Nozomi had always felt strange supernatural things that others around her didn't notice. When she was younger, she felt the presence of her mother and father there for her, despite the fact they disappeared years ago and once, when walking through a graveyard on a simple walk, she saw a widowed woman being comforted by the spirit of her late husband, although she was oblivious.
But the constant malice surrounding Eli was outright scary. She daren't say a word though, as she knew this wasn't the simple matter of an angry poltergeist, restless ghost or misguided spirit. She had never felt something like this ever before and Eli seemed to be getting worse, or in the very least, that she was hiding something.
She sighed as she entered the dungeons, slipping past the cells towards the end.
Inside, a figure was pacing, hands forcibly chained up and with heavy looking sealing gloves locked in place by the shackles on her wrists.
Nozomi leant on the bars, not at all scared, "Ah, Yoshiko-chan. Or is it Yohane right now?"
"Ah-!" The girl startled, but calmed down when her eyes fell upon Nozomi, "Can't you tell the guards I'm not going to do anything?!"
"I can't do that, I'm sorry. I know you won't, but the problem lies with Yohane, does it not?"
She groaned and slumped on the wall, sliding down on it until she was sat on the floor.
"I know this is a difficult request, but… I need to talk to Yohane."
"Are you crazy?! I'm not going to call her out on purpose!"
Nozomi sighed and waved a guard over, "I'm sorry, but this is very important."
"Forget it!"
She went with the guard to Yoshiko's things, finding her possessions, rifling through until she found a black feather. Even the aura that the feather gave off was threatening.
Nozomi had met Yoshiko before. An enthusiastic young teenager, who had made the mistake of getting far too into the supernatural things of this world and becoming possessed by a fallen angel.
They had met in the city cemetery near the outskirts, and Nozomi had become curious as to what she was doing there. She even sensed something within her that she couldn't quite put her finger on. She was even the one who had first noticed her possession.
It was with a heavy heart that Nozomi saw her imprisoned. A girl, soon to be a young woman, would be spending that transitioning time behind bars and in shackles.
She ran her fingers along the feather as she was allowed inside, but Yoshiko pressed herself up against the wall, "Wh-what?! I thought I threw that feather away!"
"Listen, Yoshiko-chan, I will make sure nothing bad happens to you, I promise. Yohane won't be able to do anything," She reassured as the girl began to tremble, "I have to know something and I'm afraid only Yohane can help. Nothing bad will happen to you."
Yoshiko glanced away and shook her head, "Fine… If… If it's what you need…"
Nozomi's expression softened, "I'm sorry…"
Yoshiko didn't say anything more as Nozomi put the black feather in her bun. This was something Nozomi had observed that triggered the manual possession, even though the fallen angel could jump in at mostly any time. Unfortunately, the prison had no time nor any money to spare regarding finding an exorcist skilled enough to get rid of the powerful influence.
Yoshiko's body shuddered and she clearly winced as a pair of pitch black wings burst out of her back and the sclera of her eyes mirrored the colour of her wings, then jumping up on her feet.
"Who calls upon the fallen angel Yohane?"
The cell door behind her clanked shut and Nozomi sucked in a long breath, "I want to know something."
"Oh? And what does a mere mortal want with Yohane?"
"Do you sense something in this world? In the castle above maybe? You're in the dungeons after all."
"Hmm… And what if I do?" Yohane crossed her arms despite the shackles.
"Then I'd like you to tell me."
"I suppose I have no reason to withhold anything…" The fallen angel hummed, "Alright! Listen, for Yohane will only tell you once!"
"I feel the presence of the Seven Devils!"
"Seven Devils?" Nozomi tilted her head and her brow knitted in worry.
"Correct! Of course, you're wondering who they are. Well, well… The Devils are dedicated, ruthless and cunning! And if they are, as I suspect, targeting your queen, then I am afraid she stands little chance of getting through this. I have never met even one of them, but I have heard of them many a time…"
Nozomi retained her frown, shaking her head, "Is there anything I can do…?"
"Well, they have all the typical weaknesses of demons and fiends, but I suspect they are not in this realm so those can be exploited… All you can do is pray. I unfortunately cannot tell you of their goals, but if they are to achieve them then they are likely to come to this realm at some point."
"Ah…" Nozomi looked to the ground, "Thank you for your help…"
"Of course," Yohane bowed, arms outstretched before her hand went to her feather, "If you'll excuse me, this cell is quite depressing so I would rather not stay longer than I am required."
Nozomi nodded and took the feather after Yohane pulled it out. She caught Yoshiko as she fell and eased her down, her wings retracting and her eyes going back to normal.
"Ah… Yoshiko-chan, are you okay?"
It took a moment for her to respond, "Yeah I… I suppose I am. Did she tell you what you wanted…?"
"She did. Thank you. I know I can't really thank you properly, but…"
"It's fine… It's nothing anyway," Yoshiko waved her hand and sat back, "I guess you have to be getting back then."
"I'm afraid so."
