"How are you supposed to get in if you don't have a ticket?" Maou asked Kaminari while she picked at a hang nail.
"I guess he's told Jaden," she replied with a shrug as she started chewing on the annoying bit.
Chiho huffed as she pulled her sister's hand from her mouth, "Kami, you can't chew your nails! It's not cute!"
"I'm not here to be cute," Kaminari replied indignantly. "I'm here to watch a movie."
"I wonder if Urushihara will see it the same way," Maou commented off-handedly. "Anyway, it's a good thing you wore contacts. It looks like it might be 3D."
"We have tickets for 2D," Chiho replied as she looked at the ticket. "Everything is here. We're where we need to be."
"No, we need to be inside," Kaminari grumbled as she picked at the hang nail again.
"Kami, stop!" Chiho huffed as she smacked her sister's hands. "You're going to bleed everywhere."
The line moved a few feet before it stopped again. This continued for a while until the three arrived at the door where the man was taking tickets. On occasion, he would put his finger to his ear for the headpiece then write something down on a clipboard in front of him.
He took the tickets from Chiho then stared at Kaminari, hand out as he waited. She gave an awkward smile, "I'm here with Urushihara? Kaminari Sasaki?"
The guy sighed then pulled out a walking-talkie, paging Urushihara.
"What is it?" Urushihara replied clearly annoyed, his voice slightly covered with static.
"Did you invite someone?"
"Yeah, Kaminari Sasaki," he replied, the annoyance free from his voice.
The guy flipped some pages on his notepad and scratched something off the list before letting her in. She was slightly pissed when she looked around and couldn't find Maou or Chiho. Her sister would honestly do anything to be alone with that Demon.
The crowd was overwhelming, people of all heights and smells surrounding her as well as the smell of stale buttered popcorn and soda. Teenage boys of all scents had practically bathed themselves in cologne and it was giving her a headache. The large lobby was still too small for the large crowd making the noise worse. She was frozen in the sea of people, unable to even find the way back out just so she could breathe.
She squeaked when someone grabbed her wrist. Her attention went to Maou as he pulled her away from the chaos to the wall. "I forgot how small you are. We found a place that has enough seats for the four of us."
"You know Chi isn't going to save those two seats, right?" She asked him as she held onto his arm while he pushed through the crowd.
"Don't worry," he replied with a sly smile. "I told her it was a double date."
"And that worked?"
"Well, yeah, as long as I sit by Urushihara, she's going to be okay."
What a ridiculous person, Kaminari mused. "How is Urushihara going to find us?"
"I'm sure he'll find a way," Maou replied with a wink.
She held onto him as they walked up the stairs in the dark room. With it being one of the last rooms, and the employees not paying attention, Maou and Chiho had managed to get into one of the empty theaters which most of the 2D were. Though Kaminari preferred the center somewhere, Chiho had seats at the very back. At least no one would be kicking her in the back or shoving their feet on her head. It didn't smell so bad in there either. It almost smelled clean.
Only a few minutes passed before people started piling into the room. Kaminari made sure to keep a seat between her and Maou for Lucifer to sit, something that greatly annoyed her. However, she kept her bag in the vacant seat and waited.
"Hey, can you move over one?"
Kaminari blinked a few times, not even realizing she fell asleep. "I can't, it's for my friend."
The girl huffed and crossed her arms over her chest, "How rude. People like you don't deserve to reserve spots when the theatre is going to be packed."
"It's a theater, not a baseball stadium. Next time, get here early and you won't have this problem."
"Kami, be nice!" Chiho scolded while Maou gawked at the usually kind hearted girl.
Her pale eyes glared up at the imposing girl, "Go find someone else to stand over. I don't have time for nonsense like you."
Kaminari rubbed her temples while Chiho apologized to the girl for her sister's rudeness. She yawned, barely able to stay awake. If the movie was as scary as it was told to be, she probably wouldn't fall asleep, but she was exhausted after such little sleep and the long day at work.
