Keiichi's faith
Rel1.2
By Pizzigri
OK! Third chapter up. This chapter will get quite graphic, though I still believe we are within a "T" rating, be warned!
Enjoy… hope I got the personalities OK and not too OOC.
Disclaimer: Aa! Megami-sama! (Oh! My goddess!) and all regular characters from this series are © copyright 1988-2012 Kosuke Fujishima and his publisher and distributors worldwide.
OC, functional to the story, are mine and, actually also © 1220 A.D. by Snorri Sturluson. No copyright infringement intended!
...
Four minutes
It's already five past six in the evening, the sun casting long shadows over the buildings, and Belldandy should have already met Keiichi.
Leaning against the sidecar of his '49 BMW, a Leibman Spezial Rennsport RS bike, with his arms crossed over his chest, he's lost in thought.
It's only five minutes… I can't be worried for just five minutes.
Nonetheless, he can't avoid thinking back to Skuld and Urd's morning antics, especially regarding his involvement in the younger Goddess' vision; shifting uncomfortably his weight on his left leg, he sighs and checks the time on the Breitling watch Belldandy gave him as a birthday present.
Strange, Keiichi thinks, she's always so incredibly accurate…
The young man unconsciously traces the contour of the wristwatch with his fingers, trying to avoid checking the time yet again, when he hears a soft voice behind him.
"I apologize, Keiichi, I did not mean to make you standing here waiting for me for so long…"
He turns to find Belldandy beaming at him, hovering a couple inches above the ground, wearing a simple azure sundress that seems to float around her body as if free from gravity, her arms loaded with bags of groceries.
Blinded by her magnificent smile, Keiichi loses himself in the deep blue of her eyes, basking in the warmth she radiates.
Belldandy breaks eye contact, as her feet touch the ground.
"Well, then, I'll put the bags in the sidecar, and…"
"Oh! I apologize, here, let me help you!" Keiichi stammers, waking from his daze and taking the shopping bags, "I… I was… to see you, ah, you're so incredibly beautiful, and… I… I'm sorry…"
"Oh my… thank you, you're so sweet", Belldandy purrs into his ear, placing a light kiss on his cheek, making him blush violently and unable to reply.
"Don't worry, Keiichi, it was my fault. Shall we go?"
Less than a minute later, Keiichi and Belldandy are riding leisurely towards home, the engine of the BMW humming pleasantly; the sun almost reached the horizon, bathing the landscape and the few clouds in the sky in a warm orange light, thus casting a magical and peaceful atmosphere to the hillside road and its surroundings.
The day has been magnificent; sunny, dry with just a little wind to keep the air cool and the sky clear.
In the sidecar, Belldandy finally manages to relax. She's secretly been protecting Keiichi for the whole day, sending invisible small copies of herself to secure a perimeter around the Whirlwind shop, while her 'main self' went shopping.
The Goddess reflects over the events of the past twenty-four hours, her younger sister Skuld's vision and her refusal to disclose it, only admitting that the events she foresaw also involved Keiichi, her own ensuing foreboding and concern for the young mortal, and Urd's final decision to "sneak" in Heaven to directly access Yggdrasil.
Oh, big sister, risking so much for my Keiichi…defying Father's punishment binding you to Earth…
Urd had promised to come back from Heaven with some information, if not even manage to directly fix things; Belldandy closes her eyes, addressing a fond and grateful prayer to her older sister.
She then turns to glance at Keiichi, a smile forming on her lips.
A sudden flash whites out her vision for an instant, and a sharp pain stabs Belldandy's neck, echoing in her mind as her connection to Yggdrasil collapses. The Goddess winces visibly, utter fear and alarm overwhelming her!
Something is WRONG!
In a millionth of a second, she switches to full combat mode; her face becomes an expressionless mask as her Valkyrie training kicks in, all her senses at their peak, steeling her body and suppressing her emotions while her mind analyzes the situation.
Belldandy tries to establish an emergency communication link to Skuld, failing.
She almost decides to use the rear viewing mirror to instantly teleport to the Temple, but realizes that this will leave Keiichi alone, and totally unprotected. He'll have to come with me, then, she hastily thinks.
Keiichi, can you hear me? The question is rhetorical, she projected her thoughts directly into Keiichi's mind, it is impossible that he can't hear her, as the motorcycle's violent swerve attests; regaining control of the BMW, the very surprised young man uneasily thinks back, wincing in pain, Uh… yes, what's wrong?, never has Belldandy used so suddenly and in such an invasive way her telepathy.
