Unlike the usual solemnity that permeated the atmosphere of Vatican City, the streets were filled with fanfare and festivities. Aside from Christmas and Easter, it was the one time of the year where the many members of the Catholic Faith, along with other members from the other denominations, came to visit and shared in a common celebration. There were stalls set up on the streets and the aroma of holiday food and sweets wafted about, attracting many guests.
Lucia ran down the cobblestone roads, slightly ahead of her friends as she darted from stall to stall, trying to figure out what to buy.
"Luci! Wait!"
She looked up to see Irina panting slightly as she ran to catch up to her. The auburn haired girl peered into the selection of snacks alongside her. "Aww, do they have the chocolate lava gingerbread men this year?"
Lucia furrowed her brow as she looked up at the menu. She narrowed her eyes as she tried to find the yearly special she and Irina had come to love so much. "I don't see it yet."
"What are you guys looking for?" Vali asked as he walked up beside them. His hands were in his pockets but he was noticeably less cold than he was back in Germany. His hazel eyes flicked over to the menu, trying to find what Lucia was looking for.
Asia stood silently beside him, her hand holding his sleeve the entire time.
"There was this thing Irina and I got when we came here for the Feast. It's an Angel Gingerbread man that's like a chocolate lava cake," Lucia said as she looked at the pastries on display. "But I don't see it…" her shoulder slumped.
"Are you looking for that gingerbread angel thing?"
The four perked their heads up to see a young dark-haired boy wearing a violet jacket and khaki pants walked up to them. He had a lazy smile on his face as he approached the display case and placed a hand on it. "I came here with Dad earlier. He said that he tried to get some but the person said they weren't making them this year."
"Ehhh!? Really? Are you serious?" Lucia's mouth fell open slightly at the revelation as she focused her attention back on the display case. Her black eyes scanned it for any sign of her favorite snack and her face fell when she saw zero sign of it. "I-I thought they might have just… forgotten to put it on the menu…"
"Huh? Why would they serve something and forget to put it on the menu?" The boy asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I don't know. I just thought they'd serve it again this year," Lucia puffed her cheeks before pulling away from the display case. She glanced apologetically at Vali and Asia, who would not know the sheer delightful sweetness of the snack. "Sorry, guys. I wanted you two to try it."
Vali smiled and pointed to an eclair. "It's okay, Lucia. We can try it next year if they have it."
Lucia? So this girl is… the dark-haired boy thought as he watched Lucia interact with her friends.
"Y-Yeah. It's not the end of the world if it's not there. Besides, being here with everyone… makes me really happy," Asia said as a shy smile spread across her face.
Lucia felt a warmth spread through her chest as a smile broke out across her face. She nodded.
"Ahem."
Lucia blinked. She glanced over her shoulder to see the dark haired boy handing the cashier some money before handing her chocolate cake pop. She took it into her hand, inspecting it curiously before looking up at him.
"What's this for?" she asked.
The boy smiled and took a bite of his own cake pop. "This is my favorite snack. I didn't think they'd have it here in the Vatican but my older sister and Dad get this for me a lot whenever I come home from school if I do good. I just thought I'd share it with you since we're probably going to be seeing each other more often."
Lucia raised an eyebrow. Seeing each other more often? What was this kid even thinking? Lucia had never met this boy before in her life and now he was acting like they were going to be seeing each other like they were friends.
"I don't even—"
"Know me? I know. But, we'll get to know each other pretty soon. By the way, my name is—"
"Young Master Clyde!"
Clyde let out a groan at the sound of a man's voice calling out to him from the crowd. He turned his head slightly to see a muscular, gruff looking man with dark hair and a beard rushing over to them. He slowed to a stop as he got closer.
"Young Master, you shouldn't wander off like that. It might be a Festival where we were invited but we are still in unfamiliar territory," the man said in a stern and exasperated voice.
Lucia's eyes shifted color as she scanned the two in front of her.
[Clyde Griffin]
[Estimated Combat Level… Strength: 100 Speed: 125 Durability: 99 Magic: 400 Skill: 200 Overall Combat Capabilities: 924]
[Age: 10, Race: Nephilim (Fallen Angel-Human Hybrid), Gender: Male, Marital Status: Single]
[Special Traits: Sefer HaRazim, Seraphim (Locked)]
[Current Equipment: Sacred Gear Detector]
924? Not bad. That's almost the same level I'm at right now, Lucia mused. Seraphim? But it says locked. Maybe he doesn't have it yet? Show [Relationships]
[Clyde Griffin Cont.]