Something cold and wet touched her face immediately waking her up once again. Lucifer smiled down at her as he handed her a drink, "Wake up or you'll miss the movie." His smile instantly disappeared, "Oh, I am so sorry. I thought you were someone else."
"What are you talking about?" She asked as she took a sip of the soda he brought her.
"Kami?"
"Yeah, it's me," she replied as she yawned again, moving her bag from the seat. "I might not make it through this."
"I could tell you had a long day," he told her. "You didn't have to come."
"It takes at least two people to embarrass Chiho to a point of satisfaction," she told him with a tired smile. "Im sorry if I'm not a bucket of fun tonight."
"If you need to sleep, you can," he told her. "It's not as good as people say."
"You're a demon. Your opinion on horror doesn't count."
"Hey, that's not nice," Maou spoke up. "We're not as scary as we used to be."
"You're not scary at all," Chiho said with a smile. "If you take over the world, you need to be approachable."
"Better to be feared than loved," Kaminari muttered as she looked at her hand, barely able to see the hang nail. "Chi, do you have a bandaid?"
The girl hummed thoughtfully for a moment before rummaging through her bag. "Nope, sorry."
"Why do you need a bandaid?" Lucifer asked.
"I have a hang nail," she muttered.
The lights started to dim, signaling the start of the movie. With the cold soda and fresh source of caffeine, Kaminari was ready to take on whatever the movie could throw at her. She also felt the room get colder. Despite the long sleeved shirt she was wearing and the warmth Lucifer and the girl next to her were giving off, she was still cold. She had to put her drink down and pull her knees to her chest to keep warm.
"What is it?" Lucifer asked her as the crowd of people in front of him seemed to shift. The two watched as everyone seemed to move closer together, a sea of arms moving to be put around someone. "That's clever."
Kaminari yawned, "It's making me sleepy."
He poked her in the arm, "Wake up."
She glared at him, "Don't start."
He smiled, "Don't fall asleep.
With a weak huff, Kaminari turned her attention back to the large screen, waiting for the previews to stop and movie to start. Many animated movies, horror movies, and love stories later, the horror fest began, immediately starting the movie off with a jump scare.
Something weird caught Kaminari's attention. There was a strange black smoke hovering above everyone she immediately started tapping and shaking Lucifer, fear settling in, almost to the point of tears.
"What is it?" Lucifer asked as he grabbed her hands to keep her from bothering him more. His gaze followed hers as she stared at the impending doom that hovered over them.
Her heart started pounding when he didn't answer her. His attention had moved to Maou, so it wasn't anything good. Lucifer suddenly stood up, Maou standing as well. "Stay here," Lucifer told her.
Chiho moved to her side, her eyes staring at the ceiling as well. "Mr. Maou said no one else can see it."
"What does that mean?" Kaminari whispered, clearly terrified.
"It's from Ente Isla," she answered, more calm than her sister.
Kaminari swallowed hard as the darkness started to swirl. "Why is it moving?"
"It might be the Gate," Chiho answered. "They don't really have much control over where it opens."
Kaminari stared at her ever so calm sister. It was usually the other way around, Chiho becoming hysteric while Kaminari remained calm. The smoke started to drop a tunnel, like a small tornado that made no wind. Fear slammed into Kaminari harder than the tunnel had hit her. The darkness consumed her as she reached for her sister, her fingers barely brushing her hand.
She woke up to the sun shining in her face and a calm breeze blowing over her. She sat up in a field of flowers, no sign of civilization in any direction. She slowly pushed herself to her feet and dusted herself off ridding what little dirt and grass had gotten on her. The air felt lighter here, cleaner as well. Far off, she could see mountains capped with snow. Though she prayed she was somehow in the country side of Japan, she knew where she was. She was in Ente Isla, and there was no way for her to return.
She didn't feel so tired anymore. Had she been asleep for a long time? As she looked around, she tried to determine which way was north, a feat proving difficult since she had no idea what side the sun would set on in this world. She decided to follow the sun. Perhaps it was the west, or it was still early and coming up from the east. Either way, she needed to get out of the flowers.
