The boat ride had taken them to the next kingdom over, thankfully the one where Nozomi knew that Mari and Kanan were staying at. She'd need help if she were to formulate a plan. Immediately, there were cities abuzz with rumours and news claiming to be from the kingdom they'd just came from, but Nozomi became unsure on what was truth and what were lies. It was better to ignore things for now and focus on her own personal plans.
Most of the castle's former staff had split up, to go and stay with relatives or to find work elsewhere now that their former employer's status was completely unknown.
"You want to do something, right? I can see it on your face," Riko said to Nozomi now that the two had stepped off the boat, "I-if you would pardon me for being so forward… I'd like to come with you."
"Riko-chan, I barely know where I'm going," Nozomi said, managing a small laugh, "But… I suppose I don't have much precedent to say no. I do have an idea though…"
"Do you have a plan?"
"Well, I need to know more about what I'm up against. I don't know how good of an idea it'll be just to turn up, but I have little choice…"
Just then, You hopped off the boat, carrying a bag over her shoulder, "Here y'are. These clothes'll make you look like everyone else, I know you don't want to attract attention…"
"Thank you Watanabe-san. I only hope I can repay you properly for what you've done for me."
You scratched at her collarbone and Nozomi was amused to see that there was a blush spreading on her face. She still had some charm to her, she supposed.
"I-it's no problem, you don't need to worry about any of that…"
Nozomi chuckled, heading inside one of the cabins to quickly change. An ordinary shirt, worker's trousers and a long hooded robe. She sighed, taking her hair out of her usual twintails and then putting it in a single ponytail instead, tucking it into the hood. If anyone even so much as suspected who she was, then they would likely be turned away by the mere thought of royalty wearing such clothing.
Stepping off the boat once again, she had her dress folded neatly over her arm, she smiled and stood in front of a once again flustered You, "I don't have any use for this anymore… I doubt I'll ever wear it again. Selling it will probably cover more than enough for our journey."
"I-I couldn't…" You said, waving her hands in front of her, but Nozomi only shook her head and took one of her hands by the wrist and pressed it into her grip, then taking her other and placing it over the top.
"That wasn't hard, was it?" Nozomi jested, "But ah, please take it. It's nothing more than a painful reminder to me now." She released her hands and You nodded silently, taking it inside the boat.
Riko, who'd been watching the entire exchange, hummed in thought, "You-chan always did admire royalty."
Nozomi chuckled, "Well, I'd rather put it all behind me now. I have bigger things to worry about than my dresses."
"Well, what now?" Riko asked, following Nozomi as she began to pace away from the dock, adjusting her hood temporarily.
"I, at the very least, have the address of where two exorcists are either at currently, or have been most recently. I'm going to ask their help, if I can find them."
"I see… I suppose it makes the most sense to get people involved who are knowledgeable in this kind of thing," Riko nodded approvingly.
"Thankfully, I don't think they're that far away." Nozomi said, as the two of them began weaving in and out of crowds at the dock.
"What even is happening?" Riko asked, revealing some of her nervousness regarding this whole thing. In fact, Riko herself thought it was a miracle that she hadn't broken down yet under what could potentially be seen as an apocalypse.
"Something bigger than the both of us can probably imagine. But I don't plan on cowering in the shadows and letting whatever's out there have their way."
"I… Don't even know what we're up against, but just know that, I'll help you however I can."
Nozomi smiled to Riko and decided to hold back from saying another word for the time being, at least until they had left the docks and a few of the crowds behind.
It hadn't taken them too long to get on the main road and with a limited amount of money (Riko had retrieved her bag during the evacuation, yet Nozomi had been far too distracted to think too deeply about the matter of money), they decided it would be best to go by foot rather than worry about horses, carriages, etc.
It was reasonable to stop at a tavern for a brief moment, just to get refreshed and to drink in the events of the day and to get their heads straight. Nozomi was mindful of her hood and careful of meeting anyone's eyes. Riko seemed more nervous than she was though, but that was probably just down to her personal anxieties and the weight of everything happening right now.
Nozomi headed up to the bartender, money already in hand because Riko didn't want to deal with anyone, ordering simply a bottle of wine and the two of them gladly took a corner booth, Nozomi brushing a stray bit of hair back inside her hood. Even if the bar was quite quiet, it was still not a good idea to attract attention.
"Is it odd not to feel anything right now? Or not to feel much for what's happening back home?"
"Hmm," Nozomi hummed, pouring them both a glass, "It's… An emotional disconnect I suppose. You know something awful is happening, but you don't know what. Without an image to put to a disaster, we feel little…"
Riko nodded, "I just hope my family's okay."