[Relationships: … Azazel (Father), Human Mother]
Lucia's eyes flicked to the man next to him. Her scan didn't return anything useful, giving her incomplete information. This man must have been much higher than her in power, thus rendering him incapable of being scanned by her Sacred Gear completely.
[Baraqiel]
[Alternate Names and Titles: Thunder of God, Barry, Bara]
[Estimated Combat Level… Unable to be estimated. Target out of scanning range. Strength:?, Speed: ?, Durability: ?, Magic: ?, Skill: ?]
[Age: 500,000 years, Race: Fallen Angel, Gender: Male, Marital Status: Widowed (Married to Shuri Himejima]
[Special Traits: Holy Lightning, Cherubim]
[Current Equipment: None]
[Translating estimate to class ranking… Ultimate Class Fallen Angel]
Eh? Translating? Ultimate Class? It's never done that before, Lucia wondered, staring at the words in front of her.
The man, Baraqiel, seemed to notice her staring at him. His eyebrows furrowed at the sight of her before turning back to Clyde. "Clyde, we must go. Your father and Shemhazai are attending a meeting right now and you can't just go wandering off. Especially not when we're in the heart of—"
"Vali! Miss Lucia, kids!"
Baraqiel looked up and he tensed at the sight of two people approaching. Lucia glanced over her shoulder to see Eleonora approaching them with…
"Aunt Gabbie!" Lucia broke off and ran toward her. She buried her face in Gabriel's embrace and wrapped her arms around her.
Gabriel smiled and tousled Lucia's hair as she bent down to her level. She pulled the girl off her slightly and brushed a strand of Lucia's bangs out away from her eyes. "You've gotten bigger, haven't you, Little Star?"
Lucia nodded fervently. "And I got stronger too! Mama says that I can try applying to be an Exorcist in a couple of months! Or maybe I can even go to Heaven and be a Destroying Angel!"
"Gabriel."
Gabriel looked up, her eyes widening slightly at the sight of him. She placed a hand on Lucia's shoulder, holding it with a slightly firm grip. Her green eyes gazed down to the young boy down by his side, noticing the same protectiveness he held the boy with.
"It's been a long time, Baraqiel. I have to admit. I never thought I'd see you outside of battle," Gabriel straightened herself as she stood. "I was... unaware you were here. The invite list only showed Azazel."
Baraqiel nodded silently, his body still tense at the fact that he was alone in the presence of an Archangel.
"Azazel called on me at the last minute to look after his son. I take it all seven of you are here," he asked.
Lucia looked up at her aunt, who kept her gaze trained solely on the man before them.
Gabriel made a signal for Eleonora to gather up the kids. "Yes. We are. I do hope that these talks can be the start of something new between all three of us." She let out a sigh and relaxed herself. Gabriel looked down at the boy once more before stepping forward and leaning down to smile at him. "Hello there."
Clyde blinked and took a slight step back. His eyes briefly drifted down to her chest before looking back at her with a wary stare. "H-Hello, Ma'am."
"My, what a polite child," she said. She straightened her posture and walked back over to Lucia. "I do hope you enjoy the festival, Baraqiel. It's a good time for kids to be themselves so do loosen up and let him enjoy."
Baraqiel just nodded and placed a hand on Clyde's shoulder. The boy snapped out of his trance and bowed deeply before them.
"I'll keep that in mind, Elder Sister," Baraqiel said as he began to guide Clyde away.
Lucia watched as the two left. She glanced up at her aunt when she felt her hand fall gently on her shoulder.
Gabriel smiled softly before nodding her head toward the other stalls. "Come on. I heard from Metatron and Sandalphon that they set up some games for the festivities this year. Maybe you can try to win another narwhal plushie for your room."
Lucia's eyes lit up at the thought and she ran ahead of her aunt toward the stalls.
