III

Karina

Kouji had eaten dinner with Irina many times before over the years, but he couldn't remember the last time they had a silent meal.

His sister was uncharacteristically non-hyper verbal, which terrified Kouji in ways words couldn't properly describe. Whenever he thought about Irina, her outgoing and extroverted personality always came to mind first. It was the one thing people knew about her, she was loud and always happy. So to see her silent with no smile on her face, fear wasn't the thing he thought he would be feeling today.

"So…" Kouji cleared his throat as he ate his lasagna. "How was your job?"

"Oh stop it," said Irina. "Do you really think asking about my job is the right thing to do right now?"

"Well what do you want to talk about?" asked Kouji. "I didn't think talking about how the world wants me dead was an appropriate dinner topic."

Irina smiled. "Have you ever thought about going back to Japan? You loved it in Japan, didn't you?"

"Well…" said Kouji. "I mean it is where you and dad are from. I did have fun…but do you think it's safe?"

"I don't know really," Irina sighed. "Kouji I don't know what to do. I'm not a high ranked exorcist so I don't have the pull to get information on the demons who experimented on you. I'm not the best fighter so I don't know what I'm going to do when someone more powerful comes…I don't know what to do Kouji."

This was a first. He had never seen his sister so rocked. Her hands were trembling and she looked on the verge of tears. All his life, Irina had been a rock for him. She never cried, her smile never left her face, but now…

"Why don't you trust Karina and Aespa?" asked Kouji.

"Because what if something happens?" asked Irina. "Dad and I have spent years practicing what to do when the time came but we never expected…this. The whole world will want you dead or captured soon and we never prepared for that. What if Aespa just wants the same?"

"Do you think they do?" asked Kouji.

"How…How can you trust people so easily?" asked Irina. "I know you like them as an idol group but come on little brother, they're angels who can and will kill you if you prove to be a threat."

"Because somebody taught me to have faith in people, right?" Kouji smiled. "Irina I'm 15 years old, and you have to admit I'm a lot more mature than other kids my age. I mean look at King? Do you think I really can't take care of myself when the time comes?"

Irina sighed. "Fine…fine. Maybe you're right. You're my little brother but…I guess you've got to be your own person too. If you want to trust Aespa then I'll trust them too."

"You're still my big sister you know," Kouji smiled. "It's not like I'm running off with a new family. I'll still come to you for help whenever I need it and of course you can come to me too. We're still family."

"Okay, okay I get it," Irina smiled. "Now finish your dinner before I start crying. I'll be out of the house for a bit though. I have to finish up my job before dad comes home. He'll kill me if I forget the paperwork."

"Paperwork, huh?" asked Kouji. "Sounds exhausting."

The rest of dinner felt like the good old days. It had been a weird few days however dinner with his sister somehow anchored him to whatever normal life was like before all of this. In that moment Kouji wasn't some kind of terrifying hybrid who needed to be put down, Irina wasn't an exorcist who hunts demons and monsters. In that moment, they were just brother and sister having a normal meal.

"Alright," Irina got up and stretched. "Mind finishing up the dishes for me? I've gotta get the paperwork done before midnight."

"I got it," Kouji gathered up the dishes as Irina put her coat on.

"Remember to lock up if you're going out," said Irina. "But please don't go out, especially not with how things are right now. Call me if anything goes wrong and if you really, really, really need it…there's a sword stashed under the couch. It's nothing special but it's a prototype Holy Sword so it'll do fine for now."

"Oh…kay," said Kouji. "I'll be fine Irina. Go on. Love you."

"Love you too!" Irina closed the front door behind her as she left.

Kouji took a few seconds to take it all in, the emptiness. There really wasn't a single person here besides him in this house, so why were the hairs on his neck standing on end?

He never liked this feeling. Even when he was alone, Kouji always felt like there were eyes on him. It was the same situation as the monsters under his bed and the man who followed him. He was never truly alone…

"I thought she'd never leave."

Kouji calmly washed the dishes in the sick and sighed. "Why exactly didn't you just use the front door? She's not here so she wouldn't exactly try to kill you."

"But where's the fun in that?"

