Interlude: The Chaos left behind

Channel after channel he skimmed through.

Hour after hour.

They told the same story, the same awful story, and he sat there with his eyes wide and unblinking as he absorbed the information.

He knew it was ill-advised to remain here for as long as he was doing, but it would be wrong of him to stand and move off. Not when there was still something else to be gleaned from the situation as it developed.

And beyond that, there was something more which compelled him to remain seated.

Something which made the embrace of his chair more akin to shackles around his arms and legs, keeping him fixed in position. His eyes on the screen as they spoke further of what had happened in the Vatican and what had happened in Japan. It was difficult to say which drew greater attention from the media.

One was an incredible loss of life.

The other was an act of terrible vandalism against an icon of faith which had stood the test of time for centuries. It was the very heart of the Catholic faith and was now subject to what was publicly perceived as a terrorist attack and, in truth, it was that fact elsewhere when one would examine it as well.

Reaching across, his hands skimmed across the glass at his side before he closed his hand around it and drew it towards himself, taking a long drink of his water - it had gone room temperature by now - and setting it back down on the table. Never once losing focus on what was before him.

He flicked to the next channel.

More information on what was called the Kuoh disaster now, experts throwing out explanation after explanation as to how the volcanic eruption was as chaotic as it was. Speaking about pockets of natural gas under the town which had been ignited and served to spread the fires quickly and without warning. How something that would have been ordinarily impossible to miss just happened.

If anyone looked closely, if they were to just poke a little deeper into the words, they would see the holes.

The gaps in the logic and then it would unravel.

But they wouldn't.

Because they were compelled not to.

Because that was how it just worked.

"Still at that?"

Wodime blinked and leaned forwards, turning his head around to the door and to the voice of the person whom he hadn't even heard enter the room. His eyes quickly found Cao Cao standing just at the entrance, leaning against his open door. Though his eyes were not on Wodime, instead they were on the news report in front of him.

Thinning his lips, he watched Cao Cao for a moment, the other man took in a slow breath and then stepped away from the frame, pushing himself into the room without an invitation and striding across to one of the empty seats.

He promptly made himself at him, leaning forwards and clasping his hands together over his lap.

"...It's…terrifying."

Wodime raised a brow at him, then looked at the report. "Which part?"

Cao Cao released a humourless snort at that, his eyes flicked towards him before back to the screen. Whatever smile he would have normally worn was absent from his face today, instead there was just a thin line across his features.

"...All of it." He said after a single moment. "The speed, the death, the…"

Waving a hand to the screen, he seemed to fail to find the right words, but words themselves were not needed.

Not when Wodime understood the gist of what was being said.

"It invites disturbing thoughts, does it not?" Wodime said after a moment, leaning forwards in his own chair, eyes fixed on the screen. "How often has such a thing happened in the past and the world remained ignorant of it? How many disasters were not so natural and…how often shall we see reports such as these in the future?"

The final question was one that he found himself asking with greater frequency now.

Before it had been a real possibility, one he had long since prepared himself for, but this was just…something else entirely.

Cao Cao replied. "As many times as is necessary."

Wodime gestured forwards. "As necessary as this?"

There was no reply to that, Cao Cao's expression did not so much as twitch.

Then he spoke. "How bad has the Vatican one been?"

Wodime inclined his head. "The greatest loss has been the architecture. It seems as though the Burial Agents were more focused on fleeing than remaining and tearing through their colleagues. Though I doubt it was for a lack of trying…it seems as though Azrael evacuated his quarry as soon as most were convinced."

Cao Cao made a noise. "Most?"

"...I am told that some remained behind." He shrugged. "The number itself is less concrete and I confess I have not yet found the time to approach any of the rebellious angels and make a query as to where I might find Azrael and speak to him about such things."

"I doubt they would tell you." Cao Cao said. "...They're not the most open to speaking with us."

Wodime could hardly say the feeling wasn't mutual.

Perhaps because this was exactly the reason why he felt their mission was so vital, now with all the more evidence to his goals. Yet he would have been just as convinced without a disaster of this scale. It was not as though he needed further motivation and yet here it was.

"...We will need to speak with them at some point." Wodime stated what neither one of them truly wanted to point out. "And we shall need to try and enforce some manner of ground rules if we are to continue this partnership. This has been an unacceptable level of attention that has been drawn to us and cost much in the way of support as a result."

Cao Cao turned on him at that, eyes narrowed and lips drawn even thinner. "Maybe Jedidiah can bring that up next time."

Wodime was not so ignorant as to miss the jab for what it was.

"...He did not inform you either."

"He does not speak with me as much as you." Cao Cao defended and was right in doing so. Wodime was not one to hide behind excuses and instead nodded his head in affirmation. But even still.

"And he keeps much of what he sees to himself." Raising his hand, he rubbed his brows and fought the urge to sigh. "Much as I would wish him to be more open, I am grateful for what he speaks of and…I have to trust that he refrained from informing me what would become of Kuoh for a reason, as well as the Vatican."

Cao Cao made no secret of his dissatisfaction with that answer. "When he sees fit to deign us with a response, do be sure to let me know."