Without another word, Nozomi was let out of her cell, but she felt a deep regret for the fact that she couldn't help the girl at all. She didn't have the knowledge, nor the power for it. Maybe in the future, she would be able to find someone to exorcise the fallen angel's possession out of her, but right now, Yoshiko would have to stay behind bars. She only hoped that she would be allowed to walk free one day.
Eli had been stood on the tallest spire of her castle to try and get away from, well… Everything. The fresh air and the overlooking of the peaceful kingdom did something to put herself at ease. But she should have known better; far better.
Seemingly, after one small blink, chaos had fallen. Fires raged, smoke rose and the castle below was crumbling and dilapidated.
"I think it looks better like this, don't you?"
She turned her head to see Maki beside her, gazing over alongside with a smirk on her face. Eli shook her head, "You have a twisted perception of the world."
Maki growled, almost as if she was expecting Eli to agree with her, but Eli knew that was ridiculous.
"It doesn't matter what you think anyway," She said with a shrug, Eli noting the calm glow of her chest, "All of this," She swept her arm over, "Is coming closer and closer to becoming a vision of the future. It may already be."
"You're trying to delude me."
The deadpan in her voice caused the furnace to glow hotter, but the anger Eli expected was replaced with a smirk, "If that's what you want to think, that's the only delusion you're suffering from."
"Tell me something," Maki scoffed at that, but otherwise listened, "One of you is coming to my realm, aren't you?"
"Hmm? I don't know about that," She lied smoothly, "Are you sure you're not paranoid?"
Eli grunted and rubbed her temple, "I think I have a good reason to be paranoid."
"That is true, isn't it?" Maki sighed and a stream of smoke left her mouth, but her mood appeared to take a turn from this surprisingly positive one for Maki, when a puff of yellow smoke revealed Rin, sat on the edge of the stone overlooking the city, swinging her legs like a child.
"Rin." Maki acknowledged her with a dull tone, her chest flaring up alarmingly.
"Ah? Don't be like that Maki-chan, nya!"
"Did I say I wanted you here?"
"Mm… No," Rin said casually as she hopped up, whilst Maki looked tempted to push her off the edge, "C'mon Maki-chan, I wanna enjoy this too!"
Maki growled and folded her arms, "No. Go."
Rin only shook her head, seemingly attempting to push Maki further.
"You two…" Eli finally interrupted, "Can I ask something?"
"Depends, nya."
Maki only grunted in begrudging agreement with Rin.
"Is one of you coming to the mortal realm?"
"Who did you hear that from?" Maki asked, not seeming very fazed at all.
"Kotori."
"You think Kotori tells the honest purest truths the entire time, if at all? Her entire character is based on lies."
Eli opened her mouth to retort, but closed it when she realised she had nothing to say. Maki did seem to be the voice of reason right now, ironically.
"She was probably doing it to get under your skin. You know how she is, nya."
Eli was surprised to see the two agreeing with each other, only able to feel an immense sense of suspicion. But she didn't push it any further, deciding to doubt, but not voice anything. Maybe she was being paranoid?
Maki snapped her out of her daze, making her move to push Rin off the spire, but of course, Rin appeared back up there in another puff of smoke, as though she was expecting it to happen. Flames burned out of the corners of Maki's lips, but she didn't do anything more.
"Well. We'll leave you to your fresh air." Maki shrugged and in the next instant, the devils were gone and her kingdom the same. But she could only wonder how long it would stay that way.
Maki growled, bursting into Rin's room, which was rather garish for her tastes and nearly tearing the hinges off the door. Thankfully, this entire place of residence was fire proof, otherwise God knows what would have happened.
"Rin?! What the hell are you doing?!"
"Nya?!" Rin jumped up and dodged away from the swipe that came her way, "I don't see why you're so mad!"
"Because," Maki grabbed a chair, hurling it towards her, "You know I like to do things alone!"
"But we have to work together, nya!"
"Then work with Hanayo, or Kotori, or Umi!" She threw whatever random items she could at her with each name, but Rin dodged them all, only making her more and more angry. Her chest glowed red hot.
"You need to break out of your shell!" Rin protested.
"I don't need to break out of anything!" The furnace in her chest dimmed only slightly, "You interrupt me one more time," Her chest flared, "And you will not come out the other side. Understand?!"
Rin nodded, not really feeling the threat behind it, but figuring it would cause her less trouble to just agree. And it seemed to work, as Maki turned and slammed the door without another word.
Rin sat back, jumping down from the shelf she had perched herself on, wondering why she even bothered.
How does one defeat a devil? A being known little about, a being that lived in another realm and a being with an unknown amount of power.
Nozomi found herself pondering that, as she looked towards her wife who was worsening by the day. She looked sunken and pale and ill.
And she was sure that the advisors and servants were noticing as well. It was becoming increasingly obvious that something was wrong with their fair ruler. They probably assumed that it was an illness and she wasn't surprised to find that Eli's personal physician, Riko, had been called into the room.
Riko politely requested that Nozomi left the room, but Eli said she didn't mind. If anything, she probably deserved to know about her personal health.
"Alright… Well, I've been called in because people around the castle have been worried about your health. If you don't mind, I'd just like to run a quick examination."