We need to be home immediately, Keiichi. We have to abandon this vehicle, and you must come with me.
Keiichi stops his BMW in a byway along the road. Unlatching his helmet, he worriedly turns to Belldandy, now in her white and blue full combat uniform.
"Belldandy, what's going… ooOHH-"
A second later, the road is totally empty, except for a parked motorcycle.
In the temple's bathroom, Keiichi falls unceremoniously in a heap from the mirror above the wash basin, taking cups, soap, toothpaste, brushes and other supplies with him on the wooden floorboards.
As his helmet rolls wildly on the floor, Belldandy is already flying in the corridor towards Skuld's room, only to crash into the small Goddess running around the corner.
"OOOMPH!"
The little Goddess falls on her rump and looks up to her older sister's concerned face.
"Holy Father, Bell-chan! The connection with Yggdrasil went down… Hey! You're in Combat Mode! What's going on!"
"Little sister, you should be telling me that. What did you see in your vision?"
Surprised by her older sister's direct question, Skuld stammers.
"I… but…"
"Skuld, please, please tell me! Urd chan said it involved Keiichi! And whatever it is, it's happening NOW!"
"Uh… but… my vision never was… I…"
"SKULD!" Belldandy's face is inches from Skuld's and the urgency and distress in her voice startles the younger Goddess, making her literally jump.
"Ah! Sorry! I-in my vision, we can't avoid Keiichi's di-aa-aaahh…"
Skuld grabs her throat with her hand, clears her voice and tries again to describe her vision.
"Keiichi d-d-d-aaahh… I… what the hell is happening to me!"
The older Goddess covers her mouth in disbelief.
By the eternal Light, Father! You sealed her knowledge! WHY?
"Belldandy! Hey! Is everything okay?"
Keiichi stumbles in the corridor, bruised and dizzy from the sudden teleport.
The older Goddess embraces the young man in the blink of an eye, fiercely hugging her love.
"Oh, Keiichi! I'm afraid that something terrible will happen to us… to you!"
"Really…? Can we do something about it?"
"I… don't know…"
"Belldandy, I'm sure that everything will turn out for the better. We've always managed to turn the odds against us, even against impossibly powerful threats; I have complete trust in you, and in both Skuld and Urd."
"Keiichi…"
"I mean it, Belldandy."
Belldandy pauses; her features stiffen, and she holds her breath. A Demonic entity, about Mara's class and power level, manifested itself on Earth, not too far away. The Demon did not even try to hide its presence, or his power, which is highly unusual. Skuld's paling face proves she felt it, too.
Everyone just stand still, almost afraid to move, waiting for something to happen. Keiichi, sweating bullets, whispers: "Uh... Girls, you're scaring me, what's the matter...?"
"Oh, Keiichi! A Demon has been summoned on the mortal plane!" Belldandy whispers, drawing the young man into her arms and again holding him tight.
A wave of pure pain, anguish and despair washes over both Deities; Belldandy gasps and almost loses control of her strength, crushing Keiichi in her embrace, while Skuld faints and crumples to the ground.
"No! Oh, Father!"
The Goddess releases a pained Keiichi, and turns her head towards the shrine's gate.
Shivering, she braces herself, as more waves of agony hammer her Divine senses. Skuld regains consciousness, only to curl in a ball under the oppressive assault, tears falling freely over her cheeks.
Massaging his aching arms and ribs, Keiichi grimaces, feeling powerless and unable to help against the invisible attack.
"What is it? What's going on! I can't feel it, what's attacking you!"
"A Divine being is injured, badly. We're feeling the backlash of her pain."
"But… how…"
"She's asking for help! It's like a scream, here in our mind! Big sis! It hurts", Skuld cries, crawling in a corner and pitifully balling up, hugging her knees.
"I know, little one. As a Valkyrie, it is my duty to act now, to stop this. Keiichi, come with me!"
She grabs the young man and in an instant they're both out of the building; Belldandy spreads her massive, incredibly white wings, and holding Keiichi, takes to the darkening sky.
...