Nozomi looked down at her glass, swirling the wine before taking a sip, thinking of the old woman that raised her, "Same here. I'm sure your family is fine," She looked up, sending Riko a gentle smile. She'd forgotten to smile over the course of the last day.
There was a sudden thump at the tavern's door and it opened unceremoniously; the barkeeper's face souring as he prepared himself for a call he'd become accustomed to. Three bandits came striding inside, "The look on your face tells us you missed us! Well, here we are," He said, leaning his arms against the counter, "Got our protection tax?"
Riko swallowed and shrank back in the booth, whilst Nozomi instead rose from her seat and made her way towards the group, this time looking dead ahead rather than allowing her gaze to drag on the ground. She had caught the attention of the bandit at the back of the group, even as the barkeeper seemed busy with counting out his coin. But he had noticed Nozomi, but he didn't speak a word.
"It's best if ya sit back down, miss."
"Oh no, I just want a drink," Nozomi said nonchalantly, sizing him up silently.
"I think you can wait 'til we're done," He said, straightening himself up properly.
Nozomi knew he was sensing a threat, but he couldn't quite put his finger on how she would retaliate against him. She looked a little bit like a peasant, aside from the fact she was a lot cleaner than one might guess. Perhaps a more mysterious traveller than anything else.
"Ah, no, I'm parched, sorry sir."
"You can still wai-" Nozomi cut him off with a swift blow stomach before he could react, then taking the knife from his sheath and hitting the back of his head with the handle as he doubled over. Nozomi hummed in thought, checking him over and making sure he was fully knocked out before facing the other assailants.
"Ah, you'll have to forgive me, I think I'm a little rusty at this…" Nozomi said, examining the dagger as the other two bandits had already drawn their blades in her direction.
She glance between the two attackers, glad that there was a small enough space that having both of them attack her at once would become problematic for the both of them. She looked at the dagger in her hand and dropped it to the floor; she'd never killed anyone and she didn't intend on starting today.
One of them saw it as a chance, lunging forward to stab, but Nozomi dodged out of the way, grabbing his arm with both hands. She swept his foot out from underneath him and went to the ground with him, then gradually twisting his arm and then yanking it away from him with a sickening snap. With the second bandit incapacitated, the third looked more than a little uneasy.
"I'll give you two options. You can either fight me and end up like your friends, or you can give back money to this barkeep over here, take your friends and leave." She offered nonchalantly.
He grit his teeth for a second, shaking his head and putting his weapon away. He seemed to be the smartest, knowing when to admit defeat. He turned to the barkeep and threw a pouch his way, before hoisting his friends up.
"I don't really think you can really take protection money anymore, especially when you can't protect yourselves," She said with a small laugh, as the thoroughly shamed trio left the bar.
Nozomi let her shoulders slacken with a sigh, the barkeep flicking her the money they'd paid for the wine, "Drink's on the house."
Nozomi caught it somewhat hesitantly, "Ah… I-I don't know if I can accept that."
"Listen, with luck you've stopped them from coming back and gotten me back a lot of revenue. It's the least I can do for you."
Nozomi nodded, "Alright… Thanks." She said with a genuine smile.
"I thought you looked familiar," He said, stepping out from behind the bar to clean up any messes that had been left, "I suppose I shouldn't question what a queen is doing inside a shady tavern in the middle of the road in the next kingdom over. But I've heard things aren't going well…"
A brief moment of hurt flashed on her face, but she managed to shrug it off, "I think you better brace over here as well. I can see every kingdom falling within the next month."
Nozomi them turned on her heel and went back towards the table, to a startled Riko whom Nozomi had entirely forgotten about.
"Should I explain?" Nozomi said, only letting out a small laugh when Riko nodded without a word, "I grew up in a rougher part of the kingdom and the woman who raised me wanted for me to be able to defend myself. When I married, Elichi encouraged the idea of me continuing. She didn't want me to be caught in any kind of bad situation, y'see."
"I-I suppose that comes in handy for you…" Riko said, "You didn't hurt yourself did you?"
"No, no, I didn't get hit. But thanks for your concern," She said, sitting herself back down in the booth and then taking a long drink of wine, "We should get moving soon, we don't want to be walking whilst it's still dark."
When the two of them finished, they stood up and the barkeep gestured to the bottle, "Feel free to take it with you. As I said, least I can do."
Nozomi thanked him again whilst Riko took the bottle and put it in her bag. Nozomi adjusted her hood and they both bid their goodbyes.
