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Year 16 AL, Questions without Answers
Promestein took her time striding through the narrow woods surrounding her destination. Unlike her irksome "partner" in Black Alice, she didn't have much time to stretch her legs.
The reason Ilias had to allow the Former Monster Lord such freedom still alluded Promestein, but what the Fallen Angel did know was that Ilias rarely gave her that same level of independence. And so, Promestein took liberties with the scant few opportunities she received whenever possible, whether the Goddess of Light liked it or not.
The ruby-haired Angel silently scanned the pleasant woodland, nothing of note jumping out at her. Despite the nature of her destination, the forest that Promestien was transversing through was rather ordinary. The most dangerous thing one might encounter here would be a tree branch that hung a bit too low, or a dip in the ground hidden beneath tall grass. Other than that, the woods were completely tranquil.
'In time, all places will be akin to this. No threat of Monsters to plight the people, and no Goddesses to force their own agendas.' Promestein thought while pocketing her hands into her lab coat. 'And with the slate cleaned for good, this World will know true peace.'
So far, most of all the pieces were falling into place as the struggle for the Earth silently waged on in the background. However, there was still one variable left. An unaccounted-for piece on the chessboard that was to determine the fate of the World and all of those who resided in it. And that piece was the Nephilim, Luka.
All that Promestein knew about the son of Lucifina was terribly limited, and all that she did know wasn't necessarily the most useful of information. The one thing that she knew above all though, was that he would be an invaluable asset to her cause. But the knowledge of this did Promestein little good when Luka was someone she had no way of factoring into her own plans, at the movement.
'Not to mention how detrimental a power like his could be if it were to fall in the wrong hands.' The mere idea was admittedly worrying. While Promestein hadn't seen Lucifina's battles firsthand, she had heard the legends of the Second Seraph's ferocity. Promestein already figured that his dormant powers would be around the same level as his Mother but if Luka had even a fraction of her killer instinct...
...Then a great deal of bloodshed very well may be looming on the far horizon.
Promestein glanced up at her approaching destination: A "vacant" mansion that sat on the outskirts of San Ilia. With the dark overcast above, the dilapidated manor gave off an eerie atmosphere, but the Fallen Angel strode on. There was little on the Earth that she feared, despite her less-than-satisfactory position, and the inhabitant of this place was definitively not one of them.
In all honesty, if La Croix hadn't been so adamant about looking into this Necromancer in the first place, Promestein probably wouldn't have bothered. But she trusted her fellow Seeker of Truth's judgement.
Promestein was nearing the large iron gate when she heard the ghost of a voice carry through the air; she paused, keeping exceptionally to get a clearer read on what was ahead. However, what she heard in the distance was quite bizarre.
"What is this game again, big brother?" A light and girly voice asked in the distance.
"Naughts and crosses. Also, why do you keep calling me that? Like I said before, I'm not your brother." Another voice replied, this one sounding distinctly boyish.
Promestein raised a brow and began to slowly stalk towards the gate, keeping her ruby-red eyes pierced as she advanced. Step by step, more of the mansion's courtyard was revealed to the Fallen Angel, and she saw who the occupants were.
The first was an odd-looking little Doll girl dressed in a pale-purple kimono. She was looking down at the ground, eyeing a strange series of markings drawn into a small patch of dirt. However, Promestein's eyes only looked this Monster over for a half-second before her gaze was drawn to the second figure, who was currently holding a tall stick in his hands.
The Fallen Angel didn't even have to give it any thought; as soon as she saw his face through a frame of shoulder-length purple hair it was obvious that this was the Nephilim that she had just been pondering about, and now he had appeared here before Promestein by complete happenstance.
"Because I like calling you big bro." The Doll replied to Luka's question, pouting as she placed her hands on her hips. "Don't you like being my big brother?" Luka quickly shook his head before saying, "No, well - I mean - it isn't that I dislike it, but it isn't really true either. I don't think we're close enough to call each other those things. I don't even know your name."
Promestein entered through the iron gates and quickly cut to the side to hide behind a collection of trees near the front of the courtyard, her gaze not once leaving Luka. Once properly hidden, the Fallen Angel began to listen in once more.