If there was one place on Earth that was subject to ghost tales and conspiracies, the Vatican would be one of them. Among humans and exorcists, the interior of several places within Vatican City were subject to the most absurd theories constructed by man. Some of them ranged from the body of Jesus Christ being stored in the Vatican's catacombs to the Pope and the Council of Cardinals being composed of reptilians from hollow earth.
Yet all seemed to touch upon the fact that there were powers that controlled the administrative seat of the world's largest and most powerful religion. Within St. Peter's Basilica, in a place that was warded off against the hundreds and thousands of human tourists that visited each year, a large chamber lay hidden away from prying eyes. At the center of this chamber, there was a large white table decorated with a coating of gold at the very edges.
Above it, there were three stained glass windows, the first of which depicted a man with long flowing white hair and white robes with a golden halo of light behind him. The second depicted another man with dark hair, white robes, and carried a cross on his shoulder. There was a gold halo behind his head and a crown of thorns atop it. And finally, the third stained glass window depicted a young woman with silvery blonde hair, white and black robes, and possessed a crown of thorns.
At the table, the four figures sat in silence. Sirzechs rapped his fingers against the surface of the table while his wife, Grayfia, sat next to him with her eyes closed.
Across from them, a man with black and blonde hair sat with his feet up on the table. He wore a V-neck maroon coat with a high collar and gray slacks. He let out a puff of air that rustled his blonde bangs as he gazed out at the other side.
"It must be awkward for two Devils to be here, isn't it, Sirzechs?" the black and blonde-haired man took his feet off the table and leaned forward. "I thought Serafall would be the one coming with you. Guess she had other plans?"
Sirzechs smiled politely and leaned back in his chair. "I'm afraid she had… prior commitments today and cancelled at the last minute so Grayfia is coming in her place. I assure you though, Azazel, my wife is more than capable of handling this. After all, she was once a candidate to inherit the title of Leviathan."
Azazel raised his hands in mock defense. "I'm sure she can. Though, I'd like to imagine that the conniving snake isn't too happy that one of her students decided to take the day off."
Sirzechs tilted his head back and let out a laugh. "Yes, well, Master is probably going to give her an earful."
"I can see that you're all breaking the ice without me."
The leaders all turned their heads to see Helel entering the room, followed by Michael. The two immediately went on edge as she approached the table.
"Young Sirzechs. How is your sister if I might ask?" Helel asked as she pulled the chair out.
Sirzechs smiled. "Rias? Well, she didn't want to stay in the Vatican so she's off with one of my peerage members exploring the woods to see if… in her own words, find a super strong beast to reincarnate as one of her peerage members."
Helel let out a laugh as she took her seat.
Azazel felt a bead of sweat run down the side of his head. "Geez, Elder Sister. You don't really hold back on your entrances. Though, it's rare for you to personally come down from Heaven. Are you sure things will be fine up there?"
Helel glanced at Azazel and regarded him with a warm smile. "This is a time of coming peace and celebration. As the current leader of Heaven, it'd be preferable if I came down myself to participate in the talks."
Michael sat down in one of the chairs and gave the other leaders a smile. "Elder Sister is right. Besides, Heaven is not without a safeguard. After all, she is still up there within Araboth."
Azazel grimaced as he glanced up at the stained glass painting of the maiden with the crown of thorns. "That damn hag. But… since Elder Sister is here, shall we get to the point? I'm sure with your Omniscience, the fact that you guys proposed this before I did means that there's something you know that we don't."
Sirzechs raised an eyebrow at Azazel's words. "Something we don't know? I'm sorry but I am not familiar with Lady Helel's capabilities, especially her 'Omniscience'."
Azazel let out a bark of laughter. "It's exactly what I mean boy. That woman before you can basically see everything happening across the entire world. She's probably observing the Festival from down here. What's more is that she has something called—"
"Azazel, that's enough," Helel said.
Azazel quieted down and leaned back in his chair.
"Now, you all know why we are here today. It's going to be the first historic step for our factions, who have been at odds for millennia," she said. "A first historic step towards the peace we all wish for."
Helel folded her hands and leaned forward slightly. Her blue eyes twinkled as she smiled at her fellow leaders. "Now, the first order of business. Why I decided to reach out first. Tell me, do you all remember that incident that happened in Ukraine about 10 years ago?"