Dropping his shoulders, Wodime pulled his hand from his brow. "...Have you spoken with Vali yet?"

"No." Cao Cao said, then. "Have you?"

Wodime silently shook his head. "I have not seen him much since the peace conference. That brief moment where he appeared in the meeting room was the last I have seen of him, but I doubt he is particularly comfortable in the presence of those who would most certainly wish to slay him for his heritage."

Cao Cao snorted rather emptily. "He is leaping from one extreme to the other, it seems."

That could not be denied and he doubted Vali appreciated either end of the spectrum.

He would need to track down the teen and speak with them in the future, if only to figure out what the plan for them and their group was in the future. He doubted they would wish to continue operating within the confines of this facility, surrounded by those who hated them, for much longer. Yet he did not wish to lose their aid in the future and truly meant what he said about upholding his deal with them.

"I shall speak with him." He declared and Cao Cao did not argue against it, just kept silent.

They fell into a silence.

It was far from comfortable as the news report continued to detail the atrocity of what happened.

Cao Cao spoke up after a full minute had eclipsed them.

"I think I will kill him."

Wodime raised a brow but said nothing.

Then Cao Cao said with greater certainty. "Maalik, I mean. No. I am going to kill him. Should he survive his suicide rush against Heaven and somehow win, I am going to kill him."

Well.

He could understand why.

"He is useful for the moment." Wodime said instead, looking at Cao Cao before turning his head and spying the door for a moment. It was closed now, but what did closed doors mean for privacy around here? Apparently there was no such thing as a personal mission if the phone call from Ophelia had been any indication.

And her silence since then had been a touch concerning for him.

He trusted Ophelia to handle herself, that much was true.

But her tag-along was a different matter.

"Yeah." Cao Cao agreed with his earlier remark, drawing his eyes back to the man. "For the moment. If only because they all hate him now…So I'm going to keep watching and waiting until I see the moment when he isn't as useful anymore and then I'm going to kill him."

Wodime, once again, said nothing in rejection to this statement.

"I trust you will decide your moment carefully then."

Cao Cao sent him a small but pointed look, then turned his head away and shrugged his shoulders. "I think I'll know it when I see it."

"Good luck to you, then."

"...Yeah." Cao Cao drew in a breath and then sighed. "This isn't how you spend all your free time now, is it?"

Wodime let out a grunt and shook his head. "No."

Mostly in private now, if only because he felt compelled to do as such, especially after Quetzalcoatl had declared it was much too depressing and then all but dragged him out of the room and right the way down to their training area.

Where she proceeded to do something 'fun' and 'productive' with his time.

Which was improving his lucha libre skills, apparently.

And that was rather discomforting for him.

"Good." Cao Cao replied back. "Can't have you moping around in here all the time when there's work to be done. Just trust that when all is said and done, something like this won't ever need to happen ever again and we can just rest well. Pat ourselves on the back and then go on with this achievement to hang up on our walls."

Wodime glanced at him, his private thoughts sprang to the surface.

"How many do you think will be around for that?"

"Of us?" Cao Cao shrugged his shoulders. "I'll be honestly surprised if I make it through to the end but…heroes rarely see the end of their stories now, do they?"

He sounded almost mirthful about that rather depressing piece of trivia.

Wodime was thoughtful for a moment, then he spoke up.

"I'm sure there are quite a few who lived."

"Yes, well." Cao Cao made a face, almost a smile, then looked at him. "They didn't try to fight every Pantheon, did they?"

"...No." Wodime allowed. "I suppose they did not."

And was that not a rather daunting thought.

"...Fancy a spar?"

"No."

Cao Cao snorted but said nothing at the rejection, instead he just rose up from his seat and looked down at him.

"...Do you want to draw lots on which of us is going to speak with him?"

"I will do it." Wodime leaned forwards and clicked the remote, the news report shut off and the room was plunged into a brief silence. He stood and raised his hands, brushing his hair back over his shoulders and then adjusting his shirt. It had become a little crinkled during his long time sitting down.

Brushing his hands over and ironing out the creases, he turned his gaze upon Cao Cao.

"Though we could do it together, if you would rather."

Cao Cao made a curious face. "I tell you I will kill him in the future and your response is to bring me along to meet him?"

Wodime raised an eyebrow. "The future is hardly now, is it?"

With a snort and a shake of the head, Cao Cao said, "No, it really isn't."

"I won't tell the Offspring then."

Cao Cao stopped and then pinched his brows, turning and giving him a long and bemused look, as though he didn't understand what was just said to him.

Wodime would admit there was a better time and place for making jokes.

And that it probably would have been better received with Kadoc as his audience.

His wounds ached even now.

Unbroken healing continued even now to repair the harm which had been done unto him, the mere fact his spirit core had endured through the attack even with his battle continuation was nothing shy of incredible. He would have called it an impossibility were he not still able to walk the halls.

And walk them he did.

Georgios advanced with a gait that did not betray his current weakened self, unwilling to show how deeply he had been affected from the end of the battle.

In truth, he would have preferred to do this earlier, but the urgency of prayer had stolen his attention for many hours before he could finally walk, a less personal reason was that movement was ill-advised as Jedidiah had directed quite a bit of effort to remove the lingering influence of the Satans powers which still tried to end his life.

