Here we are with Chapter 2, and I'm glad that the first chapter had such a positive reaction, even if it was partially due to it being a rewrite.
As a reward? I've decided to give all of you not a single update, but a double update special!
Before we go any further? One thing I need to mention is the way I'm doing my ANs from now on has changed, as you may have already noticed if you're familiar with my other stories. I changed it due to feeling my old style for them was too much like rambling and killed a lot of the immersion for my stories by talking about things in a way that removed the chance for people to find out things for themselves. As such, they'll be short unless it's to either clarify a question that multiple people ask me, answer a guest review, or if there's something really important for me to bring up.
With that now said, here's a few things more specific to this story itself.
For everyone who has asked me questions so far? All of them are about something tied to a future reveal or something I can't fully guarantee will be in the story, especially the one about if Satan is Trihexa, so I can't answer any of them. With how early we are into the story, there's a lot I can at best only give you all partial answers to.
I'm glad that everyone liked the changes I applied to the original chapter, as that's already a great confidence booster that I've been needing as of lately. I won't say why just yet, as I'm not ready to talk about it, but just know I really appreciate the support.
One other thing that I'd like to say in response to the first chapter is how the scope of the potential changes will be. They can be as big as how I altered the way Issei and Vali met each other, as small as how I altered the way they say goodbye, or anywhere in-between the two areas.
The story will definitely following the original to the point that I'll be using a lot from the original 90 chapters, but the main goal that me and kingpariah have is to succeed where I failed with the original, which is to use the events of V14 and beyond. That means there's a lot of new additions, some minor changes from canon, and even new scenes to read.
With all of that out of the way, let's get this chapter started!
[Chapter 2 - Memory of the Moon]
The sound of running could be heard until it slowly became mere footsteps, which were revealed to be Vali's as she soon came to a complete stop.
"Issei..." she sniffled.
Hearing her crying, Cleria walked out of the nearby alley she had been hiding in and gave her a hug.
"I know it was hard, but you did the right thing. Now Issei won't be in danger." Cleria reassures her.
"T-That doesn't... make it hurt any less!" Vali cried.
Cleria said nothing and just rubbed her back, as she knew that same pain from when she had to ask Masaomi to stop the assassin, since he had no chance of winning against someone who killed Razevan with little effort.
She let Vali have another minute, respecting that feeling before time was forced to intervene.
"Time to go. If we wait any longer, another assassin could show up and attack us." She stated.
Vali sniffled one last time before wiping her tears and nodding, taking Cleria's hand as she led them into the alley and pulled out a paper talisman with the symbol of a vermilion bird on it.
"A talisman?" Vali asked, looking confused as she saw it.
"When we get to our destination, I'll have to tell you everything about the supernatural. The most I can say for now is there's more than Angels and Devils in this world." Cleria briefly explained.
She placed the talisman on the wall, causing it to become a portal to their destination.
"Small heads up? To avoid motion sickness, I'd close your eyes." Cleria recommended.
Vali did just that, and they walked through the portal.
A field covered in a veil of shadow came into view, hiding the silhouette of someone as the assassin that killed Vali's parents appeared from a magic circle.
"So, how did it go?" The silhouetted figure inquired.
"I apologize, but I was only able to complete half of my mission." The assassin admitted.
This caught the silhouetted figure's attention, with their unseen face raising its right eye.
"Shortly after my arrival, I managed to kill the father of their descendants with little trouble, and quickly eliminated his Human wife when she attempted to fight back. Though right as I was about to kill their daughter as well..."
At that moment, the silhouetted figure noticed the assassin grit their teeth.
"Cleria managed to react faster than I did. She sent her little dog of a boyfriend to intervene, and managed to pull her away at the last second!" They revealed.
"How unfortunate. It seems we underestimated her once again, and so quickly after we were caught off-guard by her snooping." The silhouetted figure sighed.
They stood up and turned around.
"What happened with that exorcist she loves? Did you take care of him?" The figure inquired.
"Yes, I was successful there. Not only that, but based on how the daughter was rescued, it seems like Cleria knew he would be killed if he fought against me. Hopefully, that's a sign that we still have the upper hand." The assassin answered.
"Good, then find out where they went, and finally erase the last of the Maou bloodlines. Once you do..." The figure smirked.
They opened their mouth and showed their shark-like teeth.
"Neither Lilith, Lucifer, or anyone allied to them will be capable of stopping what we've already set into motion!" They announced.
Upon hearing those words, the assassin's mouth moved until it became an equally wicked smirk.
After what felt like a minute since entering the portal, Vali opened her eyes as she felt her feet touch the ground, allowing her to see an alley way with a more sand-like color than the one she and Cleria were just in.
"OK, it looks like we had no problems with our arrival, but before we walk into public..." Cleria stated.
She held out her hand, making Vali scream as she saw a floating eye appear from a magic square.
"What is that thing!?" Vali questioned.
"Relax, this is just one of the many Evil Eyes that act as my Familiars." Cleria reassured her, lightly rubbing one of its wings.
Hearing its name, Vali pointed at it and raised an eye.
"No, it's not actually evil, and don't ask me why it has the word as part of its name. I can't answer that." Cleria continued.
