Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.
The first thing I became aware of was the sound of moving water. My eyes blearily opened, and I found myself on my back on the bank of a rushing river, drenched in ultra-deep fog. The sight made me blink before I realized that this wasn't a dream but rather something else. I was confused by that before I remembered what Azazel had told me about the drawbridge to the soul exercises and how it could cause dreams
like this. But only if you were sort of already down the path to balance break.
The fact that I was here already after just one night was a good sign before I
began trying to look through the fog, and I saw the barest hints of the river beside
me. It was very wide and looked extremely deep as the rushing water moved off
into the fog.
I peered through it, squinting my eyes, and I could barely make out the shape of the river snaking around the base of a massive mountain. At the summit's peak, what seemed like a castle stood, looking overall, yet it was like looking at something in the extreme heat that seemed to wave and be real yet not. Curiosity filled me regarding that castle shape, yet I couldn't see a way across this river before I blinked.
Through the fog, a little way up the bank of the river, I catch the barest hints of something standing there. As I cautiously approached the shape, I found a half-built bridge spanning the river from my bank to the foot of the mountain. A tap on the bridge told me it was made of metal, so I hesitantly got on and began walking slowly across it. My hand gripped the side hard, but just before I was to cross onto the bridge, the creeping feeling of something watching me struck hard. From within the water, and it was then that the fog cleared a tiny bit, revealing an ultra-long and
big shape in it that began rising towards the bridge.
I shot forward with several streams of sweat flowing before I collapsed into the pillows behind me with a soft thud. The sweat continues for a few moments as I shiver, now having gained a minor case of thalassophobia, before finally opening my eyes and looking around the room. I was the only person in the bed, and that surprised me, as usually Kuroka would be here, snoring away. My eyes looked around the room before spotting a note atop the stack of war golem scrolls on the side table. I picked it up and opened it to see Ravel's handwriting.
Greg, we are all down in the underworld getting dresses made for tomorrow's party and should be back sometime in the early evening. Your familiar has been let out of the bathroom and was fed by Ingvild. You also have a message on your cogitator. We love you and are all excited for your episode today.
That made me blink before I remembered that today was the day for it. That got a sigh from me before I saw that the clock said it was nine in the morning, before I slinked out of bed, moving for the shower. Ten minutes later, dressed, I sat down on the couch here and opened the cogitator, entering the password to find not one but two messages waiting for me. One was from Jeanne and showed several places for our new main base. One was a deserted factory block on the outskirts of the city,
and the other was an old sanatorium that was extra well-built because of WWII. Both
sites were good, but the factory was larger, so I quickly sent Jeanne a message
to secure it today, and I got an affirmative before I turned to the other
message. It was from Suzaku, who had messaged me less than three minutes ago,
and read.
Hi Alex! Sorry for not getting back to you sooner, I was busy with Clan stuff and trying to find something about your request! I couldn't find anything about this Nanki and....
The rest of the message was her rambling about how she had spent multiple sleepless nights in the clan archives and then in the others, desperately looking for the answer, making me sweat drop. Alex chimed in that this was normal for her, as
she had done something similar when they were kids. Near the end of the message
was a promise from her to do it again, and I quickly typed out to her.
Zaku, it is ok. If you tried and found nothing, there probably isn't anything about it there. Please don't worry about it. I do have some good news for you, though. My factories for equipment will be coming online very soon, and my first episode for my channel is coming this evening.
The three bubbles to show Suzaku, who had been typing, came to a halt before they returned with ultra vengeance. Then three seconds later, out came.
You're doing an episode tonight!!!!!! Lex, please share a link. Please, please, please, please!!!!!
My lips formed a small smile as that was ultra cute before I typed out.
There is no link, as the episode will be live as it happens. It's not very long, though, maybe ten minutes at most. The channel is called…..
I typed in the channel name and explained how everything would work as I opened DevilTube, blinked, and saw that the Librarium of Prospero already had subscribers in the double digits before it gained two more in the next second. Suzaku sent another message saying how excited she was for this before she said goodbye. Then, with a rapid series of key clicks, I posted to let subscribers know there would be a live episode this evening. No sooner had that been typed out than there was a knock on the door, and a voice came through.
"Milord, you have visitors waiting for you."
