"You're telling me coexistence really is possible?" Omori asked.
"It is. As I said, in a thousand years or so, all three major races will be united, living as one. It's not perfect; in fact, it's quite far from that, but it's far better than what it was. Over time, we should be able to hammer out the problems and further reinforce coexistence. We've done this through marriage, education, social changes, and more." Rinoa explained.
"Amazing... And this all happened because the Great Monster Wars ended in a sort of draw? The Six Ancestors sealed themselves, along with the Lilith Sisters and Alipheese herself... But why? Surely they could've just won the war, no? Why suddenly surrender?"
"Oh right, I kind of skipped over that part. They sealed themselves so Ilias wouldn't destroy the world. After one hundred years of war, the earth had taken a huge amount of damage. Both Alipheese and Ilias knew that if the war were to continue, the world would be destroyed. Alipheese decided that the world was worth more than her victory, and thus made a deal with the Goddess."
"Hm... So, Ilias would've destroyed the world just so Alipheese had nothing to rule over? No wonder she tried to do what she did in your time..." Omori said. "But, back to the seal. It had some sort of mechanic that meant if Ilias were to kill too many monsters in a short time span, they would be unsealed... Who designed that?"
"Tamamo No Mae, I'd assume. She likely foresaw the issue and took appropriate measures. In our world, the ancestors all remain sealed, and the same can be said for the Dark Goddess. I can only imagine what might happen if they were somehow unsealed..." Rinoa said. The pair were currently walking along a path through the camps, though Omori was struggling to keep up. Even with Promestein's help, she could only properly use two of her tentacles, and her walking speed was closer to crawling.
But Rinoa did not mind. It was interesting to see what a monster of this time thought of the world and of its rulers. Strangely, Omori seemed to dislike both Ilias and Alipheese and held a special hatred for her ancestor, Hiruko. She was ecstatic to hear the news of her death, something Rinoa never thought she'd see.
It had been four days since Luka left, and the refugees of Sabasa, or rather, Gelon now, were just about still in one piece. They had heard no word from the hero, but Tamamo said she would attempt to contact him later.
I suppose all we can do for now is wait.
"Tamamo No Mae... She's so different now." Omori commented. "One-thousand years sealed… I guess I can see how that would change somebody."
"The same thing happened with Lucifina, though she was only sealed for half as long. And Micaela became a fallen angel, living on the surface for the last thirty-seven years." Rinoa explained.
The First Fallen Angel, Lucifina. She lived among humanity, and after so much time, she changed. It seems to be a common tale. She met Marcellus around sixteen years before Luka started his adventure, and they fell in love.
Fate is a funny thing…
"So, what will you do when the war is over?" Rinoa asked.
Omori looked up at the Doppel in confusion. The very thought that the war would ever even end was foreign to her, and it was certainly something she never thought about. "I-I don't know." She admitted. "What will you do?"
"...I think I'll stay here," Rinoa said, determination in her eyes. "I've grown to care for… certain people in this world. Back home, I would only be known as a Doppel, as a fake. But here, I can forge my own identity. I can be my own person, free from my connection to Luka."
"Huh. Interesting. Say, who is it you've grown to care for?" Omori inquired. "You've been hanging around that Luna girl quite a lot…"
Rinoa did not respond, instead just continuing to walk along the path. The Syclla had a knowing smile as she saw the slight blush the Doppel was desperately trying to hide.
Heh, well, that's pretty cute. Really, she's been acting like a mother to the girl for a while now…
Wait a second, does she plan to… No way…
"Rinoa!" A guard suddenly shouted, running up to the knight.
"What is it?" She asked, her voice heavy with worry. "Is the king alright?"
"He's fine; he told me to inform you of an attack! San Ilia is under siege by monsters. They want to take the city now while it's weak." He explained.
"Shit. There are what, thirty thousand humans there, if not more? We can't let them get in. But, shouldn't Ilias be taking care of it?"
"We've received reports that angels are fighting back, but they're losing! There are three ancestors attacking the city, all in unison." He said.