"Ehh, I think..." The Doll started, her porcelain facade - somehow - scrunching up in confusion. "...I don't remember what my name is." Luka looked over to the Doll while giving a troubled look, "Really? I'm sorry to hear that."
The shorter Monster shrugged, "That's okay..." She replied while a devious smirk started to come to her face. The Doll lightly shook her shoulders, helping to expose more of her chest, "...All I want you calling me is your cute lil' sis~"
Luka leaned over and gently grabbed the loose fabric of the kimono, pulling it up and back over her shoulder. With the Doll's cleavage now fixed he replied, "I'm pretty sure I said not to do lewd things like that." Luka then quickly started drawing in the dirt with his stick, continuing to explain the game as an increasingly bewildered Promestein looked on.
The Fallen Angel reached into her pockets and retrieved a small notepad and pen, flipping the booklet open with vigor. 'He seems to have no qualms with interacting with Monsters even when they are attempting seduction.' Promestein noted, writing her observations down as they came to her.
'Perhaps this is in part due to the subconscious imprinting I subjected him to, but I wonder how far the effects went?' Promestein hurriedly continued jotting down her notes, examining the young Hero as he drew a large "X" in the middle of the octothorpe he had drawn on the ground. The Fallen Angel leaned forward as this odd interaction played out before her, paying close attention to how Luka was behaving.
"Okay, now this next one is more physical skill than mental..." Luka began after placing the stick down, cringing as the Doll's mouth quickly morphed into a salacious grin. "...Not that type of physical." The Doll pouted again but listened as the purple-haired boy continued, "Anyways, this is a simpler game. It's called hide and seek."
Promestein couldn't quite understand just what it was that Luka was trying to accomplish by teaching this little Doll how to play children's games, but it was fascinating to watch play out. The Fallen Angel looked down at her notepad once again, idly hearing as Luka had the Doll cover her eyes and begin to count.
'He doesn't seem to reciprocate the Monster's advances, but he does seem to be attempting to form a bond either way. I wonder if this is something he has been doing regularly throughout his travels.' It was an interesting thought. If Luka has been doing things like this the whole time, then he quite certainly wasn't becoming the "Prophet" that Ilias had in mind. 'But then why allow him to do such a thing? Surely, Ilias would rather him cut apart this Monster than to play "hide and seek" with it.'
It seemed horribly counter-intuitive for Ilias to allow Luka to interact with Monsters so easily. Unless there was some other ulterior motive? Whatever that could be was entirely lost on Promestein though, 'She already allows for him to travel with the Monster Lord. That alone should be-' The Fallen Angel stopped mid-thought as she realized something curious.
Where was the Sixteenth Monster Lord?
Promestein glanced up from her notebook to the clearing, looking past the counting Doll and deeper into the courtyard until she saw something lying a few meters away. She appeared to be a Lamia, from the looks of her large red tail and had lavender skin from the torso up. Strangely enough, she seemed to be unconscious as well.
'Curious...' Promestein mused with a raised eyebrow, '...What would have rendered her to such a state?' In her pondering, the Fallen Angel failed to notice as the main focus of her research at the moment strode up to the underbrush she was currently hiding behind.
Rustle Rustle
Promestein looked up as the foliage in front of her parted, breaking away to reveal none other than the Nephilim himself: Luka.
As quietly as he could, Luka shuffled through the bushes to secure his hiding spot. However, his endeavor very quickly ended as he found himself in front of a very bizarre-looking tall woman in a faded lab coat. "Oh! Uh..." Luka began before hesitantly finishing, "...Hello?"
The ruby-haired woman said nothing, her similarly colored eyes looking down at him with an unreadable expression. The young Hero nervously shifted from foot to foot under her stare, something very odd radiating from the woman. Even stranger though, was that he recognized it from somewhere but he just wasn't able to pinpoint where.
"Err, if you're here because of the ghosts," Luka continued unsurely, "I already took care of that, so you don't need to worry about them." The ruby-haired woman's eyebrows raised just a touch, "I see. So you ran off Chrome, then?" She asked, not seeming too surprised despite asking.
