Disclaimer: You know the drill by now.
Extraneous: Ditto.
Once the body had been located,
the Oricaltos briefly departed from his allies.
The reason? He needed to see the Authority
in Celestia, in order to unseal another portion
of his full and terrible power.
Upon his successful return,
the group descended into the catacombs.
The passage was long and dangerous,
but the allies managed to survive.
That is, until they reached the last chamber,
and then ALL Hell broke loose.
Corbin's influence turned those of the Makai
against the Oricaltos, but he was well defended
by his allies.
In the end, a new form was revealed,
and the dark spirit was banished,
allowing Zetta to return to his body.
-Prophecy di luce e di ombre: Lines CLXXX-CXCVI
Chapter 6: Diving into the Past
What happened before:
Baal was correct when he gave Saito the location. However, before the Oricaltos entered, he decided to take a trip to Celestia, in order to speak with the Authority. It took little time for him to return, with a few new powers to boot, and he led his allies into the catacombs to confront the dark spirit occupying Zetta's body. Unfortunately, as soon as the battle began, Pram and the others from the Makai were turned against Saito. While Laharl and the others were busy keeping Alexander, Seedle, and the others off of Saito's back, the Oricaltos dealt with the dark spirit, Jeroboam. In the end, the spirit was cast from Zetta's body, and Saito released his new powers, resulting in his reversion to the terrifyingly powerful Phoenix form. He made short work of Jeroboam without breaking a sweat, and the dark spirit eventually made a deal with the mage in order to continue existing. In exchange for being spared, Jeroboam became the spirit of the Sacred Tome, allowing Trenia to remain free. To say the least, Corbin was furious, but he already had a plan to get-back at the mage. It involved altering the past, and was actually a desperate gamble to distract the mage from his real intentions...
Dark Catacomb: Southern Plains: Makai Kingdom: Zetta's Netherworld
Time: One hour has passed since the battle for Zetta's body ended
"So, what do we do next?" Setsuna asked, and Pram shrugged in response. "I have no clue. I never thought that we would get to this point." Seedle raised an eyebrow at that comment, and then he spoke. "You never thought that we could regain Zetta's body?" he asked incredulously, and the Oracle sighed before slowly shaking her head. "It isn't that, Seedle. It's just that I never expected that we would get it done so quickly, that's all." "Well, we could always make a few free-dungeons and go explore them," Zetta suggested, but Trenia scoffed at the idea. "No thanks, Zetta. I would rather take my chances here in the real world than try my hand at a dungeon that could possibly kill me." The two continued bickering back and forth, and the Oricaltos couldn't help but smile.
Priere was sitting apart from the others, hugging her knees to her chest. She was busy reflecting on the events that made her the Alternate Overlord when she suddenly cried out in alarm. Croix looked over at Priere, and then he drew back in surprise. He blinked rapidly in order to make certain that his eyes were not deceiving him. She appeared to be fading in and out of sight, and this worried the ex-demon hunter. He hurried over and knelt at Priere's left side. "What's happening to you?" he asked worriedly, and the Alternate Overlord was slow in answering. "I do... I don't know. All of a sudden, I can't remember it, Croix!" "Remember what?" he asked, slightly puzzled. "Remember turning into a demon! It's as if..." She blinked rather rapidly and then softly moaned, clutching her skull and shaking her head. When she looked at Croix again, the man drew back, stunned. Her horns had disappeared, her eyes were light-brown, and the rest of her body was rapidly fading away. "Please, Croix...Remember...what...I am," she managed to whisper before vanishing completely. But as Croix turned to speak with the Oricaltos, the angel's eyes clouded over, and he collapsed with a groan. Simultaneously, the other remaining members of La Pucelle also collapsed, and this did not go unnoticed by the Oricaltos. He looked around, rather disturbed.
The first thing he noticed was that both Éclair and Homard were clutching their skulls and moaning aloud. He also noted that Éclair was flickering between her light and dark forms, and that worried the mage. In addition, they were both growing transparent, which made the Oricaltos VERY suspicious. Something strange is going on here, and I have a feeling that this isn't a good thing, he thought as his gaze wandered from the duo to Alouette. She was furiously shaking her head, as if to deny some horrible truth. Culotte was softly moaning, and Croix was rising rather unsteadily to his feet. Then, Saito noticed something that chilled him to the core. Priere was gone, as if she had never existed. Laharl slightly kneaded his temples as he looked around, but then he noticed the same thing. Red eyes met blue eyes, and both men came to the same conclusion, just as Baal mentally contacted the diralec.