Fuck. What do we do? Do we risk our own men to protect our enemy's city, or do we let them all get slaughtered?
… That's no choice at all. We have to do something.
Think. What can we do to take advantage of this situation? What would Micaela do?
Rinoa looked at the sword sheeted at her hip. The Seraph was famous for her strategies. If Rinoa was really her niece, then she must have inherited some of that, right?
…I've got it! We'll attack them now while they're distracted! We can do some major damage to Alipheese's forces with this!
"Assemble the army," Rinoa ordered. "I will lead our forces into the battle. We will protect San Ilia at all costs."
"Yes, mam!"
The soldier ran off to inform the other generals. Technically, Rinoa was actually only the fourth highest-ranking soldier, but she was still able to give orders. She knew the king would trust in her and her plans, thanks to the bravery she showed during the Battle of Gelon.
"Omori, tell Promestein and Tamamo of what has happened but don't let any of them follow me. They'll protect the camps while we're gone. Go, now!" Rinoa shouted as she started to run down the path, presumably to gather her troops and spread the word.
Today is the day humanity makes a stand. For the first time in a century, we will not be cowering in a corner, doing our best to stay out of the fighting. Now, we will be on the attack!
Damn monsters! Where did they all come from!?
They've lost thousands in the last two weeks alone. Their entire population has been almost halved, so how the hell are they still fighting!?
"Die!"
The angel stuck her sword straight into the back of an alraune, lighting it aflame afterwards. "Are you alright?" She asked, offering her hand to the cupid lying on the floor.
"Y-yeah… thanks." The other angel muttered. Cupids were stereotypically enthusiastic, but this one was disheartened. She did almost die, after all.
The Valkyrie turned away, leaving the walls of San Ilia. She flew high above the battlefield. From here, she could see the thousands of monsters and angels, all fighting. Four figures stood out, however. Three of them were ancestors, and she could clearly see them killing her fellow angels with ease. Fear struck her heart as she watched.
Her kind was not known for cowardice, but seeing a sight like that would make anyone want to flee. But the punishment for desertion was execution, and it was better to die for the Goddess with honour.
For Ilias!
The angel built up her courage, but her breathing was still erratic. But as long as it was for Ilias, her fear mattered little. She could do anything as long as she kept her faith. She flew down in front of one of the ancestors, deflecting one of her attacks with her holy magic.
"Run!" She shouted. The group behind her hastily followed the order, retreating further back.
If we keep retreating like this, they'll reach the walls. And once that happens…
Argh! We can't let it!
"Fufufu, quite the brave one, aren't you?" The ancestor said. The Valkyrie recognised her instantly. Minagi was the most powerful succubus ever. Her clothing mimicked the ribbons worn by Micaela and Lucifina, though hers was much longer and slightly thicker. She was easily six feet tall, or even taller, but the angel did not care enough to really calculate it. Her ever-lustful smile looked the angel up and down, pleased with her voluptuous curves. The thought of being lusted after by a monster greatly annoyed the angel, but she could do nothing about it.
Damn whore. Looking at me like that, like I'm just food…
The angel bravely stood before the succubus with her sword pointed straight at her. Her stance was strong, her heart was steady. She was the epitome of what every angel strived to be. Brave, valiant, and proud to serve the Goddess.
"I won't let you proceed, Minagi. For all the angels you have killed before this, for Lady Eden! We will take revenge!" She proudly said.
The ancestor's smile did not waver. In fact, it only grew wider. It was always more fun to break the stronger ones, and this Valkyrie was perfect. She must've been a general in the army, which meant her energy would taste even sweeter. Minagi imagined the faces she would be making as soon as she was done with her. She couldn't wait any longer.
She'd make for a great toy…
In less than a second, the angel was frothing on the floor, pleasure overwhelming her body. It only took a flick of Minagi's hand for her aura to overwhelm the poor little angel. Her strong mind was made weak and pathetic, incapable of ever remembering her own name. In the ancestor's eyes, she was now perfect.
That might be a new record. That was what, four milliseconds?
