Trigger Warning: I should have mentioned this in the first chapter but this story MAY OR MAY NOT contain MILD references to past sexual abuse depending on how I plan and word it out throughout the story. It will be quite far along the story before I mention anything like that, but even so it's always best to be safe than sorry. Other than that other trigger warnings such as torture, tragedy, horror, gore- basically everything we know and love about DGM.
Chapter 2- The Man Who Left Me
Aria struggled to keep herself calm as she got herself ready to leave. A visitor... Could it be him? The man who had brought her here when she was a little girl... Had he came back to take her? She ran her fingers through her messy hair in front of her mirror again and again, the nerves in her stomach growing. She rubbed her thumb against her blue pendant, which in return glowed and hummed softly in comfort.
Her memories of his appearance were very vague. All she could remember was his long scarlet hair and hat. He had recognised who—or what—she was, and had brought her to her people. How he knew what a Fallen Angel was and where they lived was another mystery. He was also the one who had given her this pendant, which was able to calm her down that night.
However, bringing her here must have been the worst mistake this man had ever made.
She didn't want to get her hopes up, she really didn't, but it was incredibly rare to have a visitor in Seventh Sky. Since her kind had always kept to them self, majority of the world didn't even know they existed, or where they lived for that matter. With this in mind, along with the fact that no other human besides that man knew how to get here, she allowed her excitement to get the better of her.
Maybe her prayers would be answered today. Maybe he was here to take her away from this place which she despised so much. No more travelling down to Earth to find a new home, but failing and coming back to Seventh Sky again. No more constant running and avoiding from flocks of Angel worshippers. No more disconnection and miscommunication between her and humans—
She abruptly stopped fiddling with her hair. The realization swept within her mind, drowning her upbeat thoughts. She had almost forgotten that this guy was human as well.
Her eyebrows furrowed. Surely a mere human couldn't possibly survive in a city full of Angels; their auras would drive them crazy.
Maybe he was different? After all, he did bring her here in the past.
But also, what if he was here to take her away for his own selfish needs? She was an Angel after all.
She shuddered as her thoughts took a dark turn, her defences reclaiming themselves as she decided not to expect anything all that great from whatever happened today. She set off towards the city square with the two boys.
"Would you like some home-made tea, Mr. Cross?" The scarlet haired man looked up from his seat, his uncovered eye meeting a breathtaking set of emerald green eyes. The woman offering him tea wasn't particularly young. Even so, she had an alluring maturity about her, with her well developed breasts and hips and her deep golden skin which seemed to glisten, as she smiled enchantingly down at him. Another younger woman with creamy pink hair and eyes as rich as soil sat on his left. She possessed a more innocent but lively character about her. There were women all around the lavish guest room, offering him fruits and songs and entertainment, and love.
Of all women he had met, surely no human beauty could compare to the ethereal beauty of these creatures.
"I would much prefer some wine, your...Best, wine." His eye glued on the older woman's almost- nude body, which she laughed softly at and nodded, slowly turning round and allowing him to get a better view. If he could live his life like this forever, he would be one damn lucky man. His eyes travelled round the luxurious room, though only for a moment, taking note of the soft cream-like carpets and antique ruby curtains with gold embellishments.
Though this seemed like Heaven to him, he had only visited Seventh Sky two times in the past. This was now his third time, yet he barely had any knowledge of what was below the surface. Perhaps, being the fact that he was here for a particular reason, these people would open their mouths a little more.
"You sure she's coming?" He asked, turning to face one of the Elders. Though he was old, there was indeed still a well-known beauty about the man wearing a majestic gold and white robe, his golden staff just peeking through the opening. He smiled gracefully and nodded back at him.
"I've sent the youngest of my great, great grandsons to bring her here, since there's so much commotion outside the palace he will be able to slip in and out unnoticed," He let out a slight chuckle, his clear face and faded blue eyes still retained his radiance.
"Regarding his size, it shouldn't be a problem."
Cross was handed his glass of wine and he quietly sipped, acknowledging the silence between the two men. Cross then cleared his throat and sat forward with his elbows resting on his knees.
"So...Is there any sort of 'heads up' you'd like to give me?" The man blinked at his question.
"...About what?"
"About Aria, she's different from the rest of you lot, no?" Cross leaned back against the sofa with his arms crossed and feet up on the table in front of him. "How has her situation been since I left her here?"
The old man's broad shoulders seem to tense up slightly, as did the women around them at the mentioning of her name. Noticing their discomfort, he dismissed the girls out of the room before turning to Cross.
"She tends to keep to herself, not very social...She doesn't really stay in Seventh Sky for long." Cross cocked a brow up.
"What do you mean by that?"
"She prefers to travel back down to where the humans are," His gaze didn't meet with Cross's anymore as he picked up his own glass of wine.
"Since she was amongst humans for the first part of her life... Perhaps the desire to have a connection remain with humans doesn't really stray from someone like her."