It was Neri, and I let out a sigh before closing the computer and getting up.
As I turned the corner and walked down the stairs to the front hall, I saw Sona and Tsubaki waiting at the door. Sona was looking at her feet in amusement as Tsubaki was wearing a massive smile that was almost exactly like the one Byakko had while petting the reason for Sona's curiosity. That being an ultra-happy Barkspawn who was thumping her tail against the floor rapidly while the Queen petted Bark's central head. My familiar was enjoying the pets before she saw me and yipped, bounding over and coming to a stop at my feet, and Sona finally asked the question.
"Where did you find a Cerberus familiar, Heir Astaroth?
I shrug at that as I scoop up Bark, who had been pawing at my leg.
"I rescued her from some unsavory people a few weeks ago, Heiress Sitri. I assume you're here for your dad's pair of machines."
Sona grinned softly.
"Correct. When you didn't show up yesterday, I just assumed you were busy, since Serafall told me the conference was attacked. She wouldn't say by whom, but I know better to ask her when she is in one of her... Moods. I figured I'd ask you and would also like to talk about your hybrid school model for the coming year."
Sona's face grimaced at the word moods, and I could tell Serafall did her thing again. Bark yipped, tilting her middle head upwards, and I felt her thoughts before showing her an image of Serafall as a magic girl. That got a whine from the Cerberus before I patted her head and sent her an image of the bushes outside. The image brightened Bark, and I sent her down to the door and opened it, making the Cerberus as I sent a
thought to guard the manor grounds till I got back. Bark yipped an affirmative
before I shut the door, and then I gestured Sona towards the street.
"I'd love to hear it, and as for who, well, it's a long story. Let me get some food, then we can head out."
Ten minutes later, with a mostly eaten Pop-Tart in one hand, our group walked towards Kuoh Academy. There were surprisingly few people out on the streets as we walked, and they were all heading downtown, so we were mostly alone. When I was finished eating, Sona turned to me, and I shrugged.
"What would you like to know, and what is the concern with my school request?"
Sona slowed for a moment before she sighed.
"I'd like to know who attacked the conference. After learning about Kokabiel's plan, I decided that I would prefer to know who might go after me, given Serafall's position. As for the school, it's not a rebuttal of the idea of doing teleschooling, but rather
the fact that I can't have you take three days off campus and two days on
without it appearing to show favoritism toward a brand-new student. I need
three days on campus from you."
I wanted to scowl there but held it in. Vali and Bikou were still out there, and I didn't want to give them a chance at the school's student body, given their shit. However, this was understandable, and I thought bitterly.
'For Order's sake.'
"That's fine. As for who it was, there were two factions of a group called the Chaos Brigade."
The name made Tsubaki frown, and Sona tilted her head.
"The Chaos Brigade? Tell me about them."
I did so, and the explanation lasted all the way to the school, through setting up the teleporter in Sona's dorm building near her dorm room, then back to the manor. We were stepping back onto the manor's grounds when my explanation finally came to an end, and Tsubaki looked extremely disturbed by what she heard, while Sona had a deep, contemplative look before she sighed.
"They sound troublesome."
That was definitely one way to put it before she continued as we made our way to the door, past Bark, who was having a stick thrown to her by Alaric and his father, before Sona continued on the porch.
"I will search our library for anything that could be this, Nanki. Though….."
I raised an eyebrow and opened the door to the manor.
"Though what?"
We entered and made our way to the basement stairs, and as we descended, Sona sighed.
"Though from what you told me of Nilrem, this Nanki thing sounds more like a place than an artifact. Call it a hunch, but if Nilrem is, as you said, dedicated to hoarding knowledge, then a long-forgotten great magical library would be more valuable and in line with their seeming ideology."
That… made a lot of sense. My eyebrows furrowed as we hit the bottom of the stairs.
"Perhaps, though, it's hard to say with Nilrem, as they seem to be extremely decentralized, pursuing multiple goals that conflict with one another."
We moved to the teleporter in the wine room and hit the pad, and as we stepped off it in the underworld, Sona shrugged.
"All the magicians' guilds save Grauzauber are little more than multiple small cliques that barely tolerate one another. Merlin's legacy of paranoia and suspicion is something that all of those in his magic school eventually take on to some degree or more. I'll start the search as soon as you are done. As my way of helping the Legio."