Through sheer force of will, the Valkyrie managed to crawl away at an excruciatingly slow speed. Even under the effects of critical ecstasy, even as she was surrounded by enemies, she continued to move forward, as any good angel would.
"Such a strong will. You truly are special, little one. It is a pity you were not blessed with more power. But fret not, your life will have a purpose. Feeding me will feel exquisite; I can assure you of that." Minagi said as she approached the angel.
-Huh? What is that noise?
The ancestor turned around. Some sort of shouting could be heard, along with the sound of steel meeting spells.
Did the angels come from behind? Do they even have the numbers for such a manoeuvre?
No… This isn't them.
Minagi left the angel there. She would return to her later. For now, she had to see what the cause of the commotion was. She flew high into the sky, giving her a better view of the battle.
No way… Humans?
They've fought back before, sure, but they've never been the ones on the attack!
Damn it, we're being cornered. With humans attacking us from behind, and angels from the front, we're stuck in the middle of a rock and a hard place…
Very well. They are only humans. I shall drain them all and move on.
Amidst the chaotic battle raging around her, Rinoa's voice cut through the clamour like a knife through butter. "Take them down!" She shouted. The humans around her were all clad in armour with impressive weaponry. Most of it had actually been stolen from angels, just like Rinoa had done. Their swords were far more effective than normal steel, giving the humans a large boost in power.
But even with better equipment, our flesh is still weak. We can't use magic as easily, we can't fly, and we don't have any goddesses to protect us.
Currently, Rinoa was in a sword fight with a dragonkin—a rare subspecies of dragon. They were well known for their skill with swords, which was naturally higher than other monsters, and the one before her was a prime example. Still, she could not compare to the Doppel's immense skill crossed with extraordinary power. She wasn't quite as good as her original, but she wasn't far off.
"Be purified in an explosion of crimson fire… Vaporizing Rebellion Sword!"
A wave of flames shot out from Rinoa's weapon, each one coming faster than the last. On top of the flames, her sword itself also swiped away at the monster's defence. She could not hold it for long, eventually missing one of the counters, and taking a bad hit due to it. The Sword of Heaven cut into her side, then all the way through.
The purple-haired girl did not fret over the murder. She had done it before, but she did not revel in the cruelty, nor did she take pleasure in the act. She only killed in self-defence, and even then she occasionally spared opponents. This was war, and she was the enemy. The dragon wouldn't have shown her mercy, so why should she?
"You seem to be the leader… Purple hair, short stature, adorable looking... say, are you the Hero Luka?"
The Doppel looked up to see a six-winged demon flying high above her. She had a blue glow about her, with her eyes focused on the girl's small body, which did not seem to lessen her desires. Minagi was not one to discriminate between age or looks, after all.
"Minagi…" Rinoa muttered. She knew she would have to fight at least one of the ancestors, but she wasn't entirely sure if she could actually do it. Still, it's not like she had much choice.
If she's distracted with us, that means the other two are likely fighting Lucifina.
Tamamo said Lucifina was roughly equal to two and a half ancestors on the battlefield, and the same could be said for her sister. Then, she should be able to take care of them on her own while I hold off Minagi.
"I'm not Luka." The Doppel stated calmly. "But I won't go down easily."
"Fufu, I hope not." She said seductively. "Let me show you a great time, little one. Let's have lots of fun…"
No thanks…
"But first, let's get rid of some of your friends here," Minagi said. She closed her eyes, took a deep, calming breath, and prepared for her spell.
"Humans, look to me." She commanded, her entire body glowing with an indescribable light, her eyes shining like stars in the dark of night. Rinoa watched as the hundreds of soldiers around her all looked towards the succubus, enthralled by her beauty, as though they had been entranced by her words and appearance alone.
"Now, my loyal servants. Kill each other. Whoever remains will be dealt with by me personally. You all want that, don't you?" Minagi said, her voice little more than a whisper. The command echoed over itself a thousand times, giving it an authority the Doppel had never before experienced.