"Or perhaps she's found it difficult to maintain a connection with her own people." Cross stared fixedly at the Elder as the man's gaze finally teared away from his glass to look at him, his eyes shifting from a nebulous blue-grey to sudden sharp, blazing steel.
"Though it is unfortunate for her to have fallen to the Curse much more drastically than anyone else ever has in the last 100 years, we have welcomed her with open arms since the day you brought her," He lifted his hands to gesture their surroundings.
"When living in such a peaceful and tranquil place like this, one should only get better. However, due to her past being so traumatic it's been taking a while for her to open up to us..."
"So there have been others in the past that have fallen, to the same level or completely, like Aria?"
"Well, yes, however we were not able to save them—"
"—and why is that?"
"Because even by making use of the serum, these individuals had fallen too deep for it to have an impact on their bodies," His eyes locked on Cross and his sturdy body sat up a little straighter, as if to indicate that he wasn't going to retreat from the conversation.
"So you killed the—"
"—with that being said, there was no hope for their safety or the safety of those around them."
There was a pause between the two men as both levelled each other with their eyes, the muffled sounds of music and singing outside the grand building filled the room. The old man finally sighed after what seemed like a lifetime of a silent war between the two.
"An individual who falls to the Curse will possess an increase in strength and magic. This is why we have our army of Warrior Angels, who undergo special training to deliberately fall, whilst still maintaining their souls and utilizing their stronger powers. Not only does it physically show on their wings and teeth, but also one's personality may have a slight difference— only slightly, however we take extra care of our soldiers by examining their emotional and psychological health—"
"Alright, alright, I get it old man. Make sure you give me a batch of this serum of yours for the girl. Now bring the ladies back, its gettin' quiet in here."
"Just wait here, I'll get the keys from the guard." The boys plunged through a sea of legs and crawled their way round the huge building situated within the city square. She ran her fingers through her hair and attempted to make herself as unnoticed as possible, taking note of the excited bodies around her and keeping her gaze lowered. To think almost the whole population of Seventh Sky would appear just to see a human, the city square was absolutely packed.
Of course, she could feel raking glares and unrelenting stares on her. Being the only one who hadn't had their wings out, it wasn't hard to point out who she was.
"Isn't that the Cursed one?"
"What's she doing here? She never shows up like this."
"Does she think by not showing her wings we don't know who she is?"
"She must be curious about the Human too."
"Hah! As if the Human would want someone as tainted as her,"
"Guys, I can see the Human! Look, the window!"
"It's a...Male."
And so the commotion of scurrying and bustling began as flocks of Angels pushed their way towards the window, some using their wings to hover above the crowd to get a better look. Aria was pushed and bumped in different directions until she found herself on the ground, with people climbing over her.
"Ya' bloody animals..." she mumbled to herself as she shuffled her way through the crowd in an attempt to get to the window, receiving blows on the head by feet numerous times. She was keen to get a glimpse of this Human, now that it was revealed it was indeed a male.
She could feel her heart pumping in excitement again. Yes, it was a male, it must be him. There could be no other human who knew how to get here except him. Another foot slammed against her head and she squeezed her eyes shut and let out an aggravated hum. She tried to shake her hair away from her eyes and turned her attention back towards her current surroundings. There was too much happening, she didn't know if she was crawling in the right direction anymore.
Before she could formulate a plan in order to keep going, or give up and try to stand, a sudden bang of steel was heard and a few cries of disapproval. Through the sudden shoving and shouting of people, the guards of the Grand Building called out.
"Elder Akim has called for the Cursed One to come forth!"
The noise began to slowly die down to hush muttering as everyone began to move away and form an empty pathway for the guards.
The next thing she knew, everyone had moved out of her sight and she was revealed in front of the guards on her hands and knees. Two small heads poked out from behind the guards, a pair of grinning gremlins waving frantically and calling out her name. Her glare travelled straight through their souls as she stood up to dust herself off, the whispering around her irritating her even more as she walked towards them.
"I thought I told you both to get me in there unnoticed," She growled lowly through her teeth as she approached the two boys. A fake smile was plastered on her face as she roughly rubbed their heads as the guards watched her interaction with the two boys.
"You really are asking for a death wish today, making me look like a bloody fool in front of everyone, ha ha..." To their discomfort the rubbing became harsher until she was finally escorted by the guards into the grand building.
To relieve herself from the awkward silence between her and the two guards on each side, she began humming softly, as they walked through the main hall and up the stairs. Nothing much had changed within the grand building as she first remembered it while living here. They walked past familiar faces—who would take a glimpse at her then tear their eyes away the second they met hers. She decided to turn her attention to the building itself. She listened to the soft echoes of their shoes against the glistening white marble floors while familiarizing herself with the magnificent tapestries hung on the deep red walls. The ceiling was carved with elegant gold motifs along the sides, spreading out from the centre where a large chandelier was hung. It had always appeared to look more like a palace inside rather than a grand building.