Vali put her put her finger down as her eye relaxed, right as Cleria closed her eyes and tapped the Evil Eye's gigantic pupil.
It flew up to the corner of the alley, allowing Cleria to see through it.
"Hmm... it looks clear to me, but just to be safe, let's use your aura sight." She suggested.
Its pupil glowed, trying to sense for anyone who could use magic, but failed to find anyone.
"Looks like we're good." She smiled.
Releasing the connection, her Familiar flew towards the duo as she opened her eyes, gaining another wing rub as its reward. The Evil Eye closed its eyes in a way that Vali assumed was its equivalent to a happy face.
"Thanks for the help, I'll see you and the others when I need you again." Cleria praised.
Once her familiar disappeared in a puff of smoke, Cleria turned around to look at Vali.
"Now that we've taken care of that, how about you take a look at where we are?" She suggested, motioning behind them with her thumb.
Vali did just that, and saw a beach, the ocean, and a bunch of tropical elements. However, she noticed something else that was strange.
The sun looked like it was higher.
"Is the sun... rising?" She asked.
"That's right. When the sun is setting in Japan, it's rising on the other side of the world." Cleria confirmed.
Hearing that caused Vali's eyes to widen as she looked at her.
"As in... we're in the Western Hemisphere!?" Vali questioned.
"Right you are, specifically Florida in the USA if you're curious." Cleria answered, putting on sunglasses.
A thud could be heard as Vali fell on her butt, feeling her mind struggle to process what she just learned.
'Saw that one coming.' Cleria sighed.
Cleria then pulled Vali onto her feet.
"Let's go, we need to meet the others before they assume we got caught." She stated.
"Others?" Vali repeated.
"That will be part of what I'll be telling you about once we get there." She promised.
Before Vali could even say anything in response, she felt Cleria grab her by the wrist and pull her towards an unknown location that the former could only assume would be her new home for however long they were here.
Within the mysterious realm belonging to the murderer of Vali's parents and their still unknown ally, the former was looking over magical signatures in Kuoh Town through a floating screen.
"Hmm... by now, Cleria's had to have taken the girl out of Kuoh Town, but I can't find any traces of her leaving through magic, and I doubt they left on foot." They assumed.
They let out a sigh as the rubbed their forehead.
"Just what am I missing here?" They questioned.
"If you don't mind me sharing my two cents on the subject? It's knowing how to think outside the box."
Hearing a masculine voice from above, he turned around and lifted his head to see someone fall from the ceiling, revealing they wore a pale gray trench coat over a white dress shirt with a matching ascot, black pants and shoes, a pair of black gloves, and a black fedora. On his back were a pair of dove-like wings, revealing he was an Angel.
"Well, if it isn't Dohnaseek." The assassin said while rolling his eyes.
Lifting his head and tipping his fedora up, the man known as Dohnaseek revealed his middle-aged face, short black hair, and dark blue eyes.
"How rude. I know how those two Devil girls you're hunting hid from you, and was willing to help you find them, but if you don't want my help..." Dohnaseek said with false sorrow.
This caught the assassin's attention.
"So, I take it you're interested now?" He assumed, lowering his fedora to its original position.
"Just how did you find this out?" They asked.
Dohnaseek snapped his fingers, causing a magic circle to drop a camera into his hands, then brought up a certain video. After he set it to play, he handed it to the assassin as they took a look at what looked to be a simple Shinto shrine.
As the scene focused on the largest building that the shrine's owners called home, a woman and her daughter were seen sitting together.
The mother was a beautiful woman with a voluptuous figure being showcased by her Shrine Maiden outfit that had the same vermilion bird symbol as the talisman that Cleria used on its backside, long and flowing black hair that reached to her mid back, which was currently tied in a ponytail by a blue ribbon, and light brown eyes. Her daughter, who was currently wearing a red kimono, looked almost identical to her besides having violet eyes and having her untied black hair reach to her waist.
"Hey mama, do you think daddy is proud of me?" Her daughter asked.
"Yes, of course." Her mother answered.
That made her daughter smile, though said smile soon became a little sad.
"I'd like it if he was always here with us." She wished.
Her mother rubbed her head in response.
"I do too, but he has a really important job. Just like we do here at the shrine." Her mother replied.
At that moment, heavy breathing reached her ears. This caused both of them to look up, and once they did, Shuri saw Cleria catching her breath.
"Miss Shuri, things are... the worst has..." She panted, feeling her lungs were on fire.
The panting Devil held up a finger as she nearly wheezed from the fiery pain shooting through her stomach and throat.
"We need to talk... in private." Cleria requested.
Hearing that, Shuri looked at her daughter.
"Akeno, could you go inside for a moment? It seems that Cleria needs to tell mama something only she should hear." She asked.
"OK." Akeno nodded.
Jumping off her mother's lap with her toy ball in hand, she went into the house and closed the door.
Shuri soon stood up, with a serious look replacing the smile she had only seconds earlier.
"You don't come here without alerting me advance unless something is terribly wrong, so that would mean that's exactly what happened, isn't it?" She assumed.
"Yeah, because what happened was..." Cleria confirmed.