Luka, however, became much more suspicious. "Wait, you knew Chrome?" He asked, his body instinctually tensing up. "Did you work with her?" The mysterious woman failed to answer his question at first, her eyes peering over his head and out into the field. Luka bit the inside of his mouth, a great deal of worry hitting him as he realized that Angel Halo was all the way back on the porch of the mansion.
"Something like that, but I figure that has come to an end now. A shame, I came all this way just to meet with her too..." The woman trailed off, her eyes still staring off into the distance behind the young Hero. "...But meeting you was worth it in a way, Luka."
"Wh-What?" Luka stammered, "H-How do you know my name? Just who are you?" He asked frantically, taking just a small step back from her. The woman finally aimed her ruby-red eyes down at the purple-haired boy, "Just someone with a good deal of interest in your journey, that much I can say."
Luka watched as the woman started to step back, putting her hands - which he just now noticed held a notebook and pen - into her coat pockets. "A word to the wise, be wary of who you keep in your company. Not all of those who watch over you, are looking out for you..." She said. The woman's cryptic message caused him to narrow his eyes in confusion, "Those who watch over me? Who are you talking about?"
Rustle Rustle
The sound of something small approaching from behind made Luka whirl around, and he watched as the brush displaced to and eventually parted to reveal the Doll he had been playing with.
"Ha-Ha! Found ya big bro!" She declared with a laugh. Luka quickly looked back to where the woman had been but was a bit disturbed to find that she had vanished without even making a noise. Deciding to play it off for now, the young Hero smiled at the Doll, "Yep, I guess that means you win!"
To his dismay, the Doll cooed. "Ooo, tell me what I win big bro, is it youuu?~" Luka fought off the urge to sigh, as it was obvious that he still had quite a bit of work to do. "No, you just get to say you won!" The young Hero exclaimed, trying to elicit an excitement that wasn't inherently sensual from the Doll.
The purple-eyed Doll didn't seem to be all that thrilled - in fact, she looked quite disappointed - but at the very least she didn't make any attempts to get the "prize" she was wanting from him. Luka grimaced, "Eh, this game is a bit more fun when you have more than just two people..." He trailed off. Then, he realized that they did have a third person, one that he should probably go check on.
Though she probably wouldn't want to play hide and seek.
"...Anyways, let's go back. I need to go check on my friend." Luka said, moving to the underbrush. The Doll skipped alongside him, "Friend, what friend?" She asked. The young Hero paused, trying to find the best way to describe Alice. This was easier said than done, considering the very peculiar nature of their relationship.
"Her name is Alice," He began, pausing to step over a stray root peeking out of the dirt. "And she's a Lamia who has been traveling with me for a while now. She's, erm..." Again Luka had to stop, but this time because he needed to search for the right phrasing. "...Sensitive, so try not to upset her-" The young Hero stopped dead as when he and the Doll broke through the thicket and came face-to-face with the lavender-skinned Lamia herself.
"Oh, hello Alice!" Luka exclaimed with a small wave. "I'm glad to see that you're doing better now." The young Hero instantaneously regretted saying such a thing, as his traveling partner's golden eyes narrowed in on him with enormous displeasure. The Lamia leaned forward, "Better?" She parroted, the sheer malice in her voice sending a chill up the purple-haired boy's spine.
Luka felt the urge to gulp, but his throat was much too dry to do so. Instead, he let out a slew of stammering. "W-Well, y-yeah. B-But I guess that... y-you aren't... feeling better..." He finished with a whisper. Alice's mouth scrunched up into a terrible moue and she started to actually shake as her frustration grew. However, once her gaze fell on the young Hero's frightened face.
In particular, she took note of the three long cuts going down his right cheek.
The flames of Alice's anger slowly doused themselves out, the Lamia almost visibly deflating. Her golden eyes fell from his face and went to the side, finally taking note of the small Doll girl standing beside Luka. Alice raised an eyebrow, "Luka, who is this?" She asked while looking pointedly at the purple-haired Monster. The young Hero blinked before he realized what she was talking about.
"Oh, I-I met her in the mansion earlier. Eh, w-we don't know her name yet though." Luka answered in a somewhat more composed way. Alice looked over the Doll girl, who was looking between the two with a somewhat lost gaze.