She yelped when they came to an abrupt stop and bumped into one of the guards. The Guard, whose eyes were covered with his helmet, cleared his throat and shifted to the side of a large wooden door, which was open, with female Angels hurrying in and out with food and wine. The guards stood on each side of the door, waiting for her to go in. She breathed out and readied herself, slowly approaching the door and peered in.
She immediately noticed the Scarlet-red hair. He was tall and sturdy, with half his face covered with a strange mask and wore long black uniform-like clothes. The hat had been removed from his head and placed at his side, a bottle of wine in his right hand.
It was him, it was actually him.
And he was making out with one of the two Angels on his lap.
Elder Akim cleared his throat to signal they were in the presence of other people in the room, before warmly welcoming his great, great grandchild and his friend in his arms. The two boys sat on each side of the Elder as they turned their attention towards Cross, who had grudgingly stopped to question the interruption, only to realize she was here.
His eye travelled towards the entrance and lingered on the figure present. There, standing at the door way was a familiar looking young woman, in which he took the time to study.
She certainly stood out from the rest of the women around them. Her thick, voluminous black curls were unkempt and strayed around her pale round cheeks, long enough to swallow her small body in. Her round, cat-like eyes held the colour of honey brown, warm and shadowy under thick lashes, but also an unstable and perilous fire of gold burning within their depths. Despite how mesmerizing her beauty was, it was unlike anyone else's. She appeared wilder, more uncontrolled and chaotic.
He smirked as his eyes trailed down her body, noticing she was the only one wearing proper clothes in the room full of Angels— a pair of black knee length trousers and a crumpled crop top.
"You've grown beautifully, my dear."
To his surprise, she had the audacity to let out a long sigh of disappointment, followed by a look of disgust.
She hated men like him.
It was normal here to walk around completely naked, unlike humans who were uncomfortable with even the thought of it. Of course, they knew when to cover up around humans or when visiting Earth. Even so, this man seemed to be, to her surprise, calmly enjoying it.
"Ugh... I knew it, you're just another pervert," She spoke with her eyes rolled skywards and hands raised dramatically, flopping them back violently to her side, as if she had given up on the world.
"So then, are you here to try and bargain for me? Possibly for my hand in marriage, or let me guess, It's been years and you can't stop thinking about me so you felt entitled to come for me—"
"N-now, now, Aria—"
"I'm sorry, but if you're here to try and take me away for your own twisted fantasies and intentions, you're wasting your time. Honestly, you think just because you saved me from dying in the cold that night I suddenly owe you? There have been too many Human men dropping on their knees because I'm a Fallen Angel, and you're definitely no exception just because... You can somehow withstand...Our auras..."
Plucking off the girl's on his lap, Cross calmly stood up and walked across the room towards her. Aria watched in amazement as he placed himself right in front of her, his expression unwavering, despite how close he was. Disregarding what seemed to be a normal, perhaps even slightly amped up, lustful gaze; he seemed to have complete control of himself and didn't seem to be struggling to maintain his senses. He appeared completely relaxed as he looked down at her, his small chuckle catching her off guard and causing her to take a step back hesitantly.
"You may have grown beautifully, but I love all women, a guy like me doesn't settle down with just one."
"How honest of you," She scorned up at him. She shrunk back slightly when he inched closer to her face, her nose wrinkling at the smell of wine and tobacco.
"You must be wondering how I'm able to engage in a normal conversation with ya'," Her eyes widened slightly as he tugged at the collar of his uniform, revealing a gold metal badge on his left breast.
"I'm an Accommodator of what you folk call 'God's Crystal', an Exorcist."
"...What?"
"Aria, I have a proposal for you,"
"So this is about marriage—"
"Aria, please..." She peered over Cross's shoulder to the familiar bearded man, his stern gaze seemed to pierce through her. Her lips pursed as she shot her eyes back at Cross dauntingly, but he was already stepping away from her with a much more serious look on his face.
"What if I told you there are more people like me in this world? People who you can talk to without any worry?"
Aria bore her eyes through the carpet, playing with her hair as she sat in the guest room. Now alone with Cross, who sat opposite her on a wooden stool, she couldn't help but peer up for a second to get a better look at him. Unsurprisingly, the pervert was pouring himself another glass of wine.
She fiddled with the knots in her hair, unable to keep still in frustration of this man's laid back attitude. All she wanted was to get this reunion over and done with and go fly back to the comfort of her empty house. She was slightly overwhelmed and exhausted by all of today's interactions and nostalgia.
"No need to look so tense, relax."
"..."
She hadn't realized her shoulders were hunched up to the point where it was noticeable, even for the half-drunken male sitting in front of her. She winced as she attempted to straighten her back, it ached and stung. She really wanted to sing the pain away.