Tenacious indeed, he did not doubt that had there been any other individual to aid him, he would have perished on that battlefield.

Georgios thinned his lips at the thoughts which drifted to the forefront of his mind as that particular image surfaced. It had been a true battlefield by the end, chaotic and bloody, and wholly without any sense of light shining down upon them. He would have further argued much more, but he was saving his thoughts for when he confronted the one responsible.

Cold winds struck him quickly as the door was opened, he remained stone-faced from the surge of snow and ice as he walked forth. Stepping onto the metal railings under him and moving further forwards, his eyes shot down to the large gathering below him.

Areas covered with thick cloaks of fabric, he moved down the embankment and stomped down on ice. His boots crunched loudly, heralding his arrival and subsequent approach. Loud enough that even through the storm they echoed, perhaps it was a fitting drumbeat for his current temper. A strong and steady beat, unwilling to be stopped by anything that crossed its path.

Just as he was.

Reaching even footing, he moved across the place which had been shed of snow and ice - perhaps the only place of it - in this grove of greenery which was cut apart from their desolate surroundings. Where only an endless expanse of mist and snow surrounded them, one would have called this a small paradise with the life which he moved upon.

Grass as green as emeralds, flowers shining brightly as though they were painted.

A sight most beautiful.

And he did not stop to appreciate it.

Eyes narrowed to the furthest point of the camp, striding past the turning heads of the angels. Where some rose up and stared at him longer than others, he did not doubt that many knew by now who and what he was. If they had thoughts on the matter, they chose not to voice them at this time.

His eyes swung left at a familiar sight and he found himself slowing for only a moment, eyes lingering on one angel in particular.

Likely sensing his stare, she turned and glanced over her shoulder.

Freezing on the spot when they made eye contact, she rose slowly to her feet and looked about as stricken by his appearance as he might have been by hers. His face was kept devoid of emotion as he turned towards her, slowly moving step by step until his path had diverted and he was before her.

Those whom she had been in conversation with had stepped away, granting them some modicum of privacy, even if he knew they could likely well hear what would be spoken of.

She was shorter than he, barely coming upon his shoulder, and held the appearance of a girl who had seen perhaps nineteen summers, but no more and no less. She truly held that same sense of age as she looked up to him, the growing sense of unease in her eyes reflected his own expression if he were to look hard enough.

Georgios could tell he betrayed nothing with his face, instead he glanced just past her and then around as he searched for the one who would never be too far removed. He had met her only the once during some time of crisis and he would never forget the encounter even now. He held it rather deeply close to his heart.

"...Is Nakir present as well, Lady?"

From the moment the question slipped from his lips, he knew what the answer would be from the sudden flash of pain which burst though the angels eyes, to the way she turned her head from him and looked down. Soon there was a tightness in her face, holding in her emotions and preventing them from leaking out.

Yet it was that refusal which gave him the answer he sought.

Closing his eyes, Georgios drew in a sharp breath before nodding very slowly.

"I see." He said at last, opening up his eyes and letting go of some of his rather negative emotions. Had this been a normal human woman, he would have perhaps placed a hand on her shoulder in comfort. Yet he could not do that, instead he spoke softly as he would anyone else. "You have my deepest condolences…I shall hold him in my prayers."

"What for…?" Munkar's words were as sharp as they were wet, turning to him with unshed tears. "Who…who would even hear them except…"

"They are prayers for peace." Georgios spoke after a moment. "To wish them a rest in whatever place they now slumber. I cannot speak for how you would do such things, but for man it is the belief that in passing, they shall find-"

"I know of what you speak." she interrupted, though not unkindly. Instead it was a hollow tone, her face lost the sadness and was instead devoid of any emotion. Yet her voice betrayed her broken nature. "But there is nothing for us and there is no one left whom would offer such comforts. I have only their memory."

"...As do we all, for those we have lost." He replied. "There is only the faith that remains that when we, too, meet our ends, we shall all be brought together once more under the light. Perhaps there is yet another place which is out for those such as yourselves and for others."

Munkar shook her head, turning from him and pacing away a short distance, though not too far.

"...They are dead. We were the…" Her words trailed off, she looked down once more and with hands that formed fists. There was a rising anger within her that he took issue with, but he did not find himself surprised by it.

It was an anger he had seen in many lost men and women during his life, those who were devoid of purpose.

And those who had suffered great loss for no reason they could think of.

Georgios stepped closer to her, ensuring they did not part far. "For many men, there is no certainty of what lies beyond. There is only the passing and then the belief there is something more, where our souls reside. Perhaps it is a cold and unending void as you claim, but that would be…rather tragic, would it not?"

She turned and looked up.

He offered a gentle smile.

"He is the Father you knew better than I, yet I have seen his creation all my life. Seen the good and the evil through it all and I ask this…how can you be so certain there is nothing for you when you perish? For when you all perish?"

"A-A heaven above Heaven?" She spoke the words in mocking, but it stole the anger from her as he wished it to. There was just a deep confusion in her eyes and he glanced from other, a survey showed the eyes of many nearby had fallen upon him as well, most with a quiet dismissal.