Karina crossed her legs as she sat in his seat at the dinner table. She had changed her clothes, wearing an oversized T-shirt that hung over her shoulder and a black bandana on her forehead.

"This is fun to you?" asked Kouji.

"It's not to you?" asked Karina. "Surely you have to admit, this is the most fun you've had your entire life. The realization that none of it was in your head, that it's all real, doesn't it excite you even a little bit?"

Kouji never said it aloud but…she had a point. All his life being told that everything he had seen or heard were just figments of his imagination. Taking countless medication, the psychiatrists, the hours at the hospital…to know that all of it was true. It gave him a sense of relief and excitement for what else there was out there to see.

"Here," Kouji set down a plate with a slice of lasagna on it and even a glass of chardenaye. "It's not much but I didn't have a lot of time to make anything fancy."

Karina raised an eyebrow. "You made this? I didn't know you could cook."

"Not really a point in cooking when all my meals were paid for," Kouji smiled. "Eat up. I'm not sure if angels eat but it's my own recipe."

Karina reluctantly took a bite of the lasagna.

"It's good!" Her face beamed. "Oh I have to share this with the girls next time they come by. Winter loves pasta."

Kouji smiled. "So? Why'd you come here? And why did you wait until Irina left?"

"You think she would just let me come in for a chat with you when she wasn't here?" asked Karina.

"Well…I guess you have a point," said Kouji. "But chat about what? Didn't we have a chat earlier?"

"This is a tad bit more…personal," said Karina. "We've come to a bit of a crossroads, if you'd like to call it. There's a lot to fill you in on but for right now the biggest thing is that we have someone who can come talk to you. She's in charge of foreign affairs and she has knowledge on the House of Valak. We're hopping she knows what happened in their final days and exactly what they did to you."

"What? That's great!" Kouji cried. "When can I meet her?"

"That's where it gets kind of complicated," said Karina. "She's one of the Four Devil Kings, one of the strongest creatures on the planet. One doesn't exactly get an appointment with her unless there is a legitimate reason for one, and we can't necessarily just outright tell her we need information on the House of Valak."

"So what do we do?" asked Kouji.

"I'm having NingNing handle it," said Karina. "She knows her way around the political inner workings of the three factions."

Kouji was still trying to wrap his head around this entirely new world he had found himself in. Not only were there devils and angels, but Heaven and Hell were real too. Entirely new political systems with their own leaders each with their own turmoils with others factions. It was like he was plopped onto an entirely different world.

"And what about you?" asked Kouji. "What's Karina's story?"

She furrowed an eyebrow as she finished her lasagna. "Oh? Don't you already know? I mean you are my number one fan, right?"

"Like any of that's real," said Kouji. "I'm guessing your entire backstory was fabricated? Speaking of which, if you guys are all angels…why be an idol group?"

"We like to sing and dance," said Karina. "And Lord Azazel said we're free to do what we please with our human lives as long as we don't forget about our mission."

"Your mission?" asked Kouji.

"The Grigori were the protectors of mankind long before the Church took up that title," said Karina. "We did everything from answering prayer calls to mass cullings of empires. We created empires to keep the peace and toppled them when they became too influential. Eventually followers of the Church became too strong for us to simply topple so…we hid ourselves in mankind to continue our mission."

"So you and the Church protect humans?" asked Kouji. "Are humans really that special that they need that many guards?"

"You have no idea," said Karina. "Have you ever heard of a Sacred Gear?"

Kouji shook his head. "Sounds…cool, actually."

"I'm glad you think so," she smiled. "Sacred Gears are like tools that God granted specifically to humans, a way of innacting miracles on Earth. If you'd like, you can think of them as an extension of God himself. Once he perished, there were no new Sacred Gears being created so each one was passed down through time via reincarnation. When one human who possesses a Sacred Gear dies with their Sacred Gear intact, it's then transferred to a newborn soul seconds from being born. There hasn't been a new true Sacred Gear in quite some time."

Her explanation was solid, however Kouji got stuck up on one key phrase.

"What do you mean…perished?" asked Kouji. "Are you saying God…God's dead?"