Somehow, this world had a more comfortable temperature. She wasn't too hot or too cold. The sun was warm enough to keep her from freezing due to the cool breeze. Now that she thought about it, it was very...beachy. If that was the case, she would end up on the beach eventually and maybe find a fisherman's village there.
As the sun began to set, Kaminari found a city of stone. Tall steeples and large colorful windows glittered in the dying sunlight. She remembered the churches she had seen in Europe and was terrified that she had found the ones in Ente Isla. Before she could get out of sight from the nearest guard, an alarm was sounded. She watched in terror as fully armored guards came from every angle, surrounding her, swords and spears pointed at her ready to execute her.
As the armored men whispered amongst themselves, others approached. A loud voice echoed over them, apparently ordering the men to put down their weapons, because swords were sheathed and spears were put away. The men parted like a sea as a man on a horse walked through, his brown eyes glaring down at her. He spoke to her, his gaze never changing. Anger took over the man's face, and he slapped her to the ground, jumping off his horse and slamming his foot on her neck to keep her down.
She heard him say something about Satan as he rambled. Her hand began to glow purple, and her body became cold. A light purple wisp floated out of her skin. Lucifer's Magic had been taken from her. She realized then how cold the world actually was and how dismal it had become. For the first time in many years she felt truly alone.
Ropes were wrapped around her arms and she was tugged into the giant church. She was taken to a strange chamber, a large room where many men had been gathered and were staring down at her, judgment in their eyes as well as hatred. At a command, one of the knights came to her and ripped her clothing away, leaving her naked in the middle of the room.
Gasps and whispers echoed in the stony room as they each saw her scars and pain. The men spoke amongst themselves, clearly not ashamed of letting her hear whatever they had to say. Even though she couldn't understand, Lucifer's name came up more than she wanted to hear it as well as Satan and Alciel. One man spoke up above the rest with a laugh following his statement. All of the men laughed as well. They were mocking her, that much she knew.
When another voice spoke up, it was low and cold. All of the men went silent as they watched an older man with grey eyes step up to her. He walked around her, looking her up and down, smirking as he examined her. He snapped his fingers and a knight approached her, grabbing her wrist while a few more brought in what looked like a cross.
The realization of it all brought baggage to Kaminari's soul as the knight took her to the cross, shoving a knife into each of her wrists and ankles. The cross was never raised as the familiar painful strokes and stabs of another blade moved across her arms, even her torso and legs were slashed this time. She rounded in darkness, men's faces blurring into tears as each had their way.
Just when she had accepted death, something seared into the crook of her neck while her mind focused on the burn that felt like it had reached bone, the knives were pulled from her and she was given clothes. She stared at the insulting shade of orange. The clothes of a harlot. Despite the symbolism, she put them on and walked out of the church. The priests lined the way throwing salt at her, as if to purify her from whatever they thought she had done.
At the end of the line was the first priest who placed his hand on her head which she immediately slapped away, blood flying with the gesture. "Satan will return, and when he does, Lucifer and Alciel will be with him. They will kill you for this."
She pushed by him, drops of blood following her as they dropped from her arms and legs. She wanted to go back to that field of flowers. She wondered if there ever had been a field of flowers. There was a fountain in the center of the courtyard which Kaminari approached and drank from. The blessed water healed her wounds but left more scars as she drank, readying her for her venture out of the wretched place they called holy.
She headed out of the courtyard and found a small city waiting, the morning sun starting to light up the area. She followed the main road, ignoring the shocked gaze from women around that were covering the eyes of their children while men whispered amongst themselves. The church had given her the life of a harlot, but she was not going to live by that standard or expectation. She was leaving, and she would find a new place to stay.
Her attention moved to a tall building where a man had walked out with some books in his arm. She walked in, not bothering to look at anyone who watched her and followed the bookshelves. She had found the library. She grabbed as many books as she could hold and found a vacant table. Every language had a dictionary, so she would learn a Ente Islan with the books and dictionaries of this world.