"Whaaa? Selda's busy! But Mama said she'd watch us while she went off to do security stuff for the Feast!" Lucia said as she followed her aunt down the street.
Gabriel just gave her that same gentle smile as she perused the different stalls lining the streets of the Vatican. "Mmm. Unfortunately. I know you wanted to see Selda but I promise you'll get to see her. It's only the first day of the Festival, Luci."
Lucia nodded but still grumbled under her breath. Next to her, Irina smiled and nudged her friend in the side. "Come on. I thought you weren't a little baby anymore. You're not actually going to cry are you?"
"Shut up. I'm not crying," Lucia's cheeks turned red as she glared half-heartedly at her friend. She walked ahead of them, increasing her pace slightly much to the amusement of her friends. Vali kept pace with her and hopped over to her side.
"Well, your Mom's going to be gone for a bit. Do you think we can sneak into the Catacombs and see what's down there?" Vali asked.
Behind them, Asia's face grew slightly pale at the mention of the Catacombs. She had heard Vali the previous night giggling creepily as he pored over some books he had borrowed from the Institution's Library. "I-I don't think we can go down there."
Lucia pondered his question as she continued to walk. "Hmm, I— Oomf!" Lucia found herself bumping into someone, not having noticed them earlier. She stumbled back slightly, rubbing her nose. "Ow, ow, ow! Hey, watch where you're… going?" Her eyes lit up as she took in the sight of the girl in front of her.
The girl in front of her had on a small black beret and was dressed in a white sweater and a black long skirt. Her blue eyes looked up in annoyance for a brief moment but it vanished the moment she set eyes on Lucia. A bright smile lit up her face as she rushed forward, immediately wrapping Lucia in a tight hug.
The poor girl's face began to turn blue as she struggled in the girl's inhuman grip. A grip that even she, a Half-Angel, couldn't break out of.
Vali just stood there, stupefied for a few seconds before Irina walked up next to him and sighed. "Miss Evelyn, Luci can't breathe," Irina smiled wryly.
Evelyn blinked before releasing Lucia, causing the younger girl to take deep gulps of air. She winced as she rubbed her shoulder.
"Who is that?" Vali whispered as he watched Lucia begin to ramble at the girl.
"That's Lucia's cousin, Evelyn. She's older by a year. She has a twin brother named Adam and she started Exorcist training not too long ago. She's… the daughter of Lord Helel but it's complicated. It's a bit like Luci and Lady Uriel," Irina said in a low voice.
Vali nodded absentmindedly, looking at the girl. There was something off about her. She felt just like…
"Is she?" Vali asked.
Irina nodded. "She and her brother are both Apostles of Helel."
Lucia blinked as she looked around. She turned back to Evelyn before crossing her arms. "Where's your stupid brother?"
Evelyn chortled at Lucia's crude use of language. She brushed a part of her hair to the side as she smiled at her younger cousin. "Adam? He's too busy training to come to the Feast even if Mom told him to show up. Though, I guess that's Adam for you. That idiot would rather be training with Mister Ewald that come with his sister to the Feast." Evelyn let out a sigh as she walked next to Lucia. She glanced over her shoulder, raising an eyebrow at the sight of Vali.
Vali squirmed in his spot uncomfortably at the sight of her intense stare.
"When did you start picking up stray devils?" Evelyn asked.
Lucia pondered for a few minutes before shrugging. "Val is a really good friend of mine from school. We met last year and we saved him and his mom from his Dad. His dad was a bad guy by the way. Really mean. A major jerkface."
Vali nodded solemnly. "Dad… was Dad."
"I can't believe you still call him Dad," Irina remarked.
"I don't know what else to call him," Vali rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.
"Well, enough of the heavy stuff. I'm glad. I thought Lucia would be a loner weirdo forever," Evelyn smiled at the others. She bowed her head slightly. "Thank you for being friends with my cousin… even if she is hard to get along with."
Lucia puffed her cheeks slightly before crossing her arms and turning her head away in annoyance. "I'm not that weird…"
"You? Not weird?" Irina raised an eyebrow.
"Shut up…" Lucia's cheeks flushed red from embarrassment.
"Ne, why don't you read me? I bet your Sacred Gear can't," Evelyn skipped ahead before stopping in front of them.
