April 15 2000

The raven-haired child sat in front of his varied toys, in each hand were his two favourite action figures. In his left hand was a male character from a familiar kids' show while his opposite hand grasped hold of a female superhero. The female figurine had white hair similar to his mother's while the male figurine wore glasses just like his mummy. They're probably his favourites since they have minor yet recognisable qualities for Akira. He didn't seem to be playing a coherent scenario with the dolls, he just flung them around in the air. He was babbling from time to time as if he was forming organised sentences. The TV was on low volume so his mummy was able to hear him in the kitchen. Fortunately, she had the day off from slaying angels and her job as a nun. Cereza was thankful to have the full day with her child; if only Jeanne could have some time off as well today. All three could've spent the day shopping together or spending the day in the park. Then again there is the possibility of angels disrupting their outing which would put Akira in danger.

A dejected sigh slips the witch's lips at the thought. It was rare for the witches to have a full day free without any sudden interruptions. Bayonetta pushes away the sad fact and struts back into the living room. Akira swiftly reacted once he heard the clacking of her heels, dropping his figures before standing up (holding onto the couch for support) to greet her. Akira manages to take 5 steps before beginning to wobble on his feet; Bayonetta kneels to capture her son's hand in hers to stop him from falling on his bottom. He beams up at his mummy giggling for Bayonetta to smile in return.

"Are you hungry Akira?" In response, the 15-month-old child is able to mutter out a faction of 'mama's' and 'fo's' to her. He pulls his right hand from his mummy's to reach toward her Umbran watch. It wasn't surprising for the witch since it was his frequent habit to explore various accessories the witches wore. Most notable was their Umbran watches. She slinks an arm under the bend of his knees and keeps a hand on his back for support, picking him up to take him into the kitchen. All the while Akira's fingers trail across the watch's golden patterns, seeming to be mesmerized by the object. To the witches, it was a good thing for him to be interested in the item, since they were planning to gift Akria his very own watch on his 5th birthday. His 5th birthday will be the beginning of his Umbran witch training... well they'd start with the simple aspects of Umbran witches before leading to the combat training.

Upon settling Akira in his seat, supplying him with some food and water, the front door is slammed open. Bayonetta immediately knew the reason for such a loud entrance into her home. She pats the young child on the head, "Looks like your mother is home early." She walks out to the kitchen, meeting her partner slumped over their couch, splatters of blood on her teacher uniform. While this doesn't scare Cereza -she knew it wasn't Jeanne's blood as a single angel feather sticks alongside the blood- it concerned her how frustrated Jeanne is.

"I encountered those bastards on my way home. They've ruined my outfit." Jeanne complains, placing the tips of her index and second finger against her forehead.

Bayonetta sighs, "What a shame. On the bright side, you get to wear that blazer Cheshire had gotten you." In response Jeanne shoots an unamused pout to her wife, of course, she'd throw a minor tease back in her face. The blazer was one of many gifts offered by Luka during a baby shower, his reason being that it was fashionable and warm to wear. That Jeanne could wear it when holding Akira. In other words, Luka wasn't sure what exactly to gift for Jeanne and went with something work-related. Cereza nudges her head to the kitchen, "Come along, let's wash away the filth." For a brief moment, Jeanne stays on the couch before following her wife into the kitchen. Still eating his carrot cake muffin, Akira babbles in delight at seeing his mother enter the room. Jeanne kisses his forehead with a swift hello and walks past him. Coincidentally one of the feathers wanes off her clothing, landing in front of her son. He tilts his head in wonder and slight confusion.

Hasn't he seen this before?

March 10 2007

"Happy birthday Akira!"

He has not even spent 5 seconds in his house before being bombarded with happy birthdays from his family and friends. Well... family and friends and a let's say, a plump man who works with his parents. It wasn't that Akira disliked the man, when they talked they had some decent conversations. It might be that these 'decent' conversations only lasted under 5 minutes and were focused on work/school. Either way, Akira and Enzo didn't have as strong a relationship as he did with Uncle Rodin and Uncle Chesh-Luka. All of them surrounded the kitchen table, various meals were deliberately placed on the table in terms of the food's origin. Akira's parents have recently been cooking food from distant countries (Japan, Berlin, Paris etc). He recalls the early days of this shared hobby of theirs; taste-testing the meals they made was certainly worth the tummy aches.