"For a long time now," said Karina. "Best to not tell Irina. Heck, I doubt even the Pope knows. That information is kept so closely guarded that only the Archangels, Fallen Angel Prime Ministers, and the Devil Kings know."

"But the world is still intact," said Kouji. "I don't know, I always thought if God died…wouldn't the universe shatter or something?"

"You would think," said Karina. "But the Archangels found a way to suppliment God's power through the Church and it's believers, they even created their own artificial angelic reincarnation system. It's why I was able to be reincarnated into an angel despite being human. It's the only way they can increase their numbers now that the Creator is gone."

Kouji shook his head. "W-Why are you telling me this? Why would you tell me God is dead when my sister is a Catholic and an exorcist?"

"Because you possess a Sacred Gear, Koujiro," said Karina. "A powerful one. I'm starting to think it was why you were chosen as House Valak's experiment. Did you think they would just pluck a random kid off the streets?"

"I…I have a Sacred Gear?" asked Kouji. "But how do you know?"

"Do you ever see them?" asked Karina. "The spirits. They can sense when a human has the gift."

"What gift?"

"The ability to see the dead," said Karina. "Sometimes…out your window, or under your bed. Do you ever hear voices when no one else is in the room? See things that nobody else can see, not even your sister?"

Kouji collapsed into his seat. "That…That's because of my Sacred Gear?"

"The Mystic Eyes of Purgatory," said Karina. "From what we've gathered, it's an occular Sacred Gear that's been mostly used by shaman or priestesses in ancient times to commune with the deceased. Your eyes are special, Koujiro. They are the only eyes in the world, maybe the universe, who can see the spirits of the dearly departed."

"So…all those things I've seen," Kouji gulped. "They were dead people?"

"Step one," said Karina. "Focus your sight. It's kind of like seeing something past a certain point. Focus your eyes to see beyond what's in front of you."

"How the hell do I do that?" asked Kouji. "You're making it sound easy."

Karina grinned and held up a fork. "Look at this fork. Focus your vision on it until everything around you is a blur. You got it?"

"I'm doing it."

"Good…now without looking away from the fork, what do you see around you? Use your peripheral vision. Look without seeing."

Look without seeing? What the hell does that even-

Kouji jolted back, standing up as he saw it for a brief second. Behind Karina, in the hallway was…a thing. It was tall, covered in darkness and had golden cat-like eyes.

"W-What the hell was that?" asked Kouji. "Did you see that?"

Karina shook her head. "Reincarnated Angels don't possess the ability to see spirits like that. But it's good…your eyes are already adjusting."

"Adjusting? What do you mean?" asked Kouji.

"Look in the mirror, you'll see."

Kouji scrambled to the mirror by the front door and stared at his reflection. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. His brown eyes were gone. They were replaced with two ruby orbs with a tomoe symbol encompassing his black pupil.

"W-What the hell…" said Kouji. "My eyes…Is that the Sacred Gear?"

Karina smiled. "The Mystic Eyes of Purgatory…You have in your possession a very powerful weapon. If your bloodline wasn't the reason why you're going to be hunted, it might be because of that."

"Why…Why is this happening to me…" Kouji collapsed onto his knees. "I just wanted a normal life…a normal human life. Why did all of this have to happen?"

Karina knelt down in front of him and took his hands. "Look at me. A normal life might not be on the table for people like us, but that does not mean we don't get to choose how we live. God's dead, nobody is up there writing your story Koujiro. It's up to you to decide how your life goes and it's up to you to accept the consequences of your actions, whether they be glorious or tragic."

"Why…are you helping me?" asked Kouji. "You're an angel, an idol…Why would you waste your time helping me?"

"Oh my sweet boy," Karina wrapped her hands behind his head and touched foreheads with him. "Because you are lost…so lost and so afraid. It doesn't matter who you are or who your family is. I'd help you either way. Besides, I can't just leave one of my fans when they need me, can I?"

Kouji parted from her embrace and looked at her with shock in his eyes. She wasn't alone. It was faint and almost transparent but there was a boy behind her, wrapping his arms around her like a child hugging their mother.

"You…You lost someone," said Kouji. "That's it, isn't it?"

Karina's eyes widened. "What are you talking about?"

