Chrysalis Heart

by Yincira

AU. What if the story was about the plight of the demons? Nina's more heroic, Azazel doesn't disappear, Belphegor doesn't die, Kaisar's more self aware.

15. Anamnesis

· · · · · · ·

Eibos just never had a sunny day any time in the past ten years. Really, fate? Bribed the weather too, because somehow sickening yellows was necesary? Payments to the workers were today, and he wanted to check on the progress of the rift. There weren't many humans capable of handling barriers or the power of Dromos. People were either overworked or dying from the zommorods, so perhaps fate was just giving mood lightning.

His skybeast landed, get off, get into the barrier, but not heading into the crater yet because this time he had Merlin with him. He planned to keep her at the convoy to provide barriers against Bahamut during the final hour, so she had to be introduced to the big lizard's sinkhole being a thing.

At the edge of the crater, Merlin just squinted. "What is behind this barrier? I cannot sense anything."

He hadn't told her where they were going, so it was good to learn the blank space worked, at least that worked as planned. Unless someone found a way to zombify this thing too.

"There is a shield effective to prevent radiance alerting anyone," Charioce said. "So the work remains in the hands of us alone."

Von List meanwhile flipped through a status report that had just been delivered. "Concerning that, our workers are at their very limits, your majesty. Perhaps we should leave this to the gods after all."

The gods would do it for free, sure, but see that beat the point. Humans shouldn't need the gods for anything, not even Bahamut. He narrowed his eyes, and von List scampered away with apologies rolling off his papery tongue.

He wished he had the same effect on Merlin, who had locked him with a glare. "You are emptying your treasury upholding this when you could have it all done for free? What is behind that barrier?"

"We're in Eibos," he said. "Making sure timing happens as planned so nobody will ever have to be in Eibos again."

Merlin did a fine impression of a fish on land right there.

"Bahamut cannot be destroyed, it is a primordial being!"

"Its physical body is composed entirely of ichor," Charioce said. "I believe that if we destroy that body using Dromos to tear the soul out of it, it will not remanifest again. It had a beginning, we just need to get rid of that beginning."

"Dromos? Which is at the city? Bahamut unleashes gigantic fireballs at the rhythm of our breath!"

"I will strike it down before it lays waste to the city."

"And what if it does not follow you?" Merlin asked. "It could lay waste to the entire world before it crosses paths with Dromos!"

He just hoped it liked moving targets.

"I turned against Azazel because I came to understand my attempt to defy fate had just placed me in the hands of a mad demon who only wanted to play," Merlin said. "I had a long time to think about that. Do not make me regret my decision to serve you."

"Do not make me regret hiring you," he said.

She looked like she considered it, but found herself too important to indulge further.

He showed her inside, explained the barest minimum of the protocols, had her experiment with her magic a little — it was hampered by the rift, but would be fine once away — then returned to his private chambers on the ship. Time to brainstorm a little in silence. How big would the backlash be if he started selling gods? The kingdoms now knew what went down, but there were enough of his supporters who would jump at the chance. Maybe he'd raid Helheim, see whether he could get his hands on Lucifer after all.

Barely had he closed the door behind him or something flickered into being on the other end of the room.

A batwinged and more faceless than Satan had been, only somewhat shaped like a woman below the darkness. "You have blessed me today, so let us work on what makes you falter."

"None have made me falter enough for it to matter," he said. "Why, do you intend to make me? Perhaps play a game of temptation? Try it, you would not be the first demon to have taken that shot."

"No concern I might kill you?" it said.

"No, you do not," he said. It was a bet, but one he was fairly certain of. The thing felt cold in ways that made no sense, its very aura permeated life — like Dromos did, albeit less inanimate. This thing, however fractuous and detached, was alive and had a purpose for being here. "So why not tell me why you came to see me?"

"Curiosity," it said. "I was here already, you summoned me a long time ago, but now I watch. You seal fate over and over. Thank you."

That thing had no business talking of his fate. Charioce unleashed a torrent of green lightning on the demon.

It should have at the very least thrown it back, but it just floated there with the barest hint of sparks running over its skin.

"You are not a hybrid or chimera," he said. "How can you resist?"

"I am you."

"No, and that is a weak move. I will never see myself in demons."

"Demons? My face is the face of every mortal who does evil knowingly. I am within you, human. Do you pretend you do not see me?"

"If you intend to play a mind game, you could do better," he said.

"You will play with yourself. You are not Kṛiṣṇa, you am I."

Charioce sighed. "I take tjhat I now have two specters haunting me. Maybe you should start a club. Organize the souls of everyone I killed to form a protest, see whether I care."

"If only I could, but they are not mine." With that, it vanished.

· · · · · · ·

Favaro threw back the whole beer in one go and told himself it'd be the last one. Walfrid was already raving drunk, someone needed to be clear in their head.

His prior approach to messing with fate might not have been the most solid, but man, it'd been more exciting. Starting up rebellions turned out to be dreadfully boring. Sure, information winning was an important process of bounty hunting every now and then too, but this. Go here on the rumor someone knows a thing, fail, go there to learn another rumor, follow it learn maybe some guy knows a guy who loathes but owes a debt to a guy who knows a guy who is friends with a guy who knows a guy who might be the lead of the Red Troupe. Not to mention the whole rigamole of proving he was trustworthy; really, that took most of the mental work. What a hassle.

He was about to order another drink but Amira ghosted before him with an utmost judgy look.

"Fine, fine ..." he muttered. "Bartender, got a coffee?"

Amira lightened up when the order appeared. Half of him figured he'd lose the last of the loose life if she returned for the world, the other half figured she might have a point.

He got halfway through that coffee when Amira snapped to focus on a new tenant. A middle aged man, red hair, mustache and solemn expression sided next to him and ordered a drink. Nothing unusual except for Amira's attention; she must've seen him before during her research ghosting.

Once the bartender was out of earshot, the man said to Walfrid, "Favaro Leone, an honor to meet you. If you're not a trap."

Favaro tapped the man on the shoulder and said, "Sorry, man, I'm the real thing and got the tale and tail to prove it."

He pried some of the goo off of his face to break the disguise, which was already falling apart anyway; Trismegistus wasn't interested in any rebellion and had bailed.

"Let's go somewhere private."

Private as in a well guarded cellar under this very tavern. Meh, he could deal if it turned into a problem.

Even before Charioce had torn down Favaro's statue, there weren't that much images of him in circulation, but the man had gotten one. It was just very bad, and Favaro had to pull out the tail and intricate knowledge of the inner workings of the court before he even learned the man's name was Sarvo Harnak.

"So, I wanna make a deal between the Red Troupe and a bunch of my demon buddies."

"Really? There's a demon holding half the city hostage, ready to burn all humans down while the demons celebrate. You have to admit your idea of joining with them sounds crazy."

"Not so much. Demons are immune to regular fire," Favaro said. "Demonic fire works much faster and can affect them. There won't be time to evacuate. Not all demons are bound to be on her side for that alone. Believe me ..." Favaro had to fight to keep his face straight and not ruin this with one silly grin. "... there's demons who are her enemy. Olivia's the aggressor, while Belphegor works with the humans who escaped that island."

"The who now?"

Favaro covered the factory of Dromos as well as he could without giving away his sources. A bit of embellishing was done about how saving the world totally ran in his blood and fate compelled him to do this.

"So that's what I know. I'd like to just kill the king and use the chaos to my advantage, but that won't be so easy. Is he even in the city?" He wasn't according to Amira, Favaro just wanted to know how useful this guy was.

"No, he's gone more often than he lets on. Sometimes he goes somewhere other than raids, so we suspect they are laying the foundation for future military endeavors, but this gives us a chance to strike. A take over of the city and confrontation with the king outside its perimeters might be preferable. Understand, we expect to join forces with another country at some point. There's word a few are discontent with the war on the gods."

"Thing is for my purpose, what do you want out of rebellion?"

"We want our beloved country to remain the proud land it is, not to become an empire of conquest. In the castle there's talk of this future entitled the Thule movement, which comes with a very large if. All the allied kingdoms are to be gathered under a single banner, the man to do it is already being trained, but also restrained. He is not a public figure yet. It's almost as if everyone prepares for the king to die soon," Sarvo said. "We suspect an assasination attempt or similar, perhaps the king is being cautious. There is a noble nearby whom he needs to strengthen the army, but who is not trusted. Regardless, the Charioce bloodline will not lead us back to glory. He must go ... if anyone were to asssinate him in the mean time, we would not care much whether it is a human or not."

"And Dromos, any wild plans on trying to control it?"

"We find the thing distasteful, but others might want to use it."

Favaro might be one of them, but he didn't have enough aces up his sleeve yet to be certain he even could. So for now, "Assasination is not what Charioce and his people fear. What if I told you he is going to aim at Bahamut?"

Now that got the man's attention. If nothing else, Favaro would have his ear for a few hours.

· · · · · · ·

Azazel didn't expect anything from heaven. He'd seen enough of it, and hell had long since become his home. There wasn't anything there he cared for beyond Mugaro, and irony not lost on him. Falling had felt like it was worth it in that old, mad rush of temptation, now he headed back to heaven for a child born of human and god. It wasn't a reverse of his fall, not quite, but it might be a book end that fit well.

He could've gone on avoiding if not for Qhispe asking eventually, "So, should I be preparing for an epic escape or is this just a visit?"

"I'll give you that I do not agree with my child being sent onto a warzone," Jeanne said. "But El does have a power that renders most threats a moot point. ... Azazel, what exactly did you have El do in the arena?"

"Mugaro did the mercy killing and the books, I did everything else. Cleaning, gathering, transport, harvesting," he said. "What, you think I'd send her to war if I'd known of her power?"

"El did chores on the farm too, I thought you might've taught El to fight."

"Pffft. Mugaro is completely unfit for that. I taught her where to run in case of trouble and stay out of the way of fights."

That was the closest Jeanne and Azazel had gotten to discussing any fighting against Charioce. They didn't talk of rebellions, nor of what happened to them, and it should stay that way. She didn't have her head up in crazy plans, unlike Nina.

"Hey, Jeanne, what do you want do after you and Mugaro are together again?" Nina asked.

"Lord Michael surely wants—"

"Cut out that crap," Azazel snapped. "She asked what you want, not Michael."

"What I want tends to align to the judgment of lord Michael. I believe he wishes for El and I to live in peace, for El came to me after I ... I usually pray for guidance, but at that point, I had prayed for relief," Jeanne said.

"That's it? Michael wanting an angel to live on earth with a human." Azazel let scatching laughter out. "Really?"

"Why do you question that?" Jeanne asked.

"Oh, nothing. I suppose lord high and mighty can do whatever he deems right."

Jeanne hated that reply, thankfully shit up and let it be. He kept his tongue too and tried his damnest to not dwell on the past.

· · · · · · ·

Getting into heaven like this was shakier than by portal, but hey, at least she was inside a nice carriage. So when the three of them were thrown around by turbulence, well, it wasn't being hit by lightning. And halfway through Azazel made a network of black snakes so the crashing into hard objects bit stopped being a thing too. It just left them all a bit like bugs in a spiderweb; Azazel had clearly invented this on the spot. Nina would introduce him to the concept of hammocks for the next time.

"Bet you didn't expect to ever enter heaven like this," Nina said to Jeanne.

Jeanne side eyed a nearby snake. "I'll admit I had some fantasies of being invited to heaven, and this is ... uh ... "

"Just say what you think : a goddamn disgrace," Azazel said, half smirking, half irritated at being seen this way.

"I don't feel that strong about spiderwebs, really."

"Are you kids doing alright in there?" Qhispe thundered outside, voice strong enough to match the storm.

"Just fine!" Nina hollered. "We there yet?"

"Almost!"

Nina was rather how heaven looked outside that one building, but not as much as Jeanne, who expected a city upon shining clouds, shaped like the cathedrals that had been her home once. When Qhispe broke the cloud cover, Azazel dissolved the serpents. Nina and Jeanne each opened a window.

Heaven was a blistering white sea of clouds with a golden radiance upon it, like the aurora a traveller had once drawn for Nina. The sky above had not a speck of blue as it bathed the stars beyond in a copper veil. Ahead rose countless silver islands with lush forests, beyond which lay a city so radiant only its ivory peaks could be seen from here.

"It's so beautiful here," Nina said as she leaned back in. "Hey, Azazel, what sight seeing do you recommend? Where's the best restaurants?"

He shrugged. "I haven't been here in centuries, don't ask me."

Closer, the silver islands turned out to not be silver at all, but endless waterfalls. At the bottom the water turned into clouds, generating the eternal storm even as lower winds swept the clouds away.

"I'll take a break here," Qhispe rumbled. "Maybe find some place to ... oh. We've been spotted."

Nina looked around, but it had to be on the other side, so she peaked over Jeanne's shoulder there.

Left to Qhispe hovered a squad of angels with spears. Qhispe leaned to them and said she just an old granny visiting friends and delivering people home. The guard leader tapped her wrist and a tiny screen appeared over it. Too far for Nina to see what it showed, but somehow she talked to it.

Within seconds of closing it, a gate opened ahead. Out flew an angel decked in so much armor and frills, she could not tell whether it was intended for war or a masquerade ball.

Qhispe came to a hovering halt as he stopped in her path. "Ancient dragon, what it your business here?"

"Right now to give my old bones some rest, lad," she said. "Pfft, here I am paying my old friends and this is the greeting I get?"

"Apologies, ancient one, but would you fly to the city? Your size would damage our forests," he said.