Riko still seemed a little shaken as they left. She'd never had to deal with bandits or any kind of roughness like that in her life, unless one counted the aftermath of fights and so on. She may have been a physician, but she was by no means a battle healer.
"What's up Riko-chan? A little down?" Nozomi said, strangely upbeat even now.
"I'm just thinking about how big a change this is going to end up being. F-for both of us I suppose."
"I think it's going to be a big change for everyone. This whole thing will definitely be felt all over the world. That's what I feel."
"How do you even know what we're up against?" Riko asked, quirking an eyebrow.
"Ah… That's not something I can really explain to anyone, because I don't even get it myself. It's a sort of… Sense that I have. Beyond common sense, of course," Nozomi chuckled, "So I can tell when things are wrong, things far out of our realm."
"So the supernatural?" Riko said, "That doesn't make things better…"
"Ahah, I'm sorry. But," She shrugged, "There's no point sugar coating the world we live in."
"I suppose not…" Riko said, gazing at her feet and scuffing at the dusty road below them, then gazing to the nearby sign, "Just a few more miles…"
"Yeah. We'll make it before the sun sets."
Riko had wanted to ask Nozomi about how she was holding up, but she didn't feel like she was one to encroach on her and Eli's personal relationship. She was just the physician, the physician who could do nothing for Eli, when she was, well... She didn't know for sure if Eli was alive or not, but Nozomi seemed to believe that she was gone, one way or another.
It had been relatively quiet along the road, until a small wagon rode by, the two scruffy looking horses halting beside them, an equally scruffy looking husband and wife couple kindly glancing their way, "Where you two off to? We can offer you a ride, this road ain't pleasant, especially when night starts fallin'."
Riko glanced to Nozomi, who nodded, keeping her face somewhat obscured. The barkeep had recognised her and she knew that she needed to keep a low profile. She was certainly an iconic figure and she could do without the attention. So, Riko made herself useful, "Ah, yes that would be nice… But we wouldn't want to trouble you."
"'S no bother. We're going to the outskirts of the city nearby."
"That is where we're headed."
"Hop on back and we can take ya there. Give you a rest, mm?"
Nozomi and Riko didn't argue, climbing onto the back of the wagon and settling themselves back as the mares began to work once again. They were sturdy and Nozomi felt secure enough in the knowledge that they would be getting them there. The both of them were hit by their tiredness all of a sudden, as they had struggled to find sleep on the boat. It was no fault of the ocean's, but rather the stresses of having to leave their homes, their families and just about everything that meant anything to them. Sentimentalism wasn't exactly something that one could hold onto easily. Nozomi only had her wedding ring. Riko had a few belongings, but most of them were finite resources.
"Ya know, when I saw you on the road, I got a little bit of a fright. Thought ya looked a little bit like Death 'imself," The man observed, glancing over his shoulder in Nozomi's direction, "Good thing I saw your friend here otherwise I mighta had my humours go all squiffy!"
Nozomi managed a laugh, "Well, it just helps keep the sun out of my eyes. Sorry if I gave you a little fright."
His wife looked over at her curiously for a second, as if scrutinizing her. But there appeared to be nothing too suspicious about Nozomi, other than the fact she was a hooded, robed figure. She carried no bags and she carried no weapons, as well as the fact that Riko didn't look like a particularly intimidating person. No offence to her, of course. Perhaps she recognised Nozomi, but she couldn't be sure where from and that was the way Nozomi preferred it.
"If it ain't too private, what're the both of you visiting for? Most folks hire a carriage to take 'em over."
"Well, we didn't really have the funds to do that…" Riko admitted, "This was a bit of an emergency."
"I see, I see… Well bandits are roaming, what with our guards and armies out. They could be doing whatever they want right now. Burnin' homes, farms… It's a pity really they have to resort to things like that to live, to take from honest folk."
"As for what brings us out here, it's to do with the emergency. We're asking for help," Nozomi said, drumming her fingers against the wood idly, "It isn't exactly ideal and we don't know if the help has moved on yet."
"I wish the both of you the best of luck. And people need to start helpin' each other out a little more."
The two of them nodded in agreement, but they fell into a comfortable silence, with the occasional bit of small talk traded between them. There wasn't a lot to say, as Nozomi knew that she couldn't say a lot about her personal life without either lying or giving away too much. She would rather keep up the intrigue of a hooded traveller than anything else.
They were dropped off around the outskirts of the city and they duly thanked the couple for their help. It certainly did help, as the sun was beginning to set properly now. Hopping off the wagon and setting off on their way again, Nozomi hummed in thought.