Akira grins in delight upon the savoury scent of crepes, "Wow!" He runs over to the table, beaming down at the delectable food. There was a strong smell of sugar, vanilla and jam passing through his nostrils. On his left side, he hears Uncle Luka laugh at the 7-year-old's excitement. He grabs a piece of a Black Forest cake, using a fork to pierce the piece to go straight into his mouth.

"C'mon kid, you gotta try this stuff-" Luka indicates to the cake he just took a slice out of, "-It's amazing, considering who made it." Although he quickly whispered the last part, Akira was able to hear him. Jeanne lowers a plate of chicken parmesan by the open seat (set between his mummy's seat at the top and mother's on the right side of the table). Before Akira went to the open seat he put a slice of the cake on a spare plate from the kitchen counter. He sits across from Uncle Rodin who in all honestly still intimidates the young boy. From those pitch-black shades hiding his eyes, those mysterious tattoos inked onto his head and the dark clothing he wore. Although Akira really likes his Uncle Rodin, he can't but always feels daunted by the man's aura. The young boy knows that Uncle Rodin isn't a bad guy so he doesn't understand this odd feeling that bubbles inside him when he is around the man.

Rodin smirks down at the child who is blatantly staring, "Happy birthday kid." Akira's body jumps at the man's deep voice. Rodin had a little laugh; he wasn't surprised at the boy's meekness. Most people would be intimidated by his physical appearance so he couldn't blame the kid for being so bashful around him.

Akira gives a respectful nod to Uncle Rodin, "Thank you, sir." He can't stop himself from being so civil towards a close friend of the family.

His mummy hums in approval of his politeness at the Blacksmith before leaning forward in her chair. "Eat up little one, your mother and I have an extra special gift for you later on." This comment makes Akira somehow makes him even more excited. Ever since his 5th birthday, he has been training for this moment. After endless teachings of concocting support items, summoning those little demons, how to dodge attacks and defend himself using only his fists: is he finally going to fight aside his parents? Although he doesn't exactly know what they fight against. All Akira is aware of is that his training is surely related to his parents.

Following his mummy's suggestion, Akira lifts up a knife and fork in each hand to feast upon his meal. Everyone around the table either continued to eat or began conversations on various subjects. The child wasn't paying much attention to the adults talking, he was fixated on the thought of finally being in battle (along with the rich taste of his food). He was beaming in anticipation at this special gift; Akira had always wanted to join them on this side job of theirs. When he had asked them about work, his mother would answer that she was a school teacher and did a side job with his mummy. This grew Akira's interest to ask his mummy about this side job, only for his mum to weave her way out of the conversation. He suspected this side job would be the reason -or at the very least connected- for his training; why else would both of them be his mentors in combat training?

Akira was so pleased that he managed to eat his meal faster than he expected. Jeanne was the first to notice and patted his head lovingly, "Ready to open your presents Akira?"

Vigorously nodding, Akira jumps out of his seat and heads straight into the living room, where various shapes of gifts are huddled on and in front of the couch. A couple of gifts had the same light blue coloured wrapping paper; establishing those gifts were from Enzo and his family. They may not have as strong a bond between Akira and his uncles but it was nice of them to offer him presents. A particular present had caught his attention. A moderate-sized gift, a purple bow enveloped over the gold and white star-designed wrapping paper. Rodin was the first one to be behind Akira, followed by Bayonetta, Jeanne, Luka and Enzo being the last one. Mainly because he wanted to finish his mixed Berry Parfait. Luka leans against the wall while the Umbran witches stand on Rodin's left side. Observing their child as he grins in awe at how many gifts were set up in front of him.

Rodin bends forward to be close to Akira's eye level, "Your parents had that present commissioned for ya'. It made me break a bit of sweat; you've got yourself a special piece of work there kid."

The young boy's curiosity peaks thanks to Uncle Rodin's comment. Without a second thought, Akira picks up the gift, sits down on the floor and vigorously begins to rip away its wrapping. Luka gives out a minor chuckle,

"Someone's eager aren't they?"

Even though it was a rhetorical question, Bayonetta responds to the journalist, "Who wouldn't be? Receiving a significant gift made by your favourite uncle would give you a rush of exhilaration."

Luka shrugs his shoulders, "Eh guess I can't- Wait when was Rodin his favourite uncle?!"