"I suppose," Qhispe grumbled.

Crap, so much for the chance to shuffle Azazel into some crevice.

Jeanne moved to the door to get a better look, which set the new angel's eyes on her wide open.

"Jeanne d'Arc? Is it truly you?"

"You recognize me?"

The angel landed on Qhispe's back. "How wouldn't we know whom Michael's maiden is, especially now we search for you? My words are of disbelief, for we thought you had perished. You child indicated you were near the area where that dreadful weapon emerged."

Jeanne started, "I escaped, thanks to—" Nina threw the window open to yell, "Me! Hi, I'm Nina."

The angel gave her a cold looked before saying distinctly to Jeanne only, "I would bring you to lady Gabriel at once, but she has departed to one of the human countries that consider rebellion against Charioce XVII. I, Reinier, shall be your host until then."

Nina gave him a thumbs up, "Great, can you show us a restaurant? We've been eating nothing but road food."

"No, and you will address me with lord, not with great," he said. "Needs for food can be met at the palace."

They flew onward. Nina would have liked to see more of the city, but Qhispe got tired and Jeanne was in a hurry to see Mugaro. Sight seeing walks would have to wait.

Reinier could only say that Mugaro had returned to heaven after the siege, had regrown wings and shed some curse after initial kidnapping. Jeanne calmed a bit, but didn't lose the anxiety.

They found Qhispe a plaza to land on where she transformed. Reinier looked more than a little surprised at her appearance. "Are you ..."

"Yes, demon descendent," Qhispe said. "So, I could use some food after this flight, then I'd like to see some old friends. Nina, are you coming with me or going with Jeanne?"

"I'd like to go with Jeanne and meet Mugaro," Nina said. "How about you and your rickety old bones take the carriage?"

"How did you get that carriage, now we speak of it anyway?" Reinier asked.

Hmm, probably better not mention Bacchus and Hamsa if they were in trouble with the local authorities. "My teacher, Favaro Leone, found it abandoned around Anatae. It's okay if our old lady uses it for a bit, right?"

"We have floating platforms that will be much more convenient to go around. They respond to your will when flying." Reinier gestured at a row of chunky things that mocked gravity and should've been spinning tops.

Qhispe cast one look at those and declared, "Not enough pillows for my creaky old spine."

"Very well," he said. "You may take the carriage, but ensure the beast will be fed."

Qhispe took off with the carriage, thankfully removing Azazel from near Reinier.

Reinier had to make things difficult by asking, "Why did you not accompany her?"

Jeanne, spirits bless her, had an answer, "If I may impose, surely heaven has a memorial for lord Michael? I wish to see it, would you show me?"

"Ah, of course. I should have expected this from his maiden. Indeed we have and we may as well visit it before lady Gabriel returns."

Getting a hang of those floaty platforms was pretty easy. Big ugly gray things with a pointy tip, but a lot of fun to ride on. She tried not to play around too much though, since Jeanne stood on her platform and Reinier was the avatar of solemn protocol. Nina hoped not all gods in heaven were like that, but if they were, she could see why Bacchus, Hamsa and Azazel didn't fit.

After passing grand but almost empty passageways, they reached the edge of the city. A long platform stuck out there, beyond which lay a cluster of floating spherical buildings. At least three dozen, all with glistering blue glass at their tops and golden arches around. Beyond it lay clouds, then a line of mountains that looked so earthly compared to the grand architecture.

"Please keep your voice down. This mausoleum is a place where we pay respect to the dead," Reinier said.

Spirals of blue light spun high into the dome, countless little flames gathering around sharper outlines of angels and other gods. On the floor gathered living gods before small shrines where they kindled pale flames from candles, to mingle with the blue light. A woman with long wavy hair to the ground and blue dress tended to the shrines, stars in her hairs, who followed them but didn't speak.

Reinier brought them to a dome near the peak of the cluster. Here were the mirages of the most hailed, with Zeus at the peak. Michael's mirage hovered above a singular shrine with a candle burning. To Nina he didn't look so different than the other angels — beautiful and a tad androgynous, if less symmetrical. His hair covered what would be the red eye, and his wings were rounded up without much resemblance to a bird's.

It was the expression on Jeanne's face that gave meaning to what Nina would've glossed over otherwise. There was a way to cry from broken eyes and still look reverent. He must've meant so much to her. Hopefully she could at least think of him now without the shame.

Reinier walked to an angel in full ornate armor, save for a helmet over the long blond hair, who knelt before this mirage.

"Urlain, lord Michael's maiden has found us," Reinier whispered at this one.

Urlain finished a wave of flames, stood up gave Jeanne a stiff nod, which Jeanne returned more gracefully.

"Jeanne d'Arc, dalua Urlain is a dwoe who has some hope to become lord Michael's successor. Lady Gabriel has not yet approved nur of a position in the government though. You might wish to speak later regardless," Reinier whispered. "Lord Michael and dalua Urlain were close."

Urlain kindled one last flame that drifted the mirage before facing Jeanne. "I would have little to say to a human."

And just like that, ne walked away. Rude.

"Forgive nur. There is a great deal of grief within this place. At another time ne might be more congenial to a human," Reinier whispered.

"No, I understand completely," Jeanne whispered. "After what I have done—"

"It is the human nationswhere our grudge lies. You cannot apologize on all their behalf," Reinier said. "We have lost so many to keep Bahamut back long enough for the prophecied hero to strike, and what did humankind do? Thank us? We were forgotten, cast aside and lined up for annihilation."

"I'm sorry," Jeanne said despite Reinier's words.

Jeanne knelt before Michael's shrine and kindled a new flare of flames, which mingled with Michael's in a way Nina could swear was more vibrant. Jeanne did not see though, as she had closed her eyes in prayer.

Nina looked at the lights beyond Michael, memorizing all the faces she'd never meet. Which ones had Chris killed? How many? How could he? How could someone appear so kind yet do so much evil? Heaven and hell hated him for good reason, and she resented a world where that was true. If she understood him, maybe she could figure out what to say to make him stop and ...

And then what? All the understanding of his mind wouldn't bring back these people, and he didn't show a sign of slowing down. If he had his way, Jeanne would be dead along with everyone on the island, and Azazel still tortured. She herself would be dead. Letting her heart run would only lead her to his ruin.

Urlain was still in the hall, lighting flares at another shrine. Nina waited till ne was done before addressing nur.

"You're from the army, right? May I ask something?"

Urlain looked her up and down, sighed and said, "You may."

"When the king raids your sanctuaries, what happens?" Nina whispered.

"He takes the forbidden power and kills everyone, regardless of whether they are a threat. What few have escaped say he personally murders those who talk back. What, did you expect to hear he was nice about it?" Urlain said.

"No, I don't. In fact ... "

No matter what she felt, the pain he inflicted on everyone was so much worse. Her dragon self couldn't be her own enemy anymore.

" ... I know exactly how monstrous the things are that he does. I've survived them, and I've fought to help other victims survived. Jeanne is one of them, there will be more. I can resist the power of Dromos too. If Mugaro's isn't enough, maybe I can fill in what is missing."

All within earshot turned to her, and Nina felt the first spark of hope when she saw theirs.

"What would one human girl even do?" Reinier said.

"Human? Oh, you're wrong, I'm one of Qhispe's kind too," Nina said. "Have you heard anything about a magenta dragon that opposed Charioce?"

· · · · · · ·

Heaven didn't look so deserted anymore when news spread there might be immune dragons. Nina's breakout story added fuel to the fire, and Jeanne was glad to not be the center of attention. Reinier had to detach them from the crowd soon since word was that Gabriel had returned. They were brought to a palace of light blue marble at the center of the city.

Only Charioce's gigantic palace rivalled this in size. Now it was the clear he had only been able to erect the gravity defying structure in a handful of years, where the much smaller prior castle had taken over a decade. He must have used material plundered from heaven. Where he had but one gigantic castle, every building here reached so far up so far she couldn't imagine how many stairs would be needed. No wonder everyone went around on these floating circular platforms, there was so much space, and so much to see — Charioce's architects could not rival the sheer beauty and cleanliness of heaven.

They passed long, arched hallways which Jeanne felt like she stained with her presence; she had to remind herself she wasn't a god murderer over and over.

A few passing angels glared at Nina, perhaps recognizing demonic nature or simply seeing a human. Jeanne put an arm around her shoulder, offering an encouraging smile.

"We've been told you and El protected the lady Sofiel," Reinier said shortly before the hall's end.

"Oh, she is named Sofiel?"

"Yes, she was in Anatae with a loyal follower of the gods to work on the restoration of faith. She followed your holy trail in hope of aid," Reinier said. "You have done us a service not only with your child's birthing. Ah, if only we had discovered nur before."

"Nur?"

"Hmm? Ah, right, earth has a simpler system. We have four sexes and associated genders. Your child is a dwoe, called dusiu when young."

The final doors opened to revealed a golden, shimmer lake tilted against gravity, laying beyond a silver hall lined with pillar that supported not a ceiling but fires. At the lake's edge was another floating platform, holding an angel with long pink hair.

It was her.

When Sofiel turned her face lit up in such a way Jeanne never seen on the stoic angels before. So much more human than she was used to, perhaps that was why Jeanne lost her sense of protocol. She stepped from behind Reinier, holding out her hand as the platform halted before hers.

The angel closed both hands around Jeanne's and pulled her onto her platform. It wobbled but soon steadied as the angel set her hands on Jeanne's shoulders. Jeanne had nowhere to leave her hands but holding Sofiel's upper arms, and her eyes close enough to notice hers were teal.

"You made it to safety," Jeanne said, which should have sound more reverent but ...

"Yes, I am," Sofiel said, the cheer from before now settled in a peaceful assurance. "Thanks to you and your child."

"I'm so glad." And that wasn't at all what should say either.

"Only, my safety came at the cost of you two. I wish it it had not."

"El ...Where is El? Lord Reinier wasn't certain why El was secluded."

"Do not worry, El made it back to heaven and is in good health."

Tears not of misery but relief welled up.

"Thank goodness ...," she said as all the tension of years of uncertainty fell off her, and tore her along. Sofiel caught her before she hit the ground, pulling her close.

Jeanne had forced herself through the last years on fortified willpower, now there was no more need she had to find her footing in mind.

"Good to see you, Jeanne," came a familair voice. Jeanne tried to focus on the approaching figure as Sofiel helped her stand, and kept holding her.

The approaching platform had an angel with mint hair, and now the voice clicked in place. TGabriel had lost the gold ornaments and her halo was gone too, even her clothes had changed, but now she was unmistably the queen of heaven.

"Lady Gabriel." Jeanne's sense of protocol finally caught up and she took a knee, clenched fist over heart in traditional Orleans salute.

"It is well that you have found us on your own, now we will not have to search anymore. We might have use for your help in guiding your child, who unfortunately has proved troublesome by defying an order to retreat."

"Lady Gabriel, my loyalty lies with the god as ever. Please let me see El," Jeanne said. "I've never known El to be disobedient, I'm sure I can reason."

"Thank you, Jeanne," Gabriel said. "You might be able to lead El nur the right path. We shall ..."

Gabriel looked up. "Actually, it seems you can just stay right here."

Across the golden water flew a light Jeanne would never mistake for anyone else.

"Mother!"

"El!" Jeanne opened her arms for El to fall into. Holding her child after fearing for so long ne might have died, she found happiness again. All was whole and brimming with power. She cried for joy, and so did El.

Letting go was not easy, but she wanted to have a better look at her child. Ne had grown a little, now looking more like a twelve year old. Gone was the curl in the hair and nur new wings were larger and had the radiance of divinity upon them. She looked at where Azazel had said the scar had been, finding no trace of it.

"I'm so glad you're alright, mother," El said. "How did you escape?"

Jeanne nodded at Nina. "A friend and her friends helped me."

"Nina, you're here too?" El asked.

"Yep! Long story, we escaped together," Nina said. "I'm glad you're okay! We have so much catching up to do!"

"And time you shall have, but leave mother and child to themselves for now," Gabriel said before turning to Nina. "Ninati Navrátil, right? We would like a word with you about your alleged immunity."

"Huh? Oh, sure. Until later!"

Nina left with Gabriel and Sofiel. Jeanne and El sat at the edge of the golden lake, legs dangling.

"After we were separated I did as you said, I followed the one who helped me."

"Azazel?"

"You know him?"

"Somewhat," she said.

"He was awesome, going out all alone to fight for the poor demons. He's a good person," El said. "At least, as long as hell is too weak to corrupt anyone's hearts."

"You weren't short of anything?" she asked, hoping to occupy El with a story that wouldn't involve her talking about imprisonment. Not today, not at the time of their reunion.

"Well, uh ... he rarely touches most people so I didn't get hugs as I did from you," ne said. "But I had a lot of other good stuff. He made more money and brought along stuff from the mansions, so we never starved and I always had new clothes. And a solid roof, but that was cause we lived in this abandoned church just outside the city. He took a while to accept I wasn't going to live with Rita, but once he did he changed the place so I could live there well. He got himself a bed too, can you believe he used to just sleep sitting on a wooden frame? Dragging in a mattress was a chore though cause he was going to drag it through the mud at first, and it looked weird when he tried it on his back, but we got it done. We had a room all the way up in the ruins so no stragglers would bother us.

I started eating a little meat because sometimes in winter I gave away the food I bought and Azazel hunted, so that was all we had. But most of the time we had so much, I could even choose what to eat. He also got some magic food stuff every now and then and I and Rita handed it out in the slums. Only when the right kind of trader came through, but I was able to help out. We combined it with Rita giving out medicine too.