Alice closed her eyes and let out a long sigh, this day was only really just getting started but it had already gone on for far too long. "Let's just get out of here, I'm tired of this dreary place." The Lamia stated. Luka's long purple hair waved as he nodded his head, "Y-Yeah, we can do that." He replied, following Alice as she turned around and slithered away from the small collection of trees.
From behind them, the Doll swiftly floated up into the air and swerved around the pair, stopping in the air in front of Luka. "Hey! Are you really just gonna just leave me like that!? You can't just leave me here all by myself, big brother!"
Alice gave Luka a disbelieving look as she repeated, "Big brother?" The purple-haired boy let out a quick but nervous laugh, "Hehe, uh, long story." He replied as another sigh left Alice's lips. Before he could say anything more, Luka's traveling partner conceded. "Just get your stuff so that we can leave, I really don't care how you deal with this thing at the moment." The Lamia said as she turned away and slithered down towards the iron gate to wait for him.
Luka turned to the Doll, who was now hovering in mid-air with a very upset pout. He raised a hand up to the back of his head, digging his fingers into his long purple hair. "Erm, so do you want to come along, then?" He asked, not entirely fond of the idea. At this point, he didn't feel any ill will towards the Doll but he'd be lying if he said that he didn't feel so hot on the idea of her joining him.
"Hey, you said you'd show me how big brothers really play with their little sisters, and only showing me two little games isn't a fair trade!" The purple-haired Monster argued, her pout deepening into a frown. "That and you ran out everyone inside too, so I don't even have anyone else to play with. You can't just leave me all by myself, big bro!"
A pang of guilt hit Luka's heart, 'I did say I would do that. And if I just left her here now, she'd be all alone.' The young Hero nodded, "You're right, I shouldn't just leave you here. You can tag along for us for a while, at least."
The Doll's frown was quickly wiped from her face and was immediately replaced with a wide smile, "Yaaay, thank you, big bro!~" She cried as she flew forward and grabbed Luka into a hug. The purple-haired boy staggered as the Doll all but slammed into his chest, holding onto him for a few moments. She let go of him and floated to the ground, humming happily to herself as she did.
"Eh, you're welcome..." Luka replied as he turned his gaze to the mansion's porch, where his traveling bag and Angel Halo were still lying. He walked up to the broken-down home and climbed its steps, moving to grab his things.
The purple-haired boy cringed at the blood still coating his sword, 'I really need to clean this soon, but how?' He thought as his gaze scanned the courtyard. Luka spared a quick glance to the assemblage of trees where he had met that strange ruby-haired woman, and what she had said before parting still bounced in his skull.
"A word to the wise, be wary of who you keep in your company. Not all who watch over you, are looking out for you..."
The young Hero couldn't understand what the odd woman was talking about, but there was obviously a reason behind it. He just wished that he could figure out who she was referring to and why this would be the case. 'Just how many people are watching over me? I know Ilias does but there's no way she doesn't look out for me. Who else could that be though, and why would this woman imply that about Ilias specifically?'
Either that, or there was a good deal more people out there who had an interest in him.
'Wait, Tamamo had said that the Monster Lord had an interest in me. Is she somehow "watching over" me right now? But how could she...' Luka thought, a bit of paranoia slipping into his mind. Luka glanced around, his eyes gazing down to the iron gate where Alice would be waiting. '...Unless, she had somebody else watching over me for her.'
The very thought troubled Luka and he couldn't help but wonder if that was the case. It was true that Alice had pretty abruptly joined him after very coincidentally landing near his hometown. But the notion that at Alice was some sort of spy for the Monster Lord just didn't fit; after all, if that was the case, then why would Alice teach him techniques to get stronger? It just didn't make any sense.
Luka left the shabby porch while putting up his sword and slinging his bag onto his shoulder, joining the Doll who stood at the bottom of the steps. She skipped after him, a large grin plastered on her pale face. "Let's go, big bro!" She said with a small hop, following close to the young Hero as they left the previously haunted mansion behind.
Soon they came to the spot where Luka had drawn in the dirt, and he found himself pausing to look at the stick he had used earlier. It was a decently sized stick, one that he just now noticed would be perfect for walking...