Every night she turned down offers, every day she returned to the library to learn more. Her tireless effort kept on for almost two weeks, her only sustenance being water from the fountain in the courtyard of the church.
As she mastered the language, she mastered the culture. Having sex with the head priest was almost like being granted your virginity again. However, that was only true for a mere harlot. Having been raped by more than one priest, she had been considered a demon's whore and needed to be thoroughly cleansed by the entire brotherhood, which was what the black branded cross on her neck signified. She would never be more than a harlot.
As she read on about the strange things of this world, it seemed there was more than just magic at work. There was another magic called celestial force, a holy magic. Members of the church and angels possessed this magic. Unlike magic that the demons used, celestial force could only be gained gradually through meditation.
She stumbled upon another book about angels and how they dealt with humans. Angels could fall in love with humans, but if they wished to stay with the human, they would have to give up their celestial force and shorten their life. From some of the stories, the angels could be more ruthless than the demons. The few records about Lucifer verified the power he had when he was an angel in Heaven. If he hadn't left, she had no doubt he would be able to kill Maou.
She sighed as she closed the fifth book she had read that day. She knew enough to get by and knew enough to be able to get somewhere in the life she was forced to have. Without a word, she left the library, never to return.
She had seen a map of Ente Isla, and almost fifty miles from the church was a small village, one where she hoped she could start over. People watched her, getting out of her way as she headed out of the large city. She had never been vengeful before, but these people were going to know the true power of a human. She was going to destroy that church and everyone in it.
One of the books she had read was a report of the testing of magic. What had happened to her was called summoning. Someone in Ente Isla had something of hers and had used it to bring her to this world. Also, a sheep, three goats, two cows, and a child had to be sacrificed as well. There had been room in her heart to forgive them, but when she read about the child sacrifice, her ability to love, forgive, or be happy at all had instantly been destroyed.
She had to keep herself in check, or the magic of this world would consume her. If that happened, she would become a Demon, a bloodthirsty, merciless Demon like the monsters that had done this in the first place.
As she followed the long roads, she could tell she was getting weaker without food. She was thankful the city had been built right by a forest and river or she wouldn't have had any way to get food at all, not that there was much chance of her getting it now.
After grabbing a rock and a stick, she managed to make a spear and went to the river to try and catch fish. She tried for hours stabbing the water, and almost stabbing herself in the foot. When she finally caught a fish, she was proud at how big it was but quickly realized she had no idea what to do with it.
It took her a while to start a fire, but when it did start, she immediately started cooking the fish, hoping that she would be able to do it right. Though, she was almost certain it didn't need to be cooked, she wasn't going to risk it.
Night had taken over the sky when she dubbed her fish cooked. Being careful to not burn herself, she had to eat the fish, spitting scales and bone out since she didn't have the means to remove them.
Her eyes focused on the fire, her mind wandering back to Japan and how her sister was. If they had all that power, why couldn't they open the Gate? She closed her eyes as she laid down. They didn't need to return for her. It would probably start another war.
Loud screeching of birds woke her. The dim light of the distant morning sun barely lit the area around her, but she knew she hadn't moved. The fire had gone out at some point, yet she had managed to stay warm enough through the night. She got to her feet and stretched. The forest was better than the disgusting city any day.
Grabbing her spear, she followed the stream hoping it would take her to the village she had seen on the map. With the main road not being so far away, the river should take her there, but she wasn't certain. Her emotions were driving her insane. Sometimes, her anger would be so terrible, she wished all of Ente Isla to burn for what had happened to her. Her anger would quickly turn to a concentrated malice directed at the church. Depression would soon follow when her homesickness started to show. It would all end in a dismal acceptance that she would never go home. Returning to Ente Isla was out of the question. With no connections to anyone, there was no way for her to find someone that would open a Gate to take her home. She was there to stay.