Like always, Akira didn't pay any mind to the banter between the adults, carelessly ripping the gift's confines to reveal its contents. With all of the colour wrappings undone, in front of Akira was now a bright brown box with a folding lid. In one swift movement, Akira pushes the lid to have it fling backwards to show off four shiny metals. Inside the box was a set of four charcoal-coloured guns that had a similar look to Bayonetta's 'Scarborough Fair' gun set. However, the colour scheme of these guns was black, with its writing being in glacier grey. Along with a large jewel on the guns' sides to signify their labels. Their muzzles were facing outward, the guns meant to be equipped to his feet were facing back to back while the two guns for the hands were stacked above them in the same position. Plastered on the side of the barrel of each gun was the set of guns' name-

No Place Like Home

In smaller writing, underneath each of the titles of the guns were their individual names. The top two, from left to right, were labelled 'Zeke' and 'Hunk'. Zeke had a round sapphire jewel and a small plush lion dangling from the gun's grip. Hunk's jewel was a round red topaz with a yellow scarecrow keychain. The two underneath were called 'Glinda' and 'Dorothy'. Glinda had a pink Scapolite and a small plushie of supposedly a fairy with white wings. It was wearing a pretty pink ball gown along with a long white headpiece. Dorothy had a white Zircon and a small figurine of a young woman in a blue and white gingham dress with her brown bouncy hair in low pigtails.

Akira felt as if he was going to explode on the spot. Jumping back on his feet, Akira faces the group with a bright smile and big eyes full of glee. "Thank you! Thank you so much! These are amazing!" He exclaims, giggling between some words. Rodin only smiles back with a grunt of gratitude, the Umbran witches just grin back at their son gratified their son is eager to hold his very own weapons.

Luka shrugs and sighs in defeat, "Ok, fine, Rodin's the best uncle."

Troubled by his other uncle's mood, Akira takes hold of the taller man's hand to tug him closer to the presents. "Come, Uncle Luka, I'm sure your gifts will be as amazing as Uncle Rodins! Show me which ones are from you."

The young boy pulls Luka to kneel beside him, scouring through the other presents. Luka is soon back in a good mood hearing Akira's praise and is quick to point out the lime green wrapped presents to be from him. The next 2 hours were spent opening presents while Bayonetta took out her phone to take photos of Akira's beaming face.

July 20 2010

Long and heavy breaths left Akira's mouth, doing his best to bury his nerves away. He needs to prepare himself before the big arrow hits 12. In 5 minutes it will be time, time for him to hunt angels without the assistance of his parents. He will get to fight angels until he reaches his limit; he can finally put all of his training to good use. Previously, when Akira would attend his mothers on their angel hunting, he was ordered to stay by their sides with only a golden Orichalcum dagger gifted to him by Uncle Cheshire. Even though Jeanne has been teaching him how to aim and shoot with No Place Like Home, Rodin cautioned that they may not do as much damage as they should since Akira hasn't formed a contract with an infernal. Wary for their child's safety, the witches decide on him taking the dagger dear Cheshire gifted him for his 8th birthday; Probably in a way to try and one-up Rodin's gift from the year before. The dagger didn't require a demon's pact to release its full potential, its sharp edges can greatly slice through a first sphere's angel's body. For now, Akira will be using a melee weapon until he is ready to form a contract with a demon.

Fiddling with his Umbran watch, Akira examines himself in the full-body mirror. The moon's light bounces off his significant jewellery on his chest. His Umbran watch was pure silver with a purple jewel in its centre. Engraved by the bottom half of his watch was the date of Akira's birthday in the demonic alphabet; he didn't know much about this alphabet but he could understand parts of the writing. The Umbran watch was resting above the tight fabric of Akira's apprentice outfit. A skin-tight grey bodysuit adorned with gold patterns on the outside of his legs and the shawl-looking fabric around his shoulders. According to his parents, this is what beginning witches would wear for their first training days. At least, Akira hopes that's the truth and they didn't just dress him up to tease him. Combing his left hand through his hair to push some strands back, Akira does his best to ignore his nervousness and focus on the excitement of going to hunt angels on his own.

Suddenly, two hard knocks break Akira from his stare, "Are you ready yet, little one? We should really get going now." A muffled voice asks through his bedroom door. Swiftly, Akira picks up his dagger and opens his bedroom door, revealing his mummy standing there in her battle suit.