SAITO! I know what Corbin is planning to do! He's planning to alter the past so that Priere never becomes the Alternate Overlord, Saito finished, nearly swearing aloud. DAMN HIM! What happened, Saito? She's already gone, Baal, and if we lose her, then you also lose the remaining members of La Pucelle, the demon concluded, much to his annoyance. Correct. As a matter-of-fact, Homard and Éclair are already fading, and I'm sure that Alouette and Croix have both forgotten who all of you are. It hasn't come to that yet, but it may soon. Thanks for the info, Baal. We'll keep you posted. As always, Saito. Be careful.
"PRAM!" the Oricaltos roared, and the Oracle jumped slightly before turning to look at him. "Don't do that!" she exclaimed, but the rest of her tirade was cut-off by the mage. "I need you to tell me the exact date when Priere became a demon." "But why do you need..." She trailed-off when she saw the desperate look on Saito's face, and her jaw clenched. "I'm on it." "Good," Saito sighed, rubbing at his temples. He then turned to the Seraph. "Do you happen to know of anyone who had a grudge against Priere in the past?" he inquired, and Lamington scratched his head before answering. "There's only one angel that I can think of, but I can't remember his name. I remember what he looked like, though." "Well, we have to start somewhere. Can you describe him for us?" "Naturally," the head angel responded. "He had fiery red hair, and nearly black eyes. Also, if my memory is correct, then he was Vulcanus' elder brother."
"Chiasmus," Alouette managed to gasp out, and Saito hurried to assist her, only to be staring down the barrel of Croix's shotgun. Slowly lifting his head, the Oricaltos stared into the man's eyes. There was absolutely no hint of recognition in them, and it was then that Saito found himself reflecting on Baal's words, finding them to be all too true. I'm sure that Alouette and Croix have both forgotten who all of you are. You really weren't kidding, Baal, Saito thought as he tried to find a way to peacefully defuse the situation. Michael looked over in alarm, and he was about to step-in when he saw the mage's eyes narrow. Wisely, he chose to back down, and received a small nod of thanks from Saito. Then, the mage's eyes locked with those of Croix, and turned gold. The man's eyes grew impossibly wide as he nearly lost his grip on the gun and stumbled backwards. "What are you?" he demanded, and Saito gave a short, harsh laugh. "I am a hybrid, a healer, and a fighter. I don't want to hurt you, but I will if you leave me no choice, Croix Raoul."
The angel froze dead in his tracks, and the gun dropped from his nerveless fingers in shock. "How do you know my name?" he asked, rather incredulous, and Alouette sighed before reaching into her pack, pulling out a copy of the Bible, and then hitting Croix upside the head with it. "YOUCH! What was that for, Alouette?" Croix whined, rubbing the sizable lump on the back of his head. The blonde angel narrowed her eyes as she stared at the man she had chosen to marry. "That, Croix, was for asking an idiotic question when you should really be focusing on trying to remember Priere!" the former Maiden of Light snapped, and Croix seemed to freeze upon hearing that name.
He paused to knead his temples, and it was at that point that both Homard and Dark Éclair vanished. He squeezed his eyes shut before slowly shaking his head as he tried to recall something concrete, but then the Oracle called to Saito, jogging Croix's memory. "Oricaltos! The exact date was June 9, 1865." The Oricaltos looked at his watch in alarm. "That's the date today, but it's the wrong year," he mused silently, no longer paying attention to Croix. The angel's eyes shot wide open as everything came flooding back to him, but then his eyes narrowed again. "It was Chiasmus, all right." Saito turned and raised a skeptical eyebrow. "What did you just say?" he asked, and Croix responded once again. "It was definitely Chiasmus." "Are you sure about that?" Alouette asked skeptically, and Croix nodded. "I'm positive that it was him, Maiden of Light. I remember everything now," the angel responded, his eyes glittering coldly.
