Words Count: 4665

A/N: You know what I hate most after getting sick? Runny nose. It's the worse, the headache is bearable, the sudden bouts of cold are not that big of an inconvenience but runny nose in a public setting? It's the worst.

Here's my usual spiel:

You can read from Episode 90 to 111 (And eleven Eps of the Sequel – Fate: False Sovereignty) in advanced. The Tier starts from as low as 1USD, try it out!

P a tr e on . com (/) LiamThePoor

Obviously, once I was certain Emma and Officer Crepsley- Whose full name I had recently learnt was actually Remy Crepsley, were entering rem-sleep, only then did I sneak out to visit Anne-Marie, teleporting into her hideout.

"Monsieur Leo, you've returned?" Anne-Marie spoke, mouth dripping with bloods, saliva and a chewed-up mash of intestines, her bright and innocent gaze staring straight at me, portraying not a trace of impurity or malice in spite of the inherent evils of her actions. In fact, there was no turmoil in those clear, catlike eyes, almost as though she had known I would come today and at this exact moment. "I assume you have brought what I require?"

It was really fucking unnerving actually… Especially due to how seemingly unaware she was of her own terrifying presence.

"Will this work?" I fetched the severed, rotting limb from the bag on my back, throwing it over to Anne-Marie. The Apostle took the plastic-bag with naught a change in her expression. Silently, she pulled the bloated leg out, then to my complete and utter surprise, she took a huge sniff of the offending limb. My features twisted in disgust, my stomach churning with an discomforting hotness as her tongue poked at the watery bag of boil. 'Oh-Gods… That is just revolting. Why?!'

'Maybe it is necessary for the Spell to work?'

I scowled in disgust. 'Look, I get that you like her, but stop protecting your girlfriend, Angra! That was utterly disgusting and you and I both know it!'

'Screw you, Leo. If you ever have a child, I sincerely hope he or she gets born without an ass-crack.' The Daemon scoffed in anger, harrumphing as he once again began to dig into the depth of my psyche, presence hidden to all but me. Surprisingly, his insult only cracked me up as I fought to contain a chuckle. 'Whatever you say, Angra. Keep talking shits, see how I deal with you. Hell, maybe I'll even tell your new crush about the incident.'

'You motherfucker… You swore you wouldn't tell anyone!'

I shrugged, a teasing smile tugging at the corners of my lips. 'I want to keep your secrets, I really do… But, humans are inherently irrational, and we do irrational things when we're upset.'

'Fuck you, Leonis.' With that said, Angra pouted, cutting off the connection between us, or rather tried to. I could sense the Daemon still, but it was a muffled and muted thing. Oh? What incident, I heard you asked? It wouldn't be a secret if I told you now, would it? "– Nis? Monsieur Leonis, are you listening to me?"

I snapped out of my thoughts to find Anne-Marie waving frantically at me, her voice still a breathy thing that made me worry she wasn't getting enough oxygen. Her hands were tightly clenched around the rotting body-part as she used the remains of the poor girl in order to draw my attention, indifferent to the inky-black sludge and boils bursting open, splattering all over the table and, to some lesser extents, on both Anne and I.

"Yes, I'm listening. Can- Can you stop waving that around?" I responded, hastily backing up to avoid the leg. Its skin was practically sliding off the skeletal frame, its flesh peeling back as though someone had attempted to peel it like a rotten banana, and its complexion was a veiny, mummified grey. "It's- It's getting everywhere."

"Oh…" Anne-Marie exclaimed, looking at the limb in confusion. "As I waz saying, this will work, but I want you to follow me just in case."

"In case of what?" I questioned with a raised eyebrow, to which she merely responded with a low chuckle and a, "In case you think I lie to you, silly. It haz not happened a lot, but many of those who have made Deals with me often accuse me of trying to–"

The Apostle rested a finger on her, as though she was trying to find the appropriate words, her face betraying a sense of loneliness and desolation that I found genuinely odd on an Apostle. "– To trick them. I know not where they got that idea, but it haz happened more than I care to admit… It iz an issue I've had to rectify by allowing people to observe me invoke the Soulz they need information from, or wish to talk to."