Rinoa was alerted by the sounds of screaming. She turned to see her own loyal soldiers killing each other. Some were ripping each other apart like animals, while others were using their steel to stab the others to death. Worryingly quickly, their numbers began to dwindle.
"Ahh!" The Doppel screamed as a sword was plunged into her back, so far that she could see the end of the blade. Her blood welled up and gushed out; her breathing was erratic. Her instincts screamed at her, forcing her to break the blade in two with her bare hands, which left large gashes on her palms. Immediately, she turned around, sweeping the man's legs.
Just before she was about to kill him, she just barely stopped herself, her sword inches from the man's face. She gasped loudly, trying to catch her breath as best she could. Clearly, the sword had cut straight through one of her lungs. The Doppel used as much holy magic as she could to heal the wound, but it would take a while. She couldn't meditate like Luka could, after all.
Still, even with only a half-healed lung, she pressed on. She had to stop the carnage going on around her. Every single soldier she had brought with her was currently killing each other, each time in a more brutal fashion than the last.
W-what do I do!? Is there a way to counteract it!?
D-dispel! I can use dispel!
Rinoa stood, her legs still shaking with shock. She used her magic to cast the spell, which chained from man to man, quickly spreading. After another minute, the men stopped butchering each other, each one incredibly confused and horrified by their actions and by the literal blood staining their hands.
Thank Ilias… It stopped.
But she's still here… I can't stop now...
I have to get back up. She'll kill everyone…
Channelling all the remaining power in her body, Rinoa stood once more. She defied the succubus, who was disappointed as the men stopped their killing spree. Minagi sighed, already growing bored with the encounter. Wrapping this up was her top priority. After the fighting was done, she could go back and fuck them all, sure, but winning the battle was more important.
Well, well, well. Would you look at that? She rose yet again. She has an impressive amount of willpower. It is a pity. She will die without me even knowing her name, but that is the fate of a human who would dare to attack us.
That being said, she used holy magic earlier without being an angel and without being baptised… It's not unheard of, but still. Strange.
Rinoa wiped her mouth clean of blood and drew her blade, which was glowing and crackling with holy energy. She was still not completely used to using it, but she could certainly put up a good fight with it.
"No way… Is that… The Sword of Heaven?" Minagi asked.
Huh? She looks really surprised, more so than you would expect from this scenario. I mean, I do have her rival's sword and all but… It doesn't warrant a face like that.
"If you have that weapon, then…"
What is up with her? She looked ready to kill us all only a few moments ago…
"Impossible. It can't be. Is Micaela… Is she truly dead?" Minagi asked, her voice racked with worry. "That- That must be false…"
Did she not know..?
I've heard rumours of their relationship before… Could it be, does Minagi… love her? Or is this more of a desire thing?
I'm so confused. Just what is going on here?
Minagi did not move. She remained in the air, floating above the small army. It lasted for a full minute. Not a sound could be heard as the ancestor just waited, not saying a word, not moving, not even breathing.
Then, Rinoa noticed something. Not only was she no longer fighting, but she was, in fact, crying. Tears could be seen streaming down her cheeks, dropping down to the grass below with a splash.
…What the hell!? What does she have to cry about!?
Suddenly, the ancestor started to bawl. The sound echoed all across the battlefield. She continued to sob louder and louder, unable to stop herself.
"Shut up," Rinoa muttered.
Minagi continued to cry, the sound annoying Rinoa more and more as time went on.
"Shut the hell up!" She shouted. "You have nothing to cry about, you vile bitch!"
Is this all some fucking game to her!? Is she really that upset about not being able to fuck somebody!? Thousands have died in this battle alone, and this is what she acts like? like a child!?
The ancestor ignored to remark, her grief all too overwhelming. Rinoa continued to shout at her, even screaming at one point. But the monster did not care. The whining of a puny human mattered little to her. Now, all that mattered was getting revenge.
Lucifina swept through the battlefield, slaying dozens of monsters with ease. Her feelings of rage had lessened, but only a little. She was fighting fiercer and better than she ever had before, destroying the weak monsters with ease. It was a simple task, but one she greatly enjoyed. Killing had always been her favourite pastime.