"What went wrong?" Alouette asked, and Croix sadly shook his head before responding. "We ran into him and a large contingent of angels on the tenth level of a 300 Dark-Energy Index Hell. We also learned something rather nasty about him too." "What was that?" Saito asked, and the angel responded easily. "Apparently, Chiasmus was an Apostate," he stated, and Alouette froze. "Are you positive, Croix?" she asked tentatively, and he nodded slowly. "I'm certain, Alouette. Why are you asking me that?" he inquired, but the former Maiden of Light was already turning away, her face marked by profound sadness. "Noir was right," she whispered, and Lamington raised a curious eyebrow. "What did you just say?" he asked, but Alouette completely ignored the older angel. "I should have listened to him. I should have believed him," she whispered, falling to her hands and knees, weeping.
Now this alarmed Saito, and he rushed over to be at her side. "What happened? Please tell me what went wrong," he pleaded, and Alouette slowly raised her tear-stained face to gaze at the Oricaltos. "Noir knew that Chiasmus wasan Apostate, but I refused to believe him. Therefore, it's partially my fault that Priere is gone," she sobbed, and the Oricaltos slowly stroked her hair, comforting the young woman. "Stop blaming yourself, Alouette. It wasn't really your fault. However, I promise you that we will not allow Chiasmus to win." Alouette wiped the tears away from her eyes as she looked into those of the Oricaltos, seeing an intense determination within them. "He will not escape us," Saito snarled as he rose before helping Alouette to her feet. He then turned to look at Pram. "Oracle?" "No need to ask," she responded, opening a Time Gate without a second thought. Saito's eyes hardened as he strode through, followed by the rest of his allies. Hang in there, Alternate Overlord. We're coming to help.
Now it's gonna get ugly! But for the time being, let's head back to see EXACTLY what happened on that day...
Sacred Altar: Celestia
Date: June 9, 1865
The Seraph sighed aloud as she rubbed her temples, trying to banish an oncoming headache. It had been an incredibly tiring day of refusing to allow the other angels to launch any sort of attacks against demons. She had worked very hard to establish the fragile balance, and she did not wish to see it shattered so easily. There was a brief knock on her door, and the slender angel mustered her arguments before calling out. "It's open." The door opened and, much to her surprise, a raven-haired man strode into the room before dropping to one knee in a gesture of sincere respect. "Please forgive me, my lady. It's just that I have some rather important news to deliver that pertains to a certain demon hunter..." The Seraph slowly shook her head, a small smile creeping onto her face as she gestured for the man to rise. "There is no need to be so formal with me, Noir. Now, what is it about Prier that is bugging you so much?" she asked, a hint of amusement in her voice, and Noir looked up in alarm. "Lady Poitrenne! This is not a laughing matter!" he snapped, and the Seraph laughed lightly. "I know that, my young friend," she responded with a knowing smile. "I was just seeing if you were paying attention. Please, continue with your report." "As you wish, Seraph."
"As you may already know, Prier is well on her way to becoming a demon." Poitrenne nodded in acknowledgment. "...Go on." "Well, I was wondering if I could help her out a little bit..." The Seraph tilted her head to one side, intrigued. "Why do you want to help her?" she asked, and the former half-demon shrugged. "She allowed me to come here by praying for me as I lay dying. I thought I might as well help her in one of the ways that I know how." "Hmm... You have a good point there. Permission granted." "Really?" Noir exclaimed, lifting his slate-gray eyes to meet the crystal-blue ones of the Seraph as he rose to his feet, and Poitrenne smiled gently. "Really. Now, before you go rushing-off, I need your honest opinion on something..."
"What is it?" the man asked, slightly puzzled. "What do you think about Chiasmus?" Noir froze for a few seconds, but then he started again. "Chiasmus? I don't know about you, but I personally think that the guy is bad news. I think he might even be an Apostate!" Poitrenne raised an eyebrow at this comment before briefly nodding and making a shooing gesture. "You are dismissed, Noir. May the Authority watch over you." "And may She watch over you as well," Noir responded, bowing once more before straightening. He then turned towards the exit...
...only to find his way barred by two slender young women. "And exactly where do you think you are going?" the blonde one snapped at him, her eyes narrowed to slits. "Let him go, Alouette," Poitrenne called sternly. "I already dismissed him." "Yes, Seraph Poitrenne," Alouette responded with a sigh as she stepped out of the man's way. However, once he was well out of earshot, the normally calm angel exploded with all of the subtlety of a nuclear blast. "How can you stand him? I mean, for the love of all, he was the head of the Church of the Divine Mother! He tried to kill us multiple times, even going as far as attempting to raise Calamity!" "But he served his purpose in the end, and he was rewarded, right?" the other woman chimed-in, and Poitrenne smiled at Alouette's red-haired companion. "Correct, Angelique. He was rewarded for his services in helping to eliminate the Dark Prince." "But..."
