XII
The World Discovery
Gabriel had seen much in her days of existence. She had seen the rise of fall of countless civilizations of Father's most favored creations. She witnessed them grow from cavemen who didn't know what fire was to becoming the curious and expansive species that had conquered most of the world. It was hard to believe that, at one point, she shared her brother Lucifer's ideology in angelic supremacy…until she discovered why it was her Father cherished humanity so.
"Gabriel?"
Her eyes blinked as she was taken back to the harsh reality that she was in. The council chamber in Sixth Heaven was rather filled today of all days. Gathered were the three remaining Archangels, Gabriel herself included, with the inclusion of Lucifer's chosen replacement Uriel, as well as various Brave Saints under the Archangels.
"Yes?" asked Gabriel. "I apologize…my mind seems to be elswhere today. What were we discussing?"
Micheal smiled. Ever the calm person he was, her eldest brother was always compassionate and patient with her, especially so in times of meeting of great importance…such as the one they were in now.
"About the child," said Micheal. "What did you gather from your visit to your Brave Saints?"
"Oh…Koujiro," said Gabriel. "I don't quite know if he's as dangerous as we made him out to be brother. Despite his lineage, he was raised human. He's as much human as my girls are."
"That is yet to be determined sister," said Raphael.
Gabriel didn't blame Raphael for always being so cautious of others outside of their family, especially when it came to matters of the Underworld and its denizens. As Head of Security for all of Heaven and its inhabitants, it was his eternal job to make sure they were all protected from threats foreign or domestic. However she did wish he was a little less of a stick in the mud.
"Maybe, but he was quite the little hero," said Gabriel. "We might be wrong about him. He seeks peace and hopes to control the Serpent's power to avoid unneccessary bloodshed, something I had hoped we were all in agreement of."
"Which alarms me more than anything else," said Raphael. "Should we really be placing as much faith in a Demon who may or may not turn to evil? Imugi is as coniving and manipulative as Lucifer was…How do we know its tempations won't completely rule this boy in time?"
"Are you doubting the intentions of my Brave Saints?" asked Gabriel. "Karina and Griselda are most dependable in times like this brother, would you dare to claim that my girls are not up to the task of controlling the boy should he stray from the light?"
"It is not a matter of control, dear sister," Uriel chimmed in this time. "Raphael merely means to say that after all that has happened…it would be reckless of us to have blind faith in someone who possesses the Serpent that has devastated the world stability so many times before. After all we have strived to achieve with the other factions, having a wild card like this out in the open…it would be dangerous for us, not just him."
Of course, she hadn't forgotten that. Gabriel, of all beings, could not forget about the damage Imugi had done on their world. The temptation the Serpent had caused on Adam…it was the catalyst of Lucifer's fall and the start of his rebellion. An event like that…she could never forget.
"What would you suggest we do, Raphael?" asked Micheal.
"We should just kill the boy," said Raphael. "A metaphysical concept like Imugi cannot survive without a vessel. If we starve it of what it needs, the problem is solved."
"Doing so would risk the Gates opening," said Gabriel. "Or did you forget that minor but important fact?"
"We can store it here in Heaven," said Raphael. "Where else would such a dangerous creature be housed?"
"If I may, Lord Raphael," Griselda stepped forward.
"No, you may not," Raphael's eyes glowed blue. "This is a matter for the Archangels girl, this is not-"
"Mind your tongue brother," Gabriel's playful demeanor dropped. "While I hold your position as both our Head of Security and as my older brother in high regard, even I will not sit idly by and hear you belittle my Queen like that."
"Now, now Gabriel," Micheal smiled. "We're all family here, let's keep it civilized. Raphael, Griselda has earned her place at this table. She is permitted to voice her thoughts as we all are. Griselda, as you were saying?"
"Y-Yes," said Griselda. "While I agree that letting an inexperienced and volatile boy like Koujiro keep Imugi is risky for us all, I believe it to be of a far greater risk to have that creature in Heaven. I don't mean to bring up bad memories, however I'm sure my Lords and my Lady remember what happened the last time the Serpent was behind our gates."
"She brings up an excellent point," Uriel grinned. "And killing him wouldn't do us much good. By the laws that we set for ourselves, we'd be killing a denizen of the Underworld. The boy may have been raised human but biological speaking, he's more Demon then human."
"Yes, exactly my Lord," said Griselda. "And as for the boy's intention to control Imugi and forcing the creature to submit…as naive as I may sound, I believe he can do it."