She began sharing the recent events, making the Shrine Maiden's eyes widen in horror.
"No way..." Shuri breathed.
"And that's why I'm here. We have to get out of the country, but they'll detect us if we use magic, while just running will make it very likely we'll be caught." Cleria explained.
"I don't see how I can help you there. At most, that just tells me I'll need to clean up Vali's house and then put it on the market once that's done." Shuri inquired.
Hearing that, Cleria blushed in embarrassment.
"Sorry, I meant they'll detect us if we use Devil magic to leave. I need one if your talismans to get around that issue, since it will let me fool them by leaving a signal they would assume is you, a Youkai, or someone among the Shinto Gods." She clarified.
"Ah, now that I can help you with." Shuri replied, taking one out.
She gave it to Cleria, who sighed in relief as she procured her and Vali's means of escape.
"Also, one last thing." She requested.
She whispered this part to Shuri, seemingly being cautious over the possibility of this being heard, making Dohnaseek sweat at the chance they may walk near his hiding spot.
"I will, now go and keep her safe." Shuri promised, putting her right hand on Cleria's shoulder.
Cleria nodded and ran towards the alley she would meet Vali at, expecting she was nearly finished with her goodbye to Issei.
Shuri then lifted her hand into the air, causing a fire to appear and transform into a small red Fenghuang that looked at her.
'Oh no, please don't find me!' Dohnaseek begged, feeling himself sweat.
Luckily, after whispering something to the bird, it flew off towards the old school building and Shuri went inside.
'Phew...' He thought.
Looking at the camera that held the footage he just captured, Dohnaseek let out a quiet chuckle.
Seeing the end of the footage, the assassin turned to look at the screen, causing his eyes to dart around until he finally found the signature tied to a use of Shinto Magic.
"With this, I have a lock on where they went!" They smirked.
"On the chance you figure it out sooner than later? I'd wait at least a week before you go, that way they won't suspect anything after you follow them." Dohnaseek suggested.
He then held up a marble, which got the assassin's attention. Dohnaseek soon tossed it at then.
After catching it, the assassin looked at its form, raising an eye.
"Throw that onto the girl before you attack. If they somehow get away from again, then I'll tell you how that can help." He explained, tipping his hat again.
He flapped his wings and disappeared in a cross made of light, leaving a few white feathers behind.
Once he was gone, the assassin took another look.
"Hmm... while he might be a strange Angel, he did help me find a lead to their hiding spot. Perhaps it would be prudent to keep this on hand for when he recommended it?" The assassin decided.
Turning back to the screen, they looked at the location compared to the area they killed Vali's power with a sharp glare.
"Run all you want, little Devil, as I will find you." They promised.
A dark chuckle left their throat as they continued looking.
Vali and Cleria had finally arrived at their new home, and the former could do nothing but stare at the building before them.
The building that, as she quite easily realized by its sheer size... could only be called a mansion!
"A mansion!?" Vali finally said, after rediscovering her voice.
"Yep, are you surprised?" Cleria answered.
"Of course I am! Back in Kuoh Town, you were living in a small apartment, so how did you afford this!?" She replied.
"Next small tidbit of supernatural info? Devils of our ranking are usually quite loaded, with all of this from just a little of the money your grandma sent me in case a situation like this ever came up." Cleria revealed.
Vali turned white in shock.
'Just a little money!?' She thought, hoping that Cleria wouldn't tell her how much her grandma had given her overall.
She then released a deep breath, getting Cleria's attention.
"Is something wrong?" She asked.
"No, I'm just wondering if I should be surprised by anything else you tell me..." Vali answered.
Cleria thought about that.
"Probably the full context of everything I need to tell you, and that should be it." She admitted.
Vali sighed in relief.
"Now, with that out of the way... let's see our new home!" Cleria announced.
She marched into the mansion, followed by Vali a minute later.
Once they were inside, a group of five people that was made up of three girls and two boys could be seen. Hearing the door open, one of the boys stood up and looked at the others.
"Ah, glad to see you've arrived safely, Lady Cleria." Her Queen greeted.
Vali blinked as she looked at Cleria, who let out a small giggle in response.
"I'm assuming you've gotten far enough in history class to know what a retainer is, right?" She asked.
"I have, why do you ask?" Vali asked.
"These five are part of a similar thing for Devils we know as a peerage, though I'll explain more about that later." Cleria explained.
She then took a moment to introduce her peerage by name, and once introductions were finished on both sides?
"OK, now that we've gotten all that out of the way... it's time I tell you everything about the supernatural and where you stand in it." Cleria stated.
Vali let out an audible gulp and nodded her head, readying herself for what she was about to hear.
The assassin walked into the alley where Cleria and Vali made their jump to Florida, rubbing a finger on it and looking at the residue left behind.
"Hmm... it looks like the distance was big, much too big to be anywhere in Japan or Asia as a whole. I'd say even Australia isn't far enough for the distance I sense." They said to themselves.
After saying that, they thought about other factors with what they knew.
'Cleria must have thought hard about this. Picked a location that would benefit both them and maybe her peerage, though still far to hide their tracks.' They thought.
Somewhere far, would benefit Devils, and isn't in Asia or Australia.