Four minutes earlier…
Sinthgunt emerges from the windows' transparent panes of glass and graciously touches the floor in the darkened room. Her divine senses immediately recognize the recipient of the wish, Hayato Takeda, standing in the room, and just outside the closed door, his twin brother Shin, an exact opposite to the perfect example of virtue that Hayato represents. The Goddess frowns lightly, they were supposed to be alone; also, her link with Yggdrasil is cospicuously missing. It happens, sometimes, passing through the Gate, and connection should normally be reestablished within seconds. The Goddess appears as a young woman, about 18 years old by human standards, five feet seven inches tall, lithe and gracious, dressed in a white, blue and lavender standard Divine duty uniform.
"Do not be alarmed, I am Sinthgunt, Goddess first Class, second category limited license, and I am here to…"
"Please! Go away, escape while you can!" Hayato screams, suddenly breaking free of his semi catatonic state.
The goddess hesitates, something is very, very wrong.
Then she feels a powerful Demonic presence materializing; it has been summoned by Shin, using his blood in a sacrificial pentagram to call and allow Vali to manifest himself on Earth.
Shin bursts inside the room, slamming onto his brother, and blocking him into a stranglehold, a wicked smile on his face.
As Sinthgunt recoils, moving towards the glass panels, a hidden and impossibly complex pentagram shines into view, runic characters glowing on every surface of the sizeable room, while Shin drives a dagger between his brother's second and third rib, puncturing his lung. The blood of a pure innocent spills in the circle, imprisoning the panicked deity.
Vali steps from thin air in the eerily shimmering circle, completely ignoring the dying man sprawled on the floor writhing in a puddle of blood, a gleeful smirk deforming his otherwise very handsome features.
He carries an ancient and crude looking Seax in his right hand, the blackened and dirty steel entirely covered in runes.
"Greetings, Goddess", he coarsely spits out, mockingly bowing, "I am here to end your life."
The confused Deity looks around herself, and turns in a futile attempt to jump back into the transparent glass window, but the Pentagram sealed all her powers; an invisible power repels her back: she's cornered and at the Demon's mercy.
Grabbing Sinthgunt's beautiful mahogany hair, Vali yanks the paralyzed and utterly terrorized deity's head, exposing her neck and throat.
Vali pauses while holding the blade a hair's width away from her skin, his smile growing wider.
"No, on second thought I will not behead you. I want you to die slowly, looking at me, full of despair, pain and fear. I want to see a pure deity like you lose control of herself… I want you to suffer! This blade is said to have been forged in Svartálfaheimr from a speck of Tyrfing's cursed metal before the three evil deeds were accomplished. It will now slay a Divine being!"
The Demon brutally pushes the Goddess against the heavy Western style table, then he seizes her right wrist, and pulls her arm up, turning her body towards himself, forcing his knee between her legs and painfully blocking the much smaller frame of the deity against the table edge with his body.
She weakly tries to break free, but a fierce backhand beats her fighting spirit away. He leans over her, pressing her torso on the table, back against the tabletop, his left elbow and forearm forced on her neck; the goddess sees the blade approaching, and starts hyperventilating, with fast, shallow breaths.
Unable to scream, to react, she can only stare into Vali's cold yet gentle eyes.
Straining her body and exposing her right side, the Demon carefully rests the tip of the blade just under her right breast and between her ribs, and slowly starts thrusting.
The blade leisurely sinks in Sinthgunt's chest, as Vali pushes little by little, almost sensually, the weapon in her flesh, his gaze never wavering from the shuddering Goddess's rapidly glazing eyes.
Vali plunges the weapon to the hilt, pauses then viciously turns the blade in the Divine flesh, and jerks out the blade, shoving the Deity away.
Sinthgunt slams against the wall and collapses to the floor, curling into a ball; instead of a dark fluid, what could be best described as liquid light copiously flows from her chest wound, bathing the room in brilliance.
Vali cleans the blade of the luminous liquid, sheathing it again in a hidden fold of his white leather robe, standing in front of the agonizing Goddess, a satisfied smile on his face.
"Little Goddess, your wound would not be fatal, in normal circumstances. But this cursed blade poisoned your divine body; you will, quite slowly and exquisitely painfully, lose cohesion, until you will return to your elemental state and dissipate... into nothingness."
He finally moves a reversed chair in front of himself and sits down, elbows on the backrest and chin resting in his hands, waiting for the Goddess to die, his whole body veiled by a dark aura that seems to swallow light.
Sinthgunt feels her control over her material form fading. She looks up to Vali, tears streaking her cheeks. The Goddess manages to painfully whisper: "Why… why have you done this, do you not understand the consequences…?"