"I see… It must have been hard for you."

"It iz." Anne-Marie admitted, turning to another tunnel that I was certain- Like 100% certain, was not there before. "Come, let uz/us get thiz over with, Monsieur Leonis."

Naturally, I followed her into the tunnel with naught a trace of fear or hesitance. Well-aware that if Anne-Marie truly wished to harm me, she would have attempted to ages ago. Then again, perhaps it was a strategy to lower my guard? It was a possibility, albeit not a very likely one. Still, as a wiseman once said, 'It is better to safe than sorry', right?

Hence why I had already prepared, my Circuits humming with Mana in case I was attacked, and while Spatial-Awareness wasn't exactly useful against ghosts, as demonstrated by the short skirmish I had with one of Anne-Marie's many ghostly lackeys, I decided to tune it up anyway. Of course, my eyes never once left the uncharacteristically friendly Apostle, only glancing at the flashing Map on rare occasions.

The two of us continued on the path for a while, about three- maybe four minutes? I did not count the seconds, but eventually we did reach an… Altar, of sort. There were Skulls and Skeletons, signs of dried bloodstains that glistened under the ghastly-pink will-o'-wisp, a product of the Apostle's Magecraft no doubt. "Well, this is quite the… Homey place you got here."

I didn't know if Anne-Marie could even comprehend sarcasm, seeing as the Common Sense and Humanity of Apostles were often twisted beyond repair, but if she did, the Apostle definitely was not showing it. In fact, she even seemed rather proud as she clapped her hands, explaining excitedly, "It iz, izn't it? The decorations are all from here, I took them from the Skeletons, with permission of course!"

"Uhmmm… O- Okay?" Pretty sure it was a felony to destroy Government Property, especially historical sights like this one, but whatever. I wasn't here to school her on the subject, and if nobody knew, then I wasn't harboring a criminal, not that I cared. With how hectic and terrifying the Moonlit World could be at times, the Governments on the Mundane Side hadn't entered my mind for months now, not unless they made themselves known like Crepsley's case.

"There, that'z where the Invocation Ritual will take place." I glanced at the spot she pointed to find an Altar made of stacks upon stacks of yellowing bones. Its four pillars were composed of mostly Skulls, which judging from the size, were all adults'. Though, I did notice one or two with smaller size, presumably of the endless amount of children who were buried here.

The most eye-catching feature was undoubtedly the center, where a scepter of unknown origin lied motionlessly, only sending out waves of nigh inconsequential Mana that washed over the entire Room and thus, us. Glowing with an Aura of… Not quite malice, yet definitely not Holy either, the scepter pulsed like a living being… Or a beating heart. In fact, it seemed to realize Anne-Marie was here, because the moment she set foot in the Room, I couldn't help but note the slight increase in its Pattern.

Overall, the place was something I'd expect straight out of Skyrim Dawnguard DLC, but better, sharper and more detailed. 'Did I unknowingly travel to Skyrim? Otherwise Anne-Marie has somehow, by some fucking miracle, taken inspiration from a game that won't come out for another decade… That is, if it even comes out at all. Place's 100% inspired by Castle Volkihar.'

"Beautiful, iz it not?!" Grabbing my hands, the female Apostle shook it excitedly as a mixture of elegant shampoo, body-wash and a faint metallic scent assaulted my nostrils, causing my nose to wrinkle slightly in disgust. "It- It is an interesting aesthetic you have here. It's very… Unique."

That was all I was willing to compliment about her choice in decorations,

I wasn't a good liar, never been one even before my- his demise.

Sure, I could throw some random flatters out nilly-willy, but anything I felt strongly about, I simply couldn't fake it. It's really telling, my face would scrunch up, my smile stiff and twitchy. Obviously, I knew it wasn't polite to be so direct and truthful, yet as it would seem, even being a High Human could not fix this flaw of mine.

"Thank you, Monsieur." Thankfully, being so distanced from Humanity had likely worn down the Apostle's ability to read certain cues, since Anne didn't appear all that bothered about the odd look plastered on my face as she curtsied. "Now, let'z us proceed."