Where did that whore go? I heard some sobbing earlier, and then her daughters all of a sudden just left the fight to go check on her. What is going on here?
That fox has also disappeared. I heard some shouting coming from further ahead earlier too.
I should check this out…
The seraph smiled as she started to cleave her way through the battlefield. Sure, she had to abandon the angels that were following her, but it was little more than a small sacrifice. There were plenty more to take their place. She cut and cut, swiping the heads off of tens of monsters, each one dying so fast they were not even able to scream.
What the hell?
The Daystar stopped her slaughter as her eyes rested on a sight she thought she'd never see. Minagi and Tamamo No Mae were fighting each other.
Infighting between monsters had been seen before, of course. It was only natural for such primitive creatures to battle like barbarians, but Tamamo No Mae and Minagi were known for being more civil, and more intelligent. What could've possibly prompted this?
If those two are fighting, then… Saja is alone. Kanade didn't even show up for this battle, so it should be just her on her own.
Let's pay her a visit while these two bicker. If we get lucky, they could end up killing each other for us!
Rinoa watched as the blood-stained seraph flew away. She sighed in relief. She did not want to fight Lucifina when she had that look in her eyes.
Thank Ilias; she's gone. Now what? I chased Minagi here, but those daughters of hers are still nearby. They decided not to join in on the fight and just let the two ancestors sort it out, which is a good thing, but I still can't show myself. I can't take on all three of them at once
I should get closer. I need to hear what they're saying.
"WHY!?" Minagi shouted. "WHY DID YOU KILL HER!?"
"She is the enemy, you stupid whore. I did my job. You've had plenty of chances to kill her before, but you never took it! You've always wanted to keep her as a fucking toy! Do you know how many lives we've lost thanks to you!?" Tamamo retorted.
The succubus ancestor did not care in the slightest. With a punch filled with grief and rage, she struck the kitsune's chest, knocking her back.
"Gah! Damn you! Stop being such a fucking child!" Tamamo No Mae shouted, launching another wave of flames at the succubus. Minagi waved them away with her hand.
Damn it. This idiot is wasting my time. Why does she care so much for the enemy?
Could it be that her feelings for Micaela were more than just lust..?
Or.. is she really that fucking disappointed?
This is so ridiculous.
At this rate, we might be forced to retreat.
Tamamo No Mae turned towards San Ilia with a frown. They were so close, so close to taking the city, and then everything they had ever desired. But no. Her sisters had to ruin everything, just as they always did.
Why is it that me and Saja are the only ones with a brain here?
Damn it….
Saja. We must retreat. How are things looking on your end?
Tamamo sent out the message as she dodged a punch, followed up by a kick.
Lucifina is here. I've never seen her fight so hard before, and her energy looks to be endless. The Second and I are losing ground here. I agree with your assessment. It is time for us to retreat to Noah. We have lost this battle, but we have the resources to collect ourselves and prepare for another attack soon.
Understood.
Tamamo No Mae wordlessly stopped the fight, teleporting away. She would leave the retreat up to Saja, as she was always the one who acted as a leader in times like these. Minagi scowled, her anger still clouding her judgement.
No…
Micaela…
But now that she had released her rage, the grief came rushing back, overwhelming her body. The ancestor teleported back to Remina, abandoning her portion of the army. None of it mattered any more, not even her daughters. Without Micaela, there was no point.
Rinoa sighed in relief as she saw the ancestors and the entire monster army leave. They were chased away by the angels, who were now led by a blood-covered, insane seraph.
Lucifina, the Last Seraph… I better get out of here before she sees me.
At least San Ilia is safe, and all the humans there along with it. I must bring my army back. We can't afford to lose any more soldiers.
Thankfully, the King didn't come with us. If we lost him, the army might've folded then and there.
Still, we lost around a hundred men when Minagi attacked. Still far less than we first expected, but… We must honour their deaths.