"There will be none. You have no doublet, therefore no Demon will die. I may be punished, but I have my revenge, and I will enjoy it until the very end."
"F… fool! I… if I die… on this plane… I will not maintain integrity… I…" the Goddess manages to whisper before her voice fails her.
Her body burning with unbelievable pain, Sinthgunt shivers uncontrollably, coiling into a fetal position, the brightly glowing liquid pooling beneath her. She's sliding into unconsciousness, unable to call forth her Angel, all her powers blocked by the Demonic Pentagram.
Vali licks his lips and stands up. His time is almost over, and he must return to Nifelheim, to avoid…
In almost complete silence, a wide portion of the room, most walls and the whole roof simply disappear, torn away by a power many orders of magnitude stronger than his own; a power he immediately recognizes, striking terror in his heart.
The strongest of the Valkyries, Lind of the One Wing!
The Pentagram breaks down, and all the seals and shields simply cease to exist; Vali's Thrall, Shin, falls to his knees screaming, his left hand covering his face, while still holding the dagger in his right hand. A spear of ice pins him to the ground, forever silencing him.
A thin veil of ice covers everything, and a chilling wind whirls around the startled Demon.
Frightened, Vali soars thousands of feet, above the blanket of clouds, trying to evade the Valkyries, only to find himself surrounded by nine completely white Cherubs armed with golden stave-like weapons, and Lind poised to strike with a battleaxe in front of him.
Above and beneath the Demon another four Valkyries cut every possible escape route.
His hand nervously glides over the Seax's grip, under his robe.
Lind speaks, ice in her voice and embers in her eyes.
"Yield or be destroyed, Demon."
Before he can reply, all the world around them falls silent, and even the wind dies. Then, a flash of what could be described as black light cover the sky, with an impossibly strong Thunderclap.
Hild suddenly appears above them, warping space itself and creating a shockwave that echoes for miles around the city of Nekomi, akin to a nuclear detonation. Lind, sensing the danger, manages to weave a shielding Mandala just in time, deflecting the raging energy of the Daimakaicho's manifestation.
...
Belldandy had, in the meantime, covered the scant half mile distance from Torikihongan Temple, landing safely in front of the devastated building that once was the Takeda's residence and released a trembling and bewildered Keiichi to the ground.
"Come with me, Keiichi, she needs our help!"
"But…"
"Don't worry, Lind is taking care of the Demon."
Before Belldandy can even approach the wounded Goddess, a lightning strikes next to Keiichi and Urd appears, in her purple combat uniform.
"No time for that! Mother is here, we need to help Lind, now! As for Sinthgunt, there's a rescue team incoming, including our best Divine Healers, and Yggdrasil's back online! Come on!"
Belldandy turns to Keiichi, a concerned expression on her face.
The young man smiles.
"I'll be allright. Don't worry, I'll go and check her."
"Keiichi... I... I love you"
"I love you too... Please be careful."
"I will. You'll be safe here, and I will be back in minutes... but... "
"Bell! Come on!"
Reluctantly, Belldandy takes off, her wings driving her high in the sky, followed by Urd, blue lightning and sparks dancing over her skin.
...
Lind engages Vali, but before she can seal the Demon with her Battleax, Hild places herself between the Valkyrie and her target.
A dreaded voice, sweet and warm, almost like an oily whisper carried by the wind, echoes in Lind's ears, perfectly intelligible despite the howling wind: "Now, now, little Valkyrie… I'd suggest you cool down a bit, hmmm?"
"Move. That Demon is guilty of the highest crime, murder of a Divine Being" she replies in a toneless voice.
"You don't say? I have not felt any Demon tied by the Doublet System dying on me, lately, how can you substantiate what you claim?"
"I have a Class 1, Commercial License Goddess down, and that's more than enough to warrant coercive action, as per the Treaty's Code. You will not risk Ragnarok for him! Now, move, I won't repeat myself."
Vali shrieks "I claim Rightful Vengeance!", from behind Hild.
"What?" Lind exclaims in outrage.
"Oh, my… that Edict overrule hasn't been claimed since the Great War, Eons ago", Hild comments, turning to face Vali, curious and even slightly amused as to what exactly the Demon aims at.
"Great Hild, exactly! I claim Rightful Vengeance on the grounds of Murder of a Next of Kin!"
Lind immediately brings her wrist to her chin, whispering: "Peorth, you got that?"