Unscrupulously, the Apostle ripped the limb out of the bubbly wrappings sloppily covering it, throwing the body-part on the Altar without a care in the World. Then, she clasped her hands together, as though she was trying to pray, only what came out of her mouth was no prayer, but a garbled, incoherent mess of an Incantation that made me doubt it even originated from Humans. It felt old- Ancient, yet so Alien at the same time, and every syllable scratched at my eardrums like the nails of a stray cat.

"Christ…" I said, pressing my hands over my ears. "The fuck is this language?"

'If only you have someone well-versed in ancient languages following you around, Leo-tan...' I did not miss the sarcasm in Angra's voice, how could I? 'Oh-Wait, you do have one! A real shame you pissed him off literally five minutes ago.'

I rolled my eyes. 'If you don't want to tell me, don't. I'm not asking you to.'

After a few moments of watching Anne-Marie, whose voice had risen from the mere whisper it once was, to full-blown screaming, the scepter- the ornamented thing that it was, had begun to glow brighter and brighter with each passing second. Perhaps he was bored, or perhaps he just felt like telling me, but the Daemon relented. 'It's Babelian, a magical and ancient language invented and used by those who built the Tower of Babel… It wasn't widespread, not unless you were a Magus at the time.'

I raised my brows, surprised at the information. Just how on Earth did a Victorian Era woman discovered this sort of rare language?! 'Each word is basically a Mystery in and of itself due to its age and significance to the Human Order, similar to Odin's Primordial Runes.

Doesn't surprise me she can fend off dozens of Enforcers if she has this… It isn't just a language, it is THE LANGUAGE. One used exclusively by five Families of Mages of the Ancient World, until the Gods decided it might threaten their existences and rained literal nukes on the Tower.'

'Damn… How did she even find that shit?!'

Angra shrugged indifferently. 'Who knows? Maybe she found it in a Ruin in Israel. It won't be an exaggeration to say the sheer amount of ancient Artifacts and lost knowledge buried under the sands of the Middle East can only be measured in metric-tons.'

"Guess I know where to visit next once this mess is over." I muttered, gaze lingering on the Apostle's motionless form. Waves of bright blue Mana started to wash over us, absorbed by the Runes that flared brightly over the walls of Skeletons and Skulls. I watched in horror as the limb began to spill pure, inky Blackness from where it had been torn from the body.

Said Blackness only got larger with time, until it grew to the size and shape of a girl, her face and features dripping with acidic sludge, the very same sludge that made up her temporary Vessel. Her body was not a pretty thing, and not because it was created out of muds that eerily reminded me of the Corrupted Grail, but because she was unnaturally thin, as though starved. Her limbs, the ones summoned were like twigs,

Her teeth were pointed and jagged thing,

Her lower-jaw was slacked, dripping with black sludge.

Then, came her eyes… Bubbles of Blackness that formed and unformed in the same instance.

"It is done, you can ask her now, Monsieur Leonis." Anne-Marie told me, gaze gentle and indifferent. "Can- Can she speak English?"

The Apostle turned to the deceased girl, asking in my place.

"Je- Je n- ne peux pas." The… Spirit(?) stuttered. Before Angra could tell me what she meant, Anne-Marie had already turned to me, head shaking. "Shit…"

'Ask the Apostle to translate your questions, I'll tell you her responses.'

'Alright then.' I conveyed Angra's intention to the Apostle, which she only responded with a silent nod. "Do you remember who you are?"