Lucia narrowed her eyes before activating [Warning System] on her cousin. Her eyes widened at the sight.
[Evelyn Thorn]
[Estimated Combat Level… Strength: 245, Speed: 315, Durability: 230, Magic: 550, Skill: 476. Overall Combat Capabilities: 1,816]
[Age: 11; Race: Human, Gender: Female, Marital Status: Single]
[Special Traits: Apostle, Power of God Miracle - Paradise Lost]
[Current Equipment: Light Gun]
"What!? When did you get this strong!?" Lucia gawked at the sight of her cousin's stats. The rough estimate her gear was giving her was still calculating.
[Translating estimate to class ranking. Evelyn Thorn… Middle Class]
Lucia's eyebrow twitched at her Sacred Gear's translation. It made her a bit irritated with it sometimes.
"Through training of course. You don't think I just sat on my butt while Adam went running off to Mister Ewald did you?" Evelyn let out a haughty laugh.
Lucia glared half-heartedly at her cousin. "Just you wait—"
"By the way, did you hear? Uncle Michael also took in a kid," Evelyn said.
Lucia's anger simmered down. "Uncle Mike? That Uncle Michael?" Lucia said in a disbelieving tone.
Evelyn nodded as she led them to one of the stalls. She placed a few bills on the counter and watched as the stall owner began the process of handing them some churros. Evelyn took the long pastry snacks and handed one to each of Lucia's friends.
"Yeah, she's from the Philippines. Lost her whole family apparently but Mom wouldn't tell me anything else," Evelyn said as she handed Lucia her churro.
Lucia bit down on the thin pastry before looking up at her cousin. "Is she here?"
Evelyn shook her head. "No. But the other Apostles are. Dulio is supposed to be here too."
Lucia looked over to Gabriel, who had been chatting with Eleonora about something random. "Auntie, are your Apostles here? Besides Selda?"
Gabriel nodded. "Mirana is here. She's out patrolling with Selda. They'll be here after they get relieved so don't worry about not being able to see Selda, Luci."
Lucia nodded but that didn't make her feel any better. Just hearing about the others being here reminded her that Griselda was still out of reach for her if anything. She sighed before looking up at the sky. "Mama is out. Selda isn't here yet. Man, I thought we were going to all be here for the Feast."
Gabriel's eyes softened. "It's only the first day, Lucia. Cheer up. Besides, your Mama prepared a surprise for you later. I'm sure you'll love it."
That caught Lucia's attention more than anything. A surprise? Lucia stopped moping immediately, perking up at the idea of a present. She needed to find out.
"Rin! Asia! Val! Come on! Let's go find, Mama! Maybe she got me a sword!" Lucia said excitedly as she took off sprinting toward St. Peter's Basilica.
"Eh? Wait! Luci!" Irina said as she ran off after her.
Vali sighed before following after them, albeit at a slower pace. Asia fell into step behind him, keeping an eye on her two friends as they ran ahead. Evelyn shook her head and followed after them while the adults sighed and kept pace with the kids.
Lucia weaved in and out between people, making her way to the ancient Church.
"Luci! Slow down! Your mom will get mad at us if we go to the Basilica before she finishes her work!" Irina called out, barely staying on Lucia's heels as the girl expertly maneuvered her way through the streets of the Vatican.
"It's fine! I'm just asking a question! And besides, Mama won't mind! She told us we can wander around as long as we have Aunt Eleonora with us!" Lucia laughed as she slid between the legs of a man before vaulting over a parked bike.
Irina sighed as she followed after her. She kept Lucia in her sight as they took a sharp right on the street leading toward St. Peter's Basilica. As she did, her violet eyes widened at the sight of an… older Lucia?
She wore a light lavender jacket with black form-fitting pants and brown boots. Her resemblance to Lucia was so uncanny that Irina felt like she was going crazy.
Unfortunately, the woman didn't seem to notice them heading in her direction. She was too busy looking at a map she had in her hands. A map that was presumably of the Vatican that they gave to tourists. The woman attempted to speak to several passersby in what sounded to be extremely broken Italian, all the while never noticing the rapidly approaching bundle of feathers heading in her direction. When she finally turned, it was too late and for the second time that day, Lucia found herself colliding with someone in the middle of the street.