"I remember the address… But… Obviously I don't know my way around too much. We might have to ask for directions."
"That won't be too much of an issue, I went to the university here. I know my way around," Riko said, adjusting the bag on her shoulder, "It has been a while though."
Nozomi told her the address and Riko nodded.
"Kurosawa… The name sounds familiar. I probably heard it during my time here."
Nozomi found it strange and foreign, to find a place so unaffected, when she herself had just come from a kingdom that had been torn apart by armies and hellish influences alike. It was peaceful, but she could tell this was just the calm before the storm, even if it was unbeknownst to the people living here.
It took them a few moments to navigate through the paved streets, many giving the mismatched duo strange looks, but the both of them didn't seem to mind. They had bigger worries than what strangers thought of them at this current point in time.
It hadn't taken them long to reach a gated community, not necessarily heavily guarded, but with fences so high one could get anxiety simply by looking at their height. Nozomi sighed and glanced over the area, "What a display…"
Riko looked towards the numbers on the gates and soon found the one the two of them were looking for, waving Nozomi over, "This it?"
"Yes, that's right," Nozomi said, trailing off briefly to check over the details in her head, "This looks it."
Nozomi approached the guard beside the gate and firstly wondered how to go about this whole thing. It might have seemed suspicious, but there was only one way to check on whether or not the exorcists were still within the residence and that was either to wait (of which they couldn't be sure how long they'd be waiting), or to take matters into their own hands and bite the bullet.
"Excuse me, sir, is this the Kurosawa residence?" She asked in as polite a tone as she could muster. She realised she wasn't in much of a mood to be trifled with.
"That is correct ma'am. Do you have some business to discuss?" Thankfully, he seemed polite in return.
"I do, as a matter of fact. There are two exorcists that came here, Matsuura-san and Ohara-san. Are they still here?"
The man paused for a second, a little bit taken aback that she knew so much about who was inside, "Well… Yes, they are," He said, clearly being careful with what he gave away, "But I'm afraid I can't let you in without consent from a member of the Kurosawa family."
Nozomi nodded understandingly. Being rude or arrogant wouldn't get her anywhere, but also she didn't seem too keen on giving away her identity right now. So, she turned to Riko and requested some paper, a quill, some ink and a coin. She got to work writing a letter, containing some details about how urgent this matter was and that it would be best if she could be let inside immediately. She signed her name and folded the paper shut, handing the letter to the guard and pressing the coin into his other hand. He knew that it meant he was to go immediately.
So, he opened up the gate and headed towards the front door, whilst Nozomi and Riko had some time to themselves for a few moments, "This has been quite the journey thus far, hasn't it?" Nozomi hummed aloud.
"For some reason, I feel as though it isn't quite over…"
"Hm, you could be right. If I intend to continue to fight…" She said, trailing off ominously which didn't exactly fill Riko with confidence. She had little idea with what there was to fight, unless Nozomi intended to charge alone headfirst into an army, which didn't seem like a good idea very becoming of a queen. Or perhaps a former queen now that Riko thought about it.
"Well, this is our next step anyway… I think the Kurosawas are some kind of business conglomerates. Or extremely successful merchants with humble beginnings." Riko said, squinting at the mansion. Riko could never have lived in one of those, especially not alone.
Nozomi sighed and cracked her knuckles in what some might consider an unladylike fashion, but now, Nozomi felt comfortable in slacking back into more slovenly habits now that she didn't have an image to uphold. It wasn't as though anyone but Riko knew who she was, but Riko would have to get used to the idea of her queen being more human that she once thought. It was time to dispel the illusion that the royalty were some kind of veritable gods and goddesses who could do no wrong, regardless of whether or not they were put in place by God.
Soon enough, the guard made his way back down the pathway, coin tucked securely in his pocket and the gate remained open this time.
"I'm told that you two won't be needing an escort up to the mansion. The exorcists have insisted that you head up, with consent being given by one of the Kurosawas." He said, bowing his head in respect, before the both of them thanked him and headed up the path. They were met at the door by Kanan and Mari, who had such expressions of seriousness written across their face that Nozomi could hardly believe that they were the same people that she had spoken with in her old home.
"We know that you couldn't tell us a lot through your quickly written letter, but even then it sounds bad," Kanan said, one bare hand in her pocket and a glove on the other, "I think we should talk this through."