"...You called yourself an Accommodator of God's Crystal earlier," Cross dragged his heavy gaze to meet hers, taking the pleasure to notice other features on her face— such as a beauty mark just below the corner of her bottom lip, and the way her side bangs curled over and hid most of her face.
"I'm a clergyman from a special organisation called the Black Order, specializing in Demon extermination, also known as an Exorcist." Her brow slanted up in strong disapproval.
"You act nothing like one, in all honesty."She stated bluntly at him.
"Hence why we prefer to be called Exorcists, but a beauty like you shouldn't see me as some saint, oh no, far from it." She ignored his flirtatious manner.
"And... what's Demon extermination?"
"Akumas, killing machines disguised as humans that act on the will of the Millennium Earl, the creator of these machines. They're made up of the souls of deceased humans, as well as Dark Matter," He smirked knowingly as her body once again tensed up at mentioning of Dark Matter.
"Of course, you know very well what that is." Her eyes widened in horror.
"You mean...The same Dark Matter that's in us?" She grimaced when he nodded. She couldn't believe such creatures actually existed on Earth. The many times she had travelled back down to Earth, she had never come across one before in her life. After all, all living things were susceptible to the Angelic Aura of Fallen Angels.
"If such creatures that withhold Dark Matter exist, shouldn't I have felt their presence when I'm on Earth or something?" After all, that's what she would have expected from creatures that shared the same substance as her. However, she was able to quickly answer her own question.
"Ah... But you said these creatures are... created by someone? So they're, in a way, manufactured rather than naturally born with Dark Matter within them..."
Her mind trailed into tunnels of theories as she made an attempt to process and understand this new information. These "Akuma" surely couldn't have any connection with Fallen Angels, if they had a creator other than God who they were controlled by, it didn't make sense for them to approach her as an Angel willingly.
Or perhaps they couldn't come near her at all.
Cross let out a gruff chuckle, a look of amusement on his face as he watched the young woman postulate silently.
"I almost forgot how smart you Angels are. Truly it's not just your amazing beauty, but your brains that cause Humans to lose their senses, eh?" Her face twisted into a scowl yet again, though he didn't notice as he proceeded to explain.
"Fallen Angels are a distinct species. The Dark Matter in Fallen Angels is the cause of The Curse by the betrayal of your ancestors against God. Therefore if you were to completely 'fall', your actions would be purely independent," He finished the remaining contents of his glass and put it down on the table with a loud clank.
"Dark Matter within an Akuma is poisonous, making their blood infectious, and can potentially kill any living thing that is not an Akuma. However, the Dark Matter within a Fallen Angel is unique, given the fact that the Curse is imposed by God himself," She was now sat completely still on her seat as she shifted her full attention to him.
"But, your very cores are made up of God's Crystal, which we call Innocence," He suddenly took out a silver object from inside his black coat.
"This is Judgement, which I use to purify the souls of Akuma." He announced proudly as he twirled the gun on his index finger. She silently studied the object. Its design was fancy; with a golden cross embed into the side of it, but other than that it didn't look like anything extravagant.
"Innocence is infused in this gun, making it an anti-Akuma weapon," He fixed his gaze back onto Aria, now leaning forward and pointing his other index finger at her.
"Innocence and Dark Matter are polar opposites. The fact that you have brought out your 'Fallen' side, along with your body naturally brimming with Innocence, means that Akuma must feel conflicted, and so avoid you altogether,"
"Even so, they may even sense the overwhelming power of Innocence within you, and may fear coming near all Fallen Angels because of your Auras. You in particular, could be a dangerous threat on a whole other level to them and so they stay away from you—"
"—Why are you telling me all this?" She swallowed once she picked up the quiver in her snappy voice, running her fingers through her hair quickly and shaking her head in disbelief, as if she hadn't noticed it. All this information, what was she to do with it? So what if another species avoided her, it wasn't like she had any connection with the others, no matter how much she tried. The air around them was so tense she hadn't realized she was holding her breath the whole time.
"What are you trying to imply? That I'm a monster? " Despite her attempt to sound bold, despite being used to being viewed as a creature like no other, it felt like her voice was stuck in her throat. She reached for her neck, desperately trying to hold onto her pendent which she had deliberately left home.
He slowly stood up from his seat and approached her, she shrunk back. He placed his fingers under chin to tilt her face up towards his and their eyes locked onto each other, the seriousness on his face deepening more.
"I need you, Aria."
"...WHAT THE HELL?" She slapped his hand away and jerked back.
"ARE YOU MESSIN' WITH OR SOMETHIN'?" She fumed as she violently grabbed his collar. How badly she wanted to beat this man right now.
"YE'RE BLOODY STEAMIN'N' WASTING MY TIME HERE, AREN'T YA?" She shrieked, her Scottish slang slowly beginning to overtake her dialogue. Cross stayed calm, but failing to hide the tinge of amusement in his voice as he watched the tiny girl blow up in his face, lifting his hands up in surrender.