"I- I'm Isabelle, twenty-three years old… G- Gods, what's w- wrong with me? Wh- Where am I? It- It's so dark, why- why do-es it hurt so much to br- breath?" The Daemon translated, even putting emotions in his tone to convey the girl's confusion. "Miss Isabelle, I'm sorry, but I am afraid you're–"

"No- No! Don-'t say it, I'm n- not–"

"Unfortunately, you have passed away." It was always hard to be the bringer of bad news. Luckily, I was in no way familiar with the girl, which meant I had no obligation to be gentle. I was not a doctor, and she certainly wasn't a patient. "I- I- My dreams, my family, I have- had so much to live for and–"

She choked,

Thankfully, Anne-Marie didn't decide to translate that too. I was in no mood to deal with two sobbing women, one was more than enough. "I'm sorry–"

Not really…

"– But it's true. I can't resurrect you, that's not within my capability, though I believe I can avenge your Death…" Appealing to someone's interests always worked. Always. Especially in this case. Unlike him, Isabelle didn't appear to be depressed or tired of living, as she had said, she had much to live for, until her life was so callously robbed. She'd help, if only to satisfy her need for Justice/Vengeance. "But I need to know who is responsible to your Death… Where were you murdered? Who and what was the last thing or person you saw?"

"I- I was in a C- Church–" Isabelle abruptly cut off at that, clutching her head as sludge spilled down the Altar. Her screams were painfully loud and high-pitched, something I'd expect from Hell itself. "What the Hell is going on, Miss Anne?!"

My eyes and senses started to search for signs of foul-play, only to find the severed leg covered in dark veins, smoking slightly. "All things have a price, Monsieur Leonis. Thiz iz normal, but I believe you should hurry, lest the Anchor burns to ashes."

"What do they look like, Isabelle? Where were you murdered?!"

"C- Church–" It almost seemed like it physically hurt her to force the words out. "– Tattoos, he- he has a lot of tatt-oos, a snake coiling in- into itself, swallow- ing its own tail. C- Christ was crying tears of B- Blood and…"

The Spirit paused, before beginning to wail all of a sudden. "There is no God."

Those were her last words as she looked up resentfully, as though she was trying to see the Heaven and ol' Yahweh himself, cackling maniacally. Then, the leg burst into flame, and with the destruction of her Anchor, the Spirit too exploded into tiny bits and pieces, painting the walls black. Fortunately, I had had the foresight to cover myself with a thin layer of Space. It wasn't anywhere strong enough to provide any sort of protection worthwhile against an Enforcer or, Gods-Forbid, an Apostle.

But, it was more than sufficient to shield myself from thick, acidic substances. Thus, that was how the last bits of trail leading to the Serial Killer was destroyed. Angrily, I cursed, hands hammering at the wall of Skulls behind me. "Gods-fucking-Dammit… There goes our trail."

'Well, at least my need for gory acts has been satiated.' Angra commented dryly.

I snorted. 'At least one of us is happy.'

Silently, Anne-Marie approached, seeming apologetic. "My apology, Monsieur Leonis. Each Spirit iz different, some are eazy to summon and eazier to anchor to the Living World, some are less… Stable."

I sighed. "It's- It's alright."

Hands running through the ashen-strands on my head, I continued. "You've tried your best… Hell, that has given me more clues than everything I've gathered in days. You have my sincere thank, Miss Anne."

She looked up at me, eyes hopeful. "Doez that mean you won't try to hurt me?"

"A Deal's a Deal. I'll not make an attempt on your life just because Isabelle is a waste of time, if that's what you're asking. Beside, a statue of Jesus Christ crying tears of Blood? I think I can find that…" Surely, news about a crying Jesus Statue must have made the Headline somewhere. I'd have to ask Crepsley and maybe do some diggings of my own. "Thank you, but you must leave Paris quickly, Miss Anne."

"Why?" She asked with a pouty expression.

"Because your presence in Paris has been noticed by Lorelei. I do not want to hurt or harm you, unfortunately my hands are tied. Even if I refuse, that crazy bitch will send her dogs after you regardless. She has quite the hate-boner for Apostles… But, if you aren't here… Well, there's nothing I can do, can I?" I gave her a playful wink as Anne-Marie let out a tired sigh. "Very well, I suppose my stay in Paris will have to come to an end sooner or later. Give me a few days, and I'll be gone."

"Thank you." I offered, the pulled out a Gem from my pockets. "This right here is a Communication Gem… I made a bunch of these in case my- my friends need to contact me."

I shoved it in her hands. "Call me if you ever need help."