"Oh?" asked Micheal. "That's right, you visited Gabriel's Brave Saints. How did it go?"
Griselda closed her eyes. "I apologize Lord Micheal, I could not bear myself to hide the boy's childhood from him. While the details were told to my sisters, the boy knows that he was abducted by the Marquis of Snakes. He was…distraught, to say the least."
"Anyone would be," Dulio Gesualdo, Micheal's Joker, commented.
"Dulio…" said Micheal.
"Lord Micheal," said Dulio. "He's a boy…a child even. No child should have to experience something like that…no one."
"It's rare for you to show such enthusiasm Dulio," Gabriel smiled. "What gives?"
"I have a soft spot for children," said Dulio. "I wish I could help…even if it would mean more work on my part."
"Unfortunately…we cannot do much to help guide the boy," said Gabriel. "I already warned Karina what this road will lead to, however they were all determined to help Koujiro, consequences be damned."
"Do you think the Devils have picked up on the boy's existence?" asked Uriel.
"I doubt that they haven't," said Raphael. "The real question is why haven't they done anything about it yet?"
"The same reason we haven't," said Micheal. "Imugi was created before our brother fell and became a Demon so in their eyes, the boy is our problem. However because the boy is also a Demon, we would assume it to be their problem. All the meanwhile…the Church cares very little for whose problem it may be, they just want the boy dead."
"Should we intervene?" asked Uriel. "It could be a problem if another holy crusade were to start. I'm already on the fence about whether or not we should have done something about the Church long ago."
"We cannot intervene ourselves," said Micheal. "That was the one infalible law we all agreed one."
"But our Brave Saints aren't," Gabriel smirked. "Wouldn't you agree, brother?"
Gabriel had known her brother to be a schemer. He may appear to be a polite gentleman, however behind that gentle smile was the maniacal grin of a manipulative and deceitful strategist who will use any loop hole in any contract to take action against unjust law. She should have expected nothing less.
"No, they aren't," Micheal leaned back in his throne and smiled. "If Dulio or Griselda, or even any of our Brave Saints were to willingly join this crusade…it would be entirely out of our control. Should they help the boy control his newfound abilities or not…the choice is entirely out of our hands."
"You heard the man, Griselda," said Gabriel.
Griselda smiled and lowered her head. "Thank you, Lady Gabriel."
"Same goes to you, Dulio," said Micheal. "However do stay out of too much trouble. I would like the world to remain in one piece this time."
"Please don't embarrass me in front of your siblings, Lord Micheal," Dulio sighed.
The two Brave Saints flew off, exiting the council room with the sound of their wings.
"I hope you know what you're doing brother," Raphael sighed and crossed his arms. "I may be cautious, but it is not as though I'm heartless. The boy has experienced pain the likes of which no human has felt…I doubt he will come through this unscathed."
"That may be true…" said Gabriel. "But I believe Karina will do what's right. Those girls have become quite smitten with the boy. They will protect him and guide him to the right path. If nothing else, I have faith in them."
…
Kouji dreamt of home.
He was still in London…however it was as if he had a normal life. He went to school, hung out with King, ate dinner with his family…the life he had always wanted. His sister was in high school, his father had a normal human job, and Aespa were just another idol group on the rise. He wished that it were true…to live in that dream world would have been a blessing. However all dreams came to an end when his eyes opened.
He was in…Winter's room. He recognized the bookshelf and the wardrobe that was filled to the brim with snacks rather than actual clothes. The curtains were closed yet he could see the light poking through ever so slightly. The smell of…burnt bacon entered the room as a sheepish smile grew on his face.
"Please don't tell me Karina's cooking…"
Kouji heard groaning as he turned his head to see Winter sleeping besides him. His voice seemed to wake her up, opening her eyes and noticing he was awake.
"Hi…" she smiled. "Did you sleep okay?"
Her eyes were swollen…Had she cried herself to sleep?
"I…" Memories of their conversation with Griselda came rushing back to him. "I'm…coping. You look awful."
"I was so worried about you," she scooted closer to him. "Please don't do that…you can't shut us out, Kouji."
"I'm sorry…" he looked up to the ceiling. "I was just…shocked, that's all."
"I'm sorry…" she wrapped herself around his arm. "I don't know what to say…or do…but I didn't think you should be alone. I know that it's better if you're with people who love you…that's what Rina always says."