"Well you are an Angel after all, there's only so much I can contain,"
"Learn some bloody self control then. You say you're a lot better off than normal humans so act like it, for God's sake."
She pushed him back before dropping back on the sofa, crossing her arms and legs and glaring holes through the floor.
Never in his life did he imagine an Angel with such a beautiful face, to be this scary.
"As I was saying," Cross fixed his collar, preferring to stay standing, just in case she attacked him again.
"You are a unique being, even within your own people. You possess the power of Dark Matter as well as Innocence, how you've been keeping these two energies stable inside you are beyond me, but you have enough of both, something no one else has. Listen to me carefully, we human's are being pulled into a pre-destined war against the Millennium Earl as we speak, he has finally started acting after 700 years. And we need help. We need you." His voice lowered as his gaze lingered over the closed door.
"Your people are against helping us, for years they have declined supporting us. But...They seem to have no problem with me asking you," She scoffed and rolled her eyes.
"Of course, after all I'm the one they want to disappear, since I'm tainting their fantasy world of Angelic purity."
"So this is your chance to leave this place for good, then. It's your chance to start a new life that has meaning and purpose. Now, I don't know how much compassion you have for mankind, but you are powerful, Aria, more powerful than the soldiers you have here. With a little bit of training, you could be the most powerful Exorcist within the Black Order."
"How do you even know if I can exorcise an Akuma in the first place?"
"Well, I don't,"
"...You don't?"
"I've never myself seen a Fallen Angel exorcise an Akuma, but there is a huge, huge possibility that it can be done. Your people seem to like living happily here and don't want no trouble, but you don't really seem like the type to enjoy Heaven that much, huh?"
"Well it's a very basic and superficial Heaven. They went so far as calling the City Seventh Sky, when in reality we are actually below even the first level of the seven Heavens." Cross laughed at that.
"Well then, I'll give you three hours, go home and pack your things and meet me back here again." She stared at him questioningly.
"But I haven't even said if I want to do this or not."
"I'm giving you a once in a lifetime opportunity to finally get out of here, don't you want that?"
"Yes I do, but I'm still confused about so many other things, and frankly I still don't trust you. How do I know you're not making this all up?" He cocked a brow up at her.
"I've been able to keep sane around you this whole time— sane around all of you, I'm the only one who knows how to get to Seventh Sky, and the old man wouldn't really send you off with a bloke like me without a good reason...What other proof do you want?"
Her lips pursed shut and her eyebrows furrowed in agitation. It was true that Elder Akim, being the only man who took her in while everyone else was against it, would surely be aware of this man's true intentions. If he truly didn't care, he would have tried to get her out of Seventh Sky in the past when everyone in the City gave him recommendations and advice on where she could go and live.
"Look, I'm not a man of words I'm a man of action, so if you could call the other girls back in—"
His face just missed contact with her fist as she screeched a range of insults and curses at him.
"Elder Akim, I'd like a word with you."
Elder Akim closed his eyes for a brief second before turning round. A very tall, slender man with long black hair and beady grey eyes stood a few feet away from him in the hall, outside the room which Cross and Aria were in. With his hands behind his back, he had the usual, if not more intense, chilling look on his face.
"Of course, Elder Cain, please lead the way." In one swift movement, Elder Cain turned and advanced forward across the hallway, his gold and white robe trailing behind him over the white marble. Instructing the young boys to stay, Elder Akim began to follow him down the stairs and through the lower level of the grand house, entering a narrow hall which connected to the Elder's chamber.
Elder Akim knew what was coming. He had prepared for this moment, knowing Elder Cain and his temper, he could sense his body shaking in rage. Any moment he would snap, and in no time he did.
"What is the meaning of this, Elder Akim? Were we not to keep the Cursed one until it was called for? Letting a lone man from the Order come to take it when he knows nothing?" He boomed as they now began to walk side by side into the chamber.
"That was only an unauthorized decision made by us Elders, if at any time in the future we may need use of her. They themselves have not ordered this." He calmly responded.
"And what if they do? What if they do want it and we don't have it here in our possession? Are you telling me this kind of sacrifice is needed for the sake of Seventh Sky? We are stronger than this, Elder Akim. What you have shown me today is that you clearly do not uphold the pride and values of an Angel, an Elder, one who's failed his duty to show his people what it's truly like to be unshaken by any dilemma held in front of him." Elder Akim patiently waited for Elder Cain as his rage was now fully exposed.
"For much too long you have been soft on this wretched thing, Elder Akim, bringing it up as if it is part of us, part of our family of purity. The Cursed one is, and always will be tainted, an outsider. One who should have been killed the day you found it."
Elder Akim closed his eyes again as an awful sound began to hum in his mind, almost struggling to keep his well-known, calm demeanour in line. Yes, she was an outsider and she was beyond help and healing, that he had accepted as fate. But that day, when Cross had brought the tired and scared little girl to him, he couldn't see any tainted Angel before him, nothing but a confused child with a horrific past. A child who had not realized that they had allowed their cursed side to emerge, a phenomenon that no one was willing to accept.