She didn't really notice when she arrived at the village until she stopped an old woman from falling. The old woman thanked her with a forgiving smile, accepting Kaminari for who she appeared to be. "It's late, dear. Come inside and take the night off."
"Thank you," Kaminari said with a small smile.
"I'm Gretchen. What's your name?"
"Gray," she replied easily. It was an older name she had pulled from the many books she read, but one that females seemed to use.
Gretchen sighed as she placed some tea in front of Kaminari. "You don't look like a harlot."
Kaminari awkwardly tapped the sides of the ceramic cup, "I...was a devil's concubine."
"You poor child," she frowned. "How old are you?"
"Twenty," Kaminari lied.
"Well, you look like you're strong enough. Stay here for a while. I'm getting old, and I don't have anyone to help me anymore. The people of this village are very forgiving. They will accept you."
"Being accepted isn't a problem," Kaminari replied. "Not being judged is the only request I can ask."
Gretchen chuckled, "There is little difference here. Although the church does send priests every so often, it hasn't happened since the war ended. I am surprised they released you. A devil's concubine is never to leave the church. Not without being sterilized first."
"S-sterilized?" Kaminari whispered as she fought back tears.
"They have to make sure you aren't with child, dear," Gretchen replied immediately making Kaminari sick. What if she had been impregnated? She was only seventeen, and since child sacrifices were a thing in this world, she couldn't leave it here. She wasn't ready to be a mother, either.
Her mind was swimming with questions that couldn't be answered. She just wanted to go home, back to Japan and live a simple human life with simple human drama. She wanted to listen to Chiho fret over Maou. She wanted to hear Maou talk about how he was going to take over MgRonalds. She wanted to listen to Ashiya hum while he cooked or get onto Lucifer when the Demon was being useless. She wanted to be in Lucifer's arms again, no matter how high off the ground it had to be. All of these things she had taken for granted. She was ready to vow to never fight with Chiho again if it got her home, but she knew that wasn't true.
And, to top all of it off, Gretchen was just treating it like it was a normal occurrence. The old woman simply smiled, "Don't worry. You should feel honored. To have a priest's child is one of the highest praises anyone could receive." Her smile faded, "Since you are a devil's concubine, every child you have will have to be killed, even if it is a priest's son."
Kaminari sat in silence, letting the information sink in. At some point, Gretchen had gone to bed leaving Kaminari to be alone in the darkness with a single candle for light. Tears started to stream down her cheeks as she buried her face in her hands, "Where are you? Please...I want to come home."
Her heart dropped to the floor as a sourceless wind blew through the room, blowing out the candle. A purple ember on the wick started to flicker until a flame was finally glowing. It floated off the candle moving to her face and brushing her cheek where Lucifer had kissed her. Her body felt warm again, and she didn't feel so alone. Purple fire left her finger tip as she reached for the candle again. When it touched the candle, the burning orange returned, but it seemed brighter now.
He was coming. She was willing to bet he wasn't returning alone. For a small moment, she felt some sympathy for the church and what the demons would do to those men, but the thought of the children erased that emotion. Those men didn't deserve to live. Or they did, but they deserved to suffer like she did. Whatever pain they had to endure would never be enough to satisfy Kaminari's anger, and their deaths certainly wouldn't do.
No, there was hell to pay. She was going to make sure of it.
In the morning, Kaminari helped Gretchen with whatever she asked. Cleaning, cooking, tending to the chickens, and other small tasks that she had to learn since she never really did any of that before. She had only seen live chickens in Europe, but even then she wasn't asked to take care of them. It didn't bother her.
Around noon, she helped Gretchen do what she did for the community which was patch clothing. The old woman had to take time with Kaminari to make sure she handled the odd needle well and how to keep her from pricking her finger too many times. The teen caught on easily enough, but the clients weren't allowed to know she had helped. Though the village was accepting, they still considered harlots to be disgusting and didn't want them around their things, much less fixing them.