He somehow found the courage to smile. "I guess she's always right."
"Are you hungry?" asked Winter.
"You smell the burning bacon too…right?" asked Kouji.
"Oh I knew that was going to happen," Winter sheepishly smiled. "Giselle, NingNing and I agreed to order takeout."
"What?" Kouji forced himself up. "N-No, it's fine. I can make us something."
"You…" Winter forced him back down. "Are not doing a thing. You've been taking care of us long enough. We're taking care of you this time."
Winter swung her legs over the bed and got up, stretching her arms as she groaned. "I'll be back in a bit…do not get out of bed or else I'm going to be mad."
Kouji smiled as she left the room.
Every word…every detail of Griselda reveal had stuck with him. Seared into his mind like a brand. He looked down at his hands, still trembling with fear and anxiety.
Kouji wondered what he was like…before all of this. Was he a normal kid back then? Did he have a mom? A dad? A brother or sister? He wondered what ancient Mesopotamia was like…and why did Valak even choose him? What kind of spell had the kind of delayed effect to release him after 3,000 years…and why?
He had so many questions yet to be answered and so much more that he didn't know if he wanted answered. To be honest…He was afraid of knowing more. He had tried his best to stay strong and not give in to his emotions so much, but it was near impossible now.
A storm is on its way…Brave it, or be swept away in despair.
Imugi's warning was crystal clear now. It wasn't just the Church or the Devils…it was his own turmoil. He understood now better than ever what an identity crisis was. He shouldn't even be alive in this time period…if things had been different, he would have been long dead by now, a distant memory from a time nobody would even remember.
The doors burst open as the girls came in with Karina carrying a tray of breakfast.
"W-What's this?" asked Kouji.
"I know…I know…" Karina sighed. "But I wanted to make you something to make you feel better. It's just some bacon, eggs and french toast."
Karina set the tray down on his lap. The bacon was blackened like charcoal, the eggs were somehow still runny and raw, and the "french toast" was just bread soaked in cream.
He looked up to see Giselle, NingNing, and Winter shaking their heads and pointing to a bag of takeout food Giselle was holding in her hands.
"Thank you…" Kouji didn't hesitate, picking up the bacon and taking a bite. One after another and the next thing he knew, he had finished the entire plate with the girls smiling as they watched. "The bacon could've been less…crispy, but it was really good."
Karina smiled. "How are you feeling?"
"A lot better," said Kouji. "What happened…after?"
"Griselda went back to Heaven," said Giselle. "They're having a meeting about you, the Archangels."
"That…doesn't sound good," said Kouji.
"Don't worry," said Winter, jumping in bed beside him. "Lady Gabriel and Griselda will defend you. I doubt that the Archangels will do anything with those two sticking up for you."
"So don't stress about it," NingNing smiled cheekily and ruffled his hair. "You just worry about yourself and rest up."
"Guys I'm fine…seriously," he said.
"We know," said Giselle. "But it wouldn't hurt to be more fine, right? Besides I have fried chicken!"
"G-Giselle!" cried Karina. "I told you I was going to make breakfast!"
"Rina you didn't even toast the french toast," said Giselle.
"But then the cream would just evaporate…" said Karina.
"Not if it's soaked!" cried Giselle. "How many times do I have to tell you not to cook…besides, we were craving chicken too."
"Can we at least eat outside?" asked Kouji.
They all gathered in the living room and spread the platter out on the coffee table. Giselle had ordered the works, over two dozen wings with an assortment of flavors and preperation methods, not to mention a mountain of sides and dips.
As they ate, they filled Kouji in on what they were going to do next. Karina, most especially, was worried about the political state of the world right now. Aside from the Angels, the Devils have yet to make contact with him. And of course…the Church.
"Why haven't they done anything?" asked Kouji. "I thought they would be out for blood right about now."
"They're probably rallying their forces," said Giselle. "If nothing else, they'd have figured out where we are and probably nervous to attack a building filled with Fallen Angels."
"Do you think they will?" asked Kouji.
"I wouldn't necessarily doubt it," said Karina. "They'll do anything to rid the world of evil…and where else to focus their attention than here."
Something didn't make sense in his head. The Church had plenty of chances to attack him when he was outside the building. In Gwangjang with Giselle, in the shopping districts with Winter and NingNing, even when they went to Itaewon…so why? Why wait for so long? Were they watching him from afar? If that were the case…what were they waiting for?