I gave her a thankful smile as we made our way to the door, and the moment the door opened to show the front lawn, I stopped for a moment to appreciate the sight. The lawn had been cut to near perfection for the party, and the trees had been trimmed to pleasing proportions. Sona was only slightly impressed by the sight before she started moving down the path as Tsubaki and I followed. When we reached the gate, and it was opened by one of my levies, she sighed.
"Mother is excited for the party tomorrow. She hopes I will somehow be convinced by some of the young devil heirs attending tomorrow to allow them a rematch in chess."
That got a snort from me as we touched the sidewalk and Tsubaki gathered magic for a portal.
"They'd just lose again to you and be more bitter than the first time."
Sona sighed in agreement.
"It would, but I don't intend to give them that opportunity."
The portal soon opened, and we walked through it to emerge on a riverbank. My dream flashed again, but the sight quickly overtook that before me.
There, on three islands along this river, was Sitri Castle, similar to Gremory Castle, though instead of rubies embedded in the walls, it had sapphires. A drawbridge connected the three sections of the castle, and Sona led me from the riverbank to one such bridge. As we walked across it, Sona told me this island was the visitor wing, with the center island being where the Sitri's residence was, and the third
part hadn't been used since the Great War. It took ten minutes to get through
the visitor island and then over the drawbridge to Middle Island. When Sona
finally opened the door to the main residence, we entered a magnificent grand
hall filled with statues of past Sitris and a grand marble staircase inlaid
with sapphires.
Sona led me up the staircase, commenting on who the various statues were as we climbed to the top. Then came a turn to the right down a hallway and off past more paintings and tapestries before we came to a stop before a well-engraved oak door.
Sona pushed the door open and turned to look in, and what we saw made both of us freeze and pale while Tsubaki let loose a small laugh. On an office desk in the middle of the study, a well-dressed woman with long black hair, twin-tailed like Serafall, was
enthusiastically making out with Sona's dad in his chair. The man was clearly enjoying himself, and by the look on his face, lust was his sin, as it was for the woman, who could only be Sona's mom. Sona's dad opened his eyes to say
something to his wife, then went still, mirroring us, as the woman broke free
from the kiss and sighed.
"Sona. You have the worst timing possible."
The woman looked over at us, and it was like looking at an older, slightly more carefree Sona. Her blue eyes fell on me, and a sly grin crossed her face. But before she could say anything, Sona recovered.
"He has already lost a game to me mother as father should have told you!"
That sent the grin into a pout as the woman pulled away from Sona's dad and hopped off the desk, straightening up her dress.
"He did, but I would like to see you married in the next century or two, dear. Anyways, it's wonderful to meet you, Heir Astaroth. I am Lady Annalissa Sitri, nee Gamgin. My husband told me you're here to set up some kind of machine thing?"
I can see who both Sitri siblings took after, now, before an easygoing smile came.
"I am Lady Sitri. It shouldn't take more than five minutes to set up here; then you can… get back to more fun things."
Sona scowled at me there while Lady Sitri beamed.
"I like him, So~ Go on then, I'll be back in ten minutes, Garren, with your favorite outfit~."
Sona's mom walked towards the door with a big swing in her step as Sona's dad watched with the face of a man who truly loved his wife. I stepped out of the way and walked towards the desk with a scowling Sona and an amused Tsubaki behind me. Lord Sitri reached for a drawer of the desk and quickly pulled out a miniature stack of Lilith bills before pushing them across the desk.
"Seven hundred thousand Lilith as agreed. Forgive my wife, she is…."
I quickly snatched up the stack and threw it into a pocket spell.
"Nothing to forgive, Lord Sitri. I'll get started on this and be out of your hair soon."
Then, without a moment to waste, I pulled out the anvil and got to work.
Exactly nine minutes and thirty seconds later, after making and setting everything up, Sona was practically pushing me out of her father's office and down the hallway with Tsubaki behind us. And not a moment too soon, because as soon as we reached the top of the stairs, I saw down the hallway Lady Sitri making her way back to the office in a sexy nurse outfit, making me turn my head and power walk. Sona had a subtle pink dusting on her cheeks and mumbled about how uncivilized her
parents were, and I wisely kept my mouth shut. Tsubaki also kept her mouth shut,
but by the amused look on her face, I could tell Sona's parents did this a lot.