'My feet have been a bit sore lately, so this could definitely help.' Luka thought, reaching down and grabbing the stick in his left hand. The purple-haired boy smiled, moving on through the courtyard with the Doll girl bounded along by his side. They quickly reached the iron gate of the mansion's front yard, meeting a bemused-looking Alice at the front.
The lavender-skinned Lamia's gaze bounced between Luka and the Doll - pausing in particular on the walking-stick the purple-haired boy was carrying - and she briefly wondered if she was still unconscious or not.
Alice sighed for a third time, "Alright, let's head out for the Forest of Spirits." The Lamia declared. Luka hesitated upon hearing that, remembering back to how some of the ghosts were speaking about going to San Ilia to cause trouble. "Erm, well..." Before he could continue, Alice aimed a very intense stare at the young Hero, silencing him before he could say anything else.
"We are going... to the Forest of Spirits... Right?" Alice asked pointedly, her eyes shining dangerously. Luka jerked at his traveling partner's words and fierce eyes, "...Y-Yeah, th-that's where we're going. That's just what I was going to say!" He replied, to which the Lamia nodded in response. Alice then whirled around, snaking away from the mansion in an unsubtly hurried fashion.
Luka looked on with an uncertain gleam in his eyes, 'Well, maybe the ghosts won't bother the people of San Ilia that bad?' He thought though the sentiment didn't make him feel that much better. The young Hero eventually followed after Alice, the Doll that was now accompanying him skipping right behind.
Without even knowing it, every step Luka took toward the Forest of Spirits was bringing him closer to someone more important to him than he could possibly understand...
"...Let go, LET GO!" The boy screamed, clawing at the Zombie's offending arm to try and pry it away. However, arms stayed firmly locked around his neck. "Restrain, and breed..." The Zombie hissed causing the other three Zombies - including the one that was currently impaled by an odd sword - started to stagger forward on command, reaching out their arms as they began to converge on the boy...
...The boy kicking out his foot, his heel hitting the sword's hilt and driving it deeper into the Zombie's stomach. As the sword plunged deeper, more disgusting clumps of dark blood spewed out from her, the vile substance plashing on the floor. The Zombie's now completely lifeless body smacked onto the ground with a thud, spreading even more of her blood onto the ground...
...The boy gripped his deformed sword in his hands, a strange energy building inside him before he shot forward.
"Demon Decapitation!"
The boy's scream echoed through the musty room, and he slashed at the Zombie's throat and, much like the previous Zombie, dark red blood spewed from the gash and coated the front of her bare chest. The sour metallic filled the room, sending waves of nausea-
"Ahh!" Doppel gasped, awaking with a terrible shudder that wracked her body quite fiercely. She sat up from her bed in a hurry, her lungs seemingly fighting for every scrap of air that they could get. The purple-haired girl clutched at the "collar" of the ugly brown rags she was wearing in an attempt to bring herself some comfort, but it did little to help.
'What was that?' She thought, the blurry images of her gore-filled nightmare filling her mind's eye.
Doppel had nightmares before, but they were usually of things that had happened to her like the painful "training" she received from Assassinroid or the bloody details of Doppel's own birth. However, this nightmare had very alarmingly not been about things that had happened to her before. In fact, those nightmares hadn't been about her at all.
All the same, there was a very powerful feeling inside of her that told Doppel that she knew who he was.
But how could that be? There were so few people that Doppel did know, and she was completely and utterly sure that this boy was not one of them; despite this, her heart still felt a connection, a type of bond wholly unfamiliar to her.
Doppel carefully rose from her bed, discarding the thin blankets off of her body and moving to stand from the small mattress she slept on. The purple-haired girl wobbled some before finding her footing. Doppel glanced around her padded white room, her pale-blue eyes surveying the place that had been her home all of her life.
Not that it felt much like a home to her.
Doppel glanced down at the floor, eying the multi-colored letter blocks that she had. As always, her gaze homed in on the name she had spelled out so long ago. The ones that spelled out "Luka."
The Monster-Human Hybrid sat cross-legged in front of the blocks, reading the name to herself a few times. It was something of a ritual for her at this point, for the lack of anything better to do in her free time. She hadn't found out anything new about the person who was her Father, but since he wasn't here, that meant that he was somewhere out there.