He smiles up at her, "I'm ready! Let's go and kick some angel ass." Akira walks past his mummy with a confident grin, prepared to make his debut to the angels as a powerful Umbran witch. Bayonetta follows her child with a prideful smile; he is going to be wonderful tonight. They headed downstairs to the front door, where Jeanne was standing in her red biker suit. She gives an encouraging look to her son before leaving through the front door, Akira and Bayonetta follow. A full moon shines down on them, making the female witches' power build with every passing second.

"Our dear informant Enzo has found us a variety of jobs to get through," Jeann begins to give the details, mainly for Akira. She unlocks their dark blue LC convertible and enters the driver's seat. Bayonetta takes the passenger seat with Akira sitting on one of the back seats. "Supposedly there have been some accounts of mysterious activity in this area," The engine ignites letting out a roar, starting the car. The small screen lights up to reveal the destination Jeanne is referring to. Jeanne drives out of their driveway and down the street. "How their stock is being destroyed and how workers sense an odd presence in the building. I'm sure we know what is causing this." It took 10 minutes for them to get to their location; a large storage building that gives off a dark aura due to the nightlight. Upon exiting the car, Akira had a sudden feeling forming inside him; He could feel some sort of presence inside the building. He gulps at the thought of how many angels could be inside. Hopefully, there won't be too many Akira can't handle. He'd hate if his first ended up being cut short thanks to the quantity of angels in the building.

Standing in front of the entrance, Bayonetta looks down at her child, she detects the tension in his body. "Remember Akira, we'll be outside if you need assistance," Akira responds with a nod, his grip tightening on the dagger's handle. With a determined look, Akira struts toward the building, the angels' presence becoming stronger with every step. His free holds the entrance's handle, sliding it open with the metal door humming loudly. Akira takes one deep breath in, and then out, before using his free hand to line out the portal to Purgatorio and walks through it. Bayonetta and Jeanne watched Akira with diligent eyes through the open doorway, Jeanne held her guns prepared to shoot if necessary while Bayonetta placed her hands on her hips. Above Akira was a row of High Bay lights, creating a runway of round spotlights leading up to a group of Affinities (about 6 Affinities) circling something. They don't seem to be attacking whatever they're surrounding, just observing it making sounds.

In order to get their attention, Akira whistles a tune his mummy used to sing to him when he was younger. Each Affinity turns in his direction, raising their weapons ready to attack. Akira takes three steps toward them and points the tip of his dagger at the group, "Hello boys, I hope you don't mind if a beginner joins in on this little meeting of yours." two Affinities were faster than the others, running toward Akira with intent to attack. Quick on his feet, Akira does a cartwheel backwards dodging the holy staffs. Akira swings his dagger and successfully slices an Affinity's left arm, blood sprays out of the deep cut as it screams. Before the second Affinity could attempt another attack, Akira jumped in the air his body twisting 360 degrees to then kick the angel in its face. Causing them to drop their weapon as they fall backwards but are still able to stay on their feet stumbling somewhat. The rest of the Affinities recognise the young teen as a threat and take action, no longer crowding the cowering individual and moving in Akira's direction. Two of them take the high ground preparing their trumpets to fire as the last two run at Akira. The young Umbran witch knew it would be foolish of him to fight these angels head-on; he would become too exhausted with all of the dodging and that would give an opening for them. Noticing the staff lying on the floor beside him, Akira puts his dagger in his pocket to pick up the staff with both hands. He has seen his parents use their enemy's weapons against them before; it did a lot of damage so why not give it a try himself?

Slamming the bottom end of the staff onto the concrete floor, Akira begins to perform on the staff just like his parents would. Swinging around the staff, with one leg darting outwards, gusts of wind forms assaulting the Affinities -aside from the ones flying at a distance- with harsh force. Within seconds the Affinities below become dazed, offering the witch an opportunity to strike. Akira soon stops spinning around the staff, stabbing its top half right through the closest Affinity's chest. Their screech is similar to a bird's as Akira pulls the staff upwards, ripping the Affinity in half from their chest through their head killing them in an instant. Five Affinities left. Discarding the holy weapon on the floor the young witch dashes at two dazed Affinities; jumping to kick one in the chest with both feet before tripping the next angel when he lands on the floor. Once the angel's back drops against the floor, Akira takes out his dagger to lunge it through their body, piercing their heart and killing them. Four Affinities left. A flying Affinity blows their trumpet, firing a bright golden globe that'll explode on impact. The young witch pushes himself away landing on his bottom and managing to avoid the holy sphere's explosion. Unfortunately, this gave an Affinity -the one he had kicked in the chest- a chance to attack Akira, successfully hitting him in the face. Akira grunts in pain as his back recedes onto the floor, taking a second to let the pain pass before pushing himself back up on his feet.