In the Valkyrie's ear, the voice of the Goddess once again in charge of Yggdrasil's Mainframe Systems interface quietly replies, "Already working on it, we're sifting data, I'll be back in one."
"Explain yourself", Hild intones, crossing her arms.
The nine Cherubs all turn as one to Lind, which nods. Their staves are then angled in a ready position.
"I… I had a smaller sister, called Narfi, at the time of The Great War. It happened just before the treaty summit on Vanaheimr; immediately after the final ceasefire was declared in all of the Celestial Realms, we were returning home after the last battle, tired and wounded, following the orders that your Generals gave us, My Queen. On our way back through no man's land somewhere on Jotunheimr, a group of Valkyries attacked us, and cold bloodedly killed Narfi! As a truce was in effect, it is MURDER! I am entitled, therefore, to Rightful Vengeance."
"I… feel for your loss, Vali…" Hild casually replies, actually focusing her attention to her fingernails, "…but, since the Treaty and the deployment of the Doublet System, Rightful Vengeance is actually obsolete." Hild glares at the Demon. "Especially considering that suppressing a God means a Demon dies too, and vice versa… making such a clause totally useless."
Vali smiles gleefully.
"Great Hild, in this case, I have targeted a Goddess that, because of a glitch in the system, is actually outside the Doublet protection! I can claim the Edict overrule under Title II!"
Hild raises an eyebrow. Then, as if it was the most natural thing, she brightens up, noticing Urd and Belldandy approaching.
"Honey! You came to see mommy!"
"You wish", Urd mumbles to herself.
Peorth's voice breaks frantically in Lind's ear.
The Valkyrie has a hint of a smile on her face… and it's not a pretty sight.
"Demon, I know you are a liar! I have evidence that what you claim is untrue!"
Hild slowly turns to face Lind.
"Your side of things…?"
"The little Demon attacked us first! She slashed at one of the Valkyries also returning after the battle, with the full truce in effect, with a Class III cursed artifact based weapon! The Valkyrie only defended herself but died shortly after, since a Class III weapon leaves no possibility to heal, it injects a lethal virus program that destroys Divine Assembly base code!"
"So you admit that a Valkyrie murdered a Demon during the Great Truce?"
"I admit to a Valkyrie defending herself against an uncalled for Demonic attack during the Great Truce leading to both attacker and victim demise", Lind evenly replies.
The Daimakaicho giggles evilly.
"Well, then as I see it, Vali's claim is valid. Plus, your Goddess is still alive, so as long as we satisfy the treaty terms – anything goes, the only limit being no killing – I believe we have no more business to discuss. We are on our way, ta-ta!"
"Wait" Urd talks for the first time, "I want to see the weapon used to wound Sinthgunt."
Vali cold sweats bullets.
"I don't see why not, Honey. Vali, show my Daughter."
"I… uh."
"I'm waiting."
Lind abruptly understands.
"Break it out!"
Vali slowly draws the Seax from his robes, a scowl on his face. Lind's and Urd's eyes go wide, and Belldandy brings her hand to her mouth, whispering "Oh my! Sinthgunt…"
The weapon simply disappears from the Demon's grasp, materializing into Hild's hand.
"I'll take this, with your full consent of course, Vali dear. Well, Honey, you saw the blade, and we really, really have to go now, so have a nice day."
Lind screams "Wait! This changes everything..."
A black ball surrounds Hild and Vali and an instant later collapses on itself, air rushing to fill the void left by the implosion.
"You'll pay for this, Demon! I'll make you pay for all your crimes!" Lind cries, her eyes wet with unshed tears.
Mother… one more to the infinite list of reasons why I'll never acknowledge love for you, Urd very privately thinks to herself.
"Urd..."
"Yes, Bell. That is the weapon that has been used to murder that Valkyrie. Sinthgunt cannot avoid her fate. Unless Mother turns that Demon to us..."
Lind finishes the sentence for Urd, "...we may, very realistically, face Ragnarok."
Skuld floats next to the group of Goddesses, she managed to recover enough to join her sisters, and hugs Belldandy, sniffing.
An instant later, a wave of energy washes over them.
"What was that!"
"A Gamma ray blast!"
"The amount of radiation released is enough to...", Skuld starts, but is interruted by Urd's cry.
"Holy Father, look!"
A miniature sun shines where the Takeda residence stood, then, a column of light rises to the darkening sky.
"That's an Aegis class containment spell!", Lind exclaims.