The woman's map and phone flew into the air as Lucia collided with her. She stumbled back from the impact while Lucia fell backward and landed on her butt.
"Ow… ow…," Lucia rubbed her nose.
"Luci!" Irina's voice echoed from behind her.
"Damn, kid. Watch where you're going…," The woman's voice died in her throat as soon as she laid eyes on Lucia.
Lucia let out a small sneeze before rubbing her nose again. She looked up at the lady she had just collided with. "Sorry, Miss, I—"
"N-Nii-san…?"
"Eh?" Lucia's eyes widened when she saw the tears brimming at the edges of the woman's eyes. It was almost like looking into a mirror. The woman in front of her, who couldn't have been no older than seventeen years of age, looked almost exactly like her, save for the eyes. Her eyes were lighter shade than Lucia's.
The woman reached out to her with shaky hands as she knelt in front of Lucia.
"Luci! Geez, don't just run off like that!" Irina caught up to her. She came to a stop and blinked when she saw the teary-eyed woman reaching out to Lucia. "Lucia! What are you doing? Get back—"
"Ah. Togame. I thought I told you to meet me at the coffee shop near the Teutonic Library."
Lucia's head snapped up and looked past the woman to see her mother walking toward them.
The woman, presumably Togame, looked up at the sound of Uriel's voice. She turned her head to see the older woman approaching with two cups of coffee. "I reserved a table for… us…," Uriel stopped for a moment when she saw Lucia sitting on the ground. "Lucia, I thought you were with Gabriel and Eleonora. What are you…?"
"Mama?" Lucia raised an eyebrow when she heard the uncertainty and nervousness in her mother's voice. It was something she had never heard before in the usually confident and imposing woman. She dusted herself off and got to her feet.
"Lucia, you… no. Irina, head back to the others and tell Gabriel that Lucia is with me. I need to talk to her," Uriel said as she gestured for Lucia and Togame to follow her.
Irina looked at Lucia for a few seconds before nodding.
"Luci. Come here," Uriel beckoned once more as she began walking back toward the coffee shop.
Lucia spared Togame a look from the corner of her eye before following her mother.
The coffee shop was oddly empty save for a few employees. Lucia stared awkwardly at her chocolate milk while her mother and the woman, Togame, sat quietly across from each other, each sipping their respective orders of coffee. Even someone as socially inept as she was could tell that the atmosphere in the coffee shop was tense.
After a few suffocating seconds, Lucia opened her mouth to speak but was cut off as Togame coughed into her mouth. "I apologize for the trouble, Reid-san but I got lost on my way over here."
Uriel placed her coffee cup back down on the cupholder. "It's okay. I didn't think that far ahead to pick you up personally from the airport. Some of the fault lies with me."
Lucia let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding.
"So this is… her?" Togame asked, focusing her attention on Lucia.
Lucia shrank in her spot and scooted closer to her mother.
"Yes, she is," Uriel said with a slight melancholic tone.
"She looks so much like my brother… and Sakuya-oneesan as well," Togame said in a low voice.
"Mama, what's going on?" Lucia asked, feeling a pit growing in her stomach.
"Ah… that's right. Luci, I forgot to introduce you but, this woman is—"
"Togame. My name is Togame Kamiyo, Lucia," Togame said, her arms reaching out to touch her. However, Togame pulled back slightly, hesitating to get closer. "I'm your aunt."
"My aunt? Wait, but I only have 3 aunties. 5 with Aunt Eleonora and Aunt Rikka. Are you—"
"She's your real aunt, Luci."
Lucia turned to her mother, who was looking away with a guilty expression on her face.
"My real aunt? Mama, I don't understand. What do you mean by my real aunt?" Lucia asked. Her voice was starting to tremble from a fear she didn't know the source of. She grabbed the sleeve of her mother's coat tightly.
"Lucia… I…" Uriel started. She felt her chest tighten. Why was it so hard for her to say? She should just say it, is what she thought. She knew Lucia subconsciously knew. She needed to tell Lucia the truth before she found out from someone else. But a deep gnawing fear began to eat away inside her. What if Lucia didn't want to live with her anymore and wanted to be with her family?