Just not here, with her. Which upset Doppel quite a bit.
'If I could just get out of here...' The purple-haired girl contemplated, '...I'd find you, Luka. Anywhere you'd be is better than here.'
Doppel had fantasized about escaping before, but the mere idea seemed impossible. She didn't know where she was, but the place was a dark and unhospitable maze. Even if she was able to leave the prison that was her room, finding an exit before being found out herself seemed nigh impossible. But if there was a chance, just a sliver of hope, Doppel would take it.
Squeak
The Human-Monster Hybrid's attention was brought to the door of her room as it opened, the noise causing her to freeze up. Doppel cringed as the familiar bright magenta eyes of Assassinroid came into view, shortly followed by the beast herself. Assassinroid's gaze was particularly agitated, something Doppel silently lamented before finding out first-hand why this was.
Slink, thud.
Slink, thud.
Slink... thud.
Almost humorously, the face of Lamiaroid peered above the other Chimera, her wicked smile wide and teasing. "Ahhh, look alive, Doppel! We'll be having extra sssspecial guests today!" Incredibly, this news did not excite the purple-haired girl in the slightest. Nevertheless, Doppel stood from the ground and retrieved her rusted blade from beneath her pillow, knowing better than to waste time.
Doppel gripped her weapon tightly as she followed the two out of her room, waves of dread crashing inside of her gut. As they moved for the training room, Lamiaroid took it upon herself to fill the silence with something else besides her uneven gait.
"Both Master La Croix and Promestein will be watching over your ssssparring," Lamiaroid informed Doppel, a merry chuckle coming from her disjointed mouth. She peered over Assassinroid to eye Doppel appraisingly, "Ssssoooo, you two should put on quick the showiiiiiing, right?" Lamiaroid accentuated her point by clasping a hand on Assassinroid's near shoulder, causing the Chimera to hiss.
Lamiaroid just laughed, "Hahaha, awww, don't be such a killjooooy. Have some fun, won't you friend? I know it isn't the fun you really want, but there aren't any young boys around for that!" Assassinroid gritted her teeth, something awfully wrathful coming from the Chimera's throat. Doppel shied away from the two, fearing that the two may start to become physical before they even got to the training room.
Meanwhile, Luka and his two traveling partners in Alice and the possessed Doll had made very quick progress, finding themselves on the outskirts of the Forest of Spirits just as the sun began poking through the gray overcast as it began to finally part.
Alice slithered at the front of the group while Luka trailed along just behind, and the Doll sat on his traveling bag, messing with his long purple hair with a giddy expression. The young Hero hummed lightly, the sensation of the Monster's hands tickling him some.
"You have great hair, big bro!" The Doll exclaimed, happily twirling his locks around a finger. "How did you get it this soft?" She asked with a looked over to the approaching forest as he replied, "Well, I try to brush it every night after I take a bath. I don't really do much more other than that."
The Doll dropped his hair to fly around and float to Luka's front, "Ooo, do you think you can get my hair like that, big brother? Come on, I wanna be brushed!" She exclaimed while her hair twitched bizarrely.
The young Hero gave a shrug, "Yeah, I think I could do that if you hold this for me." He said while holding out his walking stick. The Doll immediately obliged, grabbing the stick and turning away from Luka to float in front of him. From the front if the group, Alice looked over her shoulder for a moment with a suspicious gaze.
Meanwhile, Luka reached to his side and unzipped his traveling bag, finding his hairbrush soon after. He reached out and lightly gripped the Doll's small shoulder, causing the Monster to ever-so-slightly quiver. The purple-haired boy then proceeded to brush the Doll's hair, which seemed to garner a very interesting reaction.
At first, everything went as normal with Luka brushing the floating Doll's hair. However, after about a dozen brushes or so, the young Hero noticed how her hair stated to bristle after every brush. 'That's... odd.' Luka mused, not really understanding why the little Monster would be reacting in such a way.
Either way, he continued to pamper her hair. "Hmmm, you're really good at this, big brother. I can feel my hair getting softer already!" The Doll said, her voice getting just a touch lighter and breathier.