I didn't like the hunting when it hurt though. He can kill really quickly, but I can do it without pain. I showed him this once and after that, he told me about the arena. I went along because there I could use my kiss of death to make things better. They'd be killed anyway, so it was just like I'd take the pain away. I still want to heal though. There are so many people suffering in the slums and Rita can't do miracles and she needs to be paid cause it takes long and she makes medicine. I tried getting her to teach me but she didn't want to. So I just worked in the arena ... "

"What is, it El?"

"I saw him in the arena during the siege, he wouldn't look at me," El said. "I think he's angry that I left him. They put him to fight in the arena, there's nothing he'd hate more."

"I'm sure he's not," she said. "Once you meet again, you'll see."

"You don't think it's strange I know him?"

Jeanne squeezed El's shoulders. "I wouldn't even be here if not for the help of demons. There's a lot that's changed in both of our lives, mine as much as yours."

"And I'm going to make even more lives better. I fixed myself, see?" El spread nur wings and whirled a circle on the golden lake. "They even started shining! I'm also in a better body now. Really, everything's gotten better since I went to heaven, even my powers are improving. Did you know I charmed a unicorn? A real one."

"That's wonderful, El. About that, I've been told you're not a boy?"

"I'm not," El said. " It's a bit confusing, but I like this. I also got a new name. They say I can't be called El because it's like naming a human with the name Human."

"You don't want me to call you El?"

"I like El! But I guess it's really pretentious sounding around here, and weird and all. I also like Mugaro, but ..."

"Do you like being called Jegudiel?"

El shook nur head.

"I can call you Mugaro if you want that," she said.

"No, I'll get used to Jegudiel, really," El said. "Can you control a platform yet? After I'm done with my lessons I'll show you around. I'll probably get detention today though."

"You go to school?"

"It's just meditating and learning about powers and clearing my mind. I wasn't supposed to be distracted but when I sensed you I just had to come. I broke the door by overloading it with magic, so I might get detention for tomorrow too. But it's okay, I got to see you. Please don't be angry I broke the rules?"

"I'm not, El," she said. How could she be after all this? At, she wasn't angry at El. The gods ... well ...

"El, tell me more. I would like to know everything. Of your new friends, life with Azazel, how you met Nina."

El eagerly spoke and Jeanne didn't miss a word, but didn't miss her worries either. First abducting her child, then renaming?

Praying to Michael had already been loaded and now had another layer of complications. Seeking ill judgment of Gabriel now? How to begin?

She ... she didn't actually know how Michael would think of that. It should have occurred to her after getting to know Azazel's loud personality, but the gods were in fact persons not that difficult to grasp. Transcendental beings with more variation she had seen when they all were lined up stars far in the sky speaking with booming voices. She had no idea what kind of a personality Michael had beyond patient and forgiving and distant.

She could no longer learns so herself, but now El's fate was at stake she felt she had to. If Michael had meant her child for this, then ... then what? She'd go along with it, probably, but what else?

· · · · · · ·

How had this not blown up yet? Heaven had to be really short on staff if nobody had come to unhook the hippogryph and clean the carriage yet. The first the open the door was just Jeanne.

"And?" he asked after Jeanne had closed the door.

"El is quite well," she said. "No injuries and healed entirely."

That was both a relief and a hollowing out to him. There wasn't anywhere to head now.

"Where's Nina?"

"The good news is, everyone is too distracted with the revelation that Nina is immune. Qhispe, you are wanted too," Jeanne said to the outside. "The bad news is ... you're blamed for El's failure."

Azazel laughed. "With everything I've done they have to invent something?"

"I don't think it's about you so much as something else. Regardless, I don't think you'll be tolerated even if you did aid my child."

"They'll kill me on the spot whether or not I did anything for Mugaro," he said. "Heaven doesn't have trials and sentences for fallen angels."

"... and you came here knowing this?"

"All I needed to know was Mugaro'ss safety."

"We could have told you that by sending Qhispe back with the news!"

Point, but the waiting time didn't appeal.

Jeanne sighed. "I promised Kaisar I wouldn't let you die."

"You promised him to not let me kill myself. It doesn't count if others do it, so don't worry about your precious Orleans chivalry."

"Do you really want to have this conversation now? You want this to be the scenario where you're discovered and possibly executed on the spot?"

Not really. "How do you want to fix me being in the middle of Vanaheimr?"

"Lord Michael watches over me," she said. "I've never had a direct answer since his death, but El's existence proves he is still around somewhere. Perhaps if I let him guide me—"

"Michael, you hypocritical piece of shit, you don't need explaining which of your own laws can get your favorite killed so get that divine inspiration working for once."

"I mean it," she said. "Back when we escaped the farm, I ended up in a back alley that just happened to have a slave warehouse that happened to have a way in right there."

"I mean it too," Azazel said. "Every word of it. I'd have used bastard, but that's Mugaro. He bet ne takes after you rather than Michael."

Jeanne looked frustrated, but didn't press the issue. Outside, she told Qhispe they'd go around and pretend to be lost while looking for a place for Qhispe to transform.

That went smoothly until some angel caught up to Jeanne. Azazel couldn't hear with the windows closed, so he sent a snake to open the backdoor just a crack.

Oh, that was sourplume Urlain. Great.

"I'm trying to orient myself with the city. You see, Nina had difficult with her transformation. I've been able to help her, but if case she transforms it is best if I know how to quickly reach the edge of the city," Jeanne said. "So I went along with Qhispe's exploring."

"We can provide you with a map easily. Please, your concern is admirable but your journey was long, there is no need to exert yourself," Urlain said.

"I am quite well, truly. I was tended to with great care in Qhispe's village and have no need for further rest. I am a warrior, I memorize best through movement."

Jeanne was not good at deception, at all. Way too stiff. Didn't help she was lying to one of her beloved gods.

Urlain turned on nur heel and went right for the door.

Just barely, Azazel slipped out the backdoor and scampered below the carriage, where he levitated up against the boards. Urlain lingered right above him.

"Dalua Urlain? What is the matter?"

One of the couch shelves was pulled free and clattered on the ground. "I sense demonic energy."

Rustling and more shelves before Urlain stood again.

"Oh, these," Jeanne said. "They must've been left by—"

"Bacchus and Hamsa had allied with demons, but this alone cannot account for what I sense. It's stronger, and ..."

Probably staring at the floorboards now. Maybe he should take his chances flying to the edge of the city.

"Uh, Bacchus might have spilled demon wine on the floorboards? Honestly, I've never met him, I only know him through Favaro and Kaisar's stories. He is very fond of wine."

"Ah. I suppose that makes sense."

Another door opening and the weight in the carriage lessened. When they were moving again Azazel slipped back in after the next corner and stayed still until Jeanne stopped.

Urlain left and they went on without another word. Once they reached a lowered area, Qhispe stopped the carriage.

The sea of cloud stretched behind a circle of lesser islands. At the very edge of the cluster was one he knew quite well. It lay separate from the main cluster a little, was wide and had some of the oldest trees. "Do you see that island just beyond that long cloud bank? I will be there."

He almost flew off, but Jeanne's hand on his arm stopped him. "I'll see about bringing El along soon. In the meantime you should take these. I'm afraid if I keep them they'll be destroyed."

She handed him the bundle of papers that Dante had left. Beyond Belphegor, this was likely all that remained of the rebellion. He wanted to never see the testament of his failure again, but he couldn't dishonor those who had died. So he held them close as he dived into the upper layer of the storm.

· · · · · · ·

"You want me to put that on?" Nina's stomach turned just from looking at the collar.

"We do not currently have any Onyx Knights for you to fight, so we retrieved an ally of us who happens to have these at command," Gabriel said.

The plaza was empty and wide, they expected transformations? Nina had explained she couldn't do fields like El, had expected to fight green magic, not this. But if it helped them figure out how to send her to war ...

She let the collar be placed on her. There was another for Qhispe because they suspected the immunity might be shared.

The human hadn't even been introduced as they were directed to the center of the plaza. On cue, said human began to chant and the familiar, dreadful needles tore into Nina's neck.

Qhispe buckled screaming. Nina remained standing, but had to fight off the transformation. Her teeth sharpened and nails grew despite the light staying close.

When Qhispe convulsed like any demon, Nina yelled, "Stop!"

She wasn't the only one to do so, but the human just went on chanting.

"I said stop!" Gabriel repeated.

The pain cut deeper. Nina almost lost her control then. If not Gabriel's voice, that made the human back off.

Qhispe crawled up on her knees, and Gabriel knelt at her side.

"My deepest apologies," Gabriel said. "Lately my troops have been ... stubborn, but I had not expected my human allies to take liberties."

Qhispe coughed. "Clearly."

"Bring that man away. He is not welcome anymore," Gabriel commanded.

Nina picked up Qhispe, who easily fit on her arm. "I'll carry you home, okay?"

Gabriel said, "My apologies once more. We should have accounted for your old age and physical nature."

"That wasn't just old age," Qhispe muttered. "I'm pretty sure the immunity is just something about Ninati."

"I see," Gabriel said. "How interesting."

· · · · · · ·

Below the roots of a gigantic tree lay a network of tunnels, once dug out by a young earth for him and his friends to play in. It wasn't disobedience, they'd told each other, they'd tell they had a dangerous hide out if anyone asked. Nobody thought to ask. Here they played war and practised magic beyond their level. Azazel wondered how many of the kids here had grown up be rebellious. He'd never met any in hell, but then again he didn't keep track of who came and went.

Now the playground lay abandoned. Parts of the roof had collapsed, leaving rays of dim light falling, so he did not bother lighting the old torches. Maybe if Mugaro showed up, but he doubted it would be today.

When Jeanne arrived, she brought along a glowing Nina who was already a few scales and fangs into her transformation. She peaked over Jeanne's head by now and had a hint of horns.

"The old one isn't here?" he asked, because he didn't expect them to answer what had happened to Nina this time either. Must be that same thing as before.

"Qhispe isn't feeling so well," Nina said. "They tested some things on the immunity ... The escort we had has been sent away, but I'm not sure whether they're not keeping an eye on us. What is this place?"

Ah, already some of that useful vigilance, she caught on quick. "An old hideout where I used to play."

"Won't new kids have found it?" Nina asked.

"I doubt it," Azazel said. "Less faith, recent devestation, fair chance of invasion by murderous humans. What few children there are will be kept close to home."

He led them to the center cave, where Nina would fit a few times over.

Jeanne released Nina's energy and rushed back.

Nina's light filled the cave for a fierce moment. The remaining dragon looked around in confusion, found no enemy and and no exist ... so she picked up Azazel. He just resigned to his fate while Nina curled up in a corner and stuffed him between neck and arms.

Jeanne walked up, careful at first in case Nina made sudden movement, but she stayed still. So did those damn snakes growing from his arms without permission, so this wasn't that bad.

"Do you need help?" Jeanne asked.

Azazel sighed. "No. This is just a thing she does."

"Can't you teleport out of it?"

"Her energy interferes," he said. "No idea why."

"Hmm." Jeanne laid a hand on Nina's snout, smiling. "My world keeps getting stranger and stranger, so why not this too?"

"You can pet her, she likes that for some reason," he grumbled. Anything to keep her from laughing at him.

Jeanne took that invitation, climbing on Nina to marvel at her scales. Nina leaned into the touch, but Jeanne was just human and couldn't come close to scratching enough that it mattered. They both gave up pretty soon. Ergo, Jeanne resumed trying to be conversational.

"El won't be able to come any time soon. Gabriel keeps her ... nur ... I might need some time getting used to this. Anyway, they keep an eye on El all the time."

"Mugaro's a dusiu?"

Jeanne nodded. "El told me a lot about you that matches with your stories. I'll admit I had some distrust that was misplaced. One complaint was voiced though : you don't do hugs. Given that you are in fact capable of hugging Nina and not currently losing your mind with touch anxiety, I think you should work on that."

"Nina is an exception by absolute need," he said, bypassing the obvious that he might never meet Mugaro face to face again.

Jeanne went to pick up the bundle, which he'd laid in between dry roots. "May I know what they are?"

"Wishes that Nina had our demons write down. Dante ... never mind."

Jeanne sat on Nina's arm, leaning against her neck. He felt more talking coming and sure, there she went, "I would like to know more about the nature of demons. Can I read them?"

"They weren't for my eyes anyway."

So Jeanne read them, while Azazel struggled to get out of Nina's grip. She stayed a dragon unusually long this time, what was up with that?

Nina's didn't resist as he got out, but gave a pathetic little whine. "I'm not leaving, stop that."

He just climbed on Nina's back and lay there, because truth be said he did want to know what was in the letters. "Well?"

"What?"

"What's in them?"

"Oh, you're taking it strictly by the word? ... well, I can't read all these scripts, but for those that I do ... much is like with us humans. I grew up a peasant in an impoverished area, this is all the time."

What the weaker classes wanted was laxer taxes, or no taxes. They wanted better land to be released for farming and harvesting. They wanted the richest magma for fertilizing emptied grounds, and they wanted collapsed canyons clear and new grounds breached. Overpopulation deal with, new places colonized. They'd figured out transformative magic could heal, knew higher demons had that capacity, but didn't understand how much energy it took. Nobody had bothered telling them either. At least two, one of whom probably Adva, had lengthy complaints about maintenance of the skybeasts. Others had magic that they could never use below the surface and wanted to settle on the surface, if away from humans.

"Azazel, I need to know something : when the chiefs of the tribes gather, do they have to state whether or not they will follow Lucifer?"