Perturbed for her son's safety, Jeanne raises her right hand to fire three shots at the Affinity who managed to hit the apprentice witch. As the bullets shoot straight through the Affinity's upper body, it stumbles back, giving the young witch a small amount of space. Hearing abrupt clacking beside her, Jeanne's eyes dart to the side and views Bayonetta stopping in her tracks, already 6 steps away from the battle in front of them; if Jeanne hadn't reacted her wife would've been slaughtering the angels in less than two minutes. Despite Jeanne understanding her wife's instinct to head straight into battle to defend their son, she places her opposite hand on Cereza's shoulder to stop her. They need to stand back and allow Akira to defend himself without getting too involved. Akira, noticing his parents have gotten closer to the scene, chooses to end this sooner than they'd expected. In one swift movement, the young witch lunches his dagger in the direction of the flying Affinity. The blade pierces through the angel's head and its wings quickly stop moving for its body to slump onto the ground. Three Affinities left. An Affinity standing on the ground -somehow still dazed by Akira using the holy staff- was given a harsh kick to the face causing it to crash into a couple of boxes. Akira doesn't bother picking up his weapon, instead dashing right in front of the Affinity his mother shot at. With tightly clenched fists, Akira repeatedly punches the Affinity in its face. The impact thrusts the angel against the wall with the apprentice witch assaulting it with no mercy. He didn't stop until the Affinity went limp; two Affinities left. Akira attacks the flying Affinity next (mainly due to the other still being buried in stacks of fallen boxes), dodging two fires of the trumpet holy spheres before leaping in front of the Affinity. Colliding his forehead with the angel's breaking the golden armour, it screeches and covers its injury with its left hand. Quick on his feet, the young witch retrieves his dagger and horizontally slices through the Affinity's chest. Blood gushes across Akira's face before he falls back onto the ground, the angel's body follows flopping down with a loud thud. One Affinity left. Finally escaping the multiple heavy boxes, the Affinity lifts itself up only to be face-to-face with the young witch. A cheeky smirk plastered across his face. Without a second thought, Akira raises his dagger and drags its blade across the Affinity's neck. The cut is so deep that its head bends backwards as blood flows out with great force. Its body becomes limp in less than 10 seconds, dropping on top of the fallen boxes.

Zero Affinities left.

A tired sigh leaves Akira's lips; it didn't go as badly as he thought it could have. Aside from being hit once, he managed to dodge a majority of the attacks. Maybe he could hunt a second sphere angel such as a Beloved or a Belief. The young witch turns to face his parents, surprised to see they're now inside the building somewhat closer to the gruesome scene. Putting his dagger away, Akira walks over to his parents "How was that for a first-time witch?" In his mind, Akira was praying it was at least a decent battle for his parents. He's aware of their decades of experience, they'd know whether this was a travesty for a first-time witch or on par with what he should be achieving.

Jeanne was the first to speak, "You did splendidly Akira. Continue training like this and you'll be on par with Cereza and myself."

"Well, in a couple of years or so, surely you'll obtain that same amount of power as ourselves." Bayonetta paces to her son's left side, reaching into the small amount of opening in her bust -small enough for a flying squirrel to hide within- Bayonetta pulls out a tissue. A tissue big enough to swipe some blood off of Akira's cheek. The young witch recoils, somewhat embarrassed as his mummy tends to clean the angels' blood. "But you must be cautious about keeping yourself pristine. Especially your hair."

Akira nods, taking a mental note to ask his mother for reasons why his hair is specified. A sudden mantra of deep murmurs interrupted the Umbra witches, simultaneously the three turn their heads toward the odd sounds. It looked to be a person dressed in black hunch over, their back facing the trio. This must be the individual the Affinities were surrounding earlier... but why? They're usually not this 'docile' when they encounter someone or something they want.

Concerned for the person's safety, Akira was swift to react and rushed to assist the individual. His mothers stand in place sceptical about the situation; if the angels had business with this person then there's a chance that person could be troubling for them. The young witch speaks before even thinking, "Are you alright?! You're not hurt are you..?" His voice falters upon getting a closer look at the person.

Well, it wasn't exactly a person.