Alouette started to speak, but she was cut-off when a fiery-haired angel stormed into the room. "Lady Poitrenne, I have a request," he stated rather bluntly, and the Seraph's eyes narrowed. She was clearly unamused. "I expressly forbid you to approach any of the Dimensional Gates, Chiasmus. I will not allow you to hunt any demons!" she snapped, and then raised a hand to stop the man from protesting. "I am the Seraph here, and I will be obeyed! If you do not obey me, then I will be forced to ask the Authority to permanently strip you of your rank and powers. Understand this, Chiasmus: Demons are required to maintain the balance, no matter how evil they seem to be." The man's nearly black eyes narrowed to slits, and then he stomped out of the room, cursing under his breath.
When he had gone, the Seraph let out a sigh of relief before turning to look at the Maiden of Light. "What do you think about the rumors that say Chiasmus is actually an Apostate?" she asked, and Alouette snorted in disdain. "That's impossible. He is far too loyal to you my lady." Poitrenne then turned to Angelique, and the red-haired maiden shrugged her shoulders. "I don't really know for sure. Either way, his obsession with demons is really scary." The Seraph nodded in agreement, and Alouette found herself nodding as well. "Still, I can't help but have this awful feeling that he might go and do something extremely brash..."
"You mean something like altering history to achieve his goals? I hate to break it to you, but he's already done that," a new voice responded from the doorway, and all three women turned to face it. Angelique could not keep her eyes from going wide with shock at seeing the figures before her, and Alouette's jaw was now hanging open. The one who spoke, the auburn-haired man standing in the doorway, had appeared out of nowhere. In addition, he was backed by several demons and, much to Poitrenne's surprise, a few angels as well. The Seraph raised a quizzical eyebrow when the young man bowed to her. "Rise, my young friend, and tell us why you are here."
"We are here, holy one, to make certain that history remains unchanged," a familiar voice answered from behind the man, and the female Seraph smiled as she spotted the man's trademark hair. "Ah, my dear Paladin Lamington. I take it that you are doing well, Michael?" she asked, and the silver-eyed man chuckled. "I have never been better in my entire life, Seraph Poitrenne." He was about to continue when the mage coughed lightly, interrupting his speech. "I know how much you would love to chat, Lamington, but please remember that we have a job to do," he whined slightly, and Poitrenne slowly shook her head, an amused smile appearing on her face. "I take it that you are the Oricaltos, then?" she asked, and Saito nodded once before dropping to one knee in supplication. "We have discovered that Chiasmus is an Apostate, and we wish to make certain that our timeline remains unchanged." "Why is that? Who disappeared?" Poitrenne asked, alarmed, and Saito barely managed to choke out the woman's name. "Priere."
The Seraph's face suddenly became grave, and she looked to Lamington for confirmation. The man slowly nodded his head, and her brow furrowed in anger. "He deceived me. He dared to lie to my face when I asked about his activities, and he has maintained a personal army despite my repeated orders to have it disbanded! Now he has done this." She massaged her temples, and then raised her eyes to stare at her trusted second-in-command. "Lamington, bring me his head," she snarled, and the man bowed deeply to her. "It shall be done as you wish, Lady Poitrenne. May the Authority watch over you, and may She have pity on that foolish Apostate," he intoned, and Saito smiled rather wickedly. "If you don't mind, Michael, I have two more prayers to add." "Go right ahead, Saito." The Oricaltos took a deep breath, and then he began the intonation. "Before the Grace of God go I, and may His eternal light forever shine upon us," the others joined in, causing the mage to smile. "May the LORD have mercy upon their poor souls, for we most certainly will not. AMEN."
Author's note1: There is an old saying that goes something like this: Hell hath no fury like women scorned. Apparently, they missed the second part of the proverb, which clearly stated that the Oricaltos is far worse when he is pissed. What will happen when Saito and his allies catch-up with Noir and Chiasmus? Is Priere gone for good, or will she return to the mage? And what about the rest of La Pucelle? Find out in my next chapter, The Dark Side of Prier. As always, please remember to both READ AND REVIEW. Thank you.