Hello, Vinzelles here. Welcome back to A Path to Freedom.
It's been a week so here's the next chapter. Today Arc 2 starts and I'm kind of excited about it. That is, I would be if I wasn't completely out of steam.
Not because I rushed the writing, or because I ran out of ideas, it's nothing like that. Thing is, I have to attend a basic formation course on computer technology, and it takes away all morning and most of the afternoon for five days a week. Since it's Friday I won't have classes in the weekend, which is why I went ahead and started publishing Arc 2 despite being tired. This course will last until next Friday (just two weeks in total, because again, it's basic), and after that I'll go spend Easter holidays with relatives which means no access to the PC. I'll try to keep the uploads somewhat steady, probably two more chapters before March 31st which is when I have to leave. The schedule should go back to normal when I come back.
So, as I mentioned before, this arc will have several chapters of setup, some of which I'm not convinced about so I might need some time to adjust them properly if it comes down to it. However, I've got a few cool ideas to utilize and those are not gonna be changed under any circumstance.
That said, this one chapter is short. Sorry about that. Not much happens in here, and because of this I feel obligated to load up the next one before Sunday evening. Look forward to that, it's worth it I promise.
I'll see you at the bottom. Enjoy.
Arc 2 Chapter 1 - The Fallen's Rise
Orochi Kamakura had already experienced a so-called "impossible situation". He had been left alone with the goal of defeating the previous partners of a certain Fallen Angel, and he managed to reach it fairly easily. He had yet to come to terms with the hows of course, and that had been a prominent thought for the previous 2 days, but even that high priority task in his mind couldn't hold a candle to what was in front of him.
"Shit, she wasn't kidding..." This whisper escaped his lips as he tried to process the new "impossible situation". It was impossible, he had to reiterate in his mind, for her to be here. Was it? ...No, it really wasn't: she had claimed that she would settle down somewhere in the city in order to observe him, and in no way, shape or form did she outright tell him she wouldn't appear in his school. Her appearing once more before him made sense. Her appearing in his class was a scenario that could happen, he had to admit. But something wasn't right.
Was there a need for her to become one of his classmates? No, there wasn't. He already knew that a Fallen could easily disguise itself as a human, and he knew she could hide her presence with a spell of some sort, so her observation could be easily carried out from outside Kuoh. So why was she here? Orochi decided he would get answers out of her at lunch break.
Unbeknownst to him, Unryuu Nishijima was just as stunned.
She and her master Anya Adramelech had set out two nights before to engage the rogue Fallen Angels and prevent them from stealing Asia Argento's Sacred Gear Twilight Healing. They had reached their stronghold, an abandoned and desecrated church in the city, when suddenly one of the four signatures disappeared without a trace from the city. Back then, Anya had decided to just move on and deal with the three remaining enemies, before finding out that someone had already dealt with every hostile within the building. They had pondered what to do and came to an agreement: it wasn't up to them to judge their enemies' actions, not when they had already been punished, so they sealed their movements and handed them all to the Grigori, while the one Fallen that had escaped was declared MIA.
And now the Fallen had returned, and had blatantly showed her presence within the school to one of the Devils. Unryuu couldn't say for sure whether she was being incredibly brave or incredibly stupid. Anya surely knew nothing of this, she would have been warned otherwise. Unryuu threw a glance at her friend as he was observing the newly arrived 'student'.
She saw a flash of recognition in his eyes, and he seemed surprised himself. But not very much. He had shown unrest for a mere few seconds before settling down, as if he was resigning himself. He knew something about what was happening, but she was wise enough to not consider asking him anything; he might have reacted badly to the fact that someone close to him (somewhat) was aware of stuff that shouldn't be known by average people. He was an idiot but he wasn't stupid: he would connect the dots, realize the purpose behind the pamphlet she gave him, and as a consequence he'd get very angry.
So she would first grab Anya from her class at lunch break and report her findings. Sure, she had probably already sensed the Fallen girl's presence, but Unryuu figured that Orochi's reactions were important enough to be of interest to her master.
The morning classes went very smoothly that day.
At last the bell that signalled lunch break rang throughout the academy. Unryuu bolted out of the classroom immediately, while Orochi, too distracted to realize, was pondering how to approach Yuuma Amano, or rather Raynare, in the most natural way possible.
That obstacle was immediately toppled by Raynare herself.
"Hey, Kamakura-kun! Um, I got the name right, yes?"
She had come to him immediately, ignoring her new classmates' questions. 'Bold as ever...' Orochi thought, despite her clearly forced shyness.
"...Hello. Amano-san, right? Can I help you?" He had to keep a straight face as he called her with that name.
"Ah, yes, I actually need a favor, do you mind?" He wasn't sure if she was mocking him or not with how she had asked that question. It resembled their first encounter.
"No, not at all. What do you need?"
"Well, I have yet to memorize the school's layout, and it looks like I'll have a hard time on my own since there are two buildings apparently. Would you be so kind as to accompany me throughout the academy if you have time right now?"
"...Sure, but let's hurry, lunch break won't last forever."
"Fair enough, let's go then!" She started to walk out the room, Orochi following shortly after.
