Oh." He stopped talking as everyone showed up to their dorm.
"What's the deal with this place? It's like a haunted house." Bon said.
"It's so creepy." Izumo added. "Oh, take this by the way." And she threw her bag at Shiemi.
"Okay!" Rin was seriously wanting to strangle this girl now, and he was going to enjoy every minute of it. He wondered how she would react if she was choked to death by her own pigtails…
"Moriyama-san! You don't have to carry it if you don't want to!" Paku said.
"It's alright. I'm helping a friend!"
They finished taking their practice test, and Rin went off to go cool down. Apparently his control of his flame slipped a little, considering he started steaming. Although it might have just been his brain. Put some ice on that will ya?
"What did I say about the fourth wall!" Rin shook his hand at the air.
"Nii-san? Are you alright?" Yukio blinked.
"Uh, yeah. I'm just gonna go cool off."
Izumo and Paku went off as well, to go get cleaned up. And Shiemi tried to follow, but Izumo asked her to go run yet another errand. Though this time Rin followed, as she went off.
"Shiemi, what are you doing?"
"Nothing, I'm going to get some fruit milk." She started off, until Rin grabbed her hand.
"OY! Stop acting like her errand girl! It's really weird!"
Shiemi puffed out her cheeks at that. "I'm not being her errand girl! I'm helping out a friend!"
"A friend? You actually think you're her friend? I know manipulation when I see it! And believe me, I've seen a lot of manipulation!"
"Rin! You don't understand at all! I'm tired of being rescued all the time! Even I want… to rescue somebody! To be strong! She's my first friend! You don't understand what it means to have no friends!"
Rin's eyes widened at that, and a great rage seized him. Memories of his great rebellion, of Beelzebub passing away in his arms flooded through him, as he remembered watching the only true friend he's ever had die, because he took a blow meant for him. He raised his hand, and…
*SMACK!*
Meanwhile, with Izumo and Paku.
Izumo and Paku were getting undressed, trying to take a shower in the bathrooms. "Thank goodness this bathroom is clean. The rest of this place is so creepy."
"Izumo, don't you think you're being mean to her?"
"Huh? It's not like I like her anything. I don't even think of her as a friend. I mean, really, trying to do everything I ask, it's just weird. It's different with you though Paku! You're my best friend! I'm so glad you stuck with me in the Cram school!"
"About that… I'm thinking about quitting the Cram school."
"What?! Why? I said I would protect you!"
"That doesn't make sense. I honestly don't see myself trying to risk my life to do this, and I really don't like the way you treat honest people. I'm sorry its so sudden, but that's not what a real friend would do… I'm sorry." Paku finished speaking, but a strange brown liquid dropped on her face.
They both looked up, only to see a Naberius above them!
*SMACK!*
Shiemi's eyes widened at the shock across her face. Rin's hand still in the air from when he smacked her, his bangs shadowing his eyes. "You… know nothing of me. Don't assume that you do!" He muttered, barely restraining his rage, and he walked off.
Shiemi just held her cheek, tears starting to come forth, and she was about to say something, but a scream interrupted them both.
Rin's ears twitched as he recognized whose they were. Those were Tiny Brow's and her friend's! "Shiemi, go get Yukio. Now!" And he rushed off.
"Wait! Don't leave me here!" Shiemi ran after him!
Paku laid on the ground unconscious, the ghoul standing over her as its ooze began melting though her clothes.
"Paku!" Izumo reacted quickly, grabbing her two summoning circles. "I humbly appeal to the goddess Inari. I entreat you not leave my prayers unfulfilled!" She summoned her two Byakko.
The ghoul roared, and Izumo began sweating. "No good. I need to protect her…" But memories of Paku's rejection echoed through her mind, and the Byakko reacted accordingly.
"You. How dare you let your heart become so weak! You are unworthy of us!" And they charged at her, until Rin appeared to punch them both out of the way.
"Rip the summoning circle, now!" Izumo hurried and ripped them in two, dispelling the Byakko.
Shiemi headed in as well, and quickly assessed the situation. "That's a burn! Rin, we need to treat it quickly!"
"I'll distract it! You take care of her!" Rin grabbed his wrapped sword and whacked the ghoul on the head with it. 'No good. I can't use m flames without revealing who I am!'
The whack was enough to distract the ghoul though. And it started following him away from Paku. Shiemi quickly headed over to Paku, and assessed the situation, her familiar Nee on her shoulder, since she had never dispersed it from when she initially summoned it.
"Let's see… for burns… I need Sancho-san! But where am I going to get some!"