It wasn't like I had grown attached to Anne-Marie, we had literally met twice. No, this act of mine, while a nice gesture on the surface, was actually pretty selfish and based entirely on benefits. With it, I'd be able to locate her anywhere, and once I learnt how to pull myself towards her using the connection between the Gems, I'd always be able to get in contact with the Apostle. With such a powerful Invoker on my side, I was sure to have an easier time building a powerbase in the Clock Tower.

"We are friendz?" Anne-Marie asked innocently, causing me to grimace as I felt the guilt of tricking me settling in. "Only if you agree to our friendship…"

The Apostle smiled- it was a beautiful and radiant thing. "It iz a pleasure to have made you acquaintance, Monsieur Leonis!"

I chuckled, before waving her goodbye. "It's a pleasure to have friend like you, Miss Anne. Really, thank you for aiding me in my search."

With the ordeal settled, I sent her one last smile and disappeared. "See you later, Miss Anne."

— [Fate: DML] —

"Nothing…" I scoffed.

It was already morning, and I had practically bought every newspaper available to the public in search of the crying Statue of Christ. My search had borne no fruit thus far, and I was starting to get really, really fucking annoyed, if I were to be honest. Seriously? I knew there was a psychotic, likely cannibalistic Serial Killer on the loose, but the fact that not a single article about this was written genuinely upset me. 'Of course, the one time I needed paparazzi to do their jobs and be snoopy bastards, they decide it wasn't worth the efforts.'

'Relax… There are only a handful of Churches in and near the City. Would it not be easier to, Oh-I don't know, pay each one a visit instead?'

'… You realize I can't teleport to places I haven't been to, right? And this is Paris, there are like a dozen Churches scattered all over the City.'

'Then it is good that you have [Future Calculation] to rely on. Just find the ones most likely.'

'Uhmmm… I- I kind of, sort of ran out of charges. Used it all up yesterday.' I thought lamely. 'Any more and I'll spend days bedridden and bleeding from all of my orifices, and I will not be useful to anyone.'

'Well, I suppose you should start visiting every single Church then.' Angra drawled.

I cursed. 'Fuck… Alright, let's see what we know about Isabelle.'

'Why?' The Daemon questioned, I wasted no time answering. 'Well, she's young, twenty-three years old, so she'll likely visit the more famous Churches, but it also can't be too famous, else news of a statue crying bloody tears would have been spread by people and tourists. I'd say the Cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris fit most of those criteria. Then again, she does seem kind of religious, so it also could be a childhood Church or something… I'll have to ask Remy for her address.'

Silently, I opened up my phone and texted Crepsley. "Please send me everything you know about Isabelle…"

With that sent, I turned back to the Map, thoughts whirling in my mind. 'So Notre Dame it is.'

Thankfully, while I had yet to enter the Cathedral, being an atheist and all, I had passed by the thing plenty. I know, I know... How could I be an atheist when I was living in a World where Divine Spirits were abundant, but there were two definitions of 'atheist'. The first were people who believed God or Gods didn't exist, which I knew to be false. The second, people like myself, believed there were Gods and they were all assholes, unworthy of our faith and belief.

Sure, if I ever met a Divine Spirit, I was more than willing to get to know them, but you would not see me groveling on the floor at the mere sight of God or Gods. No-Seriously, Gilgamesh would have my hide and balls for that. 'If I remember correctly, there is an alley near Notre Dame…'

Holding a finger to my forehead, similar to Goku whenever he used Instant Transmission, I forced the memory of the place to the forefront of my mind and blinked, appearing in the alley. "Putain de merde! Qui êtes-vous? D'où venez-vous?! / What the fuck! Who are you? Where did you come from?!"

I looked at the guy, black hoodie with the hood pulled up, cap on his head and hands always stuffed in his pockets…

'He looks like he's trying to reach for a weapon.' I idly noted, smiling. 'Yup, this guy is 100% a drug-dealer.'

"You got weeds?" I asked curiously. 'Leo, what the fuck?!'

'What?! I haven't gotten high for months! I need it to de-stress!'

The guy glanced left and right, then nodded. "You Yankee tryin' to steal from me or something? Why'd you sneak up on me?! Who sent you?!"