Looking at their finger, the assassin decided to lick the residue off of it and got a taste of the magic as an attempt to get one last clue.
"Oh?" They said in surprise.
Taking another lick, their eyes widened as they got their answer.
"Very clever, and yet... it wasn't clever enough." They smirked.
Pulling the sleeve of their cloak back, the assassin shot their hand forward and smashed into part of the wall, but instead of breaking it? They managed to breach through the magical residue with what looked like a reptilian claw and show the alley where they arrived.
A smirk slipped through their hood as they readied their plans to attack a week from now, looking at the marble Dohnaseek gave them before pocketing it.
In the mansion that was now home to Cleria and Vali, the former was seen in a maid outfit as she brought up a snack for the latter, reaching the room that she chose as hers and knocking on the door.
"Hey Vali, are you hungry? I brought you a snack." She asked.
"Door's open, just come in..." Vali replied with a solemn tone.
After hearing that tone, Cleria sighed as she remembered what kind of state she was in, and opened the door to see Vali lying face first on the bed. While she didn't hear the sound of crying being muffled by the sheets, it was pretty clear how she was feeling right now.
She put the tray on her nightstand and sat by her.
"The adrenaline finally wore off, didn't it?" Cleria asked, rubbing her back.
Vali lifted her head to answer, only for show confusion at her maid outfit.
"I'm posing as your head maid." Cleria answered.
"Oh yeah, I forgot about our covers." Vali remembered.
She flipped over and stared at the ceiling, remembering everything that Cleria had spent the last hour and a half explaining to her over two hours ago. About the supernatural world. The various species in it. How almost all mythologies and religions, except Cryptids which were just Humans mistaking what were actually something known as... Stray Devils, if she remembered right? But most of all, how she was a Devil Princess, and now the sole descendant of Lucifer and Lilith.
Most of it flew over her head, but the general summary of things she remembered was Christianity started with just the Biblical God, with his true name being Yahweh, till the day Satan came and the infamous opposition of Angels and Devils was born. This led her to ask how she could be their last descendant in the most obvious way of them just having another child... which is when it was all made clear.
Cleria explained how the peerage system, which allowed Devils to be reborn as Humans, was created after an event they called the Great War pushed both races to the brink of extinction. Originally, her grandparents weren't the leaders of Hell, but took over after the end of this war. They were the ones who kept the Devils' population steady, yet the death of their former leader had left both of them sterile.
"In other words, if that murderer kills you as well? There will never be another Devil who shares their blood." Cleria's voice echoed.
Vali felt the weight of that sentence as if it had been glass dropping against the floor, but the reason her father's heritage had cost both her parents their lives became even more painful after hearing the reason behind it.
Besides her grandparents, there were three other powerful bloodlines known as the Leviathan Clan, the Beelzebub Clan, and the Asmodeus Clan, with a fourth bloodline that acted as a decoy to hers known as the Lucifuge Clan... which was also the only one that hadn't been wiped out. Apparently, someone or some group based on the assassin who killed her parents, had been wiping them out since at least the time of the Great War.
It had all began when a group of high-ranked Devil Clans who had seemingly been loyal to her grandparents betrayed them, and then began to wipe them out without any warning. With the death of her father, Vali had been left not just the sole survivor of the Lucifer/Lilith bloodline, but of what was known as the Maou bloodlines, meaning her parents had been killed out of apparent selfishness.
"This isn't fair... why did my parents have to die just because people hated them? We were living in this world as Humans, and I don't think they ever had plans to tell me the truth. We weren't a threat to them!" She questioned.
Vali rolled over and buried her head onto the covers again, leaving Cleria to stare for a moment as she began crying again, prompting another back rub.
"All of this is that damn Satan's fault, I hate him!" Vali screamed.
"You and me both, along with many Devils in today's age. Even though he brought our kind into existence, many have since become more aware to the nature of why, and how it's made our species suffer as a result." Cleria replied, closing her eyes.
She soon felt Vali get up and hug her, and she let out a small sigh before hugging her back and smiling at the gesture, still rubbing her back as she let Vali cry.
"I... I don't know what to do anymore..." She sniffled, breathing heavily.
Cleria didn't know what to say at first, but she knew that Vali couldn't go on like this, and decided to take action.
"Vali, look at me." She stated.
Vali felt herself pulled out of the hug as Cleria's eyes met with her own, making her feel a little uncomfortable.
"The one thing I've known about you all these years is that you are a strong young woman, and you can overcome this. Since you can't see that right now? I'm going to make you remember that, no matter it takes!" Cleria declared.
"E-Eh?" Vali mumbled, unsure of how she should react.
Cleria let go of her and pulled out some kind of hair clip, then put it in her hair. Seconds after she did, Vali gasped as her hair turned blonde, with Cleria changing her hairstyle into an upright bun as her eyes turned green. By the time she was finished, Cleria looked like a new person.
"You are going to go into town and rediscover yourself, but before that happens? There's something important that we need to do." Cleria stated, showing a scary look in her eyes.
Vali began to sweat after hearing that, but just as she tried to runaway...
*"LOCK!"*
She heard the door lock, distracting her long enough for Cleria's hands to get a strong grip on her arm.