"There they are," Luka said as he looked at the camps. It hadn't taken as long to get there as he thought it would've, but it was still quite the walk. All he wanted to do now was rest. Ilias followed him, now actually walking on her own for once. The hero was forced to make a pair of sandals for the girl, much like what he did with Luna long ago. Though, Ilias said they were 'pathetically terrible' and 'not fit for a goddess', but still wore them anyway.
Wait a second. Why are the camps so empty? Where is everyone!?
Luka's worry quickly rose as he ran into the camps, looking for any sign of life. The thought that they had been attacked while he was gone crossed his mind, which only made him search faster.
"Luka! Calm down!" A young-sounding voice shouted. At first, Luka thought it was Ilias, but they sounded far too old for that. His eyes rested on Promestein, who was standing outside one of the camps. "Everyones okay. It's just most of the army that has left."
The hero sighed, the tension and fear leaving his body. He walked into the large tent with Ilias. Inside, he saw Promestein, Luna, Omori, and Tamamo all standing around, doing various things. Omori was talking with Tamamo about the future, while Promestein was walking back to her table, which was full of laboratory equipment. Luna felt very out of place here. She was surrounded by people of different races, a setting she was very uncomfortable in. Without Rinoa here, she felt like she might just have run away, but the sight of Luka calmed her down.
"Luka!" Tamamo said, greeting the hero. "I see you've returned to us safely. And judging by those tentacles all over you, I can assume you've successfully found the Spirit of Chaos."
"I did." He said, letting the newcomer down. KyuKyu, or rather, the Spirit of Chaos, looked around at all these new faces, or more accurately, two new faces. She had seen the others before, after all.
"Kyu, kyu, kyu kyu." She said, looking at Tamamo as she offered a tentacle.
"Ah, nice to meet you too, Nuruko. But what do you mean by 'again'?" She responded.
Nuruko..?
"Wait a second, is that her real name?" The Hero asked. "And, how do you speak her language..?"
"Hmm? Can you not tell the difference between each Kyu? You've really got to listen to how long she holds each syllable and her tone. That's how I learned it, at least. It only took me a few days back home." She explained.
"...She's speaking an actual language..?" Ilias asked, doing her best to suspend her disbelief.
"She is," Tamamo answered. "And yeah, her name is Nuruko."
"Kyu, Kyu! Kyu kyu kyu kyu, kyu kyuuu, kyu, k-y-uuu, Kyu... Kyu." Nuruko said.
...She's got to be lying, right? There's no way that's an actual language.
"...Wait, what!? Are you sure?" Tamamo asked. Her entire posture had changed into one of shock, as though Nuruko had told her something completely insane.
"Kyu, kyu." She repeated. "Kyu kyu, kyu kyu kyu, kyu."
"Then, it's true... But that can't be..." Tamamo muttered. "Is it something to do with her being the Spirit of Chaos..?"
"What's going on?" Luka inquired. "What is she talking about?"
"She says she knows who we are and that she remembers us. She attacked you at first by instinct but calmed down once she recognised you... She says she travelled with you before, a long time ago. She knows who I am, who Ilias is, who you are—everyone, really. Except for Luna and Omori, apparently."
"Could it be... does she remember the time before the reset?" Ilias wondered. The Hero had already explained everything about The Great Reset to her long ago, and she seemed to have a better grasp of it than he did.
"It's possible," Tamamo said. "Promestein, we need to research this. This could lead to new findings... We could learn how to effectively use time travel, or how to use the element of chaos!"
"That's true," Promestein said, still not turning her head towards the group. Luka noted that she had likely been listening the entire time, and was just waiting for a chance to butt in. "I will take some of her cells and look into them. On another note, I have finished looking into Luka's DNA."
My DNA? Oh, right. I forgot she was researching that. She was also trying to copy the makina we used to make my watch, and it looks like she's already done that. Let's just hope it has some practical application.
Luka, Tamamo, and Ilias all walked over to the red-haired scientist, looking at the screen she was looking at. It was the same one from Sabasa, which she carried with her all the way here, even if it did slow her down.