Rolling my eyes, I scoffed. "Bro, look at me. Nobody sent me, I just want to get high and–"

I waved my arm, and a stack of cash appeared in my hand like Magic. No, I didn't use Magecraft, it was simply a slight of hands. "– I got money to pay… So, you selling?"

… "How much do you need?"

"Give me everything you got… Not the hard-stuffs, just weeds." The Daemon palmed his face. 'Everything? Can you even finish all that?'

Him and the drug-dealer must have had a telepathic link or something, because that was exactly what the guy also asked next with an added, "Can you finish that much? Do you even have enough to pay?"

"Money isn't an issue." I told him confidently.

"A- Alright…" He turned to the rolled-up newspaper, slipping a huge clear bag of weeds from inside to his hands. "It's OG Kush, the best kind."

'Hmmm… The color looks right, but I need to smell it to make sure.' I thought.

'How do you know so much about weeds?!'

I did not deign Angra's question with an answer, staring at the dealer. "Mind if I check it?"

He shook, opening the clear bag for me. I took a whiff, nodding. "Yup, definitely Kush."

My sense of smell might have been upgraded, giving me the ability to differentiate from millions different scents and smells, but that odor was unmistakable. "Thanks, I'll take it all."

Five minutes later, I was a happy client with thousands of franc less in my pockets, I raced to the Notre Dame. 'I've underestimated you, never thought you'd be an addict, Leo-tan.'

'I'm not an addict, I'm an enjoyer. There's a difference.' I lectured him.

'Whatever you say, addict.'

Again, I ignored him, gazing at the imposing building in front of me. "Well, it sure looks good, must have been very well-preserved by the City."

'It is an important historical and cultural location. If I remember correctly, it was first built nine-hundreds years ago, and only finished two hundreds years later…'

'What a waste of money.' I commented, walking into the Cathedral. "Monsieur–"

"I don't speak French."

The priest looked at me, then said. "Sir, you can't enter. The Cathedral is closed for maintenance."

"Not even to a firm believer, father?" I teased, staring straight at him. This was promising, closed for maintenance at this hour, and on a Tuesday morning? Yes, very suspicious indeed. "Yes, not even to the children of God."

Alright, I was done playing. "You'll let me inside, and you'll tell no one of this."

His jaw went slack and his eyes dazed, "Oh-By the way, the Biblical God doesn't exist. Go find something else to do with your life rather than praying to some imaginary daddy figure."

Of course, I didn't mesmerize him, his faith and life were his own, and he was free to do whatever he wanted with it. I didn't care, I just wanted to mess with his head. Why? Because, just because. Well, that wasn't quite true, I merely wanted to follow in Gil's footsteps and help Humanity break from the bindings of the Divines, one person at a time. 'Sure… Whatever you say.'

Apparently, Angra didn't the excuse.

"See you later." I waved the priest goodbye, pushing open the Cathedral door. "Hopefully not as a father, father."

I entered the Notre Dame, and almost immediately, I smelled it. "Blood…"

I muttered. The scent was faint, yet I'd recognize that metallic odor everywhere. My eyes moved towards the statue hung on further side of the Hall, smiling. "Guess we know where Isabelle was before she was murdered."

'And what does this do for us exactly?'

'A lot, Angra. A whole lot.' I smirked, before pulling out my phone and calling Crepsley. "Hey there, Officer… Got time?"

"I'm not digging up another grave!" He hissed angrily. "No, no. I'm not calling about that, I've gotten a clue on the case. Please look through the camera footages near Cathedral Notre Dame, I have reasons to believe this is where Isabelle was last before she was kidnapped. The culprit must be near at the time. Also, please check the criminal records and find people with an Ouroboros tattoo."

I paused, tongue hammering at my teeth. "The suspect has a lot of tattoos from my understanding, but his most telling one is a snake coiling into itself and eating its own tail. Check if there are any criminal who fits that criteria."

"Alright, anything else?"

"Nope. Thank you for your cooperation, Crepsley." After thanking him, I cut off the line and looked at the statue. "Now, let's see what this statue has for us…"