He did not blame them, but it was an irony indeed that he was preaching faith to the direct Servants of the Lord.

"That is what faith is." He simply said. "The faith of something beyond ourselves, beyond all that is. I do not beget you this crisis, nor do I blame you and I confess some similar troubles when I learned of it…but it is the belief for those who have been lost that we stride forwards. Not for our own rewards, but for the peace of those who have already met their end. Would that not be a comfort?"

Munkar opened her mouth, as though to scoff, but then stopped and quickly looked away from him, her eyes closed and without a word she strode off. Slower than one who was angered or vexed, but he would not have called it thoughtful either.

Instead it was the meandering of one who was very much out of sorts.

Georgios watched her leave in silence, stepping away from the place and turning, moving on and keeping his eyes forwards to the spot at the far end of the camp. To the lone withered tree which had grown from nothing.

It was as tall as it was decrepit, not a speck of green or life to be seen anywhere upon it, as though in defiance of the life which had carved out its home in this frozen land.

At the base of this tree, young and dead, sat a figure robed in black, with a mask that matched the bleached white of the snows around them. Turned in more the direction of the tree than himself, they gave little indication of his approach or even that they knew he was coming.

An Angel he did not recognise spotted him and moved forth, eyes narrowed as they brought up an arm to slow his advance.

"Is there a purpose for your visit, Venerated one?"

He did not acknowledge the almost disrespectful tone of voice in the using of his title, he spared the Angel a glance and knew they were one of those who had acted during the fall of the Tower of Babel, for whom else could they possibly have been?

Whether motivated by a jealous love or by dislike, he would neither guess nor wish to presume.

Instead he watched them for a moment, boring eyes into their opposites, before he broke his gaze and directed it to the angel of the skull mask.

"I would have words with your leader."

"But would he have words with yo-"

"I would."

The voice interrupted them as a hot wave, a flash of water against his armour from the shift in temperature, the Angel in front of him retreated swiftly with a slight incline of the head before stepping out of his line of sight, moving off to parts unknown.

Georgios moved forth, approaching the one who had thrown all of this into motion.

He stopped beside them, eyes fixed down as the mask looked up.

"I see that your injuries are soon to be a thing of the past." He would offer his courtesies first and foremost.

"As are yours." Maalik responded. "T'was my understanding that you came close to perishing in service of the greater good. Yet you live to fight another day."

"...Yes." Georgios said with a slight nod of the head. "The greater good, as you call it. My intention was not to do battle with the Lucifer, I was there only to test the resolve of the boy."

Maalik stared back at him and without words, he made his thoughts rather clear.

"He is a young man." Arguing, he frowned at the Angel. "A boy at best forced into a place beyond his own will. He has committed no sins worth the taking of his life."

"He is a Devil."

"Through no choice of his own, as I have been led to understand."

"And?" Maalik tilted his head, there was nothing accusing in his words. "His consent matters little. He has become a Devil, his powers will be in service of a Devil - of the leader of one of their houses - and it is a power which the Heavenly Father entrusted only to the hands of human souls."

Georgios knew what he was telling him he should have done. "I will not strike down a young man, confused and afraid for his friends, as he knows nothing of what is to come or why I would even be there."

"No matter." Maalik said. "Should the opportunity arise, I shall correct your oversight. The mercy of humans and their forgiveness is what the Heavenly Father wished of you, but it is wasted on the Devils."

Georgios could only frown at the words.

Something that Maalik took notice of.

With a sharp turn of the head, it appeared as though he fought back a scoff.

"They are the spawn of Lucifer. Creatures whose very legacy is built on honouring his existence. They do not curse him or his name, they adorn it like a symbol of pride. He and his generals. Titles they have become."

Georgios slowly reached to his side, slipping his hand into the gap between his breastplate and grasping with his fingers.

"Modern technology confuses me." He said, perhaps it was the swiftness of the conversation change which had earned the tilt of the head. But regardless of how it sounded, he continued onwards. "It is a wondrous and daunting thing indeed. I sought aid from those with greater experience and I was…horrified to learn how simple this task truly was."

With that, he pulled out a slip of paper from between his armour plates, folded upon itself and then held it out for the Angel to take. The bone mask gazed down wordlessly at it for several moments, then silently reached out and took it from his hand. Flipping it open and looking down at it.

Georgios waited in silence for the reaction and received nothing.

Maalik spared the paper only a momentary look before he lowered it back down.

"I have been told there are enough names to fill a book."

He rolled his lips.

"And I could spend the next few hours searching each name, examining their life. Seeing their moments of joy and serenity as though I myself was there. To witness who they were when they were at their very best. That is what this age has done. No longer are they merely faces, or some distant figure you shall never set eyes upon."

Pointing at the paper, he took in a deep breath.

"Those are names. They are people. Every single one of them."

"And they were the denizens of a town ruled by Devils." Maalik responded as he folded the paper back up. "Of these names, many of them had likely formed contracts with these Devils to fuel their own obsessions. Entering into a bargain where they marked themselves as allies. I shall shed no tears over their passing."

It was Georgios who fought the urge to scoff, but such a thing would have been disrespectful.

Instead he took in a deep breath.