Even though it only had a similar body type to a typical human, it had a huge upper body as if it had a hunchback. What Akira believed to be dark clothing turned out to be its actual gloopy skin, partially dripping on the ground. The young witch couldn't identify it as an angel or a demon. Unexpectedly, the creature seemed to have heard the apprentice witch despite still walking through Purgatrio. Its head twists ever so slowly, making its full face now visible; a grey mask covering its true identity. The mask was a male face conveying a mixture of sadness, anger and despair. Akira was taken aback by the creature's appearance he didn't react to the creature standing up. Nor the creature's sudden convulsions and loud body twitching. The more experienced witches realise the potential danger and aim their weapons at the creature. Its liquid skin begins to fall apart, leaking off its body before a gust of red smoke appears. It seems the creature had disappeared -making the witches think it had escaped- yet within seconds it returned with a new form. It had the body of a woman with angel wings, wearing only black leather straps to cover its breasts and privates. The straps are linked to its neck collar along with a single chain dangling all the way down to its knees. Its eyes were hiding behind a black cloth wrapping around its head, its lips formed a subtle smile.

The young apprentice gasps, he hasn't seen an angel like this before. Was this a second or first sphere angel he didn't know about? Yet with its outer look, it could be considered to be a first-sphere angel. If this is an angel then why did it have that odd form beforehand? Too focused on his thoughts Akira doesn't retaliate when the angel glides toward raising its left hand to attack. Luckily his mothers stopped the angel's attack by firing loads into its body. Killing it in less than a minute. The gunshots break their son of his thoughts, he blinks three times in surprise. The angel was lying limp on the floor, with so many gunshot wounds in its body it would take too long to count them.

"You mustn't freeze like that Akira," His mother comments as she struts in front of her son with Bayonetta soon following. "if that were to happen again you'd be in grave danger."

Feeling a tinge of disappointment in his mother's tone, Akira looks down in shame, "Sorry mother, I promise it won't happen again."

"Now that's our little Kiki!" Bayonetta places a comforting hand on the young boy's shoulder. "How about we continue this night with a quick stop at Rodin's? We can have a drink to celebrate your first angel encounters." She encourages mostly to lighten her child's mood. Akira answers with a nod and smile, Jeanne just smiles to express her agreement. The trio exit the building, making their way to the gates of hell which surely isn't that far.

Bayonetta's fingers gently navigate through the luscious locks of her child's hair. Her son was sound asleep on her lap, definitely drained from slaying the angels three hours ago. He has done pretty well tonight, Akira may not be as nimble as Jeanne and herself but he did decently with dodging and his attacks. If they continue like this then he will surely become as strong as Jeanne and herself. Unfortunately, Bayonetta's mind still lingers on that uncommon angel from the beginning of the night; It was interesting to see an angel in that form.

"Jeanne..." Bayonetta calls out to her wife, Jeanne's eyes dart up from the TV to the right of her. Where Bayonetta sat with their son. Jeanne raises an eyebrow in question so Cereza continues, "What do you think of tonight?" It was a simple question but Jeanne what she meant to ask.

The platinum witch sighed, pondering on her answer before speaking "It was commendable, considering this was his first time." She gets off of the couch to sit beside her wife. "Although I'm curious about that specific angel within the 2 hours of his night." Cereza hums in agreement. Neither witch had seen an angel with a form like that in centuries; it had more of a common look that humans believed angels to obtain. It was bewildering how it stayed in that pitch-black fluid-like form. While this may cause some concern for the witches, it wasn't alarming enough they needed to contact their associates. This may just be a new first-sphere angel being incarnated.

Bayonetta's hand pauses her tender touches on Akira's head before rubbing her shoulder against Jeanne's. "So am I... Rodin will inform us of anything if it's consequential." Jeanne smiles, turning her head to fully face the black-haired witch. Planting a swift kiss on her cheek, Jeanne murmurs 'Of course' and falls back onto the bed. Her head landed on the soft pillow with a silent thud. Bayonetta stays in her position, her back resting on a set-up pillow with her child sleeping on her lap.

For now, Bayonetta can relax without worrying about an unexpected advent.