Mari nodded as well, Nozomi's attention briefly being caught by two other girls, presumably the resident Kurosawas of the mansion. Of course, not all the Kurosawas, but likely sisters judging from their age and how certain features were similar. But Nozomi could tell just through her strange sixth sense that the older sister was possessed by a demon, whilst the younger one was in complete awe that royalty had shown up on her doorstep.
"Yes, we should talk. But first, allow me to introduce Sakurauchi Riko, one of my castle's personal physicians who has volunteered to travel with and help me through this."
Riko bowed her head a little shyly and was glad to see that no-one was acting like she shouldn't be there at all, even if there wasn't a lot she felt she could do. Nevertheless, they greeted her before the doors closed behind them and they were finally out of the public eye.
Nozomi took the opportunity to finally take her hood off and pull her ponytail just that bit tighter, as the oldest sister led them into the next room that turned out to be a tea room of sorts. They sat themselves down whilst the younger sister said something about making tea and Riko volunteering to help. She probably saw it as making herself useful.
"Well, where to start…" Nozomi thought aloud, "I suppose I should start at the burning churches? Causing paranoia and so on, but you can't keep news like that from spreading."
"That was probably what I felt…" Mari said, glancing to Kanan, who frowned and stared at the table for a few moments.
"I think we all know what it was," Nozomi said, leaning back in her seat in an almost relaxed manner, "But there isn't much good in hypothesising, when we need to figure out how we can act."
"Yes, but we do still need your account from what happened. It's difficult to tell the truth from the rumours over here," Kanan said, finally looking up and pulling the glove tighter on her hand.
"Well, to keep it short… Burning churches, mass hysteria, riots, invading armies believing they're on the side of God and something far more sinister underneath the whole thing. Influences we find very difficult to imagine."
Riko and Ruby headed back into the room, Riko carrying the tray with six cups of tea on and setting it down on the table and trying not to look as troubled as she was. In fact, Nozomi was starting to think that Riko was taking this whole thing harder than she herself was. But Riko was just like that she supposed and there wasn't a lot Nozomi could do to alleviate her fears. Nozomi had never felt quite so powerless in her whole life.
Kanan glanced to her glove and then to Dia, whose eyes had flooded with dark blue, her pose shifting to one that seemed a lot more unladylike, "What are we talking about? Actually taking some action? About bloody time."
Nozomi raised an eyebrow, slightly amused by the sudden tonal shift even if Kanan did look somewhat tired as a result.
"We're just discussing the rather worrying matters that have transpired within the past twenty four hours," Nozomi answered, not really wanting to aggravate the demon.
"Ah, then that means- They've already made their move! Scourge of Hell and Earth…" The demon chuntered, turning its head away from everyone for a moment.
"Well, anyway, we need more information about the Devils. We know very little, have no writings and records and I've only seen a brief flash of one of them. Red hair ring a bell?"
"Ah yes… Fell from grace if I remember correctly… Not in the fallen angel sense, but in the sense her family was an affluent one that ran successful healers guilds spanning kingdoms. Nishikino I think… Blackmail and scandals befell her family and she threw her life away to higher powers. Satan answered her call before God did," The demon tutted, "It's a shame really. Such rage in one so young. It's like the girl has a furnace in her chest. Instead of spitting venom in the form of words, she spits fire instead."
Nozomi raised an eyebrow at the empathy the demon was showing, but Mari only shrugged, "The other six?" She asked.
"Where to start…" The demon thought aloud, almost wistfully, as though it were recalling memories of a simpler time as an old man, "Perhaps the youngest… Koizumi. This description will be short, because I'm unsure where she came from. She just showed up one day, a timid little thing. It's always befuddled us all as to how she got to such a status from seemingly nowhere. Especially when some demons possessed more power and prowess than she shows, unless, well, she's hiding something. Which is entirely possible, what with the nature of the group she's associated with."
"Sounds easy enough to deal with…" Nozomi thought aloud, whilst the demon gave her a curious look over, as if evaluating that she could actually stand up to the Devils.
"I'll get through this first before we begin talking about strategies if you don't mind."
"Of course, my apologies." Nozomi said, falling silent and hoping it didn't think she was being sarcastic.
"Right, next… Hoshizora. She's more of a tag-along than anything too sinister, but… There's something about her that always unsettled me. I'm fairly certain that she can move faster than any of the other Devils and she gets fired up quite easily. From what I know, she's… Actually a bit of a prankster, strangely enough. Probably knew Nishikino in mortal life," The demon shrugged, "I'll be honest, the younger Devils probably pose the least amount of threat."
Nozomi was about to enquire about the other four, but the demon seemed to be getting there in its own time and didn't want to be chivvied along at all.