"Now, just sit still and relax." Cleria advised.
Vali turned to look at Cleria's face, seeing she her eyes were now closed and there was a glare shadow on the area of her face they rested on.
'Oh boy...' Vali thought, feeling herself frozen by the intensity of her stare.
Somewhere in the territory of the Belial Clan, a saddened Diehauser was sitting in his home, covering his face to hide the tears in his eyes. Like most of his clan, he had just gotten word that Cleria was executed alongside Masaomi for going too far against the agreements of their relationship.
"Cleria... why didn't you listen to me?" He questioned.
As he was about to start his second stage of crying...
*"TWEET! TWEET!"*
He suddenly raised his head and pulled his hands off his face, then turned to see Shuri's bird as it flew to him with a box. He was initially weary of it, but once the bird set it down? He saw a familiar signature on top, making him gasp as he recognized it.
"From Cleria?" He stated in surprise.
Shuri's bird flew off as he grabbed the box, opening it to see a letter that glowed once he touched it, which he immediately opened.
"Diehauser, if you're reading this letter, then I'm sorry... I broke our promise."
"Despite what you told me, I used a loophole in how you didn't make me pinkie promise to investigate further about the King Piece, and now I know too much to be kept alive by those damn higher-ups in the Devil government. As such, if you've heard me and Masaomi were executed... that's a lie. While Masaomi is dead, what really happened was he gave up his life to let me save Vali's from the same fate."
"Since I know my remaining Evil Pieces will be confiscated, I've had them sent to you in this box, and each of them contains information that I added in a way I know only you can access. Don't tell anyone you know this, and take over in my mission in taking those bastards down. When you find time, go see Ajuka so he can let her grandparents know the truth, because one day? There's a chance you can reveal the truth in a way that will keep anyone else from being killed."
"This is the last time we'll be able to speak, so I just want you to know that I appreciate how you were watching out for me. Let my parents know I love them, and no matter what happens... stay strong. From this moment on, the rest of my life will be used to make sure Vali stays alive as my atonement for my actions leading to the death of her parents. So, take care... and goodbye."
Finishing the letter, Diehauser felt some tears well up, though stopped them with a strong sniffle as he opened the box and saw an unused Knight, Bishop, and Rook inside.
"I may not know what you want me to do, but... I'll make sure your efforts won't be in vain." He promised.
He grabbed the Knight, then tightened his hand around it as he accessed the first third of the information Cleria left in it.
Vali felt herself sweating a little as she sat in a barber chair.
"If this is happening no matter I say or do, then can you at least tell me what you're doing so I can, I don't know... not panic!?" She begged, getting close to hyperventilating.
"That's simple." Cleria answered.
She held up scissors and a basket of beauty products, making Vali's face go blank as she saw them.
"A makeover." She smiled, clipping the scissors twice for emphasis.
Hearing that, Vali let out a groan and leaned her head back, since she couldn't move her hands to face palm herself. This action confused Cleria a little.
"Why didn't you just say that? I was terrified over what you were about to do!" Vali questioned.
"Easy, because it helped me take your mind off everything." Cleria answered, smiling at her.
She sighed at that answer.
"Cleria, you have a weird way of doing things, you know that?" Vali replied, giving her a half-lidded stare.
"That I do." Cleria replied, winking at her.
She put down the basket and readied her scissors, looking at her hair and trying to think of an idea.
"Glad this all happened when you were due for a haircut. I don't want to change your style too much if you aren't willing to try something new." She remarked.
"And I'm not, so thank you." Vali replied.
Hearing that, Cleria nodded as Vali closed her eyes, and she began the makeover by giving her hair a healthy trim.
"Hmm... how do I make your style look more like a rich girl's without too many changes?" She wondered aloud.
She then snapped her fingers and formed a magic circle.
Vali suddenly felt water on her head, making her spit it out slightly as Cleria squirted one of her many basket's products into her hand, running it over her hair and pulling on it as she gave it some shine and made it straighter than before.
"Now, let's add this in." Cleria decided.
Once again, Vali felt an odd sensation as a tug appeared in the back of her hair, which marked Cleria linking two braids using some of her hair. While doing this, she used a bit of magic to instantly dry it off.
"And your hair looks great!" She praised herself.
She then placed some lotion in her hands and rubbed it all over her skin, also using some magic to help dry it like her hair. As Vali kept her eyes closed, she also felt Cleria's hands do something to her nails, her eyelashes, and what she assumed was changing her wardrobe.
'I want to trust Cleria's judgment, but I'm also worried about what I'll look like once this is all over...' Vali admitted, shaking slightly at the thought.
"Done!" Cleria sang.
With those words, Vali opened her eyes as Cleria held out a mirror towards her.
A gasp left her mouth as she saw how beautiful she looked. The first thing that came into notice was she had brunette hair and blue eyes, though based on the feeling of having hair her tied during the makeover, she assumed the ribbon holding the braids in her hair worked just like Cleria's hair clip. For her hair itself? It was mostly the same, but now looked more elegant by the straightening added to it.