Nee floated down in front of her, as she stared at her familiar in confusion. "Nii!" And a growth bulged out of its stomach, as a plant burst out of it!
"This is Sancho-san! Thank you Nee!"
Izumo deadpanned at her, "You mean Aloe? But wait, why is Aloe growing out of your familiar!"
Back with Rin, he was trying to fight off the ghoul, and it was going good, until one of its arms seized out and threw him through the shower wall.
The impact knocked the wind out of him, and he struggled to recover, as the ghoul came over and started to strangle him. "I'm sorry, my prince…"
'Prince? That's right, they think Rin Okumura is the son of Satan…' Satan thought, as he struggled to gain his breath, pinned down as he was.
"I must do as my master bids me…"
'Master? Who's that?' The lack of air was starting to get to him, as he tried to reach for Kurikara. 'No good… I can't reach it… I don't have a choice. I just hope Shiemi and Izumo aren't watching!'
He extended his claws, the demonic power flowing through them as the human nails extended into razor sharp points, turning a lethal black as well, and he slashed at the ghoul. It roared in pain as he it clutched at its eyes where it slashed, letting go of Rin at the same time.
Rin took a deep breath as he grabbed Kurikara at the same time, unsheathing the blade to unleash a flurry of slashes at the ghoul. 'It's a good thing my flames aren't sealed in this thing anymore. This fight would be a lot harder if I just had to use my fists!'
The ghoul dodged most of them, until it decided to cut its losses, and it fled, jumping onto the ceiling, and crashing through the shower windows leading to the outside.
Rin tsked at that, hearing the footsteps coming, and rapidly sheathing his sword, and putting it away, so Yukio wouldn't get suspicious.
"Nii-san!" He burst in, gun at the ready. He was surprised not to see the ghoul there though, installing only finding his twin perfectly fine.
"Yo!" Rin waved.
Yukio took a sigh of relief at that,and immediately turned to check up on Paku. He nodded at the emergency first aid Shiemi had done. "Good job Shiemi. You've done a splendid job. I'd hate to imagine what would have happened if you hadn't have been here."
Shiemi just started blushing bright red as Paku turned to her as well. "Thank you Moriyama-san. You saved me…"
Shiemi merely smiled. Everyone started talking about what happened, Bon and Konekomaru talking about where the ghoul came from, while Shima approached Yukio, something about being happy he was in the girl's locker room. Meanwhile Rin walked over past the lockers where there was an alcove between them and the wall. Izumo was hiding there partly out of embarrassment for being nearly naked, and out of shame for being so useless.
She was weeping, "How could I be so useless? I can't let anyone see me like this!"
A shirt was flung on top of her, causing her to stare up, although whoever threw it on her was blocked by the shirt. She aimed to say thank you, only to say it was Rin. Whatever smart remark she had immediately died in her throat as she saw his savage glare.
He quickly walked into the alcove out of the sight of the others, and grabbed Izumo by the throat lifting her up, while at the same time cutting off her oxygen supply. She wanted to scream, but even with the constriction, she could say nothing. 'Just who is this guy?!' She wondered.
"I'm going to make this very clear. You are not to try to abuse Shiemi in any way, to take advantage of her, especially after she just saved your friend. If you don't follow this…"
Izumo stared into his eyes, and it seemed like every calamity that ever befell the human race could be seen in his eyes. It seemed so hypnotic, as scenes of war played across in them, children weeping on their parent's dead corpses, cities vanishing in atomic blasts, man killing man, and so many countless other tragedies.
"If you don't follow this, I'll show you what it really means to live in a hell on earth." With that he released her throat, and walked off, leaving her to count her lucky stars that he had spared her. She hesitantly put on the shirt he had given her, even as she struggled to understand what she had just seen.
"Okumura Rin… just who are you?"
Meanwhile, in another part of True Cross, the ghoul was returning to the master who ordered it to try to kill the prince. It greeted its master, who petted it on the head.
"So you failed… Why do you howl? Perhaps you are laughing at me, who hates demons so… yet I've sunk to the level of a demon's dog."
The moon came out from behind the clouds, revealing the eyepatch'd face of Professor Igor Neihaus.
Steps echoed throughout the grand chambers as Sir Mephisto Pheles, precept of the Japanese Branch of the Knights of the True Cross, and in truth, Samael, demon king of time, walked into the grand chamber of the Grigori, who were wondering just why he had called them.
They were debating among themselves what the cause of his summoning was. Usually they summoned him, not the other way around, especially because they knew he hated dealing with them. Once Mephisto entered, the head Grigori was about to question him. That question died in his throat once he saw Mephisto's face. It was completely serious.