"Yes." He answered. "I do not doubt that there were some in that list who were contracted with the Devils. I have little doubt that the heiresses made full use of their territory and contracted with as many humans as they could possibly manage…yet that figure could number no more than a hundred. Perhaps more over the course of their time there."

Lowering the hand, he exhaled.

"The sins of a handful do not justify the deaths of thousands."

Maalik shook his head. "I shall not argue with you on such words, but it is the manner of war. Not merely in human but in ours as well. Not every angel who perished was a solider. There were healers and messengers slain-"

Georgios frowned. "I am not some fresh faced recruit to be taken in by words that speak of the consequences of war. I know too well what the cost is for prolonged violence. I have been party to such things."

"Then why?" Maalik asked. "Why do you come to me and begin this argument?"

"Because it was slaughter." Georgios declared, looking down into the mask without blinking. "Senseless violence which achieved nothing. Nothing save for a burnt grave where there had once been a town of innocents-"

Maalik rumbled a noise, "Innocents? Perhaps, but they were heathens. Were I to agree that not all were in league with the Devils, the fact remains they worshipped a great many other divines before the Heavenly Father. They are far from being loyal children-"

"Their Gods exist." Georgios snapped. "As surely as the Lord did."

At those words, Maalik went silent.

Very slowly, the Angel rose up from the base of the tree until he was at eye height, if perhaps with an inch or two of clearance.

Whether it was a show of intimidation or not, such things did not work upon him.

"It is done." Maalik declared. "They are dead. More shall perish in the future, but if you came here to speak of regrets. To have me admit that I lament their passing, then you shall leave in disappointment. There was a chance, a true and honest chance, to put an end to the schemes of Michael before they could be cemented. To end him and the scourge of the Devils with a single stroke of the sword."

"And it failed." Georgios said, his eyes flat. "It failed and all that is to be shown is a brand upon the land. You weighed the cost of those lives against the cost of victory in whatever crusade you wish to launch…And I fear you shall make that call as many times as needs be, uncaring for who is caught in the wake of your battles."

Maalik turned swiftly, marching away a short distance.

"...You speak as if you were the Second Morning himself."

"I speak as one who would not wish to see more dead on account of an act of blind rage."

"Blind?" The Angel whipped around. "You would accuse me of blindness-?"

"I would accuse you of losing yourself to your malice." Georgios interrupted, "I would accuse you of wrath-"

"Wrath?"

Maalik spoke the word as if he was tasting it, a quiet and odd note in his tone.

He paced forth.

"Wrath…you speak of that word as if you understand it? As though you have seen such things and can claim you know of what it is."

Stopping, the bone mask looked down at him.

"No. Wrath is merely a word. It is nothing more than air passed through your teeth. I have beheld wrath. I have seen what wrath is and the form it takes. I have stood when the Heavenly Father, in his rage, carved out the place where the Souls of the dammed would burn for eternity."

There was a gravity in his voice, a nature to his words that made Georgios hair stand on end.

"In that moment, as I gazed into that burning pit of torture and damnation, I saw the face of Wrath. I watched as Wrath turned and looked at me…and then pointed. Wrath itself guided me to where I would serve. I could burn every city to ashes, put all of creation to the flames."

Maalik shook his head slowly.

"I could do all that you would call blind rage…and it would be nothing compared to the face of Wrath. Do not speak to me of what I shall do in righteous anger."

Stepping back, Maalik walked back to the tree and lowered himself back down into a seated position at its base.

"What did you come here to ask of me?" The Angel asked after a pause. "Did you truly come to believe that I would wage war without understanding the magnitude of what I would do? Did you suppose I was blind to the damage that would be inflicted if I were to do battle with the Second Morning?"

Georgios inhaled and then exhaled, finding his words once more.

"I think that you are so convinced of your goal, that you would pay any price to see it completed."

Maalik stared back in silence.

"You spoke of Michael as though he were a terrible creature, from what I have heard he is only a desperate man seeking to do what he believes is right. Whether I agree with his choices is not the issue at present."

He saw the twitch in the posture of the Angel at the mention of Michael's name.

"But supposing that you are doing this to spare mankind from suffering under the yolk of the Devils or the Griogri…or even Michael's Heaven."

Looking down, he stared at the paper listed with names.

"Who remains to benefit from this freedom you seek to spread?"

It was, perhaps, the only question worth asking.

He could see what his summoner thought of the matter, they wished for there to be some left over when all was said and done. Regardless of what else could be said for Jedidiah, Georgios did not doubt that everything that man was doing, was for what he believed was the ultimate benefit of mankind. If he could lose sight of his dislike for the Abrahamic factions, he could become such a light soul.

But with Maalik?

Georgios could see only hatred and anger in his eyes.

"Humanity survived the flood."

Maalik stated after a short pause.

"They survived the Heavenly Father when he wished them dead. They will survive my worst."

At those words, Georgios could only frown in disapproval.

"Is that the argument you shall put forth at the sight of the next massacre? Could these humans who understood nothing of what was coming for them, who woke up and thought nothing to the fact it would be their last day alive? Did they survive you at your worst?"