"I did not find her, Elder Cain. Do you not remember who brought her here in the first place?" Elder Cain inhaled sharply as he waited for Elder Akim to answer.
"The same lone man, who has single-handedly and continuously tried to negotiate with us for the past decade, is the same man who found Aria, and brought her here."
"This man is an Exorcist— and a Marshal at that, meaning his actions are entirely independent, yet he still knows nothing. We cannot afford to make this man suspicious of us any longer as he is the only one other than them who knows how to get here. Therefore, this is an excellent opportunity to keep him satisfied for now. " The noise seemed to increase as his grip tightened on his staff under his white and gold robe.
"Once she has entered the Black Order, they will find out, and so will take it as an invitation to do what they desire with her."
A wide smirk appeared on Elder Cain's face in realization, which would have made him shudder, if it were not for his talent of keeping calm in all situations.
"I see, so we are already offering her," He laughed, his voice deep and low.
"This man thinks she will be of use to help fight their war, yes? And if she is to completely Fall or becomes a potential threat to them, they shall have no choice but to take her life and our hands will not have dirtied." He grinned, turning round to leave the chamber and not giving Elder Akim a chance to reply.
"Very well, Elder Akim, please pardon me for my misjudgement."
That evening, Aria flew back home to start getting ready for her very last departure. She still couldn't fully register the events that took place today, and the nerves in her stomach had only grown more. Even so, she bottled them down as she twirled round her room singing, her pendant glowing as the music engulfed the room from it, a deep and honeyed disembodied voice hummed along with her from the pendant. After de-cluttering her shelves and filling her bag with objects given to her from her many trips down to Earth, she rubbed her pendant as the music and voice faded to a soft blue glow and set off back to Cross.
When she arrived outside the Grand Building, he was yet again surrounded by a crowd of Angels singing and dancing round him, their angelic voices flooding the air around them and her soul lightened. Her body overwhelmed her with excitement, her instincts telling her to join them, but they all moved away to glare and mutter in disapproval when Aria called out to him instead. Cross silently took notice of their reactions, his eyes peering over to Elder Akim from the side in accusation before approaching Aria.
"Ready to go?" He asked nonchalantly, despite the heavy atmosphere. She gave him a stiff nod, keeping her eyes low. Cross noticing her discomfort, dipped his head low and grabbed her chin again.
"You can keep your eyes on me and forget about everything else, my dear." He purred, loud enough for everyone to hear.
The action seemed to cause uproars of gasps and hushed accusations from the crowd, only causing Aria to stiffen up more.
A livid, dark glare appeared on her face, causing Cross to be caught off guard. A glare that only intensified more and more as her body shook in rage, the fire in her eyes flickered threateningly.
"Don't. Touch Me."
He could see nothing but painful, raw hate and disgust in her eyes.
He moved away from her without another word and allowed a decent amount of space between them, the muttering around them not stopping.
Elder Akim stepped in to relieve the awkward situation between the two, clearing his throat as he ushered them back into the building.
"Now then," He turned to one of the maids, taking a bag from her and handing it over to cross.
"These are syringes containing the serum," He spoke in a low voice and quickly looked back to see Aria sitting on the stairs across the hall from them.
"She avoids using her wings a lot, causing damage to her own back. If you see the symbol on her back beginning to glow or cause her any distress, inject one of these in her. It will allow her to pass out and calm her body down."
"Right," He curtly replied, his eyes not leaving Aria as she sat there playing with her hair.
"However, I do advise you to be more... Sensitive," Now he turned his full attention to the old man.
"She shows clear signs of displeasure if anyone attempts to touch her back, deliberately or not. Therefore, I would encourage you to tread carefully, especially for someone of your particular nature." Cross scoffed at him.
"You tryna' tell me I'm not a gentleman, old man?" Elder Akim let out a tired sigh.
"Just don't touch her without permission."
Aria hummed quietly to herself, cradling the pendant in her hands and swaying softly from side-to-side as she desperately tried to forget the fact that she had been humiliated not once, but twice in front of the whole city. She heard the clinking of chains of a guard approaching her and she peered up at him. He stood silently next to the stair case, though she couldn't tell if he was looking at her as his horrifically detailed white-gold helmet covered his eyes, only revealing his nose and mouth. She rolled her eyes at the immense work and artistry put into the helmet, steel wings sprung out from the sides, chains and intricate details and shapes covered the helmet, almost like a crown. It made the guard look majestic, but to her all the more overdramatic.
"Oi! Aria, we're leaving now." Cross called for her. She pulled herself up and grabbed her bag. She was suddenly stopped by a hand grabbing her arm.
"And where do you think you're going looking like that?" She cringed at the familiar voice, slowly turning to look back.