My mood kindred, however, soon let loose a decent-sized smile as we reached the great hall before she shooed me off, saying she would check the library. I shrugged, then quickly moved over to where Tsubaki was waiting with an open portal to Ryza. I stepped through it and immediately found myself before my manor house, and I began to walk back up the steps towards the building.
Upon stepping into the main hallway, I found Maéva speaking with six maids outside the kitchen, with Grayfia and Geros next to her. They were discussing the party tomorrow, though Grayfia's eyes were only partly on the maids as she was glaring slightly at something across the hall. That something being Baraqiel, who was glaring back at Grayfia even as he had a hand on Akeno's shoulder, as she talked to Issari's parents with my best friend introducing them to the two properly. Gorou and
Miki were eagerly asking the fallen questions, and he was answering them
easily. I tried to sneak past the two groups and was mostly successful until I reached
the base of the teleporter, when Baraqiel looked over at me. I could see in his
violet eye the silent warning to soon explain about what the Machine God had
said to him at the conference. Or else. I held in the sweat drop that wanted to
happen before I mouthed to him tomorrow night. The squared-headed man took the
promise before he turned fully back to Gorou and Miki, allowing me to slip onto
the teleporter, though I missed another pair of eyes on me.
As soon as I hit the other side and started climbing the stairs, I heard coos in Russian, and upon reaching the top, I saw the source. They were from Mirana, who was kneeling as she petted Barkspawn, while the ninja angel eyed the Cerberus warily, though he wore a small smile as well. Barkspawn was enjoying the pets before she saw me and yipped, bounding over and coming to a stop at my feet, wagging her tail. Mirana watched the sight with a wide smile and got up from her knees.
"Good morning, Heir Astaroth."
Mirana watched the sight with a wide smile and stood from her knees.
"Good morning, Heir Astaroth."
I gave the woman a small smile before scooping up Barkspawn, who had started pawing at my legs again.
"Good morning to you as well, Mirana. I assume that you and Castiel are here to let me know about the fitting?"
Mirana nodded, and Castiel took a few steps forward.
"Correct, Omnissiah. The Archangel has managed to get a place for you to do the fitting in Europe, where the wounded will be brought to you. Several high members of the Churches will also be there to meet you, given your new status with them."
That got a blink from me.
"My new status? And where is this place?"
Castiel grinned, getting a fond memory.
"The place is the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence. The Archangel hopes you can clear the European sanctuaries with this fitting. And your status with the Churches is that of a new Prophet, as declared by the Archangel. The first exorcists should start arriving there in ten minutes, and they are beyond eager for this, or so I am told."
My mouth dropped to the floor. A what?!! Prophet! Barkspawn yipped at me, and her thought was that she didn't know what a prophet was, but I had to be a good one. Mirana watched the Cerberus, amused, before her hand slipped into Castiel's and he squeezed it. The sight made my shock break, but before I could object to that designation, Castiel continued.
"The Archangel and the other Great Seraphs agreed on the elevation as you gave us the Great Miracle that has saved us from extinction. They know that you are not one to preach but believe that this is the least you deserve for our salvation."
That softened the new bitterness that had started to rise in me, though I still wasn't happy. Then I thought of the exorcists in the sanctuaries and how hopeless they must have been in them. The despair, darkness, and disorder of them.
'Any world with less chaos in it is good.'
That thought made me shut up and stop my half-hearted protest from forming. Bark yipped at me, and I pet her head absentmindedly for a moment before sighing.
"Give me a minute, and I'll be ready to go."
Castiel nodded, and I set Bark down before turning to the kitchen to quickly feed her another meal.
Five minutes later, a portal opened at our destination, and I stepped out with Castiel and Mirana behind me into Santa Maria del Fiore. The church was just as beautiful
here as it had been in my reality, and the early morning sun was barely peeking
through the stained-glass windows above the altar, which was the building's
centerpiece. Standing by were six humans, discussing something, slightly apart
in duos, with three being exorcists dressed in extremely fancy black-and-white
robes, the cross of the church they represented over their hearts. Two were men,
both with short black hair, and the third was a woman with long light blue hair;
the men wore Catholic and Orthodox crosses, and the woman wore a Protestant
one. Besides them were three men dressed in the various priestly robes of the
churches, with the man next to the Catholic exorcist being a full cardinal. The
six fell silent upon seeing me next to Castiel and Mirana, and as we drew
closer, the cardinal's hazel eyes swept over me constantly.