November 6 2016

Jeanne stares up at the moon, its full face exposed to empower the witches' magic. The open skylight also allowed the mellow breeze to flow into the room. Doubts continued to cloud the platinum witch's mind; this decision may be too early for Akira. After all, he is only sixteen years old. Jeanne is concerned that this could have a negative mental impact on Akira. Not only does Akira need to focus on his schoolwork but learning the dark arts on top of that could be too much for him. Her eyes travel to the opposite side of the room, the young witch and their blacksmith of infernal weapons are chatting. They're most likely discussing tonight, Akira inquiring as much information as he can to learn about the denizens of Inferno while Rodin answers like he would with Bayonetta or Jeanne. It was pleasing to witness her son be so eager about one of the most important steps in his Umbran training... but Jeanne couldn't stop the worry growing inside her stomach. She hopes tonight will go well.

"It's time kid. Get into position." Rodin comments sensing the dark energy rumbling by the Umbran symbol chalked onto the wooden floor. Certain infernals are itching to bind the boy's soul to themselves upon making a contract.

With a spring in his step, Akira moves across the room to stand in front of the circle. He scans the room, overlooking his mother standing close by with her arms crossed.

A subtle pout plastered on her face, "Are you sure about this Akira?" She asks, taking two steps closer to him. "This is a major decision to take," Akira smirks at his mother's comment, he is aware of the consequences. Once you make a pact with an infernal demon your soul will be forever sealed to Inferno. He can't back out once this is completed.

Akira replies, "I know but I want to be involved in every inch of Umbran training. I'll need this to push my magic to the fullest." That is partially true. Forming a contract with a demon can severely improve a witch's power. Furthermore, it can make abilities such as Witch Walk and Witch Time much easier to grasp. If anything that motivates him more to form a contract with a demon.

Bayonetta, who had just finished lighting the candles standing around the circle, joins in "I'd say Akira's ready for this. After all," She does a quick pause to wrap an arm around her son's shoulders. Pulling him into her side, "he does have enough kills under his belt. He is strong enough to handle a summoning."

"Very well then," Jeanne uncrosses her arms, choosing to no longer push Akira into not performing the summoning. "If you're prepared for what will happen then let's begin." Jeanne struts to the attic's light switch, ready to switch it off when everyone is ready. Bayonetta gives her child a reassuring smile, offering a small yet firm hug and then steps away to allow Akira to be the only one facing the Umbran symbol.

Luka, ever so eager to find a new scoop, speaks up "So, is this going to be a first-time thing?" Aware of what the journalist was referring to, Bayonetta answers his question,

"There have been very few male witches in our clan, We've never witnessed these male witches but there have been written records on them."

Jeanne piles on more information, "A significant male witch was back in the twelve hundreds. Apparently, he was vicious when it came to hunting the laguna. He would even leave some angels' heads on steaks to send a message to higher sphere angels."

The journalist shudders at the image, a row of lifeless angels' heads mounted on wooden steaks as if they were trophies to be admired. In the future, he should attempt to research if there have been any records of these male witches that are still accessible. Unsure of how else to respond, he murmurs 'disturbing' before his eyes look for something else to change the conversation. Luckily, the Umbra symbol begins to change colour going from purple to blood red, signaling a demon is eager to interact with the willing witch. Jeanne switches off the room's light, emphasizing the bright glow of the Umbra symbol along with faint red smoke rising from its lining. Bayonetta shoots a supportive smile to her son, mouthing 'Good luck' to give him some conviction.

With an exasperated sigh, Akira lets go of his nerves and begins his chant, "Torgu das ozazm micalzo, noas noqod ol il iad Akira!" Upon those words being shouted, the circle (surprisingly to Akira) extends further across the floor. The smoke exceeds upwards as something begins to break out. The denizen was difficult to make out at first, its black form slowly arising from the portal was so large it could barely push itself through the portal. It wasn't until its upper half arises it manifested into a giant skeleton, resting on its head was a jet-black sombrero lowered down enough that you were unable to see the top half of its face. Somehow it was able to form a grin exposing its canines. It wore a Chaquetilla containing elaborate golden embroidery down its sleeves and its shoulder reinforcements. The opening of the short jacket shows the skeleton's ribcage, the bones were dirt brown and ragged as if the skeleton dragged itself out of six feet underground.