"Ah... Nice to see you again, Miss Sienna." She half-heartedly greeted a tall blonde woman, her sleek hair draped down her shoulder in a low ponytail, a frown twisted upon her plump lips. Her posture was nothing but graceful, her hands clasped elegantly in front of and her back straight. Her eyes travelled down Aria's body in disgust, clicking her tongue in annoyance.
"You are making your way down to the Black Order dressed in such ugly clothes? Are you trying to ruin our reputation yet again, Aria?"
"Of course not."
"Oh really?"
The men watched from the hall as Aria was scolded.
"We are Angels, therefore we must represent ourselves in our truest form. To wear such displeasing clothes as yours is an abomination to our existence!" She didn't seem to notice Aria rolling her eyes as she continued.
"We are not like the Humans, we are grace, we are beauty and we are elegance! Therefore, we must represent that— we must represent what we are and what we have been known for since the birth of Mankind. It's been four years since you left this building, have you applied any of your training into your independent life? Any at all?"
"Yes, I once had to play a Witch for an on-stage performance in Germany, so your training did come in handy." She deadpanned. Miss Sienna sighed, shaking her head.
"That sort of attitude is unfit for an Angel! Just as your outer appearance, your personality and conduct should also represent our true forms. If you were not raised amongst the humans, I would never have to train you as hard as I have since you were brought here." She retorted, scowling over at Cross.
Without another word Miss Sienna began positioning herself right in front of Aria, fixing her concentration as she closed her eyes and raised her arms outward. Millions of tiny dust-like, gold particles began to overflow from her body, making her body glow and her hair and gown elevate ever so slightly. She gathered the greatest concentration of particles around her outstretched hands, then beginning to drift towards Aria. Soon Aria's body was embraced with glowing particles which danced round her as a new outfit began to unfold from the previous one. She now wore a long, flowing lace dress, with awfully familiar looking details on the sleeves and an intricate and deep open back, with the dress sweeping behind across the floor. Even her hair was de-tangled and smoothed into soft large curls, a gold head accessory secured on one side of her hair.
It was then that Aria realized Miss Sienna must have been involved in the designing of the guard's helmets.
"There, they will now take you more seriously," She turned to the men with a pleased look on her face.
"You may now take her."
"You sure you can sit properly with that on?" Cross asked as he watched Aria plop down behind him on what seemed to be a large winged beast. Her dress was so long and flowy, he couldn't tell if she was sitting right or not. Even so, her appearance was so beyond ethereal, that to his surprise all he could do was stare.
"Don't get used to it. I'm going to change back once we're out of here." She mumbled quietly, a clear look of disinterest on her face that seemed so out of place with her overall appearance. There was no way she was going to land on Earth representing Miss Sienna's and the rest of Seventh Sky's obsession of attaining the 'true' image of an Angel.
"Oh."
"Yeah."
The winged beast took off and soared through seas of pink and blue hued clouds, gradually gaining speed as it dipped lower and lower. At one point the speed and pressure became so harsh Aria had no choice but to squeeze her eyes shut and grab onto Cross. Luckily, it ended quickly and they once again calmly sailed through the skies. She let go of Cross and began to change back into her previous outfit, the same glowing light surrounding her body and unfolding her clothes out as the dress disintegrated into gold particles.
"You really hate having anything to do with your people, don't ya'?" Cross asked after a while, placing his hat back on his head.
"I've never liked Seventh Sky." She shrugged.
"Heh, that's quite hard to believe. Even if you don't like the people, you live in Heaven, for crying out loud." Cross chuckled back.
"But it isn't Heaven, not the real one, anyway."
"But it's close to Heaven. I know someone who would lose his mind over its beauty and design that he would spend his whole life drawing it if he could. Even I can't compare it to anything else that I've seen in the world." Well, excluding the female Angels themselves, Cross thought.
When he didn't receive any response from her he peered over his shoulder.
"You really don't find the place you live in beautiful?" He asked again.
"No." She snapped.
"Geez, woman, then what do you find beautiful?"
She shot him a glare— which he began to accept as a natural reaction—before she actually took a moment to comprehend his question. She lived within the fake illusions of a man-made Heaven, a Heaven that would be a privilege for anyone to live in, yet it never swayed her heart as it did with everyone else. In the beginning, when she was a child, she indeed fell in love with Seventh Sky. However, that excitement was short-lived, and slowly as time passed she began to uncover the truth and recognise the false. It was beautiful at first, but she grew more and more tired of it, until she felt nothing.
It was nothing but fake, an obsessive desire to create a perfect world for self-satisfaction. It wasn't real like Earth.
"I don't know, I've yet to come across something that's beautiful to me," She responded in a surprisingly innocent tone as she began to reflect out loud.
"Not even me?" Ah, there was the glare.