"Samael, what is the meaning of this summoning." The female Grigori asked.
Mephisto fixed his gaze on her, "I would prefer you call me only Mephisto Pheles. I find that name rather distasteful. Although it is true that I am Samael, second most powerful in Gehenna, I would prefer to leave that in the past. However, as to why I have called you here, as you know, after the events of the Blue Night 16 years ago, Satan, the god of Gehenna vanished inexplicably with no reason whatsoever."
"Yes, yes, we know all this, why are we here?"
Mephisto grabbed the tip of his hat, shadowing his eyes, "That means that has been 16 years that the throne of Gehenna has been absent, and unfortunately, my sources tell me, that tension has reached a boiling point."
"What do you mean?"
Mephisto frowned, "Civil war has erupted in Gehenna, threatening the balance of everything, over who would be the new king."
The Grigori were completely shocked. Never before had they expected such a scenario! "What does this mean for Assiah?"
"Do not believe for a second that the battle will be limited to just Gehenna. It is more than likely it will spill into Assiah as well, more likely since I have found out who the leaders of each faction are.
Mephisto snapped his fingers, and what essentially amounted to a magic tv screen appeared in front of the Grigori. They gasped at the barren scene present before them. This was the land of Gehenna?
"The first person vying for the title is my elder brother, the most powerful demon in Gehenna now, since the disappearance of our father."
The screen shifted to show a demon, who the Grigori noted had an angelic beauty surrounding him, with his blonde hair, and uniquely white tail. He was wearing a double-breasted military uniform as he commanded troops into position.
"This is Lucifer, demon king of light, the first-born of Satan, and leader of the Baal, the eight demon kings. I'm to understand he has a vast network of spies in Assiah as well. As for the next one…"
The screen shifted once more, showing another demon, this one also had blonde hair, but he had black markings that covered his eyes all the way down to his cheeks, while his dragon's tail shifted behind him. He wore a green tunic, over which he wore some kind of mantle.
"This is the next contender, the demon general Alciel, and leader of the Four Demon Gates, Satan's personal group of generals. There are two other factions as well."
The screen shifted one last time, to reveal a final demon, who looked less human than the others. His face was like that of a cat, while his torso was that of a human. He was dressed very elaborately, obviously to reveal some kind of prestige. Mephisto seemed to scowl especially at this one.
"The final leader is King Bael, who is not a king of Gehenna per se. He's more self-proclaimed. I never understood why father never simply wiped him out. This one is the leader of the 72 pillars, who are perhaps most known in history for helping build the temple of Solomon."
"Wait. You said there were two more factions. What about the leader of the fourth one?"
"That is a bit of a bigger dilemma. Those ones are the purists, who believe that Gehenna should only be headed by someone who wields the blue flames. You might think of them as nationalists from the Imperialist age of our beloved Japan, ne?"
"But, there hasn't been anyone who has wielded the blue flames in a substantial while!"
"There have been rumors circulating throughout Gehenna about a particular demon. A son of Satan who wields his blue flames. I am having sources look into it, but they are met with limited success."
"Very well then, Sir Pheles, keep us posted with as much information as you can."
Mephisto bowed somewhat mockingly, "As you wish." And he snapped his fingers, disappearing in a puff of smoke.
He very quickly appeared in his personal office, as he opened a secret compartment, which led to his cache of information, all the rumors, theories, and hypotheses about what happened to the ruler of Gehenna. Mephisto drew a knife and stabbed into the picture in the middle, one of Rin Okumura.
"Satan, just what happened to you? And you, Rin Okumura, just how are you related to everything?"
"μετὰ τοῦ χερουβ ἔθηκά σε ἐν ὄρει ἁγίῳ θεοῦ ἐγενήθης ἐν μέσῳ λίθων πυρίνων. ἐγενήθης ἄμωμος σὺ ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις σου ἀφ' ἧς ἡμέρας σὺ ἐκτίσθης ἕως εὑρέθη τὰ ἀδικήματα ἐν σοί. ἀπὸ πλήθους τῆς ἐμπορίας σου ἔπλησας τὰ ταμίειά σου ἀνομίας καὶ ἥμαρτες καὶ ἐτραυματίσθης ἀπὸ ὄρους τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ ἤγαγέν σε τὸ χερουβ ἐκ μέσου λίθων πυρίνων. ὑψώθη ἡ καρδία σου ἐπὶ τῷ κάλλει σου διεφθάρη ἡ ἐπιστήμη σου μετὰ τοῦ κάλλους σου διὰ πλῆθος ἁμαρτιῶν σου ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν ἔρριψά σε ἐναντίον βασιλέων ἔδωκά σε παραδειγματισθῆναι. διὰ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν σου καὶ τῶν ἀδικιῶν τῆς ἐμπορίας σου ἐβεβήλωσας τὰ ἱερά σου καὶ ἐξάξω πῦρ ἐκ μέσου σου τοῦτο καταφάγεταί σε καὶ δώσω σε εἰς σποδὸν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς σου ἐναντίον πάντων τῶν ὁρώντων σε. καὶ πάντες οἱ ἐπιστάμενοί σε ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν στυγνάσουσιν ἐπὶ σέ ἀπώλεια ἐγένου καὶ οὐχ ὑπάρξεις ἔτι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα."