Castiel smiled widely at the six humans before we came to a stop in front of them.
"Cardinal Adamo, Turcopolier Giovani, Bishop Stefan, Legara Aleksandr, Pastor Otto and Lieutenant-Colonel Alice. This is the Omnissiah Gregor Astaroth. Avatar of the Lord Reborn."
Almost immediately, the Protestant duo grew ultra-zealous, bowing ultra-low and breaking into a tiny sweat drop, while the two Orthodox gave polite bows, and the Catholics, stiff ones. More so this Giovani than the Cardinal, as the Catholic exorcist commander looked at me like I was something unpleasant but wisely held his opinion in around Castiel. The angel was drawn into a conversation with the Cardinal and the pastor. At the same time, the Orthodox duo came over to Mirana, and the Protestant exorcist drew close to me before she asked in a posh British accent.
"My lord Omnissiah…. Is it true that you are a holy sword user and possess a holy Longinus?"
My face turned to her, and I gave a nod.
"I do have a Longinus, and I am the wielder of Excalibur Mimic. My gear is how I will be helping the wounded when they get here, Lieutenant-Colonel."
The woman looked eager to press on, only for the Catholic exorcist to step forward with a tiny sneer.
"And how is that exactly 'Omnissiah'? You are…. Half theirs. Perhaps you are a plant that seeks something….. Unwanted for their souls once they are before you."
Wrath filled me there while the Protestant woman looked genuinely offended for my sake and got ready to say something, only to glare slightly.
"I favor the half that is the second children more, SirTurcopolier. As for seeking something from those soon to be here, I seek that they be back on their feet and ready to protect the people in ignorance again. Not their souls, as the other half of me's kind actually outlawed that about five centuries ago. You would have known that had you been proactive."
The man's sneer deepened there, and he moved a hand to his belt where a light sword was only for a patient voice to come.
"The Omnissiah is correct about the outlawing of soul taking by devils, Giovani. The extreme rarity in the number of soulless husks over the last few centuries hasn't lied about that."
That voice was from the Orthodox exorcist who had come over to us. The Catholic sneered more at the other, but I immediately got a slight feeling that this guy had seen and done terrible things, yet his face was one of compassion and a quiet
confidence. His violet eyes looked me up and down before he held out a hand.
"But my fellow is right to be cautious, my lord Omnissiah. Please show us one of these bionics as Exorcist Romanov calls them."
The Catholic's sneer grew a little less there, and I shrugged.
"As you wish. Please don't worry about the magic."
All the exorcists flinched slightly when I made the spell circle for the pocket spell for my bionics, with the Catholic's hands moving for his sword again before my hand drew out a metal arm. I then handed it over to the Orthodox exorcist, who examined the limb while the others drew close and did the same. The sneer finally left the Catholic's face as he looked at the limb, bewildered, while the Protestant woman was glaring at him hard again.
"I feel no signs of demonic power in this Giovani. Quite the opposite, in fact, it feels…"
"Holy. As one would expect from a new Prophet and from what Exorcist Romanov said in her report. Forgive my doubt, Omnissiah."
The Catholic flinched slightly at the looks he was getting from the Protestant while the Orthodox man handed me back the limb. I take it, before a small smile crossed my face.
"There is nothing to forgive, sir. You're just covering your bases, just in case. My bionics are not a Faustian deal and will work perfectly for anyone who shares the human form. I made these for brave and righteous souls whom the Machine God or I won't forget."
No sooner had the words left my mouth than a small whimper came from behind me. The noise made the four of us turn and show a small crowd gathered in the narrow way between the pews. Over twenty exorcists stood there, many on crutches, missing a leg or an arm, held in a sewn-up sleeve. Behind them was a female angel with two silver wings who put her hand on the shoulder of a woman who had let loose the noise. The group was all looking at the arm in my hands like it was a holy relic, and I fixed my eyes on a man from France who was missing an arm, so I gestured for him to come forward. He practically ran forward, quickly followed
by the rest of the wounded exorcists, as more portals opened behind them.