"I will not be dissuaded from my goal." Maalik replied quietly. "Even if I were to agree with every word you have spoken, it would change nothing for what I am prepared to accomplish. The fall of Michael and casting down his puppet Heaven takes precedence above all else. Such a goal is all that remains."

"...Perhaps for you." Georgios whispered. "But what for those who have more to live for, who have so much they could yet offer the world? For what reason should they be slain for merely being in the wrong place at the wrong time?"

Maalik only shook his head.

"I told you, there are no bloodless wars. There are no battles without cost and whether it is paid by us, by them or by those who understand nothing. There is always a price to be paid."

Georgios closed his eyes.

"I came here in the hope there could be some reasoning with you. That you could perhaps understand my sorrow-"

"I do not understand your sorrow." Maalik replied with a tilt of the head. "I am as the Heavenly Father directed me to be. If I were to shed tears for every soul who did not deserve their fate…my tears would have run dry many millennia ago."

Those words brought him up short as he opened his eyes and looked down at the Angel, frowning hard and watching for something. Some glimmer of an emotion that lay beyond the righteous anger and the hatred. The conviction to achieve his aims without caring for whatever the cost might have been.

And yet…

Georgios could see nothing but that cold conviction.

Perhaps he understood, in that moment, that there would be no changing Maalik now or ever and perhaps that had been the point.

How could one remain as the torturer of sinners for eternity if they were not utterly convinced of their own rightness?

"Then if nothing else." Georgios would not leave without making one final plea. "Give them a chance."

Maalik exhaled.

"A soldier of the Lord does not hesitate when the enemy stands before him. What you ask of me is something I cannot guarantee."

"Then I shall instead pray that none meet you above the skies of the man and failing that, I shall pray instead for your victims. As I have done already."

"You will likely pray for many hours in the future."

Georgios knew that already, he knew from the moment this ended in failure.

But he was not daunted by the words and instead nodded his head slowly.

"Then I shall take deep breaths before I offer my words."

"...I suppose you will." Maalik replied, turning his head and looking away. "I believe this is where our conversation comes to an end."

"Indeed it is."

Georgios turned and stopped, rolling his jaw before offering one final thought.

"When you find yourself at the end of this road, I shall hope you are still so firmly convinced of your rightness and that you pass on content. For I shall offer no pity if you stand and are crushed by your regrets in your final moments."

"Take heart that such a thing shall not come to pass. When the end does at last come for me, I shall ensure it is with my sword through the Second Morning's heart."

He almost believed them with how certain they sounded.

Parting ways, he walked back the way he had come and through the camp of angels, feeling the weight on his shoulders more acutely than when he had entered. Save for now it was a weight which rested in his heart. His eyes took in the faces of as many Angels as he could, moving through their camp and committing them all to memory.

There was a very real chance that many of them would perish in this bloody crusade.

Perhaps that was an even greater tragedy.

It was indeed a war, but the reasons for it were so deeply twisted in an anger and a rage that was hideous to behold.

No, his mind turned elsewhere.

To someone he needed to speak with as well.

Maalik sat at the base of that tree for what must have been hours.

Long enough that the presence of the Saint was little more than a memory by the time he was once again assailed by those who requested an audience with him.

Though perhaps to call it a request would have been to offer too cordial a term, it would have been better described as a demand for an audience that would not be refused. He turned his head and waved his hand before they could be prevented, all while he was in line of sight with them, it was enough for the Angels who gathered around him to disperse once more.

The pair of humans advanced forth, walking until they were standing before him with a presence that denoted them as equals.

Or rather, that was how they carried themselves.

First his gaze landed upon the wielder of the spear of Longinus, then it shifted to the human mage.

Between the two of them it was difficult to decide which of them was more dangerous, given the latter had managed to form a friendly alliance with the Pagan lord, except they had not brought their pagan. Instead they stood before him with only the company of the Longinus wielder as an ally.

And they carried themselves as if they were of equal standing, it spoke of an odd arrogance which might well have been based on certainty.

"We need to talk." The Longinus wielder proclaimed with a spark in his eyes that spoke of anger. Something Maalik could recognise all too well and knew, then and there, that the human was no friend of his and would never be. Yet that was fine.

"Very well."

Rising from his seated position, he turned and looked between the two of them.

"Then talk."

The mage spoke next.

"Though you have participated in a meeting, and have established a base of operations right beside our own, I do not believe you are approaching this partnership in anything that could reasonably be called good faith."

Maalik angled his head. "And you stand before me now so that we might rectify this? Have I assumed correctly?"

The Longinus wielder folded his arms, assuming control of the conversation once more.

"We're here to talk about you reigning yourself and your followers in before you bring everything crumbling down on our heads. That stunt you pulled in the Vatican was a fiasco none of us needed."

"Azrael was the one who assumed command of that task." Maalik pointed out. "If you are to accuse me of-"

"Let us not pretend that Azrael is incapable of secreting away the Burial Agents before they could inflict chaos." The magus countered. "To me, I can see only one possibility. You instructed Azrael to allow such an attack to transpire before he removed the Burial Agents from the field."