Akira stood his ground, doing his best to hide the small amount of uneasiness inside him. He never suspected a demon as big as this to be interested in forming a contract; the demon could be the same size as Madama Butterfly and Madama Styx. At least, compared to drawings he has seen of the two demonesses. To demonstrate how much puissance Akira has in the situation, he stares directly at the demon's face. Leisurely, the demon raises its head to reveal a mix of red and orange being ignited in its eye holes. Its gaze sticks onto the young Umbra witch, contemplating whether to agree to form a contract with the witch or attempt to drag his soul down to inferno right at this moment. Within the young boy, the demon could discern how much power Akira had gained through years of training. There is more to this witch than what meets the eye; there is another aspect of his power that needs to be uncovered. Maybe the demon should make a contract with him. If it could support the young witch in obtaining his full power, the demon could also expand its own strength.

The demon chuckles, shocking Akira due to the deepness of the demon's voice. "Very well Umbra witch-" Its booming voice bounces off the attic's walls, "I'll abide by our contract as long as you bring forth new death to Inferno." Tipping the edge of its hat, the demon begins to lower back into the symbol. As its shoulders go under the red smoke of the circle, Akira feels something floating along his back. It begins to draw something Akira can't make out, a sudden whoosh sound signifies whatever was on his back has finished and seemingly faded.

Luka, who pushed his back against the wall during that whole exchange, lets out a long sigh of relief "That was... way more intense than I thought it would be." This earns Luka a deep chuckle from Rodin.

Bayonetta quickly jogs over to Akira and wraps her arms around his body firmly, Jeanne soon follows. Akira continued to stare ahead, relieved he managed to handle the situation and the demon didn't attempt to attack. "Good job Kiki. It seems Monsouir Charro has taken a liking to you." So that's the demon's name, he hasn't heard anything about this demon before. Akira will need to read about him tomorrow during his free time at school.

Jeanne was the first to pull away from the hug, giving her son a prideful look, "Now let's strive for you to activate Witch Time." Akira doesn't have enough time to respond as his mummy is now dragging him alongside his mother towards the exit. The remaining individuals in the room stayed in the attic due to Luka gathering as much information as he could from Rodin about making pacts with demons.

The pattern of Akira's footsteps echoed across the street. Akira hated how quiet the area was; it made him feel uneasy. Usually, he would encounter a few first-sphere angels when he walks home from school. They were mainly Affinities, Applauds or Decorations so Akira wouldn't have much trouble with them. Yet tonight, not a single angel was in sight. Akira decides not to dwell on it too much, after all, he has had enough of school work so a break from slaying angels is a good thing for the young teen. School work, learning to speak and read Japanese on top of being an Umbran witch has been very stressful for Akira. Not having to engage in battle was relaxing. Granted he won't be able to receive some halos and buy some of those delicious lollipops from Rodin but it's a sacrifice Akira is willing to make in order to mellow out from all of his stress. Although there wasn't any Laguna in the area, that uneasy feeling continued to stir. This could just be a result of Akira's hunger, he wasn't able to eat much during lunchtime. Thanks to his partner talking his ear nonstop even though it was obvious he needed to focus on finishing some school work. To be frank, he couldn't blame his partner for not noticing since they usually hyper-focus on Akira when they're together. They have a tendency to stay fixated on something and be ignorant of things around them. Maybe he could find solutions to help them be more aware of their surroundings, he could look online-

"Just get in the car!"

A gravelly voice stops his train of thought. It seems to be coming from further down the street.

"Stop it!"

A female voice cuts into the air, seemingly from the same direction as the previous voice. By the tones of both voices, it concerned Akira about what was occurring further down the street. He begins to jog toward the commotion hoping it hasn't escalated into something much worse than he thought. His eyes spot a woman being pulled by a man who is blatantly drunk near a parked car. The man had a harsh grip on the woman's wrist, keeping her in place. Akira can't stand by and watch this happen...

He needs to intervene.

A/N: Hey everyone!

I know this may of been a bit late but I've been getting late shifts at my job lately so I am not able to write as much as I usually would. But I've finally got to finish chapter 2 and see what you all will think about it. I tried to give Akira his own set of guns and demon for him to have a main contract with; I'm not like the most creative but I am pretty happy with what I have chosen for him.

Also I want to say thank you for the kudos and nice comments! I'm kinda awkward when it comes to this stuff so... thank you again!

Now for the Enochian chants, I will give a translation at the end of each chapter they're in but since I couldn't find a 100% accurate dictionary about the Enochian language I used some links from going on Bayonetta Reddit for help.

For Translation:

'Torgu das ozazm micalzo, noas noqod ol il iad Akira!' This means 'Arise and make me powerful, become a servant of thy master Akira!'