"Duh, of course."

"You don't have a centralized government?"

"We do! Lucifer is the lord of all demons now that Belzebuth is dead."

"No, I mean that you appear to have allied tribes, but not a king specifically. Does Lucifer make laws that govern them all?"

Was she mad? "That wouldn't last for centuries. The only reason your stupid human system holds is that nobody lives long enough to get fed up with it or see how it falls apart."

"Oh my gods. For years I've been fighting individual tribes acting up? I thought hell was a unified mass of chaos," she said like it was the biggest revelation. "And Nina's tribe probably isn't the only one that separated from hell, is it? What about heaven? Is it like this too?"

"There's at least a dozen smaller clusters up here," Azazel said. "Vanaheimr is just the leader of their union, like Lucifer once was the leader of what you lot would call the moderate hellfolk."

"I have no what I've been fighting for or against," Jeanne said.

"Unfortunately, same for me."

· · · · · · ·

Sofiel had expected Jeanne's arrival to make a difference for El, but it did not. The new routine of heaven went on as before : Gabriel took El to earth to inspire revolt in allied kingdoms, but there were no concrete plans for how to actually deal with Dromos. Word had come in that a demon had taken part of the capital hostage, perhaps Gabriel wanted to see what would happen with that? Sofiel wasn't counciled. At times like this she couldn't believe she ever would be approved as archangel. Did she want to in this scheme? The council of four archangels had smoothly taken control of Vanaheimr after the death of Zeus, preventing a dangerous power vacuum, but it had always been a coalition between the four of them (five once). How much of her past leadership had been the support of the others?

Qhispe, Ninati and Jeanne were given quarters with adjecant rooms and a balcony for the hippogryph to rest, in case Ninati quickly needed to leave the city. Jeanne went to talk with her child every day between lessons and meditation. El tried harder than with others to convince Jeanne that Azazel wasn't that bad right now. Jeanne for her part looked stern, which Sofiel initially had taken as disapproval, but the longer it went on the more it felt like she held something back.

Ninati herself was a problem too. Gabriel fretted on how to apply her immunity. It hadn't reached the public news outright, but the rumor did spread due to Ninati stating it in a public place. It didn't at all mesh with the story of El as the chosen one created by Michael to combat Dromos. It couldn't even be played off as some demonic spirit doing the same, since this hybrid predated the rise of Charioce.

Ninati hung out within the palace walls and sometimes went into the city under escort. Within a day her novelty had gotten her a few aquaintances that might become friends, the rest done by her natural cheer. She didn't go around announcing she was immune at every turn, but did mention it when asked. There were already rumors about how little this made sense and wild speculation on Indra's Web, so Gabriel didn't order her confined. It would just add fuel to the fire.

To Sofiel's surprise though, three days in Ninati was permitted to organize a gathering within the palace walls.

Within an amphitheater under the sky, Ninati had Chiron, Iasis and even Shiva, along with a flock of elves and a few gods not important enough for Sofiel to know their name. Off to the side sat Qhispe with Juturna, Apeliotes and Meliai; respecitvely gods of blessed water, farming and forests. Everyone, even the audience, had been decked out with veils, flowers and other silly knick knacks.

"Nina, do you not have the slightest bit of respect for the gods?" Jeanne asked, pulling the words from Sofiel's mouth.

"Oh relax already!" Qhispe called. "There isn't a single brat here who's even close to half my age. Respect your elder and we're fine, let them have some fun."

"What do you plan to do with this assortment?" Sofiel asked.

"I'm teaching people to dance using only feet! I would've asked Bacchus and Hamsa to join but they're locked up for cooperating with demons, which is stupid because I'm a bit demon too and Qhispe is a demon and the demons are Charioce's enemy, but okay, it will have to do for today."

Ninati threw a purpur robe around Jeanne. "Come, join us."

"Are you sure about this?" Jeanne asked.

"I'm not going to let romance or dancing be ruined for me, so yes, I so am," she said. "Also these people need some fun. Especially you."

Ninati pointed at Sofiel. "You can be the queen, you'll fit right in, act like you're above everyone."

"I am above them," Sofiel said. "By duty and power."

"Fine, we can find a worthier queen," Ninati said, and for some reason Jeanne looked a little dissapointed.

"What story is it?" Jeanne asked.

"It's my own spin on an old tribe legend," Ninati said. "Ancient lore says we will ascend to the great dragon in the sun when the world ends. One story talks of a hero who went early to ask a favor. There's lots of variations, and it's not always the same reason, but there's always the bride whom he can't marry. Sometimes she's cursed, sometimes her father wants proof of worthiness. In most versions the bride sacrificed herself so the prince could survive and rule the kingdom. The hero's quest teaches him a prayer, but in my story it's the bride who ascends, cause while the prince was on his quest she traveled the world to learn how to become fire. Then they lived happily ever after."

"You just rewrote your prophecies?" Sofiel asked. "You have no respect for ancient word?"

Ninati shrugged. "It's not like I'm telling anyone it's true. This is just for fun. We'll have everyone try out all roles and then see who's best for what."

Jeanne got to play the hero on behalf of pulling off knightly solemn faces so well, which Sofiel thought was just her default. Nobody cared whether it was for acting skills though, least of all Ninati. All her choices in the roles had more to do with whom she imagined would be most fun with what part. Ninati was a whirlwind of friendliness and color, easy to interact with and so a good distraction for everyone here, with the lost war so recent. Maybe that was why Gabriel had allowed it?

Sofiel sat by and had to admit she regretted not joining the spectracle, even Jeanne had fun. She also had to admit she watched Jeanne a little more than others. Maybe ...

Maybe she shouldn't lose herself in this, because the sudden presence of Gabriel caught her by surprise. Quickly she stood up, regaining her regal, dissaffected pose.

At the entrance gate stood Gabriel with El next to her on her platform. When Nina spotted them she called out, "Mugaro! You wanted to hear the Stairway of Fire fairytale, right? I'll do one better for you, you can see it and be part of it!"

"I can't, I have to train my powers right now and then I have to go help people on earth," El said. "But I can watch once you finish the play."

"Aww, too bad."

"Mugaro?" Aurora asked.

"Oh, right, that's El's other name, given by Az—" Nina stopped at Jeanne's horrified stare. "Uh, nur adoptive father back on earth. "

This all pinged two things for Sofiel, Ninati knew Azazel, and considered him El's parental figure. If Ninati knew, did Jeanne ...?

"Anyway, let's get back to work!" Ninati said, and the crowd followed.

"See, Jegudiel? This is what ascended demons are like," Gabriel said. "Perhaps a little earthly, but making peace with the gods so easily. None of the gods mind them. If demons were only willing to ascend and leave behind their poisonous darkness, we would have no issue with them."

"What the hell are you talking about? That's not how it works." Ninati planted her hands on her hips. "You'll only make things worse by lying about this."

All the plaza fell quiet. One didn't just accuse the queen of heaven of lying.

But Gabriel just laughed it off. "Of course you don't want to think of your kin as sinful, but you are too young to understand this."

"Nina, let's not make things difficult," Qhispe said.

Ninati hmmphed and went back to work with even more vigor. Sofiel couldn't quite place what she was angry about.

· · · · · · ·

Malphas's ability to construct meant a solid tunnel, but it still took time for her to break through the earth. And no finesse : it was right into the kitchen of the Lidfard home. Shoul've been the garden or cellar.

After the tiles floated down, Belphegor peaked into the dark room with all intent of stealth. Just to find Felicia at the kitchen table with a candle, watching over boiling milk. Before Belphegor could withdraw, Felicia spotted her.

They stared at each other, Belphegor half wondering whether the fog worked here.

"Hello there, Felicia?" she tried.

"Who else? You're not Belle I guess."

"You're also not panicking."

"Oh, I'm so considering that the longer you're looming there."

Malphas looked out of the hole. "This the right place I take it?"

"Yes, though—"

"Whatever, I'm sending the rest in." And Malphas was back down the hole.

"I don't have an agreement yet!" Belphegor called after her, to get no answer.

Mimi and Coco scampered up the hole instead, nosing around. "Smells of the captain here, we're right. Now trace of Favaro though, ruff!" And they were gone too, except into the upper ring.

Felicia looked more sour than afraid now. Around the corner of the door, Tasro peaked.

"You're still here?" Belphegor asked, and the child nodded.

"I'm not kicking out a child," Felicia said. "Even if it's a demon, which I will have to say you two were careless about hiding. Really careless."

"You knew."

"I didn't suspect anything at first," Felicia said. "Mister Lidfard has always been a firm supporter of order and the kingdom. But then he started being bizarrely insistent about me not wearing the anti dote cloth inside the house. I wouldn't bother anyway, no point. So why insist? I considered turning you in, but thought maybe you had just cast some love charm and didn't want to doom the captain for that. Then you brought in the child. Then you had that experiment. Then you left alone. It didn't add up to a love charm ... so, what does it add up to?"

"Before, it was nearly being stomped to death by an automaton, knightly chivalry and I suspect feeling a little bad about kidnapping me that one time." She shrugged. "And this time, I hoped to see whether Kaisar's blooming chivalry extends to smuggling food and medicine into the barrier. The one who cast that is our enemy so we went by tunnel."

"Oh my ... well, I'm afraid you won't catch Kaisar here. He hasn't been home since he joined the Onyx Knights."

"He what?"

Before she got an answer, Belphegor was pushed out of the hole. As she rolled back on her feet, Dietlinde climbed out.

"Ooh, nice place," she said. "Where's the boss?"

"And you would be?" Felicia asked.

"Right now, the home manager of the next demon rebellion. Somehow. My former employer was already into smuggling to buy demons for medical experiments, which is a no no if you plan to use the parts on humans, but if I cared for the law I would've reported them already. I just want a steady income and no trouble, and thanks to these assholes, I have nothing but trouble." She pinched the bridge of her nose. "But I'm fine. I'm managing. I'm going to not be eaten, so if I have to smuggle food for demons so be it. What's your excuse?"

Wary, Felicia stood up to shake Dietlinde'd hand. "I suppose mine might be that my father is part of the Sacred Circle movement and I'm suspecting my boss is involved in something too."

Belphegor perked up. "Really?"

"It's nothing big, a lot of people are. It's just a bunch of protesting organized by Cluysenaar, but they're in the charity business. They've got silly ideals about reinstalling the old system of divinely approved kings, so I never got involved much, but ... hmm, if Jeanne d'Arc is truly alive and opposing the king ... do you know where she is?"

"Unfortunately, no, but perhaps I should get in touch with this Sacred Circle. First matters first though : should I assume you our ally?"

"Well, I'm not going to fight or anything, but I wouldn't mind passing some food along. And you can set up another weird tech workplace if you want to."

Belphegor smiled, almost said no to that last one, but considered that this place wasn't supervised by Olivia. "That would all be more helpful, for me, and I suspect Jeanne d'Arc if she ever returns to the city."

· · · · · · ·

Visiting hours. They gave her visiting hours for her own child.

El was always occupied with meditation this, training that, and she didn't even get to be there. Visits were arranged in nice scenery, but with route, food and time all planned out. There were usually gods around, making the topic of their secret guest a problem.

Perhaps she was a little fed up with it, but she did something not so noble : she asked Nina to provide a distraction so she could talk with El in private.

Chosen time was when Jeanne and El were set to wander a park, full of sages and philosophers who El was supposed to find inspirational. Nina found the smuggest face and picked a verbal with vun. It got loud, it got all the guards involved, Nina made sure to growl a little, and even calm Sofiel had to focus on it.

Jeanne and El wandered off to the other side of the lake, well into the bright sun where Jeanne felt nobody might be sitting behind trees to listen.

"El, what was this about purifying demons?"

"Oh, they say that I got too close to the demons and that's why my power wasn't strong enough," El said. "If hell becomes stronger again, the power of darkness will rise. I'm really worried what will happen when we win and all the demons go back and restore it, cause it's going to make them evil again."

"If it's currently not corrupting the demons from hell, how would it be corrupting your power?" Jeanne asked. "Even after you rid yourself of the black blood?"

El shrugged. "I don't know, but there's got to be a reason I'm not winning, right? Also why Azazel's not so bad anymore? You should see the walls of all the evil he did, but the only new on it is killing really bad people."

"I do not know enough of your magic to tell what your limits and potential is, but I am certain that you cannot use Azazel as proof for anything. Whatever changes he underwent must've been from experience, not magic. I know because ... " Jeanne pulled El closer. As El fell into the embrace, she whispered next to nur ears, " ... he was with us the entire way to heaven. Will you come see him? We can tell you more about magic, and he misses you."

"Really? He's here?" El lit up to match the years before tragedy.

"Yes, and I've spent some time with him. It was ... engaging, and gave me a new perspective. He's in the forest."

"Oh, they don't let me wander. Or anyone near technology," ne said. "But we can go to the plaza, just bring him there! I'll explain to everyone who's coming."

"No." Jeanne took El by the shoulders and looked nur sharp in the eyes. "No, you cannot tell anyone he is here. It's not safe."

"I'm really, really important, they'll have to listen to me. If they don't, I'll try blowing up more equipment."

What on earth and heaven above was going on with her child?

Alright, think.

"Azazel joined with an angel during the assasination attempt, right?"

"Yes, he and Sofiel teamed up just before she took me to heaven."

"She took you. You did not leave voluntarily?"

"No way, the battle was still happening! Oh, do you know whether anyone else got away?"