A knock at the door heralded the arrival of Azazel. Still dressed in his suit and coat, the Fallen Angel Governer General smiled at them. "Morning. Sounds like you guys had quite the night, didn't ya?"
"Goodmorning sir," said Karina. "What brings you here?"
"A visitor," said Azazel. "And be nice. They're all yours. I've gotta step out of town for a few days so you'll be on your own until I'm back."
"Where are you going?" asked Kouji.
"Big boy Micheal's called a meeting between the three factions," said Azazel. "Either something big is stirring our it's to discuss you kid. Either way I'll be back soon. All yours Devil King."
Devil King?
A plucky young girl poked her head in and smiled at them. She didn't look any older than Kouji was with raven black hair and violet eyes. She wore a green suit with black stockings…but she felt extremely powerful. As soon as she made her presence known, Kouji's eyes reacted.
"L-Lady Leviathan!" Karina shot to her feet.
His eyes shifted, out of his control. Was his Sacred Gear…reacting to the Devil King? Wait…did Karina say Leviathan? The Devil King that she had told him about before? The one who froze Anatartica?
"Hey there!" said the Devil King. "Sorry about the late visit…I didn't hear about what was happening until yesterday. I can't believe Gabriel came before I did. How embarrassing."
"W-What brings you here my Lady?" asked Giselle.
Leviathan walked into the room and starred right at Kouji. His eyes were activated, however she was perring directly into his eyes. Nothing was happening…was she immune to the Phantasm?
"So…it's really true…" her playful demeanor shifted into a more serious tone. "Oh my…I'm so sorry…"
"A-Are you…gonna kill me?" asked Kouji.
"Huh? Why would I do that?" asked Leviathan. "Do I look like the type to kill a random stranger?"
He…genuinely didn't know how to answer. The things he had heard about her conlflicted with how she was behaving. He was utterly confused.
"I see Gabriel's restored the seal," said Leviathan. "Has it made a move yet? Said anything to you? And the mask…has it surfaced?"
"No, yes, and not recently, not fully anyway," said Kouji. "I'm sorry, if you're not here to kill me…why are you here then?"
"Sirzechs asked me to come see for myself just how far the Serpent had encroached on your soul," said Leviathan. "To see if there's anything to be done, yanno before the Church gets their hands on you."
"And…your assessment?" asked Karina.
Winter instinctively took his arm, weary of letting the Devil King anywhere closer to him.
"That Valak…" said Leviathan. "I'm so sorry young one. His little experiment went further than we thought. I wish we could have stopped him sooner…maybe then it would spared you from all of this."
"So…it's bad…" said Kouji.
"The Serpent's entangled in your entire soul," said Leviathan. "We can't separate the two of you without killing the vessel, and even then we can't just outright kill Imugi either. This might be more complicated than I had originally thought…"
Kouji smiled. "I figured as much. Do you want some chicken? Giselle just got it for us."
"K-Kouji…I don't know if inviting the Devil King to eat with us is such a good idea," Giselle whispered.
"Why not? She seems friendly enough," said Kouji. "Besides…after yesterday, I'm not exactly scared to die anymore."
"Oh?" Lady Leviathan sat at the end of the couch, grabbing a piece of chicken and digging in. "What exactly happened?"
"Griselda, Lady Gabriel's Queen, told us what happened to Kouji…his abduction and…transformation," said Karina.
"Torture," said Kouji. "She told us about my torture."
Lady Leviathan closed her eyes and set down her chicken. "I see…I'm sorry Koujiro. Truth be told, I'm partially to blame for what happened to you. I'm in charge of foreign and domestic affairs, I should have known Valak would go to extremes to rescurrect Lucifer…but maybe I was just blinded by the treaty, or maybe I just didn't want to believe something like this could happen. If I had…maybe I could have stopped all of this."
Kouji smiled. "You don't need to apologize, Lady Leviathan. Honestly…part of me is glad that it did happen."
She raised an eyebrow. "That's…slightly alarming."
"No, what I mean is without what he did," Kouji looked to the girls. "I wouldn't have ever met them, or been raised by a loving family. Circumstances of my existence aside, I'm grateful for it nonetheless. The girls have been helping me learn to control these…gifts, how to navigate the world as it is, to trust my instincts and do what's right, even when the world says it's wrong."
Karina smiled. "Love you too Kouji."