"Real beauty can't be perfect, what we perceive as perfection is nothing without imperfections— the flaws, the ugliness hidden within the birth of this so-called Heaven. And what we create as absolute perfection just becomes wearisome over time... In the end, we could strive to build the most perfect world and it would still need constant refinement." Cross let out a low whistle, impressed.
"This may be the first time you've spoken with so much passion and interest since we met." She smiled wryly and nodded knowingly.
"By the way, you never told me your name."
"Cross Marian."
"And are we going to the Black Order now?"
"There are different Branches across Earth, the one you'll be heading to will be the European Branch in England,"
"Wait, you're not coming?" He swung his right leg over to the left and sat sideways on the winged beast with both his legs and arms crossed.
"As much as I would love it, I can't accompany you. I have other business to take care of as a General. I've already sent my apprentice to the same Branch, a filthy brat with white hair, so keep an eye out for him."
"...So, are we directly above England right now?" She asked while peering down below them.
"One way to find out," Cross grabbed her waist and pressed her body against his, getting ready to jump off. She didn't seem to protest as she also readied herself to jump and release her wings.
"Just kidding, you feel amazing, though,"
"What?"
Before she could register what he meant by that, she was pushed off.
"Wherever you land, be sure to make your way to England!"
"YOU MOTHERFUCKER"
She screamed as she fell through the sky, her body limp as the pressure of wind stole her breath. She twisted her body round facing below and regained her senses as she plummeted through what seemed like a never ending, thick fog of clouds. Luckily, the clouds slowly began to thin out, which Aria took as a sign that she was getting closer to land. She gave herself a second to prepare for the stinging pain as she grew out her wings again, her speed dropping as they outstretched and slowed her down— or so she thought.
After what felt like she was floating (dropping) through the sky, she had miscalculated her speed, and before she could do anything about it she landed full force on the ground.
"Ugh..." She spat and coughed out dust, slowly getting up to clean off the dirt from her hair and body. She decided immediately not to think about Cross if she didn't want to lose her mind again, and instead focus on her surroundings.
It certainly wasn't England, but she had a feeling it was somewhere in Europe at least. She scanned the area of rubble and dry land, completely deserted. The sky was a mixture of pink and blue, meaning it was still very early in the morning. On her left she recognized a city, which meant she was standing just on the outskirts. She was relieved at least that she didn't land in a crowded area.
She checked to see if she had everything and was about to proceed into the city when she heard the distant voice of someone singing. Her body froze and seemed to tingle all over in response, aching to join in. She turned back to where the singing was coming from, and to her amazement there was what looked like another city on the other far side, surrounded by large rocks. Her body seemed to move on its own and before she knew it she was flying straight towards the city to where the singing was.
She wasn't given the chance to sing as she usually did, with everything that happened today all she craved was music, a soft melody to sing to her heart's content. Her heart hammered within her chest harder and harder as the singing became more distinct, her throat dry and her body sweating. Her senses clouded as all she could think of was to find the voice and join in, a natural desire in all Fallen Angels.
As she got to the city she noticed to her convenience that there was no one living in it. It was completely lifeless and broken, yet there was someone singing from within the empty city. She continued with her search for the voice as she flew over rubble, cracked and demolished houses and cobbled streets, not even taking notice of the blood splattered across certain areas of the city.
The voice led her to the broken ceiling of an underground room. She hovered above the large gaping hole, her heart pounding and her back stinging as she watched two figures down below within the destroyed space. She landed a few meters away from the figures as she began to grasp the scene in front of her.
One of the figures, who she could sense as being dead, had their head on the lap of the smaller figure, the one who was singing. As she crept closer towards the two, she then noticed it was a young girl with long blonde hair. Her voice was soft and gentle, but it sounded lifeless and without any emotion.
The girl suddenly stopped singing and Aria stood still, thinking she had already noticed her. However, the girl continued to stare up towards the sky, her body frozen on the spot. Aria blinked, waiting for her to move or talk or do anything, but she didn't.
She didn't know what else to do, and so continued to edge closer towards the girl. Once she was close enough she could see the girl's face, and it wasn't human.
She was a doll, a human sized doll holding a dead man on her lap.
Aria threw herself on her knees and immediately began singing from where the doll ended, squeezing her eyes shut and rocking back and forth, clutching on her pendant with dear life and instantly regretting coming here. She didn't know what was going on, she didn't know what she had just gotten herself into, but she felt as if she was about to lose her heart and mind.
She sang, she sang until her mind was blanked out. She sang until she didn't know what reality was anymore, until her soul calmed down and her body stopped shaking.
After a while she finally relaxed and plucked the courage to open her eyes and to take on the situation, only to be greeted with a sharp object being pressed under her chin. Her gaze slowly met with another figure, a young man with blue-black hair and deep blue eyes, staring down at her venomously.
"Who the hell are you?"
A/N: I had previously uploaded chapter 2, but being dissatisfied with it I took it down and spent more time on this chapter. As a result, it's a lot longer and more stuff happens from the first one. ^_^