"Tu cherub extentus, et protegens, et posui te in monte sancto Dei : in medio lapidum ignitorum ambulasti, perfectus in viis tuis a die conditionis tuæ, donec inventa est iniquitas in te. In multitudine negotiationis tuæ repleta sunt interiora tua iniquitate, et peccasti : et ejeci te de monte Dei, et perdidi te, o cherub protegens, de medio lapidum ignitorum. Et elevatum est cor tuum in decore tuo; perdidisti sapientiam tuam in decore tuo : in terram projeci te; ante faciem regum dedi te ut cernerent te. In multitudine iniquitatum tuarum, et iniquitate negotiationis tuæ, polluisti sanctificationem tuam : producam ergo ignem de medio tui, qui comedat te, et dabo te in cinerem super terram, in conspectu omnium videntium te. Omnes qui viderint te in gentibus, obstupescent super te : nihili factus es, et non eris in perpetuum."
"With a cherub I placed you; I put you on the holy mountain of God, where you walked among fiery stones. Blameless you were in your ways from the day you were created, until evil was found in you. Your commerce was full of lawlessness, and you sinned. Therefore I banished you from the mountain of God; the cherub drove you out from among the fiery stones. Your heart had grown haughty because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor. I cast you to the ground, I made you a spectacle in the sight of kings. Because of the enormity of your guilt, and the perversity of your trade, you defiled your sanctuary. I brought fire out of you; it devoured you; I made you ashes on the ground in the eyes of all who see you. All the nations who knew you are appalled on account of you; you have become a horror; never to be again."
Ezekiel 28:14-19
" ἔστιν ὁδὸς ἣ δοκεῖ ὀρθὴ εἶναι παρὰ ἀνθρώποις τὰ δὲ τελευταῖα αὐτῆς ἔρχεται εἰς πυθμένα ᾅδου."
"Est via quæ videtur homini justa, novissima autem ejus deducunt ad mortem."
"Sometimes a way seems right, but the end of it leads to death!"
Proverbs 14:12
Things have just gotten more intense! The plot thickens! On a completely unrelated note listening to Bach's Fugue played on glass wine glasses is quite relaxing... That was a really stupid sentence...
Anyway, notes!
(1): This is the inscription over the gates of Hell listed in the Inferno of La Divina Comedia by Dante Alighieri. It's the only time I will use any material for this source though. I'm saving it for Demon King of Dragon Fire, which is my AOE/Fairy Tail crossover. That reminds me, I need to work on rewriting ch.2...
(2): The various dialogues in this flashback were taking from all of the four Gospels, save Satan's last interaction with the Rabbi's mother. That never happened.
Now thank you once more to my faithful reviewers! I feel like I'm forgetting something, but oh well. Ah, wait, that's it! Expect a mega-chapter for the Igor phase. That will be a lot of fun! Also if you didn't notice, I just shamelessly borrowed Alciel from the Devil is a Part-Timer. It's a good anime you should check out! Also for King Bael, he's listed as one of the 72 demons that can be summoned from the Lesser Key of Solomon, an old grimoire that is falsely attributed to Solomon. I just made up a design from how he's described on the wikipedia page... Lucifer's getting involved as well...
Anyway, please review, and/or let me know about any typos, or I'll send my vast army of ghouls to consume your soul... Cheers!
Shinigami
"The virtue of chastity blossoms in friendship. It shows the disciple how to follow and imitate him who has chosen us as his friends, who has given himself totally to us and allows us to participate in his divine estate. Chastity is a promise of immortality.
Chastity is expressed notably in friendship with one's neighbor. Whether it develops between persons of the same or opposite sex, friendship represents a great good for all. It leads to spiritual communion."
Catechism of the Catholic Church: 2347