"So…that's why Gabriel didn't do anything drastic," said Lady Leviathan. "I'm starting to understand. What will you do then, Koujiro?"
He leaned back and sighed. "Well I can't just get rid of Imugi. It's the key to the Gates of Purgatory. Anything happens to it, Lucifer will be set free. I'm going to become its vessel. Just me…no matter how long it takes to keep it in check. As long as Imugi's power is kept in check, it can't restart Valak's bloodline, Lucifer won't be set free."
"It's more complicated than that I'm afraid," said Lady Leviathan. "Aside from the Archangels, nothing in this world is truly immortal. Imugi is one of those things. With it inside you, once you've reached maturity…you won't ever die. I mean literally nothing. As long as that thing is inside you, you can never have children. You can never die…you'll outlive even the oldest Devils."
"I know," said Kouji. "But…this is the only way to make sure that the Devil himself remains locked up, right? Besides, I'm sure Irina will go on to have children one day, and they'll have children one day too. Even if they aren't my birth family…I want to at least protect them."
"I see…" Lady Leviathan. "Of all the things I expected you to be, selfless wasn't one of them."
"More…selfish," said Kouji. "I want to spend as much time with Aespa as I can. Even if I'll outlive them one day, they're my family too."
"Well…consider this a done deal then," Lady Leviathan got up and stretched. "You know I was expecting to drag you back to Hell today, I didn't expect you to willing give yourself up to the Serpent like this. I haven't seen that in a long time."
"Did you know him?" asked Kouji. "The one before me…the one who had Imugi before it was gifted to Valak?"
"I did," said Lady Leviathan. "He killed his brother in the hopes of his brother spending eternity in Heaven, even if it meant he himself would spend an eternity in Hell. He gave himself up to Imugi to do exactly what it is you're doing…a selfless man."
"What…happened to him?" asked Kouji.
"By the time Lucifer took the serpent back, a few thousand years had passed," said Lady Leviathan. "He was rewarded with eternity in Heaven, reunited with his brother. I guess the Archangels took pity on him for his sacrifice…the same way I hope they'll reward you when the time comes."
"Thank you," Kouji smiled.
"I'll be on my way then," said Lady Leviathan. "Rest assured, I'll report back saying that you're not a threat. I'll be checking up on you often though, both to see the progress you make and to make sure the seal remains intact."
"Thank you, lady Leviatan," Karina bowed her head. "Truly…"
"I didn't do a thing that warrents such gratitude," Lady Leviathan smiled. "Raise him well, we'll be seeing you soon Koujiro."
Lady Leviathan vanished in the light of her magic circle, leaving them alone once again.
"That was scary," said Winter. "I thought she was going to do something stupid!"
"That went better than I thought," said Giselle. "We're all alive…that means something right?"
"I should hope so," said Karina. "But seriously…Kouji do you still intend to befriend Imugi?"
"One day…" said Kouji. "I still think the guy just needs a friend. Whether or not it realizes it is another thing entirely."
"So optimistic," said Winter.
"When she said that the person before me killed his brother…" said Kouji. "She didn't mean…Cain and Abel, did she?"
"I don't know," said Karina. "It was well before my time…but I wouldn't be surprised if it was."
"So they were real?" asked Kouji. "Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, David and Goliath?"
"Yup," said Giselle. "Every single thing in the Bible is real, though most of it was rewritten by humans back then. It all happened one way or another, just not in the ways you read."
So Cain might have been the one who possessed Imugi all those years ago. He wished he could ask Cain how he did it. How he managed to live with this thing…was he afraid of it? Did he do it to ensure his brother would spend eternity in Heaven?
Kouji's eyes shifted. Time slowed to near stand still. What…what was happening? The world had gone crimson, but he hadn't activated the Phantasm. What was happening?
He glanced around to see that the girls were fine, slowly moving but fine nonetheless. It was when he looked to Winter that he saw something beyond the glass of their window. Something…something was headed their way. It looked like…was that…an arrow?
The crimson world shattered as Kouji narrowly moved his head to the side, catching the arrow as time resumed.
The girls were in stunned silence as they looked to him in awe. The arrow…it was transparent but solid. An arrow of light?
"Giselle!"
Karina jumped at Kouji and covered him on the ground as Giselle stood up and cast multiple barriers at the window, reinforcing the broken wall.
"W-What's happening!"
"Stay down," Karina held him down. "We're under attack…the Church found you, they're finally making their move."