Actually, she probably just put it in one of those pocket storage things that other angels use.
Huh, I should ask her to teach me it. It could be really useful.
"If you look here, we can see what makes up Luka's DNA. Interestingly, Luka is actually only thirty-four percent human." She explained. "Angel genes are so pure that they've taken up most of his structure, meaning he is more angel than human. Furthermore, zero-point-three percent of his DNA is neither human nor angel, but something else entirely."
I'm sixty-six percent angel..? And zero-point-three percent of my DNA is something that not even Promestein can recognise?
"I know what that is," Ilias said. "As you know, Luka is a descendant of Heinrich. The child he made was with the royalty of Remina, a princess named Edina. Since all royalty are partly proto-human, that means Luka shares some of that blood, meaning he is both royalty and has a very small sliver of proto-human DNA."
Proto-humans...
Ilias told me about them before. They were Ilias's first attempts at making humans. I've never seen once before, but I supposedly have some of their blood..?
"Interesting," Promestein muttered. "But not very useful. But onto more important matters: your blood being mostly angelic means you still have more power that you've yet to tap into. Heinrich supposedly slew six hundred and sixty-six angels on his own, so you should already be a being of extraordinary power even without your mother's blood. But when they're combined..."
Luka nodded in understanding, seeing where the angel was going. He looked at his hands, remembering what happened the last time he used too much power at once. Holy corrosion would forever limit his power. Even now, he could feel it in him, even if it was only a tiny amount.
Damn it. If it was no longer an issue, we could do anything... We could end this war within a week!
"I see," Tamamo said. "Promestein, I have an idea... I want you to find a way to use makina to connect to souls."
"Souls..? What for?"
"Just trust me. I'll explain it all later, but for now, do whatever you can." She insisted.
"...Very well."
Luka watched as the two discussed. He felt a bit out of place and left the two of them alone. They were clearly discussing something he could not understand. He walked out of the tent, looking up into the dark sky. It was late now, and the others were still not back.
I wonder where Rinoa is.
Wait, is she out with the army? What are they doing in the first place? Shouldn't they just stay here to protect the humans here?
I'll have to ask Tamamo later.
Luka walked around aimlessly. He hadn't had time to himself in a long time now. He had a lot on his mind now.
Like the news Ilias told me. She thinks Micaela is dead. Apparently, she was visited by Ilias in the night, and she was crying, or something along those lines. She reasoned that she would only do that for Micaela or Lucifina, but not Eden, for some reason. And she said she doesn't think Lucifina would ever die so easily. In fact, she sounded sure of it.
Damn it. I'll have to ask Tamamo for more details about that too... But, she has to be wrong, right? Is aunt- I mean, Micaela really dead..?
"Kyu, Kyu!"
Huh?
The hero turned around to see Nuruko following him. She did that often, actually. She was oddly clingy to the hero, even if he had only seen her do it a few times now. Something told him it would slowly become a habit of hers.
"How are you doing, Nuruko?" He asked. "Did you need me for something?"
"Kyu kyu kyu, kyu. Kyu kyu-kyu kyu!"
...Right.
"Uh-huh..." Luka said. Just as he was about to return to Tamamo for a translation, Gnomaren appeared in front of him, then materialised into a form the other spirit could see.
What's she up to?
Nuruko tilted her head in confusion as she looked at the Spirit of Earth, as though she only somewhat recognised her. She sniffed her a few times, getting uncomfortably close to do so, though Gnomaren did not seem to mind.
"Kyu..?"
"..."
Gnomaren offered a hand to the spirit, much like her predecessor did. Nuruko raised an eyebrow, though nobody could see it thanks to her hair covering it, but eventually returned the handshake.
...What is going on here?
"Kyu, Kyu?"
"..."
"Kyu." Nuruko nodded. "Kyu Kyu Kyu, kyu."
"..."
Luka watched as the bizarre 'conversation' unfolded, with them talking in ways no human could understand. After a while, he shrugged. Clearly, their way of speaking was just beyond him.