"...I did." Maalik nodded slowly. "Such a blatant strike against what is the supposed city of the Heavenly Father is a direct attack against the lie perpetrated by the Second Morning. The Heavenly Father would never be so weak as to let such an insult slide but the Second Morning cannot respond in any capacity equal to Father."

He waved a hand.

"The Pagan lords shall see this insult go unpunished and begin to question just how much power truly likes with the husk of Heaven now. After our rebellion, I do not doubt it is already seen as a curious situation and Azrael's actions shall serve to exacerbate it further."

The mage inclined his head with a nod.

"Such things are why I considered it and I shall accept that it is a legitimate strategy…but it is one that would have been better served in informing us about before you elected to engage in subversive tactics against the faction of Michael."

For what reason would he possibly do such a thing?

"And why would I do this?"

"Because you're here." The Longinus wielder interrupted, eyes narrowed. "And you're working with us from now on. It might not be for long, it might not even be close, but it is enough to inform us. Even the Old Satan Faction provided us with the courtesy of a message that they were planning an attack on the conference."

There was an implication in those words which he found rather distasteful.

Namely that somehow the Devils were more considerate than he was.

"I brought the children of Heaven here." Maalik replied, pointing down. "To this place with only the word of Azrael as testament of this. Were it not for his council, I would have moved to Heaven and continued our war there and then."

"But you did not." The mage spoke, bringing his cane about and resting both hands atop it. "As you said, you brought your angels here and cemented yourselves as, at the very least, a mutually beneficial acquaintance. So I shall be as blunt as possible to leave no chance of misunderstanding."

Maalik waited for the human to make his point.

"So long as you are intending to make use of our resources, I expect your cooperation."

"Do you indeed?"

"Yes." There was little change in the expression of the blonde haired man. "And I shall say that I do not appreciate one of my subordinates being shadowed without my prior knowledge."

He struggled to see where the issue lay when he appointed Susa-il to shadow the girl on her mission.

"Was it not impressed upon the importance of her mission? This is cooperation. I am lending my own sister-"

"I did not discover it until I was spoken to by my subordinate." He was interrupted with a shake of the head. "During a time in which I was then dealing with the aftermath of your sanctioned attack on the Vatican. One which has flung dozens of organisations into tracking down the ones responsible in what is believed by the world to be an act of terrorism."

Maalik held up his hand to signal silence, it seemed as though the gesture had stood the test of time as both understood what it meant, he lowered his hand and closed his eyes behind his mask. Though he would have preferred it to remain a matter between Angels and Angels alone…Azrael had insisted the importance of coming here instead.

For what purpose, he had not yet been informed.

But Azrael's judgement had led to his release from prison, thus he was obligated to follow it.

"In what capacity does this cooperation appear to you?"

The Longinus wielder answered swiftly.

"Authorisation to engage."

Maalik bristled swiftly, feeling his wings flare out and heat expand from his body. The two men before him did not flinch, but he saw their tension. He felt it much the same way from the blatant insult.

"None." He began. "None by the Heavenly Father may command me-"

"Then a compromise." The mage intervened with only a tilt of the head. "If there is a target that you wish to engage, in a manner that is currently realistic to achieve victory within, then we shall agree to consolidate our resources to ensure a victory that is as swift and clean as possible."

The mage narrowed his eyes.

"Your attack on Kuoh failed. Even with the element of surprise, you could not best the forces of the Abrahamic factions and were forced into a retreat before the Shinto Gods could slay you. This is an undeniable fact."

…It was not…an inaccurate assessment.

The Second Morning might well have been weaker, but he was still eldest of the Heavenly Father's children.

His name carried a weight and a strength which had allowed him to usurp and wield a portion of the throne.

Disgusted as he might have been with that fact, it was undeniable.

The Second Morning was still stronger than he was…at least for the time being.

"You would demand forewarning of our goals."

The mage nodded. "I do not believe you could be restricted and it is in our best interests that you continue to wage your rather public war against the three factions. Only so long as it does not result in another pointless waste of life which, in the grand scheme of things, achieves very little."

Maalik turned his head and rolled his jaw.

He debated the words for some few moments and allowed them to settle.

There was a logic within them, and it was not a restriction against his crusade. Merely the humans deciding that they could try and aim him someplace that would also serve to benefit them. A target of mutually wished destruction where they could all achieve what they wanted out of a victory.

It was…wiser to use the assets of these mages than to ignore them.

The attack on the peace conference had not gone to plan and now that approach would only be doomed for failure. Especially if the Second Morning started to bolster his numbers and he did not doubt the Devils and Grigori were lending their full might to finding and crushing his followers.

They were at a disadvantage if they stood alone.

He truly did not believe they would survive another encounter if things continued in much the same way as before, having fought only the Second Morning himself and none of the Satan allies who could well have joined him on the field of battle.

Especially now with the wielder of Ddraig as a Devil.

"...Very well." Maalik decided after a moment, turning back to the pair and inclining his head in a short nod. "We shall discuss what this cooperation looks like."

He stopped, then turned to the wielder of Longinus.

"And you may speak your piece openly."

"Oh, may I?" The man offered a smile that was anything but friendly, then it vanished just as swiftly. "I'll put it to you plainly. I think you are a monster. I think you know that as well and simply do not care. Really, I don't either."