"But, who could..."
Belldandy screams.
"NO! NOOO! KEIICHI!"
Both Belldandy and Urd accelerate almost instantly to the base of the slowly fading pillar of light.
...
An insignificant Mortal's passing
Keiichi feels lost. Belldandy and Urd joined Lind and her Wing of "avenging angels", confronting the evil demon that injured a Goddess, leaving him alone in front of the wreckage that once was a building, the roof and all walls torn down and scattered around.
Belldandy told him that he'll be safe here, that she'll be back within minutes, and that a Divine emergency rescue unit has been dispatched from Heaven and is due any moment.
He can feel waves of pain and despair coming from something glowing brightly in the middle of the ruins, and has no doubts about its nature.
Keiichi climbs the rubble and finds himself in the middle of what probably was a large living room, cluttered with debris and upturned furniture; on the ground, curled in a fetal position, her back pressed against a wall, lies an incredibly beautiful young girl, and he realizes the glowing light is actually her blood!
The young man kneels in front of the Goddess, emotion almost overwhelming him. Unshed tears well up in his eyes.
What kind of monster can do something so horrible to... to... such a pure and beautiful creature...
Keiichi rubs his eyes, trying stay cool. The dying goddess turns her dull eyes up to Keiichi, sensing his presence, but unable to physically see him anymore.
She quivers, and Keiichi puts his hands on her shoulders, trying to calm her. He removes his biking jacket, rolls it up and tucks it under the Goddess' head.
The waves of pure desperation emanating from the Goddess wash over the mortal, threatening to overload his simple mind.
The words Who… who are you? resonate brightly in Keiichi's mind.
"Don't be alarmed… my name is Morisato Keiichi. I am… a friend of the Goddesses Belldandy, Urd and Skuld. I…"
You're the Mortal that the Norn Belldandy chose? Call her! I… need help, to prevent millions of deaths…
"Please… please, calm down! Don't worry, they'll be here in no time, everything is going to be alright!"
Keiichi tries his best to comfort the Deity. The young man never felt before such emotional pain, and can only imagine what it must have been for Skuld and Belldandy, a few minutes ago, in the Temple.
Keiichi tries to examine the wound, but the radiance emitted is so strong that he can't even bear to look directly at it. His hands are bathed in liquid brilliance, the Divine Blood staining with light his skin.
Then Sinthgunt squeezes Keiichi's hand, quaking. The Divine Blood spreading on the ground changes hue, turning blue and increasing its brightness, almost blinding the young man.
Her voice again weakly echoes in his mind.
I'm dying… there's no more time… I'm so sorry, so sorry for what will follow, Father please forgive Me, I am too weak, it's all My fault…
"NO! NO! How can I help you! Stay with me, please!"
You… I sense an Angel receptor in you! How is this possible… within a mortal…
"I hosted an Angel before, I…"
Yes! Yes, I remember now! Oh, Lord Almighty, you're My only hope!
Sinthgunt desperately calls upon her last spark of life, her eyes focus for an instant, regaining their aquamarine color, and suddenly rises to strike her palm on Keiichi's chest.
The young man staggers surprised from the force of the blow, and collapses feeling a burning pain within.
Sinthgunt's voice echoes one last time in Keiichi's mind: Morisato-san. Her name is ArchLight, call Her forth and… She'll know… save… to save…every…
The Goddess crumbles lifelessly in a heap and stands still; an instant later her body starts glowing bright purple, an effect of the Cherenkov radiation.
Tiny particles of light are emitted by the Goddess and soon, the whole room disappears in a cold firestorm, a sea of sparks enveloping Keiichi and everything around him.
A strong smell of ozone and... overcooked hamburger? fill his nostrils. Every surface begins to smoke, and ignite spontaneously.
Purely on instinct, Keiichi screams.
"Archlight, come forth!"
The magnificent Angel explodes in a tornado of white and bluish sparks, and immediately forms a confinement sphere around Sinthgunt's body; impossibly complex strings of runes circle the sphere, while Keiichi feels an incredible strain, the Angel drawing every iota of energy from his soul to sustain the Aegis spell.
Time seems to stand still, then...
The sphere pulses with an incredibly bright flare of light, while a beam of immense energy surges from the apex of the sphere, shooting towards the Heavens.