"Can you hear me?" asked Kouji. "Little boy, I can see you."

The boy's head lifted with surprise. He looked no older than 10 years old with short black hair and golden eyes. His skin was tanned and his clothes were ragged. If Kouji was able to see him and if he was so transparent…he must be dead…

"You…You can see me?" asked the boy. "You can really see me?"

"Yeah," Kouji smiled. "I'm Koujiro, what's your name?"

"I…Izil," said the boy, hiding behind Karina.

"Izil…that's a fantastic name," Kouji smiled.

Karina covered her mouth as tears formed in her eyes. "How do you…Is he here? Can you see him?"

Kouji nodded. "You are just the cutest little thing. What're you doing here Izil?"

Izil looked to Karina. "I can't leave her…she needs me."

"Why do you think that?" asked Kouji.

"Big Sister cries at night," said Izil. "When she thinks no one's watching…She cries because of me…I can't leave her."

"Izil…" Kouji scooted closer towards the boy and took his hands. "Were you listening the whole time?"

He was reluctant, but Izil took Kouji's hands and nodded. "You…have the same eyes as me."

"I see…" said Kouji. "So that's how she knows so much about my eyes."

"What's happening?" asked Karina. "Are you talking to him? What's he saying?"

"She misses you, doesn't she?" asked Kouji.

"I know she does," said Izil. "But she feels guilty…she feels guilty because I died."

"I see…" Kouji wrapped his arms around the boy. "I know she misses you, Izil, and I know you miss her…but your time in this world is gone. If you stay, you'll just feel even worse right?"

"But…" Izil began to cry as he clung onto Kouji. "But I can't…I can't leave her…"

"Tell you what," Kouji smiled and parted, holding up his pinky. "I'll look after her for you."

"You…You will?" asked Izil.

"Yeah," Kouji looked to Karina. "I get the feeling that she's looked after other people for so long, she's forgotten that she needs someone to look after her too. I'll look after her, protect her, and one day…one day when I'm in Heaven too, I'll tell you all about our adventures together, how does that sound?"

Izil smiled, locking his pinky onto Kouji's. "Okay…it's a promise."

Karina's eyes flooded as she covered her mouth. "Izil…Is that you?"

Izil smiled as his body began to fade away. "I'll be waiting…but don't come too early, okay? I'll be watching through your eyes, Koujiro."

Kouji smiled as Izil's body vanished completely, sparkling away like the ends of a flame. He put it together by now. That big dark thing he saw in the hallway was Izil…he just wasn't looking directly. These eyes gave him the ability to see the dead, but he had to be looking.

"He's a sweet kid," said Kouji.

Karina wiped away her tears. "He died a few decades ago…a bombing in his village. So many lives were lost by the time we were deployed. It's always one thing or another Koujiro. Sometimes we can't save everybody."

"Is that good for you?" asked Kouji. "You may be an angel but you're still human at heart. He told me…Izil, he said you cry every night when you think you're alone. You can't stop thinking about the people who couldn't save, right?"

"H-He…" Karina's cheeks flushed. It was the first time he had ever seen her get flustered. Her cool and collected exterior shattered as she looked away, hiding her face. "I do not cry every night."

"I'm sure," said Kouji. "My mistake."

Karina shot to her feet and collected herself. "I should get going. The girls are probably waiting for me anyway."

"Yeah," said Kouji. "Did you enjoy the lasagna at least?"

"It was delicious," Karina sniffed. "The most delicious thing I've consumed in a hundred years." She opened a magic circle as something dropped in her hand. "Here…for you and your friend. He's a big fan of Winter right? I had her sign one for him."

"And the other?"

"It's mine," Karina smiled. "Thank you, Koujiro."

"For what?" asked Kouji.

"For the closure."

He looked down to see two new albums from Aespa that hadn't even been released yet. All four girls were dressed in silver or gray, all with blonde hair and posed like a 90's boy band. One was signed with Winter's autograph with a message for King while the other…

"You gave me your phone number?" He looked up but Karina was gone, vanished without even a sound, just like when she came in.

Kouji smiled and pulled out his phone to dial up King.

"Yo. Come over, I got something for you."