Despite his rising sense of unease - and Alice's increasingly perturbed looks - Luka continued pulling the brush through the Doll's hair until he finally hit a particularly nasty knot. He paused in order not to hurt the Doll by accident, but she quickly complained, "Hey, don't stop just yet! I think it's w-working." Luka bit his lip, the sound of the Doll's tone being one that sounded a bit too close to pleasurable for his liking.
Despite the bad feeling rising in his gut, Luka carefully gripped her hair right above the knot with one hand and pulled through it with the brush.
"O-Oh, that's it, big bro~" The Doll cooed, her whole body vibrating after feeling Luka untangle the knot in her hair.
"Alright, that's enough playing with your Doll, Luka!" Alice shouted as she finally whirled around, giving the short Monster floating in front of the young Hero a particularly sharp glare. Luka quickly removed his brush from the Doll's hair, "Y-Yeah, I think that it's good now anyways!" He agreed while stuffing away his hairbrush.
The Doll pouted, floating to Luka's side to sit on his traveling bag once more. "Stupid snake lady..." She spat silently. Luka quickly glanced down at the Doll with a disapproving gleam in his eyes, "Hey, don't say stuff like that about Alice." The young Hero said, "She's my friend, so if you're going to be here with us, then you need to watch what you say about her, understand?"
Luka's words effectively spooked the Doll into compliance, as she didn't want to bring out his temper like before at the Haunted Mansion. "Okay, big brother..." The Doll said, lowering her purple eyes to the ground. "...I'm sorry, I won't do it again." She finished flatly, deciding to the float off of the young Hero's bag and stand to the side.
Alice couldn't help but smirk, the small showing of assertiveness from Luka giving her a bit of satisfaction. However, the Lamia wiped the smile off of her face to address the young Hero. "Now, before you enter the Forest of Spirits, there's a couple things we need to go over. First things first, I want to teach you another technique. This is a very powerful move, that will make it seem as though you are throwing attacks at random."
Luka began removing his traveling bag while looking at his traveling partner inquisitively, "A move that looks as if I'm attacking at random? Is it like an illusion?" His question caused Alice to pause in thought, "Something like that, you'll see..." She finally answered, slithering up to a nearby tree. Alice folded her arms over her chest once she faced him, "...This technique is known as Death Sword Chaos Star."
"Death Sword Chaos Star?" Luka repeated, not even attempting to hide his displeasure. "Do I even need to say how evil that sounds?"
Alice rolled her eyes, "I don't care how bad it sounds, a technique is a technique. Do you want to learn it or not?" The Lamia's blunt question quickly stifled Luka's indignation, and he nodded, "Yes I do, but I'm only going to call it Chaos Star." Alice brought up hand up to her temple but choose not to acknowledge the purple-haired boy's words. It was easier for her to just let it go.
"Anyways..." The Lamia began, "...You'll need to concentrate quite a bit for this attack. It's very powerful and easy to mess up if you're careless." Luka bowed his head in understanding, moving to stand in front of the tree Alice was standing in front of. The Doll sat on her knees in the grass a few steps away, watching as her "big brother" with a curious look.
"Now focus on the part of the tree that you're wanting to attack." Alice stated. Luka took his stance, pulling out Angel Halo and aiming at the center of the tree's trunk as the Lamia continued, "Once you have a target in mind, lock onto it and attack in every direction except it."
Luka blinked a few times and looked over to his traveling partner. He shuffled a bit from foot to foot while asking, "Erm, attack around what I'm wanting to attack? The purple-haired boy asked, "Sorry, but, how is that supposed to work?" His confusion was mirrored by the small Doll kneeling a little ways off to the side, her own bewilderment showing her wide purple eyes.
Alice began to explain, "As long as you focus on your target, it will be the only thing actually harmed while wherever else you swing will remain unaffected." The Lamia elaborated. "So it is, like you said, an illusion of sorts. While your opponent is overwhelmed by trying to dodge your wild flailing, they'll be wide open to your real attack."