Seconds later, the shower of light subsides, while the Aegis sphere collapses, and nothing remains of the Goddess' body, completely sublimated into elemental energy. Within the boundaries of the sphere, everything disintegrated, leaving a perfectly spherical hollow imprint on the floor and wall.
Keiichi grabs his temples as a primal scream explodes within his mind, a presence expressing absolute grief for the loss of the soul of which the Angel was the purest reflection, adding unbearable agony to the mortal's already anguished heart and physical body pain.
Keiichi falls to his knees to the charred floor.
The Angel hovers above the crippled body of the mortal young man, feathers of light lazily drifting about, Her tears falling.
In Keiichi's mind, ArchLight projects not words, but concepts, explaining what happened. Sinthgunt's body is made of pure energy, resonating on a multidimensional plane matrix; to manifest physically on Earth, limited by a mere three dimensional matrix, a Deity must create a material body, which has to be incessantly recomposed at the atomic level. The moment a Deity dies on the physical plane, there's no more control and all the energy is released in an instant. Normally, this energy would have been handled through the Deity's link to Yggdrasil, but the cursed blade tainted the link, breaking it. Keiichi rationalizes the concept and understands: direct mass to energy conversion!
He realizes that ArchLight, containing the blast, saved the city, maybe the whole of Japan, from annihilation. The Goddess weighted maybe 95 pounds… that translates to a detonation of about 860 megatons' magnitude!
Within seconds, Keiichi feels dizzy and a strong queasiness, followed by an equally strong headache, hit him, while his skin begins burning, as if he fell into a boiling bath.
Keiichi grits his teeth, and forces himself to stand up; he fails miserably, ArchLight's containment spell burnt everything, and he relies on pure force of will. He can't support the Angel any longer, there are no Goddess' near to sustain him with their compassion.
A sudden metallic and salty taste in his mouth and wetness on his chin makes him touch his face.
There's blood flowing freely from his nose.
Every breath painfully pumps liquid fire in his lungs.
These symptoms… Keiichi knows what happened to him. The flash of ultraviolet light… he's been exposed to an incredibly massive amount of ionizing radiation.
He realizes he's going to die.
The Angel knows as well, and immediately embraces Keiichi, supporting him, a look of deep concern on her beautiful face; Keiichi looks up to his Angel, his eyes tearing up.
"Can… can you heal me?"
ArchLight slowly shakes her head. Keiichi slowly slides down on his side. ArchLight cradles his head on her lap, and Keiichi rapidly reaches a resolute decision.
She's not going to die with me.
"A… ArchLight… will you… obey me? Promise me you will!"
The Angel nods eagerly, her hands caressing Keiichi's face, gently brushing off tears, and trying to wipe the blood away, grimacing as his skin flakes away at the slightest touch.
"Well… ArchLight… I… I… command you, to return to your egg form!"
A look of betrayal in the silent expression of the Angel, as she shakes her head, her glittering mane swirling around her. A single tear escapes her crystal eyes.
"You promised…"
The Angel bows her head.
Her immense wings, of the purest white, fold around her body, wrapping the beautiful Angel in a cocoon made of luminous feathers, which collapses in a single point of incredibly bright light. A small egg with two tiny wings, barely half inch long, hovers in front of the exhausted mortal. Keiichi stretches his hands, feeling hollow and spent, and with the terrible sensation that a couple of his limbs and his very heart have been torn away with the return of the Angel in her egg.
"Forgive me…"
The small Angel Egg in the palm of his hand, Keiichi slouches down.
My God… I am so tired. I can't stand any more… maybe I'll lie down for a sec. Rest…
Lying on the floor on his back, Keiichi turns his head to the side, an immense tiredness overwhelming every fiber of his body.
Darn… this sucks. I won't be able to eat Belldandy's special dinner, tonight…
Just before he closes his eyes, he sees a vision: Belldandy and Urd, enveloped in a magnificent crown of light, their wings extended, approaching him.
Keiichi smiles one last time, a sense of calmness and peace pervading his soul, and then, blackness swallows his mind.
The rest is silence.
…
AN:
Keiichi is dead? Keiichi is dead! Yup, he is, very much so. Obviously, it doesn't end here, there's still lots ahead, but K's soul is forever separated from his body and will never get his life on Earth back.
I admit being influenced, for the stabbing scene, to a quite strong scene in "Saving Pvt. Ryan".
Yes I know. Cherenkov radiation happens in water. But, Sinthgunt's a Goddess! So there!
Please! Review, let me know what you think!