Her current attire now consisted of sky-blue button up shirt with short sleeves and stylized ends, a black skirt that reached somewhat above her kneecaps, and brown shoes with tiny touch of a high heel to them. As if to represent a finishing touch of sorts? The silver charm based on the astrological symbol for the moon gave off a notable shine.
"Cleria, this is... wow, just... wow!" She praised, unable to see or say anything bad about it.
"I do my best." Cleria smiled.
She soon gave Vali a tiny wallet, confusing her a little... until a minute later, once she had been pushed outside the front door.
"Now go out and have some fun!" She stated.
Cleria then closed the door, leaving Vali to stare at the door for a moment, then blink as she looked towards her wallet.
"How much did she give-" Vali asked herself, opening it.
The money she saw inside immediately caused her voice to fail until she closed it again.
"Never mind..." She whispered.
Looking at the door again, and realizing Cleria wouldn't let her back inside any time soon, Vali let out a sigh decided to go into town like Cleria asked her to. From the window, a worried Cleria was seen crossing her fingers.
Back in the mysterious realm the assassin and his unknown partner resided in, the two were seen talking as the former revealed their discovery of Vali and Cleria's location.
"So, they fled to America, huh? A wise choice." The silhouetted figure admitted.
"What makes you say that?" The assassin inquired, raising an eye at their reply.
"America a country where Christianity is the main religion practiced there, but it's one that favors Devils more because of what it was founded on. That means it would be easier for her to get wind of our search and relocate before we found them." The silhouetted figure explained.
The assassin groaned in response.
"I get it... all the Angels and Devils there would have forced us to search slowly to avoid raising suspicion, which would let secondhand info spread to Cleria faster than our searching could find her." They realized.
"Exactly, but since we managed to find them from here? We now have the means to walk around that issue." The silhouetted figure confirmed.
They stood up and swung their hand out.
"Prepare yourself to attack them on Thanksgiving, so we can show them there's nothing for them to be thankful for when it fails to save them!" They ordered, causing their eyes to glow in the darkness.
"As you wish, I'll begin my preparations now." The assassin replied.
A magic circle appeared underneath the assassin as they vanished.
Time flew by until it had been a week since Vali's departure from Kuoh Town and her arrival in Florida, with the scene opening to the Devil Princess walking through the city as she tried to have fun.
'Even after a whole week of being here, nothing's changed. I still feel miserable...' Vali thought.
[Fairy Tail: Main Theme - Slow Piano]
She had honestly tried, but nothing was able to make her forget the pain of losing everything.
Feeling a slight hunger in her stomach, she soon sat down at a cafe, where she ordered a fancy salad and ate it as if she barely tasted it. After she finished it all a few minutes later, she continued walking and found herself at a shopping area.
'Worst of all, even if I could talk to someone other than Cleria and her peerage about how I'm feeling? No one would be able to understand what I went through.' She thought.
"Promise me that, one day, we'll see each other again?" Issei's voice echoed.
Hearing that, she suddenly stopped in place, feeling like she just heard a ghost.
"What the?" Vail asked.
She looked around, confused to how she heard what she did, and then... something else caught her attention.
"I-I don't know... what to do!" Someone cried.
Turning around, she saw a young boy and girl who looked to be about 5 and 6 years old standing together near a store, with the young boy crying his eyes out.
"Hey, it will be alright. Don't cry." She pleaded.
"W-What if mommy... never wakes up... and leaves me? I don't want her to... stay asleep... forever!" He cried.
As she watched them, Vali's eyes widened as she heard those words, causing something in her to suddenly ignite.
[Insert Song End]
Looking around, she saw a few things that might help.
"I... well, she can't sleep forever, right? I mean... she has to get better, won't she?" The girl answered, unsure how to comfort her friend over his comatose mother.
At that moment, Vali came over to the young duo, holding out a balloon and a scoop of ice cream towards the boy.
"Sorry, I overhead you two. Is his mom in the hospital right now?" Vali asked.
The young girl nodded her head, right as the boy took the balloon and the ice cream.
"I see... well, your friend is right." She continued.
Hearing that, the boy looked at her in surprised.
"Your mom is strong, and she's fighting to wake up and see you again, but you need to help her. Believe in her, and your strength will become part of hers. Remember that, and I can promise you in almost no time at all, she'll be greeting you with a warm hug and a smile on her face." Vali promised, rubbing his head.
Those words caused the boy's tears to fade away as he felt a smile form on his face.
"You mean it? OK then, I'll believe!" He promised, closing his eyes as his smile grew.
Seeing him look happy, the young girl smiled with him. At that moment, Vali's eyes widened as she briefly saw her and Issei at that same age, both smiling in the same way they were.
[One Piece: I'm Whitebeard]
Right at that moment, the two heard the girl's father call for them.
"Thank you, nice lady!" Both of them stated.
They both ran towards the girl's father, and Vali stood up while waving to them, saying nothing as she did.
Once the duo was out of view? She looked at her left hand, lifting it up as she caught her necklace in it.
'Why did I say that to them? Right now, I'm the last person to be saying that, so why did I do it? Why do I... why do I feel I meant every word I said?' She asked herself.
Her moon charm gleamed as if to answer her, and then...
"No matter how far apart we are or where we end up? The two of us will always be friends, because we share the same sky." Issei's voice echoed.