"A few did, but we need to stay on topic. The gods in charge will not care what you want, and if even Sofiel does not feel she can tell anyone Azazel and she cooperated it is because she does not feel safe doing so. You cannot tell anyone Azazel is here or we will be in trouble. Do you understand?" The words sounded so certain in her own mouth, but she couldn't shake the absurdity of it.

"Okay ... is he going too dark or something?"

"No, that has nothing to do with this." She ought to go on and explain what she knew of possession, had mentally steeled herself for this, only to find herself reeling yet again. She would have to tell her child that she had killed nur father. "Dark magic isn't the problem, I know because of my past experiences. It's ... "

Once again, she had no foundation to begin from. Who would?

"The gods have much more experience than you," El said. "None of the world makes sense, even before Charioce. Maybe it needed to be torn down and that's why Charioce was born. I was born to save the world, the entire world, don't you see? Not just us and the humans from Charioce, but the demons as well. Maybe I ended up in Azazel's care so I would have the best way to prove what path the world must take. So tell him to come to me, and I will show the world we can all come to the light."

With that, El walked away resolutely, leaving Jeanne rather lost. She sat down on a bench, watching Nina. She argued with a whole crowd by now. After a while it dispersed, frustrated. She couldn't tell who had won.

Nina stomped through the shallow lake to join Jeanne. "That was even worse than Gabriel, I can't believe it!" she said as she dropped on the bench.

Jeanne had a lifetime of script on how to respond to thatkind of blasphemy, but had firmly run out of steam to act on it.

"I think that stuff Gabriel and Sofiel is saying is like, not new here, but it's new that they're taking it so literal," Nina said. "That innuw was really happy about it cause ve thinks it's finally going the right direction. Ve was half into advocating genocide."

"El is entirely wrapped up in this too," Jeanne said. "Heaven is supposed to by my eternal ally, but I'm not sure where they're taking this."

"Yeah, how are we going to ally them with the demons if they think they're just gonna betray them by default?"

"You thinkg an alliance is even possible at this point? All we managed during Bahamut was raising a shield together, it's different from organizing an army and supplanting a kingdom. And what will happen afterward?"

"We should at least sort that out. Some gods already worry about that too, but they don't act!" Nina growled. "You should do something, you're good at leading people."

"That was only those whose faith led them to admire divinity."

"Pretty sure you're wrong, but you do have that leverage too. Use it. Whatever way we get there will do. This," she gestured at the city. "Isn't going anywhere on its own."

"Nina, even if they're not perfect they're better than any other option against Charioce. We should leave this to the gods, they are far more qualified to handle warfare. You don't need to start a rebellion here," Jeanne said."

"Mugaro's believing nonsense now, so ne isn't getting things going the right way. We can. Come now, you once said you would do whatever good you still could do, even if you couldn't atone. Well, you don't have to atone, but there's lots of lives to save anyway and the gods don't care for most of them. So why are you not doing planning to do more?"

Jeanne lowered her face. The guilt had no point being around, but was eager to jump back. If she hadn't defied the gods back then, she wouldn't want to start now, did she?

· · · · · · ·

Cerberus and her girls had holed out a nice new home in the slums, as far as one could do that. Which wasn't much at all. This really was deplorable, actually. All this dust. If Olivia's hobby was inspiring hate with minimal effort, she deserved an award just for sitting in a place.

Borashne's estimations of the future were more sunshine. Assuming Charioce didn't go for a full out attack, food would run out soon enough; Charioce had already shut down all supply roads. Freed slaves were binge eating, more than a few dropped dead from that, and in time some might just eat humans. Olivia did nothing to stop this. Didn't she see she played right into Charioce's needs?

Charioce had his own people enslaved on that island, left to be murdered with the unsealing of that weapon. Innocent Jeanne probably wasn't an exception. He also killed his staff for minor errors every now and then. How long until he'd decide the sacrifice of the hostages was worth restoring his image of absolute power? After that, he'd have a carnage to show the rest of his citizens to the point they'd put up with whatever he did.

The newly freed demons had splintered into factions : those willing to go all out on the humans, those who just wanted to have a life, and a group around Belphegor who were more or less the offshoot of the old rebellion, now cooperating with humans aiming at taking Charioce down. Olivia didn't seem to make plans in that direction, but she was gathering all the strongest demons, while Belphegor pulled together the idealistic scraps.

And now Belphegor came down the elevator with yet another batch of sickly people that she didn't know how to take care of. As usual, her squad went off with them while she dived off somewhere on errands.

This time, Cerberus teleported up to them. Belphegor was already gone.

"You're not making this easier, you know. Do you even have a plan where to put them?" Cerberus said, gesturing at the cart. "Did she when she dumped you here, Adva?"

Adva and the restof them just shrugged. "She just told us what areas to avoid. It's not like we have much going on here."

Cerberus groaned. "Yes, we actually do. There's districts here governed by gangs. I just finished beating up a stubborn ass who didn't take my authority and I'm gonna have to keep doing that for a while. Ugh ... where'd she go?"

"Fetching some more of her tools," Adva said. "She's smuggling them somewhere."

Cerberus went after her, finding her doing exactly that. Bits and pieces hidden into her coat, she clearly didn't want to be seen outside with it.

"What the hell are you doing, wasting your time with that?"

"I've got the time, I'm a scientist," Belphegor said. "I have to make that count."

"Then get better at other stuff," Cerberus snarled. "And quit dumping sick people in my new territory."

"I don't know how!" Belphegor hissed. "I really don't know. A few weeks ago I thought I'd be a second in command to Dante, but I never even got time to become good at that. And now have an interal explosion coming up, food shortages and not even Rita is around. I can't learn to be a doctor too!"

Okay, fair point. Should she just kill off the trouble makers? Nah, would alienate Belphegor. She might need her as an ally.

"Fine, I'll just go grab a doctor," she said. "If you set up an infirmary in the tunnels, got it? I'll send Malphas to hole out something, but you do the rest."

"I'll try."

Cerberus already had her private doctor conviscated, but Olivia only knew about the guild ones and she wasn't getting anymore of Cerberus's stuff.

So Belphegor could get another doctor and figure the rest out herself. Cerberus teleported into the new red light district with ease. Mimi and Coco had already scooped out the new formation as a matter of principle, and the location Cerberus aimed for wasn't so far from her old home. Still far enough to avoid being sensed by Olivia; some gods had that potential.

Olivia had raided the doctor's guild and tracked down every member, leaving the entire city devoid of health care. Any new doctor who arrived was subsequently taken, and there were rumors she had even those from the palace. That implied some hefty teleportation skills and energy. Worth being stealthy over.

The doctors were kept in a cellar with a few measly guards. Them being just humans, that was enough, but Cerberus could just teleport past those.

The cellar reeked of rot; a few of the doctors had already died and their corpses were left.

"Who's the boss?" Cerberus asked.

It got a wave of whimpering and pleading out of which she picked up nothing useful. She hauled the nearest doctor up by the collar. "I just need a good doctor and am assuming the boss is the best, but if I can't figure that out I'll start being not nice about testing. I might make multiple excursions here if I am dissatisfied, so why not tell me right what my best chances are, hmm?"

"Oagburg ... that one ..." The man pointed at an unremarkable figure at the back. "Doctor Oagburg is the one who usually handled public and supernatural relations. He probably knows the most about magical patients."

Good enough. Cerberus dropped the current human, grabbed the Oagburg guy and teleported away.

Really, really easily. She'd tuned in on a spot within an attic she knew, expecting the cargo to drain her, but it didn't. Risking a longer jump three houses further likewise worked just fine. The third one she aimed right into her home in the slums.

And she got there too.

What the hell. She hadn't been able to teleport so well since the fall of hell.

She followed the scent of Belphegor and Durahanem, finding them pretty soon.

"Everyone, meet Oagburg, an old friend of Rita, am I right?" She shoved the human at them. "Get him fed and functional, I'm not bringing him colleages."

Not anytime soon, anyway. She was going to experiment a bit with the pleasant surprise that the local magic turned out to be. Hell's power was either on the rise, or had never gone away.

· · · · · · ·

"Mugaro couldn't come," Nina said. "Gabriel keeps a really close eye on nur. But guess what? I got you cake!"

"I don't—"

"Want cake. Sure. Just like duck Jeanne was an example of being inconspicious." Nina unwrapped the cake to show off in a ray of sunlight. "And I'm sure this cake will inconspiciously vanish too."

That got her a typical Azazel glare, nothing to worry about.

"Where is Jeanne anyway?"

"I came on my own," she said. "Jeanne went with Urlain and Reinier to talk about something spiritual."

She pushed the cake at hime; lavender with chocolate lines across it. "Are you going to color coordinate everything you give me?"

"Yes!"

"Hmmph."

Azazel was usually a neat eater but this, oh my. He could rival a young dragon.

"Ambrosia next time," he muttered while scraping the last bits out of the package.

"Of course. I'll make it Inconspicious Ambrosia. In the meantime, teach me how to fly!"

Azazel stopped chewing. "Mwhut?"

"I was thinking during our game with the kids it's be much better if we could fly and have hands at the same time. And the we did pact magic. Favaro has a tail from a pact, right? It should be easier with me since I already got a shape with wings. In dragon form my wings are too small, but they should be fine for this form."

"What, I'm the dispenser of magic now?"

"You helped Jeanne!"

"Her sinner shit annoyed me."

"I promise I can be as annoying as I have to be, so teach me how to fly!"

"I've never given anyone wings before."

"We'll figure it out, just like the potion! Except this time you're getting paid with inconspicious mystery substance rather than souls or whatever you got before."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "You're horrible."

"Thanks!"

Nina sought out a root that stuck out and was thick enough for her to sit on and leave room for wings. Since she'd gotten her current dress from a shop Sofiel frequented, it had an open back. That was about as far as she had ideas. "So now what?"

Azazel dragged his feet but did follow.

"The seat of the soul is behind the eyes." His hand stopped before her forehead. "... I have not pacted like this before."

His black hand might as well be blades, and his white hand still had pointed purple fingernails."Let me guess, you used to just cut people. That's so tacky."

"It looks weird if I bend my finger up, okay."

"Still tacky."

"Oh shut it."

She pressed her lips together and waited until he had his finger on her forehead to whisper, "Tacky."

His hand dropped. "I'm trying to concentrate!"

Nina chuckled, turned over his hand and set the back of his fingers against her forehead.

"Hmmph," was all he said because he couldn't deny this did solve his objections to silliness.

This pact magic moved differently than the potion. Rather than strike a link directly to Azazel's power, it brought a sense of existing above gaping canyon ready to fall, balancing only on an updraft of power. Nina reached out, taking root within that force.

The pact's completion lingered and Azazel asked, "Anything shape shifty going on?"

Nina shook her head.

"I'm trying to push a template, but your inhuman heritage gets in the way. You have to boost the transformation yourself before the pact is sealed."

"Uh ... let me try ... "

Azazel walked behind her, setting his hands lightly on her upper back. "Try pushing your energy here."

The pulse that sent her into dragonhood had slowed on the island most steeply, starting with Jeanne's trick. The triggers themselves hadn't changed beyond one lessening. That one ... it wasn't the attraction, it was the associated feeling that got kindled. Now her transformation could cool down and she knew, felt what caused it, she could connect the feelings to the facts.

They'd stood on the boardwalk, he was a friend dropping by to say hello. She'd been in the middle of a chore, dropped her basket, heard her father run up ...

Later moments flitted by, of screams and of blood that smelled too familiar. Tears threatened to escape, she was glad Azazel couldn't see.

It was slower than the previous time. Maybe she shouldn't think about her father too often lest it run out as a trigger, but then again, being stabbed was actually the more pleasant.

The light flared up and only weakly pulled her into the nothingness between transformations, she cut it off. All her focus went to where Azazel's hands lay on her back and her throat, which scaled over in part.

Her skin felt like tearing before it turned smoother, more ticklish as bones and flesh knit together. Azazel's hands stayed on the fingered joint, pulling along her own magic until they were as wide as his own. Peaking over her shoulder, he looked so focused he'd stretched his own wings out as well, while the sickly snakes from his arms were gone for a moment.

The pink glow remained around her as she stretched her wings up and down, expecting to sense some kind of magical pushing below it. All she got was toppling ahead, and she didn't even manage to turn it into a roll.

"Ouch."

"Keep them forward," Azazel said.

Easier said than done. Having wings like this didn't belong, giving a constant little sense of wrong itching at her which she had to push through with every motion. Holding at a root she stood up, pushed to a freer space and tried curled her wings forward.

Aaaand she didn't fall on her face again, just crunched the wings on the ground.

"Oh for the love of chaos." Azazel put her on her feet and folded her wings to her sides. "Keep the weight at your sides all the time."

She clenched the wings as small as she could and balanced on his arm. Okay, that work.

Once she could stand still, next up was air. If she had floating magic there was no way to tell yet, so she'd have to beat her wings.

Which got her nowhere.

"Try throwing magic? Like when you had to break rock."

Thinking of that way actually helped, though she'd compare it to swimming more. Next problem was, she absolutely no idea how much, in what direction, and when. It led to more intimate encounters with the every angle of the rooty cave, with gifts of bruises. Scales started to grow all over her. Maybe that wasn't so bad.

Azazel did think it was, because he declared it was time to just learn to float and nothing else. Nina disagreed some more, because she'd never learned anything by standing still. And promptly got another bruise.

"Goddamit, Nina, how do you think angels learn to fly? You have to start like a child."

"You know, I'm pretty sure I flew a little when I was small."