"Hm. Kousaka next. Lazy sod. Doesn't work that hard, but when she does, my God she's a brute. Not in the sense that she has the thought process of a Neanderthal, but her strength is certainly a terrifying prospect to come up against. This is more hearsay, so take it with a grain of salt, but I heard she once strangled a demon to incapacitation with one hand because Sonoda told her to. From what I remember, she was interested in very little, but I'm certain that she was connected to two of the other Devils when she possessed a normal human's life."
Nozomi looked to Mari, who had taken to scribbling down notes, however hasty, but it would be useful to have this kind of thing on hand, rather than to have an impatient demon recite it whenever they forgot.
"By Satan, it's Minami next, isn't it?" The demon said with disdain, staring at the ceiling and crossing its legs, "She honestly is one of the most reprehensible of the whole lot. Which I suppose is a good thing, when the group you're a part of is second only to Satan himself. Manipulative, illusionary; downright devious. Chances are if you've ever suffered a particularly bad night terror, it's down to her or Yazawa. She can trick you to do all sorts, either through little seeds of doubt or fully fledged illusions. Never seen her deal with anything physically, but that's probably part of her nature. Knew Kousaka and Sonoda, probably."
"Still a little vague?" Nozomi asked, trying not to provoke the demon too much, or use a tone that sounded in the slightest uninterested.
"Well, I'm reciting carefully selected bits of information, be they based in rumour or actual events witnessed. Of course, it's difficult to tell what things are the truth, but it's not like they're not known in Hell at all," The demon shrugged, "News spreads in Hell like it does on Earth."
"I see…"
"Now there's only Sonoda and Yazawa left to mention… I would say they're both as bad as each other, but Sonoda takes that title and wears it proudly… I suppose I should mention Yazawa first. Second in command, looks more like an imp than a devil if I'm honest… But she'd have my neck wrung for saying that, short tempered little sod. But, strangely… She seems to hold some marginally good intentions. In mortal life, she gave her soul to ensure that her family could lead a better life, due to being poverty stricken… She tends to hate higher classes, which is rather ironic nowadays."
"Now then… The worst of the lot," The demon commented in contempt, "Sonoda… I wouldn't mind the group of them, if it wasn't for her. The rest of them would mill around, unorganised and doing as many petty deeds as they could manage to entertain themselves, maybe performing slightly higher profile things every now and again, but she brings them all together… I think she draws some kind of power from the rest of them as well, something that the others don't do. She's intelligent, powerful and ruthless. When she made her deal, something in Hell shifted that day. She never saw selling her soul as a curse, but rather a necessary evil to achieve the end she desires."
Nozomi made a face, whilst Mari finished off her notes. She stared at her hands and wondered what she could possibly do to face off against powers that were so high and foreign to her. But there must be a way, there always was.
"Fighting any of them on their own terms seems like a bad idea…" Kanan commented.
"Fighting any of them at all is a bad idea. Even if you do win, there's probably a price to it."
"Well, that isn't going to stop me from trying," Nozomi said, suddenly standing up and folding her arms, "I'll do anything. I'll put myself at risk."
"It's impossible." The demon stated simply, shaking its head, "It's suicide and would only lead to yourself becoming an instrument of their will if you tried."
Mari then looked at Kanan who seemed to be deep in thought, her brow furrowed as though she was struggling to remember something.
"Wait, Kanan," Mari said, her eyes suddenly widening in realisation, "You can't be thinking about that."
"And yet, I am," Kanan joked gravely, "It… It's really the only choice we have."
"And what's that?" Nozomi said without hesitation, raising an eyebrow.
"It's… An imbuing ritual. Formerly used by exorcists who rebelled against their guilds, but were tied to them still and were subsequently targeted and attacked by demons. It was figured out by an exorcist who wanted to defend herself in the face of certain death without the assistance of a guild..."
"And I'm sure Kanan is thinking that it can be repurposed to suit our needs," Mari said, sounding a little uneasy at the prospect of taking such a measure.
"Imbuing with what?"
"Abilities that normal humans shouldn't possess… Ones restricted for angels and demons alike."
"Well, that's our best shot right now," Nozomi said, trying her best not to sound fazed. She sounded like, out of all of them, she'd be the only one willing to undergo such a ritual, "How do we go about it?"
Kanan, still uneasy, scratched at her cheek, "There's a few things you should know first… It's extremely dangerous. You might not even survive."
"I'm willing to put myself at risk, as I said."