Eli glanced to Nozomi briefly, but nodded.
Riko specialised in healing magic, a former priestess by trade prior to coming to work under the crown. Nozomi wondered if she would be able to detect what Yohane had told her was the presence of the Devils, but she doubted it. Being out of touch with the church for a while and only being specialised in healing, meant that she probably wouldn't notice a thing, other than the fact her magic made no progress.
"I'll leave for a moment," Nozomi stood, "Please excuse me."
She smiled to Riko before leaving with a sigh.
In the room, Eli crossed her legs, "So, what do you think it is?"
"Hmm, just from looking at you, I'd say something like a cold, but you aren't really coughing and sneezing, are you? Unbalanced humours perhaps? A lack of sleep? You really must make sure to keep healthy, my lady." Riko frowned as she made her way forward, but there was a knock on the door Nozomi had left from.
"Please excuse me, Sakurauchi-san," Eli stood and Riko bowed aside.
A messenger stood by the door, let in by Nozomi, who bowed to Eli, "My lady," He stood back upright, "A case is awaiting your presence. Nobleman Takahashi has been murdered."
Eli bit back her surprise, instead frowning, "Who are the suspects?"
"We only have one suspect. His wife."
"His wife? You're sure?" Eli asked incredulously. She had met his wife on a few occasions and she seemed just as lovely a woman as Takahashi himself did.
"The details on the case await when you take your seat."
She glanced to Riko, "I'm afraid I must attend to this. The examination can wait."
Riko looked like she was about to protest, but she acquiesced, "As you wish."
Eli followed the messenger towards the throne room, greeted by a crowd, of mainly rich parties, whilst Takahashi's wife stood in the midst of it all in shackles.
Upon entering and taking her seat, Eli was handed a scroll detailing the murder. Takahashi had been poisoned, although by what was unclear and there was a witness, a simple servant who had recently been hired. She wasn't suspected, because apparently evidence proved she hadn't been present during the time of death. If she had to admit it, the evidence looked quite damning.
"So, Takahashi-san, you have been accused of the murder of your spouse," Eli said, leaning back with a sigh, "What do you say in your defense?"
"Please, y-you have to believe me, I did no such thing!" She exclaimed, "My husband was a good man! Why would I kill him?"
The tone of voice she used truly made Eli want to believe her. She thought back to the rather cryptic message Kotori had said though. Maybe she was hinting upon the fact that she had caught him cheating. Then again, how would she know?
"Bring the witness forward." Eli instructed, but she froze when she saw her.
The servant girl had ashen hair and amber eyes, but lacked the horns and the tail Kotori usually had on display, but the smirk she gave Eli was tell-tale.
She had to stop herself from freezing up, but she did visibly tense up as she watched Kotori put on a panicked and shaken expression which was likely to fool anyone in the room.
"What's your name?" Eli asked cautiously, masking it as skepticism over the case at hand.
"Yamashita Umeko," She said with practiced ease, bowing to Eli with what she thought had very little sincerity behind it.
"What is your testimony to this unpleasant event?"
"Well, I… I had been hired as I was just passing through and looking for temporary work, s-so Takahashi-san agreed to hire me for a brief period of time…" Kotori said, "About a week into my working there I…" She swallowed, wiping away some crocodile tears, "I found Takahashi-san dead in his workroom with a teacup beside him, spilled on his desk…"
Eli knew this was a barefaced lie, perhaps not how he had died, but rather her involvement. Maybe she had been the servant girl for the week, but she knew that there was no doubt in her mind Kotori had been the one to poison Takahashi.
It was a horrific feeling to be powerless in her own kingdom, something she supposedly had entire dominion over. She couldn't just accuse Kotori either, knowing the outcry it would gain her.
"And Takahashi-san acknowledges that Yamashita-san was not on duty and in the home in the time of death?"
She sighed, "Yes, of course… I wouldn't want to throw her to the wolves simply because things aren't looking good in my favour."
Eli couldn't help but admire that. A woman of her class could easily frame a lowly servant girl if she wanted to, but her morality must have gotten the better of her.
"Then you must know you are the only candidate for murdering your husband that we have any idea of?" As much as Eli wanted to believe her, she knew that there was nothing else she could do. In fact, she did believe her, but she couldn't let her go. Sorrowfully, she watched the woman nod.
"I'm afraid with all the evidence, my hands are bound. I sentence you to life in the dungeons."
The woman bowed her head and began to sob as she was taken off to the dungeons, whilst Eli turned back to Kotori.
"Yamashita-san… I apologise for your experience in my kingdom." Her voice was guarded as she stood from her throne, "Please, accept my gratitude for your bravery in coming forward today." She bowed her head and Kotori did the same.
"Thank you, my lady," She raised her head, sending a smirk her way, "I understand this is no reflection on the rest of your kingdom."
With that, the crowd began to disperse and Kotori had seemingly disappeared among it. Eli knew she didn't mean a word of her well-meaning and this was a way to twist her morality.
And it was working. She had just put an innocent woman in jail for the rest of her life.