"Well, it's not showing." He held out a hand for her to lean on. "Don't try anything else but moving your wings to keep your head steady."

She did so slow at first, until the magic kicked in to make her weigh less.

Azazel raised his hand, and she raised herself along, beating her wings in rhythm with the pulse of power.

Even when she let go one hand, she remained at balance. She risked giving a thumbs up, grinning. It had her wobble a little bit not crash.

"Great, I won't have to carry you next time we jump off heaven," he said lightly.

Azazel ought to smile like that more often. She'd almost said it was for the next rebellion rather than escape, but didn't. He'd just fly off again. Not that she wouldn't bring it up later, in time. Azazel without trying to free his people was eerie, almost misfit like her own wings in this form.

Once she returned to the lush outside, she left behind more than just darkness and a demon.

It really was over. That had been hours in the company of an attractive guy and nothing about that rushed her into being a dragon. It would've made her happy once, when she didn't need the dragon so badly.

She closed her eyes and thought of her best memories of her father, letting the pink flames that she'd held back all along wash over her. Guiding them away didn't take so much effort anymore, either because the pulse wasn't so bad or because she got used to the technique. If she could control that difference, maybe she'd be closer to controlling it, but not yet. Another thing to tackle.

Right now she just wanted to let go. Scales covered her, the pulse rose and slipped into the light.

When she came to, the meadow was crashed but the trees stood. Nothing had burned and the sky still the same. Her clothes were gone, so were the bruises. She huddled between the roots and watched the stars until her clothes were back and then some, because she had to be sure to return when most stable. If she got things more under control, it's be a good surprise. If not, nobody needed to know about this.

· · · · · · ·

The bell in the upper room rang and Belphegor was on her feet at once. Felicia and Tasro had agreed to ring whenever anyone came through the hole, and she'd be there.

Usually this meant demons trying to check on food delivery (or steal), Cerberus's dogs or someone trying in vain to win information on friends and relatives sold in this part of the city. This time, the bell rang thrice, meaning her special guest had arrived. Belphegor grabbed one of her shiny rock cannisters on the way down.

In the kitchen Trismegistus dusted herself off and was about to slip out.

Belphegor took her by the shoulders and steer her towards the stairs. "Aaah, Tris, you're here. Finally! Let me hire you and your alchemy."

"Oh no, I'm getting out of this city." Trismegistus as she stopped in her track. "All I needed was my immortality secured, I'm done helping anyone unless Azazel makes himself a problem."

"I can give you a better pact," Belphegor said.

"You've painted a target on yourself both for Olivia and Charioce and then where will my immortality be?"

Belphegor held up the cannister, flipping it open to reveal the new zommorod inside. "We're at a scientific breakthrough the likes the world has never seen before, concerning material of origins I am almost certain are otherworldly. Are you sure you don't want to know?"

Trismegistus pulled a disgused face at the canister, or herself, and snatched it. Disdainful she prodded the rock with a needle she hadn't had just before. Belphegor had surrounded the rock with organic wires, which the gem tried to latch onto. Trismegistus had an unsuccessful time trying to not look interested.

"Damn me and my curiosity," she whispered before heading up the stairs. "Okay, tell me what you know about imago."

· · · · · · ·

The wall made a lovely dust cloud as it collapsed under undead dragon weight, leaving Merlin to run out of the way. She stopped at Rita's table at the other end of the courtyard, and no doubt would have chewed her ears off if not for the coughing fit.

"You're pathetic at this," Rita said slowly. "I can not believe that you have demonic heritage and are an older sorcerer than I am."

Merlin was supposed to be controlling that undead dragon, which Rita had installed two dozen sabotaging elements on, like slow muscle coordination and little magic energy and entirely too much spells that got the rotten worm filled kind of zombie. One of its ears had been replaced with stench blobs so it could hear her verbals order less, and of course Rita pretended there was no such thing as mind controlling hordes through a focus point; Merlin didn't know of her umbrella.

"The magic of life and death is new to me," Merlin said through gritted teeth. "I wish you would treat this as matter of an inexperienced student. I am not averse to my limits, but I resent when you expect more of me than I can deliver."

"I understand that," Rita said. "I just don't care."

"You should care, given your precarious position."

"I've been threatened with death so much I'm starting to wonder whether this court even understands the concept of a zombie."

"There are things worse than death," Merlin said. "If you do not cooperate, I might just consider figuring out how to send you to the void."

Rita raised an eyebrow, only mildly interested.

"That's where our souls go when we are sealed by a bounty hunter bracelet. It holds nothingness. The longer of nothing, the more it breaks you. Maybe we would find out that way whether you're truly so stoic, or just have a dead face," Merlin said.

Rita clapped twice. "I'll admit that's more novel than the usual threats I've been getting."

"I'm not joking," Merlin said. "The more you show me contempt, the more I want to prove it to you, traitor of mankind."

Rita gave Merlin her deadest stare.

Merlin closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Enough of you. Enough of this dragon."

She marched into the castle using the wrong door to be headed to her room. She'd been doing that a lot yesterday and today, enough that Rita now made a point of checking what she did.

Rita tapped her foot on the ground, igniting the energy exchange with hell to power her little eavesdropper, an undead mouse. One of many dead things she'd started claiming since moving here.

Vision circles were divine magic and she had no way to just recreate their recording method, but she had figured out how to link the hearing of an undead mouse to an ichor variant of sound; a little magical variant of a string between metal bowls. Oh, she was going to miss having ichor available once she got out of here. Anyone watching her would just see her leaning her head on her ear, where she hid a warped tremor box.

Merlin opened a summoning circle as she was wont to do, recognizable by sound. The voice that greeted her belonged to Lao. Oh, he'd been gone?

"I take it you bring me foul news?"

"Unfortunately, yes. The reason Nina got out the castle is because Azazel and Jeanne d'Arc were able to summon her. Now they've gone to heaven with Qhispe, trying to find Jeanne's child."

"In other words, heaven is about to have not one but two hybrids with an immunity." Merlin sighed. "Wonderful, especially on top of the king's secret project."

"So secret I can't be told?"

"Yes, but I'll let you know I am having some second thoughts."

"What could possibly make you reconsider your alliance with that demon?"

Merlin snorted. "Not at all. Azazel can rot, but that does not mean I must serve this specific king. Hubris had taken many a great king when they aspire to overthrow enermies too great. So Charioce does. Greater than your kind. Honestly, I have not always been fate's friend, but if he is the chosen one then fate has no heart. We need to move Dromos."

Lao frowned. "Why that all of a sudden?"

"Secrets I'm afraid of and cannot change unless I sway the king. I doubt anyone can."

"Except for one. She could make it better if she just joined him. He's already making exceptions for her, if she was at our side she could get him to make more," Lao said. "Are you sure you can't make love potions?"

"I suspect Charioce would notice if she were mind controlled and he would not like the changes. No, I want to focus on moving Dromos to a less harmful location."

Their further speculation contained nothing noteworthy and Rita only half listen out of diligence. Her thoughts were with the suggestion of a greater game. Fate was at work again, Nina's off the side date was the king, Merlin had doubts and Jeanne might just be back in the game. Azazel? Who knew.

Rita wasn't in a hurry to escape as long as Charioce had a hold on Kaisar, not to mention the experiments she now had available to her, but it did begin to sound she should lay some groundwork for a break out much sooner, if there was a secret that worried even Merlin.

· · · · · · ·

Sofiel was in the middle of sealing a line of scrolls with orders when the window crashed onto her floor. Over the colorful shards was a small shadow that led to someone clinging to the outside of the window.

"And you are doing what exactly, Ninati Navrátil?"

Ninati climbed in, surrounded by pink light. Her wings appeared more like a leak than part of her body. "So sorry for the window. I wanted to talk to you but I didn't know how to get here so I figured why not fly? But I'm having some trouble with how there's all this extra direction now."

Sofiel stood up with a sigh. "I am glad that Jeanne was able to help you further ..."

"Yeah, sort of? I'm doing most of it myself by now. She can't fly." Something felt wrong about that statement. There was aid for the woman, but not Jeanne?

"Regardless, the reason you would be unable to come here is because this is restricted area. Perhaps you do not understand, but I am in line to be one of the four rulers of heaven itself. I have attendands in place to manage lesser affairs because my time is precious. Did you not see the signs?"

"Oh, that's what those meant. I can't read them. Anyway, I had a very important question. How about I clean the glass and you talk to me while I do that?"

"I have servants for that too." And she'd have to check how much windows got broken before Ninati found the right office without reading the signs.

"No need to bother them." Ninati was already pulled a decorative curtain off a pillar to wipe the shards together.

Sofiel sat back down. "Alright, what was your question?"

"I just really need to figure out some ... uhm, heart related things. You can tell stuff about people's bonds, right?"

"Who told you that?" Gabriel knew she had a slight talent for this, but who else?

"I met this nice ... what's the word? Innu? Ve wanted to be called Mageda something and told me you can sense that." Ninati finished pulling the curtain together, most of the shards in it, before she looked up. "This is important : am I in love?"

That was the important thing? Maybe someone had told her demons cannot love? "You love great many people, how can you not know?"

"Oh, I know I love my friends and family. I mean lovers. You know, in love?" When Sofiel just frowned in confusion, Ninati added, "I guess you guys don't talk like on earth. In love is what we say when we mean having romantic feelings for someone."

"I cannot discern such a degree of detail," Sofiel said.

"Really? Aurora says she sees hope like stars above people and yours was unique enough to point out your office. I thought you could do something like that but with bonds."

"I do not see what I discern. It is merely an instinct."

Ninati began gathering pieces of shard she'd missed, her hands uncut because the skin had hardened into reddish thickness. "What if I talk about someone? Like, I met a man who was everything I wanted : safe, charming, allowing me to forget the worst of life, he even was into dancing ..."

Sofiel listened to her chatter about nothings of life on earth. Now made to focus on this, she found knowledge she couldn't quite place. Poison, sugar ...

Despite her schedule and work — Gabriel would be displeased if she wasn't one time or delegated — Sofiel began asking Nina questions, and tying guesses to impressions that Nina could confirm or deny. Jeanne was easiest since Sofiel had met her already, there was an open connection. She knew El too under the name Mugaro. What a strange coincidence. Bacchus and Hamsa at least could be explained by her bounty hunting, but Sofiel had assumed Jeanne and El must've known Nina from before her imprisonment.

The man she wanted to know about was the worst to decipher her feelings about, because Nina didn't know herself. The more Sofiel focused, the more pressure built up, like a thousand weights lay atop her and it was her job to hold it all above the sea. All throughout, Nina sounded like she had when organizing the dance group and nothing more serious.

"And? Was that enough?"

Samples of dancing in the night and arms around her shoulders and other trivialities blurred together around a dark hole.

"I think you are in romance ... but there's something missing ... you're not telling me something."

Nina laughed nervously. "Okay, thank you. Great. Anyway, we don't call it in romance. The language difference must also be why I haven't been able to find the charity. I bet it's called something else here too, cause everyone gives me odd looks when I ask about it."

"The what now?"

"You know, a charity? Back at Anatae, Mugaro did this thing with Rita and Azazel's help to give the people in the slums food. Azazel always got these little round things that turned to breads when in warm water, but we handed it out cause he's a social wreck. Didn't Mugaro tell you anything like that?"

"We call that generosity to earth." Nina had been hanging out with El and Azazel ... giving food to the starving?

"I know it's really dangerous down there and all, but you guys have so much food, I bet we can work out a way to feed people. In fact, Qhispe's divine friends do harvest and water stuff, right?"

"The humans don't need—"

"Plenty of humans who do, but the demons even more so," Nina said.

A proper god would have a lecture ready for this insolent halfbreed, but Ninati dropped the shards on Sofiel's desk with more force than needed.

"You know, I bet Bacchus and Hamsa would've told you what they tried to help with if only you weren't so anti earth people. Oh well, everything takes time. Let us know when you're going to be more helpful, we can use all the hands we can get." Ninati didn't even say proper goodbye before jumping out the window.

Sofiel sat there thinking for a long time.

· · · · · · ·

When Gabriel asked her to accompany a mission to earth, the only possible answer was yes.

It wasn't for the good of the people, it turned out. The pope of Rogreshia was a distant aquaintance of years ago, who had expressed curiosity to here whereabouts. She spent an hour or so catching up with him, which she once would have appreciated more in holier days. Now she itched to join El outside, who was to go around the city to dismantle the power of Dromos, then win the favor of the people. Samples of heaven's fruit were to be handed out today too.

The plaza before the cathedral was packed. Gods of various natures stood by, giving their blessings. Near El was a small ruckus concerning a woman with a bleeding arm, who had apparently just been shoved to the pavement by someone else.

Jeanne sided up to El and said, "El, the way you healed yourself should work on others too. Why not try it?"

There was El the way ne ought to be, eager to be of aid. Ne took the woman's hand and brushed nur hand over the wound. Rather than nur red eye, the blue shone as the wound closed.

Word of El's power rushed through the crowd, and within no time people starting bringing in their sick and dying.

Jeanne wished she could truly see what El did, deeper than the light. This power felt so different from the red one. It compelled the wound to knit together swiftly, and without knocking El out, though nur was tired a little.

El didn't pause to help, only to discover nur's limits : wounds and blisters were easy, malformed bones less so, and certain illnesses were untouched altogether. It disappointed the crowd who had expected a perfect miracle every time. Jeanne could imagine how it felt for El to be met with disappointed, and worse for anyone who had to go home with broken hope.