Kanan fiddled with her hands, unsure about continuing, but knowing that Nozomi wouldn't give up on this. It probably would've been better for her and Mari to keep their mouths shut, but there was a small voice in the back of her mind telling her it was their only shot.
"Well… From what I know, it's agonizing as well. If your body isn't broken, your mind might be."
Nozomi sighed, knowing that she'd have to slog through warnings after warnings until Kanan even considered telling them the first step unless she shoved her along.
"Kanan-chan. I know that this isn't an ideal situation, or an ideal plan that we have, but it is the best we have. I've already said I'm willing to go through pain and risk. Tell me what I need to do. Or if everyone else is willing to help, what we need to do." Nozomi said firmly, folding her arms.
Kanan looked up at her and was surprised that instead of dread, she found hope. Nozomi still had the air of someone in the royal family, the determination of a person raised in less than ideal and safe standards who had come out a stronger individual for it and someone who might just make it through the ritual, if anyone in the room could.
"I remember how to do it… I only hope memory serves me well enough. I read up on it when I was younger and my father caught me. A scolding like that doesn't leave your memory very quickly…" She said, almost reminiscent for a brief moment, "But I never thought I'd actually ever use it."
At this point, Ruby decided it would be best to excuse herself, as she didn't have a lot to do or say about this whole thing and Dia, who had been given control of her body again and wasn't feeling particularly well.
"You'll need an inverted pentagram cut somewhere on your body. Then we have to take the blood of a demon and you have to ingest it."
"I know this may sound like an odd question, but do you happen to have any demon blood on you?"
"I… Actually do. Mari and I use it to test whether or not our holy water is sufficient. I think one vial should be enough, but I don't remember any exact measurements…"
"I take it we can't use any anaesthetics…?" Riko suggested finally.
"Nope. We can't risk any other external factors interfering. If it goes wrong, that's probably certain death."
"As well as ingesting demon blood, you have to have it poured on the open wound and then cauterised shut. It's not very complicated sounding, but the ritual stretches to the course of a day and it was made by one person, for one person. We should gather the things today and start tomorrow, or at least before we lose our nerve."
Nozomi nodded firmly and headed to the door to the kitchen, checking to see if the sisters were inside before she bowed her head to them and clasped her hands together, "I hate to impose on the two of you, but I need to ask if you would have any spare rooms for myself and Sakurauchi-san?"
Even if the night had been largely restless for everyone within the household, the next day came and the necessary items diligently gathered. Ruby had decided to sit out, she knew little to nothing about the whole thing and would probably find this more scary than anything else. Riko had forced herself to stay, as she was the only trained healer and she might be able to salvage a situation gone wrong better than any of them. Kanan and Mari held the most knowledge, so of course they had to stay and oversee everything and Dia had let her body be taken over for the purposes of her demon being able to observe.
Nozomi worriedly glanced over the instruments that had been neatly set out; two vials of demon blood, a knife in a sheath, a sketch of an inverted pentagram, a thin cauterising iron, freshly soaked warm towels, and bandages. She guessed that the symbol still had to be obvious and that this process would be a slow, meticulous one. With nothing on hand to refer to other than what Kanan remembered, they couldn't afford to waver much from Kanan's method. Nozomi picked up the iron and placed it in the nearby fireplace, to make sure it would be ready for later.
"So… I know this is a question that you never thought you'd be asked, but do you want to do this whole thing without any of our help?" Kanan asked, following Nozomi's gaze.
"Well, you mentioned this ritual was made by one person for one person, correct? I'd best do it on my own," She said, picking up the sheathed knife and taking it out, briefly admiring the clean, freshly sharpened edge, before pulling off her shirt. She paused for a second, but to make things easier for herself, she took her bra off as well. Then, Nozomi sat herself down on the stool and closed her eyes for a brief moment, blocking the onlookers out. She inhaled deeply, looking to the sketch before pressing the point of the knife to the skin below her collarbone and above her right breast.
She hissed as it began tearing through her flesh and she let out a shaky breath as she drew the circle and watched the blood run down her chest. Soon, she finished her meticulous circle and was briefly snapped out of her reverie by the worry on everyone's faces, even the demon's.
She huffed and turned her attention back to the sketch, clenching her fist as she made five small marks where each point met the edge of the circle. Then, she dragged the knife across her skin again, making the five lines necessary to complete the symbol. Making the final line, she slammed the knife down on the table, doubling over and trying her best not to betray much weakness. The pain was searing and itching and she could only imagine how much more unbearable things were going to get for herself, pressing her hand against the bloodied mark and observing how red her hand was when she pulled it back.