As those words echoed into her ears, she felt her eyes briefly widen, then return to normal as tears filled them and said hand only extended her pinkie.
"How could I have been so blind?" She asked herself.
The tears hit the ground as everything became clear to her.
'Here I am, thinking that I've lost everything, and yet... there's something I still have. No, someone I still have, but only if I find the strength to make it back to him!' Vali realized as she held her necklace with both hands.
Vali closed her eyes, feeling the image of a certain boy appear in her head as the image of a black shadow resembling the assassin was shown holding her, which began to shake as if it was suddenly struck by an unbearable pain.
'I still have you, Issei... and I made a promise with you I'm not going to break!' She thought with intense passion.
The shadowy illusion let out a pained shriek as it was ripped apart, revealing Vali as she made a determined face.
[Insert Song End]
Taking a deep breath, she ran back home.
Cleria was seen sitting in Vali's bedroom as she did the latter's laundry, looking somewhat bored, and right as she was about to fold her next piece...
"Cleria!" Vali shouted, opening the door.
"Ah!" She shouted, throwing it in the air.
Vali blinked a few times as Cleria took a moment to catch her breath, feeling her increased heartbeat until it went back down.
"Sorry." She apologized.
Feeling her surprise die down, Cleria looked at Vali.
"Why are you back so early?" She finally asked.
"I came to tell you something, and it's... that your belief of me and Issei never seeing each other again is wrong." Vali answered.
Those words caused Cleria to respond with just a look of surprise and confusion.
"My parents might be gone, but I still have him. I'll find a way to return to him no matter what. After all, if there's one thing you've always told me... it's that you can't break a pinkie promise." She continued, before showing her smile.
Hearing those words, a quiet gasp left Cleria's mouth before Vali turned around and left the room, causing her to peak out as she saw that smile stay.
That sight was enough to make her tear up and smile as well.
'Razevan... Sarah... are the two of you seeing this? Your little girl... she's smiling again!' Cleria thought before shedding those tears.
Once Vali stepped outside the mansion again, she held up her necklace to the morning sky and the sun, closing her eyes to show off her smile. However, unknown to her? Issei had been doing the same towards the night sky and the moon back in Japan.
'Thank you, Issei.' She thought.
With that, Vali ran into town again.
~ December 25th, 2017: Kuoh Town
Rias stared at the sealed letter for a while, part of her afraid to open it and see what had been written inside, but when her eyes saw the broken Queen Piece... she realized it had become impossible for her to ignore the implications and immediately ripped it open.
Unfolding the continents of the letter, she began reading something that caused her eyes to widen from the opening sentence alone.
"To my likely successor. If you're reading this letter, then it's more than likely I'm already dead... or I will be soon enough."
The redheaded Devil felt her throat dry up, forcing her to swallow in order to wet her mouth once more.
"The first thing you should have noticed is that my drawer contains one or more broken Evil Pieces inside of it, and as that would imply? Those members of my peerage have already been killed as a result of the task that forced me to leave Japan and appear dead. You may have been told I was expelled from my post as the Head of Kuoh due to my relationship with the former exorcist known by the name of Masaomi Yaegaki, but that's a lie."
"In reality, I learned of something so dangerous, you can't ask anyone what it is, because finding out will risk making you and the people you care about into targets as well. All I can say is this is something that only one of the Maou should know, yet in a way that may escape even his knowledge. I'm fairly certain that even my cousin Diehauser, who should still be Champion of the Rating Games, doesn't know anything about it."
"My curiosity got the better of me, and I ended up putting a target not just on my head, but an entire family who had been hiding in this Town for their safety, and shouldn't have been targets since it was my job to protect them. Who was this family you may ask? Well, before I mention this part... if by any chance you've been reading this letter out loud, then make sure there's no one who could be spying on you before you continue."
Rias paused as she quickly glanced around as a safety measure, and then held out her left hand.
A magic square appeared as a small orb-shaped bat appeared in her palm and flapped its wings.
"Make sure nothing or no one suspicious is nearby." She asked.
The bat nodded and flapped its wings faster to move at its fastest, and flew out of the room to begin its search, which took a total of 5 minutes to complete. Once the small bat returned? It shook its head, making Rias sigh before she smiled in relief.
"Thank you." Rias praised.
Her Familiar smiled in return before it vanished in a puff of smoke, and she resumed reading the letter.
"Nothing to spy or overhear you? Good, because the family in question... were the remaining descendants of Lilith and Lucifer."
A silent gasp escaped from Rias' mouth as she saw that part.
'Lady Lilith and Lord Lucifer have direct descendants? I thought the closest thing to that was...' Rias thought.
She paused mid-thought, briefly recalling something.
'Hold on, if this information is true, then why didn't my mom tell me about this during my studies?' She recalled.
Rias decided to come back to that and resumed reading the letter.
"Because of my mistake, someone I was unable to identify appeared in their home... and the family was almost entirely destroyed. The father, who held the blood of our great leaders inside of him, along with his human wife, were murdered right before their daughter's eyes. A daughter who only survived because I managed to intervene and pull her away through a magic circle at the last moment, but only because I was forced to make the ultimate sacrifice."