Worst came when an old woman hobbled up, supporting a demon at her side. One who wore a collar, but the gemstone had been removed. Both wore the same raggy clothing, and had the familiarity usually only seen between humans. Jeanne was glad to see a human who had bypassed prejudice and met them halfway when they hesitated to approach.

"Hello, my name is Jeanne d'Arc. Which one of you requires healing?"

"He does," the old woman said. "I know it must sound strange, but he is a good friend of mine. He's had a beating not too long ago and the wounds infected ... we're not sure whether ... but we thought we'd try ..."

Jeanne took the demon by the other arm. "We won't know if we don't find out."

She helped them walk closer, ignoring the stares and angered mutters.

"El? Come over here for a moment," Jeanne said.

El did so, followed by Urlain. When ne saw who Jeanne brought in, ne hesitated. "Will it work on demons?"

"Nonsense," Urlain said.

"Pardon my tone, dalua Urlain, but I do have more experience with physical injury and magic than you," Jeanne said. "El, give it a try. It should not be too different."

El was about to go ahead, Urlain about to inferfere ... when El stopped nurself.

"I'll probably just do damage," El said, voice shaking a little. "I haven't tried purification yet and without that the powers will just clash."

"I see ... " the old woman muttered, already standing to usher the demon along. Neither of them looked up as they retreated under the sneers of the crowd. Jeanne could no bear to see them go like that, but didn't know what to do about it. Chastise El? Chastise the gods?

Urlain led El to the next group and gave an order for the guards to keep their eyes open, they didn't want another scene. It gave Jeanne a moment to grab a food bundle and slip away.

She went down the street the duo had disappeared into, but couldn't find them. There were human beggars though and she handed one the bundle while urging the others to follow her back. That much she could do without the gods objecting, at least.

She understood their concerns about demons, but El? El hesitating to help wasn't normal. A low anger remained with her for the rest of the mission, and wouldn't go away even as they returned to heaven.

Nina waited in their guest quarter's hall ready to bound up, but she slowed when she caught onto Jeanne's mood. "What happened?"

"Nothing, and that's the problem."

Nina didn't at all like what she was told.

"We need to save Mugaro, this is ridiculous! Right? Do something about it, they won't listen to me."

"I am only a human, and they are still the gods."

"There's something wrong with the gods if they make Mugaro not help people."

"The only time I didn't trust the gods turned out to be wrong," Jeanne said. "Nina, you don't have years of faith in the gods. My servitude to the gods is my entire life. They are supposed to be the wise leaders of us sinful humans, yet now they turn out to be so ... so ... like humans. And I can't trust them to lead my child?"

"There was a time I decided to trust Chris," Nina said. "And you know how that turned out."

"That is not the same!" Jeanne snapped, walking past her. "Whatever the gods my do wrong, they are not on the level of him!"

Taken aback, Nina muttered, "Sorry. You're right."

Jeanne regretted her tone after a few paces, but when she turned back to Nina she was already gone.

· · · · · · ·

Azazel was extremely busy with counting the roots, so Nina barging in with her shouty, "Azazel!" was beyond annoying. It was that tone where she wanted something and wouldn't stop till she got it too.

He stayed right where he was, holed up in a high dark spot, but she found him anyway.

"We need to talk now."

"No we don't."

Nina crossed her arms and sat down in the middle of the path out. "Yes, we incredibly do. They've told Mugaro about your past, ne's not sure what to think of you now, and dammit, I don't know what to say either."

"Nothing needs to be said."

"Hnnggghgh! Gabriel's going on and on about some grand destiny but she isn't even thinking about the demons and convinced Mugaro that freeing them would be bad. And I don't know what to tell Mugaro because what Gabriel says about you is true. That was your wall where you got those pacted allies, right? Azazel, you've done so much hideous things." Nina's wings flared out, almost seamless in emergance now. "It's been long enough, I need this answer now. What would you have done to Anatae if we had won that day?"

"It doesn't matter anymore."

"I will find a way we can do something against Charioce," she said. "And someone has to stand for the demons when that time comes. Jeanne stepped up, we will get Mugaro back too, but you are still here. We're not getting anywhere if I don't know what to expect from you. You didn't pay attention to me, you were wrong about what to expect from Merlin and Athos. You know that. That's why it's important to get where your allies are at, for me as much as you."

"Get it through your thick skull that I'm not going to fuck up anything anymore!"

"Not happening."

He flew off to the other end of the cave, but Nina ran right after. So he went out into the night, almost up the tree before he changed his mind. There would be a night guard.

What the hell was he doing anyway?

Nina scrambled after him, panting as reached the top in record time.

"I need to understand. It's not just you I'm uncertain about. There's more. There's worse. I'm one of two people in the whole world that even has a chance at protecting it against Charioce. I have to know what to expect from my allies at least, how else can I make the right choices?"

Oh, it wasn't all about him, it was about her.

"Quit the begging, it's pathetic."

Nina crossed her arms as well as she could while hanging onto the tree. "I don't mind that if it makes me wiser."

"I do mind, it's annoying to hear, it's—ugh, stupid ... I didn't think about Anatae, okay? I'd restore pride of the demons and thought the liberated demons could use the city till Cocytus was rebuilt. There were no actual plans."

"Then tell me what you would do now? If we freed them now and put a good monarch on the throne?"

Azazel shrugged. "I'll bring my people home. I want Charioce and the Onyx Knights dead, Jeanne can handle the rest."

Nina sighed in relief. "You have no idea what that means to hear. Hey, I bet Jeanne would allow some the weak and sick demons to stay till Cocytus is rebuilt anyway."

And just like that she flipped back to cheer. Okay, she had to be faking it.

"And quit the lying faces. If we have to talk about this shit, do it without that crap."

Nina forced her face to be more neutral, which left her looking a little lost. "There's more?"

He sat down and Nina climbed the rest of the way up, taking a branch opposite of him, dangling her legs and eager to listen.

"Cocytus fell. I left Helheim to restore the pride of my people, and that became just saving my people. I never chose to change, or be what you call better than before." He hid half his his face behind his claws, not believing what he was about to say. "I only ever made one choice to change : when I was sealed below the mountains for my rebellion, I ripped my heart out. Didn't want the pain. So when lord Lucifer broke me out I felt nothing but exilleration. Being everything heaven feared was a game I loved in a new way, but the damn thing must've grown back because it became difficult to remember again."

"Remember what?"

Not gonna answer that.

"So there's at least a partial supernatural element to why it took so long for you to change back?"

"I didn't change back to anything! Just look around heaven. Humans aren't fellow people to the gods, they're kept. It wasn't hard to become a torturer, I didn't have any chivalry bullshit about humans deserving respect or anything. They're lowlife. Only exceptions mattered, which prove the rule to that. Humans are not people like us and can never hope to be, just like humans know dogs are smart but can never keep a conversation."

"Humans aren't lowlife, gods and humans can keep a conversation, and we still consider hurting dogs to be wrong," Nina said. "Anyway, you just ... shut down your ability to feel sad, and the rest didn't fit together either?"

"I'm not a puzzle, I don't fit together wrong," he said through gritted teeth. "Before I fell, I didn't care all that much for humans either. They were tools first and foremost, the only difference in hell was I didn't use them with care anymore."

"I've been in heaven for five days now," she said. "That sounds like a lot of the gods I met lately. I was like that too about demons. I think a lot of those gods can learn, and yeah, you probably weren't one of those, but we're here now. You did move away to become someone who sticks up for the weak and heaven doesn't yet."

"Tch. That was your mistake, you just assumed I was a hero."

"So I was wrong, but you know? I also thought I was a perfect hero. I wasn't. According to my mother, I spent years fighting humans as a wild beast." Nina turned her eyes down. "There wasn't enough to eat in the forest so I went out and ate cattle and that got people mad at me. There's stories of my burning villages down and killing knights. We don't know how much of that is true, but I was noticed in a bad way, so I probably did some of those things. And we know what happened when killing someone finally was a good thing : I didn't do it."

"That makes you wild, not wicked. It's not the same as me when you can barely think." What was she even getting at, bringing this up? Was she just throwing back history cause he had?

"I still got the same results though. Not helping people." Nina raised a finger. "And that's my other problem, I need my dragon self to not be so stupid. It'll help if dragon me get it better, and I'll just have to take it along when I change." Nina started jumping down the tree. "Thanks for the answers."

"Get what better?"

"I'll bring you some Ambrosia cake next time!"

"Get what?" he called after her.

"You'd probably mess something up if you knew about it," Nina called back, without looking up. "Sleep well, I got to go talk to some more people!"

He stayed in place, watching her go, before kicking the tree and cursing at nothing.

· · · · · · ·

Jeanne woke from persistant shaking at her shoulder.

Years as a knight had left Jeanne with an instinct for urgency on the battlefield. She shot up before realizing the silence. There was no approaching battle, no screams, no scent of blood or sense of demons, just the dark room and the stars outside. Just Nina.

Groggy, she asked, "What is it?"

"Destiny's calling." Nina hopped away from the bed to pull open Jeanne's closet. "I think the world has a shortage of heroes so it's time to get up."

"Nina, it's the middle of the night and I have no powers."

"I can't fix the night, but gods respect power more than people and that we can give you a little edge in."

"Mwuh?"

"I've been working on magic and changing how I view Chris. And Azazel says that if we defeat Charioce he's not gonna do revenge on random civilians, he'll leave the kingdom to you, so we have a demonic ally already. We need more, and gods too. Now it's your turn, and you don't need more blessings of the gods for this."

She sat up, thinking it over. "I have never acted outside of the orders I was given save that one time," she said. "Whatever good I did achieve, I was directed to do. Subservience to the gods been more important than ever for the past ten years. Maybe ..."

What was she thinking, listening to Nina? That matters had not been as she assumed was no reason to fall head first into actual defiance, but ... her child shouldn't be like that ...

"Nobody has good orders to give now. Lucifer has no plans, Azazel doesn't know how to plan, and Gabriel's ideas on how Mugaro's power works aren't gonna hold and nobody's reaching out to the demons. It has to be us who changes something. What, does someone precious have to die before you stop putting up with this?"

"Nina, it's not as simple as just doing what I feel needs to be done. It's only been days since I even learned I'm not responsible for lord Michael's death. I can barely keep up with the changes in my faith that I must make, and I am no way qualified to defy the gods however little. Regardless of whether I approve, lady Gabriel is an ancient being with vastly more experience than I, and a whole supernatural realm at her beck and call. I have nothing."

"Gabriel doesn't have to know for now," Nina said. "You can just do something small first. I did that too under Dante's rebellion. There was training, getting enough food around, and especially getting allies. The magic you lack, well, you know how dragon clothes disappear when we transform and how Qhispe has ornaments already on her when she goes dragon? I think we should be able to get back something you lost once. Get dressed, I'll show you."

Jeanne pulled on the clothes from Nina's village and was about to go out the door. Nina went to the balcony though, where she unfolded her wings. "No door, we don't want anyone to notice."

Going behind the back of the gods now. Jeanne almost turned back to bed.

"Come on, Jeanne. You don't want to disappoint Sofiel, right?"

"Lady Sofiel is involved too?"

"Getting someone important as we speak." Nina hooked her arms around Jeanne's waist and jumped up, stretching her wings. "Don't scream."

That was a demand difficult to meet since Nina fell like a brick. Over halfway down she caught the wind, only to whirl around over her own axis, almost crash twice and then dodge a night guard by careening into the undergrowth of a park. There she lost grip of Jeanne, sending them rolling down a slope.

Jeanne groaned and sat up. Gods, she wanted back to bed. Nina's mystery promise better be good.

"How does Azazel do this?" Nina grumbled as she pulled her face from the grass. She spat out bits of dirt and green. "Oh, there's our back up!"

Six feet stopped before them. Looking up, there were a centaur and that woman tending to the mausoleum.

"Aurora's curious and Chiron knows about teaching humans magic," Nina said.

"And I'll give you a ride, from the looks of it," Chiron said.

Thank goodness. Chiron was large enough for Jeanne to ride along with ease. Nina ran along and so did Aurora, though her gait was more like drifting leaps.

Aurora opened a portal once they reached a cliff, which led them to another stretch of running. At the end of this lay small domed shrine, stuffed to the brink with machinery. Unlike anywhere else in heaven this place had dust, rust and puddles on the marble floor.

With some difficulty, they got themselves into the small space. A small brownhaired angel peaked in from another room, smiling while mentioning tea later. Before Jeanne could ask, this person was gone again.

Another portal opened, this one directly in the doorway. Out stepped Sofiel, followed by a blackhaired angel in veils, who had not just wings on her back but a smaller set on her head too.

"Lady Sofiel?" Jeanne asked. "I'm surprised Nina got you on board with this."

"She crashed the window of my private quarters too," Sofiel said.

"I'm realllllly sorry! I tried to knock."

"Tried, indeed," Sofiel said. "Well, we are here. Jeanne, I would like you to meet lady Schwertleite, who may be able to help you."

"With what?"

"That sword you told me Michael gave you," Nina said.

"Précieuse used to be within my care," Schwertleite said. "You say it vanished along with lord Michael, if Ninati conveyed this right. It did not return to my armory so it may still exist in your aura. The same bundle of personal magic that fuels spells you cast or concord with divine magic also records and holds whatever it deems part of you : clothing you wear, and weapons you wield. I believe Précieuse vanished because you wanted it to at that time, but you have never learned to manifest weaponry."

Sofiel put a hand on Jeanne's shoulder. "You may have it back yet, so you'll have a way to defend yourself on earth. Perhaps you might even display it to affirm your identity."