So, when people of the village started to get their clothes back that afternoon, Kaminari was kept hidden away so the villagers wouldn't know about her, not yet at least. When the evening came, she repeated the morning process of cleaning, cooking, and tending the chickens. That night, she sat in front of the candle and just stare at the flame, hoping it would turn purple again just so she could feel him. The warmth never faded, and she was happier knowing he was coming for her, but that didn't get rid of the temporary loneliness she felt.
When morning came, Kaminari began cleaning the kitchen once again. Gretchen had woken up before her and was sewing something, so she didn't bother the old woman with asking what to do. Once she finished cleaning, she went out to the chickens to gather eggs and headed back inside to start breakfast.
"There," Gretchen sighed as she stood up. Kaminari raised an eyebrow at the strange fabric piece in the old woman's arms. It was a very boring grey dress, but it wasn't orange. The black brand would still show, but it would be mostly covered up by the straps of the dress. "Put this on so you can go outside and look decent for once."
Obeying the old woman's demands, Kaminari quickly changed into the dress, happy to be free of the wretched color. She opened the door just in time to keep someone from knocking. The young man blushed as he stared down at her, "I-I'm sorry, but I'm here to get my father's pants."
"Hello, Keegan," Gretchen greeted as she approached the door. "Yes, I'll be right back."
Kaminari stepped to the side, allowing the young man in. She gave an awkward smile as he continued to glance and blush. "There, all fixed up," Gretchen said as she handed the boy the pants. "Keegan, this is Gray. She's going to be staying with me for a while."
Kaminari gave an awkward wave while the boy just blushed and gave a polite nod before leaving. Gretchen smiled while shaking her head, "He's never really been able to talk to girls. This village is so small, there's not much that can be done when there aren't any girls your age."
"I see," Kaminari commented. "He'll get his confidence eventually. Once he meets a girl he's ready to overcome his fears for, he'll be talking to every girl he sees just to get to know her." She sighed as she rubbed her scarred arms, "I would imagine this didn't help either."
"He'll be fine," Gretchen assured. "Once everyone gets past your appearance, you'll fit right in."
Kaminari sat in silence as she helped Gretchen patch clothes. Gretchen had gone over a list of things Kaminari needed to get for her in the market and who she could since some people didn't have to get their clothes fixed, they could just new ones. She had a little money, though it wasn't enough to really please the people around. Kaminari couldn't understand the way business worked around there. Money kept things clean cut without the favors. Maybe they just didn't like whatever money they used.
Around 3:00, Kaminari left the small cabin for the village. She had to ask people for directions to the places Gretchen told her to go, though many of the women glared at her when they saw the black mark. When Kaminari got to the places she needed to go, the people were reluctant to help her, even though she was working for Gretchen. Never in a million years did Kaminari think she would be considered almost unapproachable due to a mark on the crook of her neck. Then again, she would have never guessed any of this would happen to her.
As she gathered vegetables, fruits, meats, and other small things from people in the city, she could feel the eyes of men trying to guess what was beneath her clothes while women glared at her, the harlot that was taking men's attentions away from them. That's all she would be to these people, and that was okay as long as she didn't hold it against Gretchen. She didn't want to have to add a village to the demise of the church.
When she returned to the small home, she dropped everything at the door and rushed in. The place had been torn apart.
"Gretchen!" She called as she shifted things away so she could there was no answer, panic started to sink in. Had the woman died in the robbery?
"Lu...ci...fer..." a raspy voice growled behind her. She slowly turned to face a man-like beast blocking the doorway. The creature reminded her of a satyr, but had the lower half of a bear and teeth like one as well. It's white eyes stared at her' unmoving and angry. "Lu...ci...fer..." it growled again.
"He isn't here," Kaminari told the creature. "Leave, or he will come and end your life."
The creature made a strange hiss and jumped out of her line of sight. She walked out to see the creature flying with bat wings, heading to an unknown destination. Wherever it was going, she knew it would return. She hoped Lucifer would be there when it did. She needed him to be there when it did.