"I asked Masaomi to rush to the scene, despite this enemy was able to kill someone as strong as her father, and in the end... his life was snuffed out in the same way this girl's parents were."
Hearing that part made Rias cover her mouth as she felt tears form in her eyes, some of which fell on the letter.
"Their daughter woke up soon after, looking confused and scared, and I couldn't blame her. That girl had been living under the belief that she was Human, so learning what she really was changed her world almost as much as the murder of her parents. She was especially mad when I revealed her parents died because of my actions, and I still feel like I didn't deserve her forgiveness after she learned what I gave up to save her."
"However, what pained me most was telling her we had to leave. Not just her home, or everyone and everything she ever knew, but her best friend... who was the first one she ever had due to her family having to constantly move to escape those who would hunt them. It only served to remind me how horribly I messed up, and how all I could do to atone for it... was have me and my peerage protect her from then on, even if it killed us."
Rias felt sick to her stomach, but not out of disgust.
This letter was just so depressing that it almost became too painful for her stomach, but after reading it this far, she knew there was no way for her to stop and walk away. As such, she took a deep breath and continued.
"After giving her the little time we had left for her to say goodbye, the two of us left Kuoh Town."
"Things were fine at first, and we discovered something incredible that I wish could be said in this letter for every Devil to celebrate, but... only a week after our arrival? Her assassin managed to discover us. We immediately hid somewhere else, but they found us just as fast, which is when I realized we would no longer be able to hide. Just run, and when the situation forced it on us? Fight."
"Unfortunately, our first attempt to fight back... showed me that this was a war we couldn't win."
Looking at the broken Queen Piece, a horrified look appeared on Rias' face.
"If you're looking at my now broken Queen Piece after reading that last line? Then I'm afraid your thoughts are correct. My Queen lost her life in our most recent battle, and I don't know who else from my peerage will have fallen by the time you read this, so I made a spell to make all of my deceased peerage members' Evil Pieces appear in the drawer with this letter. Let every piece be a warning of how close things are getting the worst-case scenario."
"If it's actually happened, then how many Evil Pieces are in there won't matter... because you'll find something else to mark that I've died, and/or that Razevan's daughter had been captured."
Just as she finished reading that, a trio of flashes appeared, making Rias see three new Evil pieces had appeared in it.
It was one Knight, one Bishop, and one Rook... all of which were in much worse condition than the Queen, which was merely cracked to their chipped and broken states. The mere sight was enough that Rias felt a bead of sweat go down her cheek.
'How many people were in Cleria's peerage?' She thought, biting the nail on her thumb.
Rias put the letter down for a moment and pulled out some of the files on her predecessor, skimming through it until she found information about her peerage. However, what she saw made her eyes widen in horror.
She only had a peerage comprised of 5 people, four of which had taken her Queen, a single Bishop, Knight, and Rook respectively, and all eight of her Pawns... and a horrible note saying the rest of her Evil Pieces had been confiscated.
'Oh no...'
Rias returned to the letter immediately.
"I can't keep this up forever, and I feel closer to breaking (physically) for every day that goes by. If you see a necklace with a metal charm of a silver color in the shape of the Moon's astronomical symbol? That necklace belongs to the daughter that I've been trying to protect, so use that to identify her if she somehow returns to Kuoh Town for help. I don't know if you can do anything, or ask anyone who can for help, but... at least try to help her."
"Most of all... if she does get captured, and you need a way to trace her? There's a necklace with a metal charm of a gold color in the shape of the Sun's astronomical symbol here in Kuoh Town, as hers was made by her best friend as a birthday present that became a goodbye present. As much as I don't want to involve him in this? If the situation forces you to ask for his help, then know the person you're looking for is a boy named-"
Rias saw the letter end there, and nothing more, leaving her without the name of his friend.
'Is she... already dead?' She thought.
Remembering what she said about something that would confirm her death, Rias looked through the drawer, but failed to find anything new. The moment she realized this; Rias bit the nail on her thumb.
Everything she just read was a shocker, but what truly scared her is what she was going to be able to do after reading it. Zekram apparently knew it was there, but he had never touched it, meaning it would be useless for her to ask him anything.
'Wait, now that I think of it...' She thought.
She didn't want to suspect him, but there's a good chance that what she believed as some kind of hint to open the drawer may have been a genuine warning to not open the drawer.
"There's no choice. Right now, they're the only ones I can trust." Rias realized, grabbing a pencil.
Rias grabbed a piece of paper and began writing a letter of her own, one addressed to her parents.
Like I said in Chapter 1: "Sometimes, to get a better look at hope, things need to look hopeless."
After seeing her parents get murdered right before her eyes, that's exactly how Vali felt about everything, so she fully believed in what Cleria said about her never seeing Issei again. However, thanks to those pair of kids who reminded her of the importance of their bond? Vali's realized this will only happen if she lets it, and now she's determined to avert that reality. Not only that, but it looks like Issei's had the same realization back home.
Though there's also bad news for Vali's side, as what Rias found out in that letter's contents implies that things have taken a turn for the worse in the three years since then. So, what can she do to help?
Until next time everyone, and stay awesome! ^^