It sounded more assuring than Nina's grand expectations, though Jeanne suspected Nina hadn't told Sofiel half her hopes.

Turning to Schwertleite, Jeanne said, "I will try with the blessing of the gods. What do I do?"

"If you can wield my swords, then you will already have familiarity with the difference in how divine weapons work. Mortal though you may be, get into your mindset as a saint and I will draw out your sword."

"I would be honored," Jeanne said, but in the back of her mind she screamed.

Where Maltet channeled, Précieuse in itself had magic that could slay the supernatural. It had been a sign of trust to be given this, yet the only time she had wielded it, treachery and murder had been brought. It wasn't treachery, she now knew, but that didn't stop how she remembered it. The sheer determination to kill them, so stark in her mind. Nothing had mattered more in the world than the death of the gods.

Chiron had her hold her palms out as if she grasped a sword, invoking Jeanne's magic in the same motion. Jeanne followed the guidance of her streams until she found something that felt so close to her, she had never paid it more heed than she had her thumb or hair.

Schwertleite chanted spell under her breath, unlocking ... no, granting authority to open another channel.

Flickering in and out of existence, bright red the way it had been when she killed Michael. Her heart begged for it to go away as the red light grew stronger with the beat. The tremors in the blade as it tore into the gods lay fresh on her mind.

Careful she took the hilt of Précieuse. The weight of it disturbed her, but she closed her eyes, allowed herself to dwell on Michael's last smile for only a moment, before raising the sword.

It still answered her call, becoming weightless at command. She wished she could wield another weapon, longed for the lost Maltet that had less pain attached, but wishing got her nowhere.

Part of her had wanted strength to flood into her now she had it back, but no such thing happened. It was just a sword ladden with past misery. Wielding it to undo misery might be its best fate.

This road might not be what Michael had intended for her, but it was not the first time she had set that aside for the sake of the people she had sworn to protect. This time though, it wouldn't be a rushed decision at the stake. She was safe, she could think it over. Decide for her own, and that was more frightening than now. All her fall would be her own doing, if she fell.

Nobody looked at her expecting her to fall though. Nina looked happy, Sofiel proud, Chiron and Schwertleite a little intrigued, and Aurora shone.

"Will it answer if I rename it?" Jeanne asked. When Schwertleite nodded, she said, "Then let its new name be Joyeuse."

· · · · · · ·

Today, Cerberus had achieved something not sucky : get herself the perfect pouffe, raided from a human trader who was too dead to mind. Mimi and Coco had a smaller one too. It should be a good day, despite ... everything. It wasn't, because Adva dropped by to mention Olivia knew Cerberus had taken a doctor. Damn, and there she'd thought she'd been sneaky enough.

So she waited for hours, unable to really rest.

Olivia didn't appear to reclaim him. She didn't appear at all, but across the day more of her servants, humand and demon alike, wandered the edge of the slums. It was nerve wracking because Cerberus didn't know whether to expect a fight or not.

By noon, Al Miraj reported one of Olivia's was descending the stairs next to the elevator.

That was all?

Perhaps Olivia's display had drained her more than Cerberus had expected. She gathered her puppies and teleported off — still so easy.

She waited at the bottom of the stairs, from which an old woman hobbled.

Mimi and Coco turned to their monster shapes and flanked Cerberus as she blocked the way. "No no, I don't think so."

"Oh my, little miss, won't you let me pass? I am merely here to instruct the demons of the new house rules. Especially regarding property."

"No need for that here. As Naberius, hound of Hades, this is my territory. I'm already gracious enough to host your lady in my home. That is all she can ask from me, lest I include her in my report to lord Lucifer. Perhaps he'll wonder whether she aspires to follow Belzebuth's footprints? He might just be motivated to take her down before she becomes another problem."

"So you defy the lady Olivia?"

"Wasn't that obvious yet?"

The old woman's eyes narrowed. "You lay a claim?"

"I laid my claim five years ago. If she thinks Azazel left a territory free, she's wrong. It was always my territory."

"I see." The old woman didn't argue further as she turned back.

Of course, Belphegor just had to exit the tunnels right then and there. Someone had probably told her about the messenger too.

"That was all?" Belphegor asked.

"For now," Cerberus said.

"In retrospect it was a horrible idea to send lord Azazel away, but I'm glad you took a stand more or less on my end." Belphegor sided up, practically beaming. It was sickening.

"I think I hate you," Cerberus said.

"So mutual." Belphegor patted her on the shoulder. "And yet, I didn't have to lecture you once before you got into arms."

"No arms here, I'm not running a rebellion. This falls under keeping the house tidy."

· · · · · · ·

Jeanne didn't get enough sleep, but she stood up when Gabriel ordered her along on another expedition. This time a healing session was planned for El to harvest faith from the population, with a selection process on who would be allowed in line. Sofiel was to work on this while Gabriel spoke with the pope of Valeria, while Jeanne was to occupy a few fancy lords and ladies. And not be anywhere near El.

Reinier directed lords and ladies at her who had vague doubts about the truth of everything, and who were more curious about what it was like to be connected to holy power than how to bring Charioce down. Whenever Reinier deemed the nobility noble enough to join in, she learned a few things on Valeria's state of politics and magic. It interested her, but she found it difficult to focus. Through the windows of the cathedral drifted the sound of the crowd outside. The longer it went on, the more she longed to face them as she had done in old days. Those were the people she had been born from and who needed the most guidance and protection. Seven years she had not been able to stand for them, forcing herself to be content with that.

What made her a knight had wittled that patience down to nothing, Nina's words giving shape to the hammer.

Jeanne decided, and did another not so righteous thing : ommit her true intent. Dishonesty to gods stung, but after cutting her child's wings deception had lost the sensation of great sin.

"Lord Reinier, I would like to address the people outside," she said during a quiet moment. "I might be able to assure them of more if I speak to many at a time and let them spread the world."

"Lady Gabriel is occupied, but perhaps you can disturb lady Sofiel to request permission," Reinier said.

"Lady Sofiel is beholden to lady Gabriel," Jeanne said. "I'm afraid she will turn me down on principle of her busy schedule. If I am to address them, I would only do so after her time with the cardinal is past. By then most of the impoverised people have been forced to return to their work." When that seemed to confuse him, she added, "In societies with starvation level poverty, the poor cannot afford to lose even an hour of day's work. Most already will not have shown here. That is the most numerous part of the population cut off."

"Ah, I see. I suppose if it's time sensitive, we might take a small liberty," Reinier said.

"Or we might do it the next time after we obtained permission," Urlain said, though ne made no move to stop Jeanne when she got up.

Jeanne didn't open the door herself, waiting for them to follow. She needed the impression of legitimacy. Reinier hesitated, but love for his old territory won out. Urlain gave a longsuffering sigh and went for the other door.

As they swung the door opened, Jeanne straightened her back and stepped out.

A crowd waited outside, eager to catch a glimpse of the gods. Most were middle class, but there also was decent number of the poorest classes. As she stood at the top of the stairs, all eyes locked on her.

"I am Jeanne d'Arc, mother of El Mugaro," she said. "I have come on the tide of liberation from the heart of Charioce's corruption, where I was enslaved because I refused to deceive the people in his name. Today I have come to speak to you and hear what you have to say. Tell me what you wish to understand."

The crowd murmured until someone asked, "Why are the gods only moving now? If he's so bad, why not do it before he took over entirely?"

There were the questions they'd never ask the gods, only her as a human. Good.

"It is true they have proved too weak to stand against Charioce, but it is not for the reasons Charioce claims. Employing a forbidden powers that tears into the very fabric of the world's balance, he had been annihilating the gods behind your back since he ascended the throne. Using their weakness if the wake of their act of protecting us from Bahamut, he stole the power of Dromos. You must have heard the rumors of the giant hand that loomed of Anatae. It is no exageration : Dromos is a power of destruction capable of matching even that of my child and the strongest of ancient gods combined."

"If the gods can't, why should we even follow them?" Another lone voice, but the crowd became a little more animate and the gods tensed up.

"Because we share the same fate under him, that of destruction," she said. Time for the first bomb. "The gods have cared for humankind, but perhaps not as well as they should. Before his death, Lord Michael asked me for forgiveness that the old duties under Zeus had been neglected. The gods have grown distant to their old friends, but realized before Bahamut that this was erring off the righteous path. If not for Charioce, the old bond might well have been restored."

Probably not if she had to be realistic, but right now optimism was needed, and a second bomb. The humans didn't suffer that much under Charioce, a few nobodies in hidden prisons aside. They needed to know what to fear, and they needed to distrust what Charioce gave them.

"And there is another bond that most be built upon. We have seen what a wicked king can do to a once honorable kingdom," Jeanne said. "Charioce's hold on the continent shall ever expand until he holds dominion over all, and your own identity will be gone. It has already befallen another kingdom : that of the demons after the fall of Satan."

The eyes of the gods bore into her back. Jeanne's heart pounded like she was young on the battlefield, Maltet yet untested. She was glad to not have included, it is not only the leaders of the gods who lost their way.

"The demons are as you are : the people of a kingdom who did not choose their lord. Just as you do not embody the wicked will of Charioce, the demons are not all an extension of Belzebuth or any other cruel demon. It is understandable you would know this, having only legends to believe in and never having been to hell. Charioce has been to hell and has seen that life there is not different as it is from here, but he chose to build on lies so the nations of man and demon would not unite against him.

But Charioce cannot suppress the truth for long. Against my own expectations, it was demons who guarded my child during the years ne had to hide and it was demons who helped me escape. They must be our allies against Charioce, as they were our allies against Bahamut. And we may yet be allies in rebuilding the world together."

Someone stopped in the doorway right behind her, and the deepest pressure settled on her soul. Gabriel's power, and her unhappiness. Would she interfere in front of this crowd?

"How can demons be our allies if they're led by such monsters?" another of the crowd asked.

"Belzebuth fell by his hubris, his age is over, and I can prove to you not all demons are as Belzebuth and his court, in need of death or shackles." Jeanne went down the stairs. "Is there a site with enslaved demons nearby? Bring me one."

Someone hailed a nearby cart to send off while Jeanned waited with Gabriel's eyes boring in her back. A quick glance back revealed her doing an admirable job not looking openly hostile, but she discussed something with a frustrated Reinier. Her eyes never left Jeanne.

Soon a handler appeared on the plaza with a tall, pale blue demon covered in scars and chains.

The crowd parted for them and Jeanne, so they met at the center. A man of high class, probably a duke, hovered after. "We heard the saint requested a demon?"

"Indeed I did, thank you," Jeanne said, fighting back the bile rising from thanking anyone for a slave.

"I am honored to serve the holy, but if you intend to demonstrate a slaying—"

"I want to talk to him," Jeanne said, stepping past the human to before the demon. "What is your name?"

"I'm not giving my name to any human," he growled.

"Then give me something to call you," she said. "My name is Jeanne."

"Jeanne d'Arc?" His face contorted in rage and Jeanne just barely jumped back as he lashed out.

Urlain shot next to her, throwing a flare of light. Jeanne manifested Joyeuse and with a center slash cleaved the attack. The blade's resident magic combined with her ability to disperse energy broke the flow, sending the flare apart without harm.

"I appreciate your guard, dalua Urlain, but I am not in distress."

She locked eyes with the confused demon, planted the sword in the ground and kept her hand on it. With her other hand she pulled out a feather she'd taken from Azazel's lair.

"I know what my name bears to the demon kind, and perhaps who ever suggested you to face me has something to lose. You have the option to play into the hands of your captors or to ally yourself not with me, but with all the demons who seek to rebuild their kingdom. I speak on behalf of one who seeks to liberate you."

The demon closed his large hand around the feather. In his palm, she rain her finger over it to unleash its magic so he would know it belonged to a fallen angel.

"Join the fight against our common enemy," she said. "You would not be the first demon to understand this need."

The demon lowered his hand as the feather's power faded, waiting. It was something at least.

"Take that collar off," Jeanne said to the duke.

The duke didn't move, and the gods too stayed put.

Well then.

Jeanne forced as much of her own human magic into the sword as she said, "Do you understand I have no purpose in killing you here and now, after this spectacle?"

"Yes," he murmured.

Holding the collar in place with one hand, she set the sword's tip on the green gem. Pushing upward at this angle wasn't easy and it took long enough for the crowd to get restless, but as soon as she had a crack in, the gem broke as if it had been brittle glass.

Jeanne stepped back as the demon ripped the dead metal from his neck and tossed it away. The crowd backed off, a collective breath held, but their fears were not met.

"What now?" the demon asked.

"Are there others where you come from?" Jeanne said. "If so, show me to them."

He turned on his heel and went to into a street, Jeanne followed. The crowd parted quickly.

The duke hobbled after Jeanne, at a safe distance too. "You can't jus do that! I paid good money for that demon!"

"Heaven will compensate you," Jeanne said, not giving him another glance. "Provided you prove virtuous and willing to atone for your crime of presuming to own a sapient life."

That left the duke behind, but Urlain followed.

Following the demon, Jeanne reached a mansion, where a group of enslaved demons worked to build an extra wing. When the demons and humans alike saw a loose demon, a human and an angel move in, they stopped.

"Hear me!" Jeanne called. "From this day forth, there will be no masters and slaves in this city, only allies against Charioce XVII!"

Urlain landed next to Jeanne, leaning close to whisper, "What on earth are you doing?"

"I'm doing for justice what Charioce wanted me to do for him : uniting the people under one banner."

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