Chapter 9: Sub-Lord

Rose noticed that since purifying the lich the malevolence had only slightly gone down.

"Seems like those dragon rumors may end up being true." Said Edna.

"We should get out of here then." Said Rose picking up the unconscious Seraph, getting him on her back.

"I agree with whatever's going on." Said Sergei. The three made their way down the mountain until they didn't feel any malevolence from any possible dragon. When they got close to the base of the mountain the seraph on Rose's back groaned and slowly opened his lavender eyes.

"Uuun … wha…?" He moaned.

"Oh hey the idiots awake." Said Edna.

"Hey …" The seraph groaned. Rose ended up setting him down.

"What's going on?" Sergei asked touching her shoulder.

"What … what happened?" The seraph asked weakly. Sergei jumped back.

"Ah! Wait did I just …" He started Rose turned her head.

"You heard him?" Edna asked. Sergei didn't react.

"Sergei can you give me your hand again?" Rose asked, Sergei nodded and grabbed her hand. Rose turned back to the seraph. "Sorry about that, do you remember what happened like two months ago?"

"Two months ago?" Said the seraph rubbing the bridge of his nose. "What I've been doing for the last five years … maintaining ice walls, driving off humans, making it impossible to get up the mountain … feeding Bahamut-"

"Bahamut?" Rose questioned.

"The dragon that lives here." Said the Seraph.

"So there really is a dragon here." Said Sergei. The seraph nodded.

"You're stupid enough to serve a dragon? No wonder you became a hellion." Said Edna.

"What? How did …" The seraph began. "Oh that's right … I was doing the same things I always do while thinking that if I do this Bahamut will calm down and he'll turn back to normal. Before I could realize it, I turned into a hellion."

"What do you mean he'll turn back to normal?" Sergei asked.

"A dragon is a type of hellion that used to be a seraph but ended up being completely taken over with malevolence." Said Edna. "While other hellions like a behir or lich can be purified dragons can never be purified. He's just chasing a fantasy."

"How could you say that?" The seraph hissed, gritting his teeth and shooting Edna a cold stare. Rose braced herself to hold the seraph back worried that he might just try to attack her.

"It's the truth." Said Edna, barely reacting to now more aggressive seraph. "If the shepherd wants to even try purifying a dragon, she won't be able to do it, she'll have to kill Bahamut."

"Okay, but problem, I'm still learning the basics of being a shepherd, and … was Bahamut important to you before he turned?" Said Rose.

"Yes, and please leave it at that." Said the seraph.

"Why?" Sergei asked.

"I can't say any more, if I do Bahamut will leave the mountain and wreak havoc in either Marlind or Lady Lake." Said the Seraph.

"Oh! You're under one of those oath thingies!" Exclaimed Rose snapping her fingers.

"How do you know this?" Edna asked.

"Long story short Dezel took an oath when I was a kid to make me go vegetarian." Said Rose. "It didn't work."

"What does an oath do and what happens when it doesn't work?" Sergei asked.

"All I know is that if you break an oath you lose something." Said Rose.

"Special powers that conform to certain restrictions." Said the seraph. "My oath prevents me from talking too much about Bahamut so that he doesn't leave Rayfalke."

"So, would your powers be still intact if you say become a Lord of the Land?" Rose asked.

"They will." The seraph confirmed.

"Great, since we purified you and all would you mind doing us a favor?" Rose asked clasping her hands together, the seraph crossed his arms.

"What is it?" He asked in a cold voice.

"We want you to become the Lord of the Land in Lady Lake." Said Rose.

"No." The seraph refused.

"What?!"

"I'm not doing it."

"Sergei, you punch him and we drag him out." Edna muttered.

"Not yet." Muttered Rose holding her hand up towards Edna. "Why don't you want to?" The Seraph looked back towards the summit.

"There has to be another way …" He said. "The world is a big place, I refuse to believe that killing Bahamut is the only way to save him, there should be an alternative somewhere and I can't find it if I'm restricted to a stationary vessel at a sanctuary." Rose scratched her chin and looked off to the side for a moment.