Thus did I begin attaching bionics to people while the church officials, Castiel, and most of the other angels watched on in silence. Most being the keyword, as several of them helped form the mass of people into a line, while others held portals open for some of the larger facilities. Almost as soon as an exorcist was before me, I grabbed a limb from my massive pile and put it on them. The person who got it touched it reverently before a rapid series of thanks in French, Spanish, Italian, German, and/or the many other European languages. Several people even tried to prostrate themselves, weeping waterfalls of tears, but I just pulled them up and again called them what they were. Brave and righteous. That made the still-waiting-in-line
exorcists tear up, as they clearly didn't believe that of themselves.
The newly healed ones didn't either, and they were speaking with the angels, exorcist commanders, and/or Mirana before leaving by portal or staying to watch for a time. The line continued until I ran out of limbs, and the sight made the remaining crowd grow worried. Yet I pulled out the anvil and continued making new limbs until I hurt and returned to attaching limbs. This process continued until finally, five hours later, only two wounded exorcists remained in line.
They were from Ireland, twins injured together on the same mission, and the man of the two wept hard as a bionic went onto his left leg stump. He went over to a portal held open by Castiel, near where the church officials and Mirana stood, as the woman came forward. She was missing her right arm, and I picked up my second-to-last bionic. Her freckled face lit up, making her look even prettier than before.
"You are a godsend. He must have…."
She couldn't finish that as tears came too as the arm connected to her stump and I shook my head.
"I'm just a man who wants a better world, miss. Don't do anything too strenuous with the hand for a few hours."
The woman only gave a tiny nod as she flexed her fingers and went to where her brother was. He was angrily glaring at Giovani before Mirana whispered something in his ear that made the man lessen his glare. Then his twin hugged him, and he sighed before nodding and saying something to his sister. The two of them then walked off toward the portal, and Giovani looked ashamed of something before he regained his former attitude. He stormed off without saying anything, with Cardinal Adamo following him. The Orthodox priest and the Protestant pastor started talking softly while the exorcist commanders came over to me as I picked up the last bionic and placed it back in my pocket spell.
The moment it closed, Alice knelt on one knee at my feet and looked up at me with zeal.
"My Lord Omnissiah. The elected head of the Protestant faiths wishes to let you know that should you need anything, anything at all, don't hesitate to ask it of us. We will not hesitate to serve the Lord Reborn's avatar in all his works."
The pure zeal in her eyes was like so many of the art pieces I saw for the Sisters of Battle that I had seen, and was extremely off-putting. Several thoughts ran through my head, though one stood out above the others.
'One big step closer to Order.'
My lips didn't move into the smirk I usually had only by my will, and I put my hand on Alice's shoulder.
"I will let you all know when I need that help. Please let the Protestant exorcist corps know that if they wish to fight evil truly, they are welcome in the Legio Solar. My organization that stands against the worst of the supernatural world."
Alice grew even more zealous, and it was then that the Orthodox exorcist spoke from my side.
"I will let the Orthodox corps know this too, Lord Omnissiah, as well as the Catholic corps since Giovani left. Come on, Alice. I want to get lunch before boarding my flight back to Russia."
Alice got ready to protest, but at that moment her stomach rumbled loudly, making her blush. A second later, it rumbled again, even louder, and that got her to reluctantly get up as I took my hand off her shoulder. The two exorcists then walked towards the church doors, and only once they were closed did Castiel and Mirana approach, with the Romanov smiling widely.
"He likes you."
I shrugged at that.
"He seems like a good person. Just…."
Mirana sighed as Castiel got ready to open a portal again.
"Guarded, yes. You didn't rise far in the former KGB without becoming that way. Leonid Shebarshin is, however, an excellent leader, and he reformed much of the Orthodox corps, which was in a semi-ruined state after the Union fell."
That name made me blink for a moment before I felt bad for Leonid, knowing how he ended up in my reality. My pity for him, however, was cut short when my own stomach growled, and Castiel chuckled before he waved his hand and the portal appeared as the three of us moved to it.