But she would be safer if she went to live a normal life? Isn't that what you wanted? Isn't that what Laylah died trying to protect? A small voice whispered inside her ear.
Uriel gulped before clenching her fist and pulling her arm away from Lucia slightly. "I… am not your mother… Luci."
Lucia's eyes widened. She shook her head and reached out to grab Uriel once more. "Mama, no, what are you saying? You're my mom!"
"Reid— Uriel-san, I don't think this is—" Togame tried to stop Uriel before she could finish talking.
"I… am not your real family, Lucia. That woman right there. She's your real family," Uriel said, trying to fight back her own tears as Lucia kept shaking her head and denying it.
"Mama, did I do something wrong? I'll be a good girl from now on! Please don't throw me away!" Lucia begged.
"Lucia, I…" What should she even say? She didn't know what to say to her daughter in this situation. Uriel had faced death many times over. And of all the times she had faced death at the hands of Lucifer or the Goddess of the Void, Yam, none of it compared to the pain of seeing her daughter crying and begging, confused at what her own mother was telling her.
"Uriel-san, I think we should all calm down and talk about this—"
"No! Mama is my Mama! No one else is my family! Mama is my only family!" Lucia lashed out. Her holy power exploded from her body, corroding the table and the coffee cups.
Togame let out a yelp as ceramic shards flew across the room and embedded themselves into the wall.
"Lucia! Calm down! You're going to—"
"No! Mama, why are you saying that!? You're my Mama! My real Mama! I don't have any other—"
"Lucia!" Uriel said, raising her voice unintentionally.
Lucia's eyes widened at the sound of her mother's voice. Her lip trembled slightly and tears welled up at the edges of her eyes.
"Lucia… I'm not your real mother. The truth is… I took you in after your real mother died 10 years ago. But I…"
Lucia's mind blocked out the sound of her mother's voice. Her mind was a tempest of thoughts, each one threatening to bury her under a growing pile of despair. The only thing she could hear was the resounding thud of her own heartbeat. Her vision began to swim and she could see her mother— no, this woman's face growing blurry. And then, something inside her snapped.
"L-Lucia!" Uriel said in worry as a shroud of red and black holy power surrounded her daughter. The holy power expanded slightly and Uriel immediately leapt into action, protecting Togame from the ensuing damage.
Wha…? No way is that a—
Uriel couldn't finish her train of thought as the shroud immediately collapsed around Lucia, letting out a bright flash of red light. She shielded her eyes, briefly blinded by the sudden flash of light. As soon as the light faded, Uriel blinked for a few seconds, regaining her vision.
Behind her, Togame rubbed her eyes and looked at the spot where Lucia once was. She glanced over to Uriel, who was standing there. The Archangel's breathing grew more rapid as she took in the empty spot where her daughter once sat.
"L-Lucia…?" Uriel said in a shaky voice. Her head was spinning. This wasn't supposed to happen. She was just supposed to tell Lucia about her real family so why?
Uriel's mind raced as she replayed what happened in her mind over and over again. She clenched her fist and shot to her feet. Her blue-green eyes glowed as her twelve white and red wings exploded out of her back, sending sparks of red flames across the entire cafe.
She immediately began walking toward the door, leaving a dumbfounded Togame standing in her spot.
Uriel pressed a finger up to her ear, causing a red magic circle to appear just above it. "Camael. My daughter has gone missing. Rally all available Exorcists and any Angel present and scour the entire city! NOW!" Uriel commanded.
"R-Reid-san?" Togame said as she slowly began to follow after her.
"I'll find her… and bring her back no matter what," Uriel said as she exited the cafe.
While snow was rare in Italy, it was not an entirely foreign weather phenomenon. Rias giggled as she bounded across the snow-bound woods of the Italian wilderness, eagerly searching every nook and cranny of the forest in search of her legendary peerage member. Sure she had a Half-Fallen Angel and a Nekoshou, but she needed something bigger. Something stronger.
"Young Miss, please do not stray so far. We are in unfamiliar territory and we don't know what matter of beast lies in these woods," an older man with greying hair named Mathers called after her.
Rias didn't listen. She climbed over a log and landed on a soft pile of snow. She was about to move forward when she was knocked off her feet by a sudden shockwave.