"What's your name?" Rose asked.

"I'm Mikleo." Said the seraph.

"Hey, Mikleo, why don't you come with us?" Rose offered.

"What?" Sergei and Edna exclaimed.

"Rose, we need a Lord of the Land for Lady Lake." Said Sergei.

"I'm stuck babysitting you two, I don't want to deal with another child." Muttered Edna.

"Eh, we can just beat the shit out of the Oroboros at Falkewin Hillside and purify it." Said Rose. "And my suggestion to Elysia still stands in case that falls through. Besides you want to find some alternate to purify Bahamut right?" Mikleo nodded. "And hey, it works with our goal to purify all the hellions. Besides we can use more Seraphim since one of ours completely ditched us. What do you say?"

"I'll do it." Said Mikleo without any hesitations. "But I'm going to need a vessel or I might become a hellion again."

"Then there's not much of a choice then, you're gonna have to be my sub-lord so we're sharing this moron as a vessel." Sighed Edna whacking Rose on the head with her umbrella.

"Ow! Hey!"

"But you're not gonna armatize with her unless we find something that can allow you to do that. Still wanna do this?"

"Yes."

"Fine …" Sighed Edna taking Mikleo's hand. A blue light glowed around them. "Oh one born of sacred currents blah blah let us forge a pact something something recite your true name."

"What the …" Mikleo started he then cleared his throat. "Luzrov Rulay." Mikleo then vanished into Rose and reappeared moments later. "I can't believe that worked."

"I know." Said Rose patting his shoulder. "C'mon let's go purify an Oroboros!"

"Shepherd-!" Milkeo started.

"Rose will do just fine." Said Rose.

"Rose, before we head off … here." He gave her a round green jewel that was glowing in the center. Edna's eyes widened and her mouth dropped. Sergei was similarly shocked.

"What's this?" Rose asked.

"That's an Iris gem!" Said Sergei grabbing Rose's hand again. "These are only sold by specialty shops and are super rare and expensive. How did you get one?"

"I just stumbled across it one day." Said Mikleo. "I hope that can be of use to you."

"How so?" Rose asked holding the gem up towards the sky it then started glowing brightly and she gained a vision.

A tall blond bearded man with violet eyes and a rather muscular body wearing fancy clothing smoothed out his hair as he opened the door to his home. He was greeted by a young woman with green eyes and a young man, he welcomed them in then offered the two to sit down at a table and prepared some tea for the couple. He sat down with them and started a conversation with the two, smiling like it was the first time in a long time something good happened to him. The woman said something looking down. The man gasped, about to cry with the biggest smile on his face. The woman got up and went over to him concerned. The man got up and hugged the woman gently and started crying into her shoulder.

The vision faded from Rose and she shook her head.

"That was just me right?" She asked.

"No … I saw it too." Said Sergei.

"And that's why Lich boy-" Edna started.

"Mikleo!" Mikleo corrected.

"Whatever, thought this would be useful. Iris gems, or what they're sometimes called, Earthen Historia, can give images to the past and it might provide answers about things like the Lord of Calamity or what became of the Shepherd and his merry band of shits from thirty years ago." Said Edna.

"Huh." Said Rose looking at the gem. She put it away. "So it would be best if we collect them as we go?" Said Rose.

"Pretty much." Said Edna. "Now, we have that over with don't we have something stupid to attend to Rose?"

"It's not stupid, it was our first idea!" Rose pouted as the seraphim went back into her body and she and Sergei continued down the mountain.

Hey! The party has a second seraph ... with the ending of the Lady Lake arc nowhere in sight with this being a short chapter.

pheiral- Let's just say for now that Dezel really is at Katz Corner doing some therapy because I'm not gonna reveal what he's doing for at minimum another five chapters. Also you did guess right that Lailah does have a connection with Muse, as for the other stuff they're good guesses but not what happens. Also Zenrus did make an appearance a few chapters ago, but it was brief so I don't blame you and we will see him again soon. Though Alisha won't appear for a while.