With a shrug, the human leaned back and glared.

"But let me make something clear. As a descendant of the ancient hero, Cao Cao. His blood runs through my veins and if there is one thing that heroes are well known for…it is killing monsters."

Maalik allowed the threat to wash over him.

Rather, he was impressed they would have admitted it so openly.

"...Not before I slay the Second Morning."

The human, Cao Cao, only smiled. "...You can hope."

He noted the mage was unsurprised by this development, which indicated he had known as well.

"Do you think of me as a monster as well?"

The blonde shook his head. "My thoughts on you are irrelevant at the time. Whatever they might be, I am still willing to work with you until such a time as our goals are no longer compatible."

"And when that time comes?"

"I believe someone else wishes to deal with you at that moment, though should the burden fall upon me…then I am willing to carry it."

Maalik would have called it devious to merely use him.

Except the same was true of him, he was merely making use of the mages for their intelligence on their shared enemies and for the additional survival.

"Very well then." Maalik nodded. "Since we have all confirmed where we stand, what else needs to be discussed about this cooperation?"

"Is it worth it?"

The words slipped from Georgios mouth the moment he entered the room.

Across from him, in the midst of pinning up another photograph, Jedidiah did not even so much as still as he replied to him.

"You would ask me this now?"

"I have thought upon it for days." Georgios confessed. "Since I first recovered from the battle with the Lucifer. Since I poured over the names of the dead and saw so much of their lives and then I realised…"

Raising his hand, he pointed at Jedidiah. "You would have known all of this. Such things that you yourself told me."

Jedidah nodded slowly, removing his hand from the wall of pictures and turned around to face him. "I will not lie."

"So answer me." Georgios lowered his hand. "Is it worth it?"

He waited for the answer for what might have been years, his heart hammered away in his chest.

Jedidiah, through all of his turmoil, looked as calm and collected as ever and yet now it was something cold and detached. As though he saw the anguish Georgios felt at this moment and was unmoved by it. Yet he truly wished to believe that Jedidiah held the best interest of mankind at heart.

He needed to believe it.

"...It was not worth it for those who died." Jedidiah said at last, closing his eyes and folding his arms behind his back. As he did so, his shoulders dropped and the expression was wiped clean from his face. In its stead, there was only something that was almost broken, but held together through strength alone.

Georgios blinked, then grimaced and composed himself.

"You are right. I knew all that would come to pass. I knew who Maalik was as an individual, I knew what Azrael intended to do and beyond that, I knew what would happen to the town of Kuoh in the instant the gatekeeper was let loose upon the world once more."

"...And you still did it." Georgios remarked, finding his voice. "Is this truly the only path forwards for us?"

Jedidiah nodded. "It is the only path that I can see truly working to benefit mankind. Though I will not deny that I could have intervened in Kuoh and greatly diminished the number of souls lost during that skirmish."

The confession brought no surprise to Georgios.

"I assume it would have required your personal intervention, however."

"It would." His summoner admitted. "And I was not prepared to reveal myself. Thus I stayed in the shadows and watched. Committing every name and face to memory, cycling through their lives until that moment and ensuring that each of them is remembered by me."

"But you would do so again."

"I would." Another swift confession. "This is the path that shall work. There are no others which I have seen and though it will hold much blood in the weeks and months to come…I am of the belief that it shall ultimately be for the greater good. It is the only justification I can provide for why those in Kuoh died."

Georgios shook his head. "But they did not have to, did they?"

"...No." Jedidiah replied. "They did not."

"Then I shall ask you a final time." Georgios raised his head. "Is this worth it?"

"Yes. For those who remain behind, it will be worth it."

It was an answer as swift as it was confident.

All he could do in the face of it was nod his head up and down and understand the lengths he would have to go in the future and how this ordeal was far from over for him.

"I see." Georgios said. "Then I shall place myself in your hands and carry this burden as well."

Jedidiah frowned. "That is-"

"You have told me this path shall shed more innocent blood." He interrupted. "By all that is right, I should stop you here and now…and yet I can see your convictions. I know that you do what you believe to be right as a foil of Maalik. As you both hold the same hatred, I believe there is something more within you."

He stepped closer, coming face to face with the man.

"I must believe you are a man of principles. That you would not follow this path unless there was no other choice. Therefore…I shall remain by your side, so that you alone do not carry the burden of being a sinner for what shall happen."

"You do not understand the weight of your words, Georgios." Jedidiah replied, shaking his head and looking at him in pity.

"Then I shall follow you on this path to the end." Georgios replied. "And at its final step, we shall look back and see if it truly was worth the price that was paid. Not for the sake of vengeance…but for the future you believe is worth shedding blood for."

Georgios understood that what he was doing could well make him a monster.

Such a thing was terrible indeed.

Yet he would place his faith in the words and actions of this man before him, the one who had summoned him from beyond.

There needed to be a reason for his coming back here.

Whether to aid Jedidiah on this path, or to put a stop to it when it went too far.

He did not know yet…but he knew that he would.

For even beyond his death, Georgios was convinced the Lord had a plan for all things.

AN: I hope you all enjoyed Christmas and I look forwards to seeing you in the new year.