"Lady Rias!" Mathers ran forward and caught Rias before she could fall.
A bright red light illuminated the forest briefly before dying down.
Rias wrenched herself out of Mather's grasp and quickly ran over to the source of the light. "Oh? Ohhhh!" Rias's eyes lit up as she laid eyes on her target.
"Lady Rias! Don't just run off like that…" Mathers' eyes widened when he saw what Rias was staring at.
In the middle of a small crater, a young girl with midnight black hair lay unconscious. But what struck him was odd was her features. A secondary halo above her primary one and a second pair of dark violet wings that were beginning to fade away.
Housekeeping:
RoyalRain20xx: Man, you've mentioned in your AN that characters experiencing life-altering moments might lead to some great deal of suffering down the line, and boy oh boy did I just notice the red flags in this chapter-things are way too happy at the moment. But what I guess hits me the most is the potential drama surrounding Lucia and the relationship between her NORMAL true blood family, and the woman who "adopted" her-thus thrusting her into the supernatural world since she was a baby. Because when you think about it, Uriel inviting Togame to a literal "Angel Feasta normal human who has no relation towards anything supernatural at all-feels almost desperate, and or risky given all the things that could go wrong surrounding all these powerful supernatural beings. And speaking of said beings, having the heads of the other two biblical factions in this is just a powder keg waiting to blow, even though it technically is a vacation for them, now the big question is, will things change for the better, or just come crashing down HARD? But that's got nothing on Lucia's dreams, me thinks sometime soon, something terrible might happen to our carefree miracle child.
Overall, I'm very much enjoying the themes surrounding family and blood this chapter, really hammers in the potential coming from what Lucia chooses to do once she meets Tamayo. My money's on her going with her to learn about her birth parents, maybe even learn more about "Sophia". All in all, whatever may come, things are sure about to ramp up with new meetings and potential partings.
The one thing about Uriel is that she's never been in this situation before so she doesn't know how to go about doing it. She's an Angel whose lived for thousands of years. Of course, any normal person would just tell their child that they were adopted but she's not an expert at being a parent so it led to her scuffing things as you can see in this chapter. The drama was mostly due to miscommunication and Togame didn't really do much. She's just a sister who saw the one last piece she had of her older brother but still tried to mediate things between the mother and daughter. Still though, despite the drama, like any parent, Uriel just wants what's best for her daughter.
But nah, no Sophia yet. Sophia will be later down the line. It's a breadcrumb I intend to give out little by little. Sophia is a big thing that's connected to the overarching plot of the entire fanfic. Hehe. But yes, it's going to be a crazy next few chapters of this small arc in this larger arc.
Alrighty! It's been a month since our last chapter! Lucia met her aunt. Uriel realized she's not good at feelings. And Rias ran into her future vitriolic best friend. But yes, let's break down some things in this chapter.
Togame: Originally, I intended for her to be the insistent aunt who wanted to tear Lucia away from Uriel but no. I realized that it's not entirely in character with a 17-year-old girl who doesn't know anything about Lucia. So instead, I placed her smack in the middle of the family drama unable to do anything... for now. It's a bit funny for a girl whose lifespan is just a speck of Uriel's has more emotional maturity than someone whose lifespan is in the literal thousands. Anyway, Togame will be a recurring important character. She's going to be the normal family member that Lucia has in a family whose entire gimmick is being able to nuke an entire country.
Lucia's Wings and Secondary Halo: Keep this in mind. This is a concept that will be important in the future... and in the next couple of chapters, especially when... well, I'll let you all figure out how I plan to permanently traumatize this girl in the chapters after the next 3.
Uriel: Yes, yes. She is not the most emotionally adept person in the room despite being a mother to a child for 10 years. But she is a new parent. She's never been in this situation before so she doesn't know how to handle it. Yes, she could have handled it better. Yes, she could have communicated properly with Lucia. However, she didn't and it's all because of... well, part fear and mostly because she doesn't know how to handle a situation like this. As Michael said, she needs to be more confident in the fact that she is Lucia's mother and to understand her daughter's feelings more.
Anyway, it'll be a bit before the next chapter. Work and post grad, hahaha. Cry. Drop a review. I'll see you all later.
PS: I'll put up Lucia's new stats later. Hehe.