Swallowing, she grabbed one of the towels and wiped her hand off, before then grabbing one of the vials of demon blood and hesitating for just a moment, before pressing the edge of the glass to her lips and downing it all at once, choking instantly and dropping the vial, glass shattering on the tiled floor. Whilst it had all gone, it had left a harsh burn down, like she had ingested raw hellfire rather than blood.
She began to cough, which turned into hacking and nearly retching, but she knew she had to do her best to keep it down. The sensation spread from her throat, to her stomach, to her muscles, getting progressively worse. She didn't know whether she would have much more time before she would become incapacitated by the agony, so she grabbed the next vial and clenched it tight, slightly worried it would crack under her grip and, as carefully as she could muster, she leaned back and poured the vial over the open wound and involuntarily threw the vial to the floor once again.
It only seemed to speed up the steadily growing intensity of pain that was reaching every fiber of her being, almost to the very depth of her soul. Or maybe that was the idea. Nozomi doubled over, hugging an arm into herself and digging her nails into her side, choking and coupled with the fact her nerves were on fire, she began to feel just an ounce of regret, as she wasn't done yet.
Riko looked nearly to the point of fainting, if it hadn't been for the fact that Kanan and Mari were either side of her, allowing her to look away at particularly painful points and that she had found herself subconsciously leaning on Kanan for support in what was an obviously trying time.
She looked to the cauterising iron, lying in wait on the embers with a glowing point, taking it by the handle and drawing it close to her skin. With a shaking hand, she pressed it to her skin, immediately letting out a pained shout and flinching it away from her. But she shook her head, gritting her teeth and steeling herself furthermore to seal the entirety of the wound and create an admittedly ugly symbol grafted to her chest.
The moment she was finished, Kanan felt it was safe to intervene and immediately ran to support Nozomi, whose body was beginning to fail her, collapsing backwards into her grip.
"Mari, help me carry her to the bed, Sakurauchi-san, prepare to start cleaning her up."
Mari and Riko wordlessly carried out their orders, Nozomi still conscious, however deliriously as pain tore through her veins, sweat poured from her and she writhed as though possessed, which didn't seem so far from the truth now.
Riko moved to the side of the bed, bringing the bandages and towels and cleaning off the blood that had ran down her body. Then, even though the wound was cauterised, it wouldn't hurt to wrap it in a bandage as well. Besides, it stood out rather poorly against Nozomi's fair skin. With a bit of help from Kanan managing to hold Nozomi down firmly enough, Riko managed to apply the bandage and pull back.
"I think this whole process can take a while…" Kanan said, gnawing on a fingernail as Mari frowned.
"Is Nozomi-san still at high risk?" Riko asked, scanning her quickly and watching her knuckles whiten as they gripped the sheets.
"Yes. She'll be at high risk until she stabilises and comes down from the ritual," Kanan said, taking a clean towel and wiping it across Nozomi's forehead, "Minimum twelve hours, maximum twenty four I think. Demon blood is extremely volatile, as one would guess. I think even after she comes through this, she won't be the same at the other end."
Nozomi was only vaguely aware of the conversations happening around her and she thought her nerves would burn out after only a few seconds of torture, but they remained agonising and at one particularly violent thrash, she had almost struck Mari who had come over to try and help her become decent once again. Her bra was only barely put back on her, as the trio stepped back, Kanan turning her attention to Dia, or rather, the demon who appeared to be in a sort of stunned trance.
"Are you okay?"
"I can feel it... " The demon murmured, "She is a suitable vessel. Full of determination. A desire for revenge."
Kanan raised an eyebrow, but she couldn't question how it was speaking right now when Nozomi was screaming in pain on the bed for God knows how long it would take.
Every minute to Nozomi felt like an hour, as Kanan and Mari decided to intermittently check on Nozomi in shifts to make sure she would never be alone, allowing Dia and Riko to leave and get some rest. Even though she hadn't been there, Ruby seemed shaken up by the shouts that were leaving the spare room.
Time dragged on through the morning, to the afternoon and soon, the evening. Night overtook day and Nozomi showed little signs of recovery or improvement. That was, until a little bit past midnight, Nozomi had been left a sweating, aching mess on the bed, her nerves still burning, but more of a dull pain than the agony that came before. She was desperate for any amount of air she could get, now that her throat was hoarse and she rolled onto her side.
Mari, who was on shift at the time, blinked, "Nozomi-san? Is it over?"
"No," Nozomi shook her head, suddenly sitting up, "It's only just begun."