'...lucky bastard...' was the kindest comment he had overheard from the male component of his class. If only they knew, he thought.
As they walked around the corridors of the new building, where all normal lessons were conducted, Orochi took the initiative.
"You know, I still don't understand you completely."
"Why would you be able to do so in the first place? The two of us only met a few times." was the immediate response. She had a point, he supposed.
"...Fine, you're right, but I still have to ask why exactly you have to follow me around." A valid reason, it was the only thing he needed to actually be able to bear constantly having a pair of eyes on him.
"Aside from the fact that I already told you I'm interested in your power... if you must ask, the Governor has ordered me to keep an eye on you, so I wouldn't be able to object even if I wanted to, which I don't."
"What about your former comrades? And yourself, for that matter?"
"You left them alive, and the Devils decided to do the same. They've been sent back to the Grigori, Freed included, but I don't know what happened to them. As for me, well... I was part of that group at one point so even if I decided to pull out, it was impossible for Governor Azazel to not punish me as well. I've been expelled from the Grigori, officially speaking, so I'm technically a rogue, but I still follow my leader's orders as a spy of sorts. There's also the fact that the Devils have yet to be warned about my presence so I think it will be even more beneficial if I were to stick around you for a little while."
Orochi understood Raynare's position a bit better now: this Azazel guy had mercy since she didn't execute her group's original plan herself, but clearly appearances had to be maintained so he had banished her from the main group, only to secretly allow her to hide in Kuoh, presumably at her request, and have her follow direct orders from him in exchange. But something still irked him.
"...Are you just assuming that I know what this Grigori is? And the fact that I'm being used as a shield pisses me off."
"Oh, my bad." She didn't sound apologetic at all. "It's the common term used for the congregation of Fallen Angels created by Governor Azazel. They answer to him and several other high-level Fallens, and their role in the supernatural world is to watch over the children of God and the blessings some of them have received. Twilight Healing is an example of this."
Twilight Healing, and the nun who possessed it. That was another point Orochi thought they had to discuss. "What happened to that girl? Do you know?"
"Yeah." Raynare confirmed. "According to the signatures I sense, she got back her Sacred Gear, and she's been reincarnated as a Devil. Ironic, isn't it?"
"It's actually kind of a harsh treatment in my opinion." He was being completely honest: he was glad that the girl could be saved after all, but he imagined that a life of devotion towards God did not mesh well with a Devil's body and mind. "She can't pray anymore, can she?" he guessed.
"Not my problem. I've washed my hands of this mess." was Raynare's half-confirmation. "Of course you'd say that..." Orochi muttered.
They walked outside, towards the old building.
"Speaking of which, there's something I want to ask you." Raynare declared. She turned around to face him as they stood in front of each other in the plaza in front of the old building.
"Before I give you the info I've promised to you... Why did you ask me about what I knew about the Devils here in Kuoh? You can't be that ignorant about it."
She seemed to think that Orochi should have been aware of certain facts for some reason, but he couldn't fathom why.
"What kind of question is that? Obviously it's because I know nothing about them. And besides, I want to meet them. I have to understand once and for all just what kind of power my body contains, and I won't find my answer in a library or online, will I?"
Raynare scowled. "That's not possible. When I broke into your house, I saw one of those stupid pamphlets with the pentagram on the paper, abandoned on your washing machine. They use it to establish their contracts, it's actually a pretty big factor in their economy I hear." She said matter-of-factly.
"So you did break in! I'll definitely get you back for that! And you have it wrong, at any rate. That thing is surely just a scam, it was given to me by a... b-by a..."
He went pale. A look of realization appeared on his face.
Everything fell into place.
The pamphlet was meant to give help to a person in need in case he or she ever needed to ask for it, Unryuu said that when she gave it to him. That same night, he was attacked, but he didn't have much trouble so it wouldn't have mattered even if he brought it along. The day after, however, Unryuu had shown obvious concern for him. As if she thought he was hurt somewhere. But why would she have such worries, if she didn't know about his encounter? No, she had to know. Which meant that the pamphlet was meant to be a safety measure in case he was mortally wounded. But since that paper was meant to be a Devil's instrument, it probably would have called a Devil over to the park in order to save him, had he used it. Why would she not keep the paper for herself? She had to know that a Devil would appear from it, surely. This meant that she was possibly a client for Devil contracts. But why would she give it to him then, just before the night he was attacked, even when she knew he didn't believe in superstitions?
'Nishijima is a Devil.'
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Welcome to the bottom.
Not much to say here, but I'll try to comment whatever I can.
Raynare enrolling to Kuoh has pretty much already been explained by the story. Azazel's intentions are also fairly obvious I think. He has definitely received a proper report on the incident, probably by Raynare herself, and acted accordingly, both to protect her and research the human who won against Fallens.
The writing that gradually changed seemed like a good way to show Orochi's train of thought as it reached an unwanted destination. Might employ it again in the future, but that depends on your reviews e.e
...This is all I got. Thinking hurts right now, ow. If you happen to have questions, I'll answer them though.
Next time, chaos.
See you soon. Ciao!