A low hum came from Luka's throat and he looked back to the tree as he digested this information. 'So while I throw "fake" attacks out around my enemy, I'll be actually attacking somewhere else.' Luka mused as he prepared himself to test out this new technique. He planted his feet in the grass, gathering his magic up while concentrating on the middle of the tree trunk. Once the young Hero was ready, he launched the attack.
"Chaos Star!"
Luka sprang forward, planting himself in front of the tree and began to swing around where he had focused on. The swipes he made around the focal point simply phased through the trunk as though he never he touched it. All the same, a large gash began to form diagonally up the tree's trunk, one that grew deeper and wider with each of Luka's swings. The tree violently splintered, Angel Halo easily cutting through the wood with each swipe.
With the last slash, the young Hero carved right into the middle of the tree and revealing the pale brown inside of the trunk. Luka panted, his body shaking a tad bit from the unprecedentated release of energy. His previously most powerful attack in Demon Skull Beheading felt only half as strong as this one; however, as exciting as this was, Luka could not deny how much exertion performing the technique had taken.
"Huh, well it looks like you certainly have that one down." Alice said from the side, bringing Luka's attention to her. The Lamia had an appraising gaze, but he could see something else gleaming in her eyes. But the expression quickly left her face, "At least you're a quick learner, I'll give you that much."
Luka gave a shaky nod, "Y-Yeah, I guess I am." He replied while sitting down onto the grass. He let out a few deep breaths before eventually calming his breathing down, "I do feel like I need a break, though. That took a lot out of me."
Alice slithered towards him, "Good, because that will let you go over the second thing I want you to go over." She reached over to his traveling bag, unzipping it and poking around inside of it until pulling out Four Animists and Their Sources, which she held out to Luka. "You're going to want to read some about Sylph before you actually go in there."
Luka took the book from Alice, feeling the aged cover beneath his bare hands. The purple-haired boy gave a hum and opened it, flipping through the pages until coming to the section covering the Wind Spirit. As he did, Alice slithered back and around to the tree he had cut into, observing Luka's handiwork with an appraising gaze.
'So quickly he was able to master this. Just one try and he cut this deep...' The Monster Lord took a glance over her shoulder, eyeing the purple-haired boy who was becoming increasingly enigmatic to her. By his own admission, Luka was an untrained boy from a village that obviously hadn't prepared him in the slightest for Hero work and yet here he was, learning high-level techniques as though he had been all his life.
As Alice pondered the true nature of Luka that hid beneath the surface, the Doll was also taking heavy consideration of Luka's showing just now. However, the Doll was much more concerned about how violent the attack had been...
...And when thinking back to how mad Luka had gotten at her back in the mansion, she couldn't help but wonder how close she had gotten to being cut up just as brutally as the tree...
As you can probably tell, Doppel is going to have some more prominence going forward as her and Luka's unconscious connection starts to grow. Prepare for quite a bit more angst because of that though for Luka and Doppel will not be meeting in person any time soon. But some interesting developments are sure to happen from now until then.
In particular, the next chapter will be a difficult one as the juxtaposition between what happens with Luka and what happens with Doppel will be quite extreme.
Also, I made a bit of a change of how Chaos Star works and to be honest, most of it is because how it is described as working doesn't quite make sense to me. As in, I can't quite put how the visual works into words.
omegaqilin: I agree that Angel Halo is a her, or rather Six Hundred Sixty-Six hers.
With Chrome, I felt as though making her more oblivious was a necessity to making her easier to redeem. Just keeping her blatantly evil would make things even more difficult when the next time her and Luka meet will be tense enough as it is for a multitude of reasons.
Alice's eventual reveal is still far-off, though Luka will begin to have his suspicions, like in this chapter. His suspicions aren't quite on the mark, but they will be there.
dagolas: Promestein won't do too much since she is aware that even interacting with Luka is going to put herself under Ilias's "stoplight" of sorts. But like others, she'll do her fair share of making Luka question certain things.
I'll probably be taking a little break soon either way to rest myself up for a while. I really do enjoy writing this story, though, so I have no intention of dropping it.
F14M3RZ: Everything that happens in this little Haunted Mansion arc and going into the Forest of Spirits will be very important for when Luka and Chrome meet again. It pretty well sets up a lot of what I have planned for then.