The moment we hit the other side, my nose filled with the smell of something delicious coming from the kitchen. It was then that Neri came walking out of the kitchen with a large tray of Udon-filled bowls and a skewer of Yakitori beside each. She blinked, seeing the three of us, and then paled slightly, seeing Castiel's wings, but steadied herself.
"Milord. Guests."
I smiled seeing her.
"Neri. That smells delicious."
Neri beamed at the praise.
"Thank you, Milord. Lady Rias requested this as soon as she and the others got home from the underworld, a half hour ago. There is plenty left over if you and your guests would like some."
Knowing that they were home again brightened me up more than the food,
and Mirana stepped forward, pulling Castiel along.
"We would love some Maid. I have not tried much food here in Japan and I would like something better than convention food."
That got a snort from me, remembering that day, while Neri beamed wide.
"The rest is on the island, Ms. Now, if you will excuse me."
Neri pushed past us with the tray, and just before she reached the bottom of the stairs, I called out.
"Thank you, Neri. Please let Rias and the others know I will be doing my Deviltube episode as soon as I am done eating."
My maid only froze for a minute before she continued up the stairs.
"I'll let them know, Milord. I am sure they will be excited."
The clicks of her shoes lessened as she moved, and a look of curiosity from Mirana and especially Castiel made me roll my eyes before I made them two cogitators and explained Deviltube. Five minutes later, Mirana and Castiel were sitting at the island with Mirana showing the angel the internet in general, and he looked like he was
discovering a whole new world. I snuck past the two and headed up to the lord's
office, where I would be doing my recording. The moment I opened the door, I set
the Udon and Yakitori on the desk, pulled out the anvil, and started making the
recording equipment.
By the time the Udon was nearly gone and only three Yakitori chunks remained, nearly all the recording equipment was set up across the desk. It wasn't anything fancy, which was fine for this first episode, and I would add animations later, drawn
directly from Koriel. My partner gave me a grunt, informing me that she had
made another small leap on the reader today, and that got a small grin as I
hooked up the second-to-last part and then poked a button to send out a notice that
we would be live in eight minutes.
Across Japan and the underworld, people got the notification and started tuning in. The chat started filling up with usernames that were easy to tell were from my peerage, Rias's peerage, Tobio and Suzaku, Jeanne, Akeno, her people, and Asia. Issari was here too, as were Conner, Kalawarna, and a profile pic of Paula holding a
boy who must have been her nephew, with her brother behind her. Then came the
stranglers: Bariqiel, Nikola, Grace, Mirana, Castiel, and finally my dad. Enthusiasm
quickly spread in the chat as people gossiped about what the episode and the channel would be like. Suzaku was especially eager as her handle in Fire Priestess
poked at Akeno's, which was Lightning Priestess. The eagerness continued to
grow before I set up the final thing in the mic before taking a seat behind the
desk. Just as I did this, the office door opened, and Barkspawn scurried into
the room and yipped loudly before she jumped up into my lap and plopped herself
down, wagging her tail rapidly. That made me chuckle, and I used my left hand
to pet Bark, giving her the leftover Yakitori while my right pressed a button
that started a countdown for the chat.
People stopped gossiping, seeing the countdown, and then when the number hits zero on my cogitator screen, a picture of Tizca in its glory days before the Burning appears, then I tap the mic before starting.
"Hello everyone, and welcome to the Librarium of Prospero. I am Gregor Astaroth, and this channel has been a long time coming and has been much requested by everyone. But what is this channel for, you might ask. Well, for those of you who don't know, this is a channel dedicated to telling the story of the place where my gear partner is from. For those of you here new to the supernatural world, and for those who come later, Longinus' sacred gears tend to have a partner piece in them. Yet unlike all other Longinus, whose partners come from our reality, my gear partner does not. Yes, you heard that correctly. My partner comes from another reality that is vastly different from our own in many ways. And today's episode is the beginning of that story."
Many people were still in shock after hearing that, before I continue.
"To understand the place my partner came from fully will be an ultra-long and lengthy process, but we both have agreed that what we should start with is a quote. The first of many you will hear on this journey. It sets the tone for this place, and I will warn you all: it is grim and hopeless, just as this place was. For this place was a tree
of perpetual decay."
The chat was again silent, listening keenly as I looked down at my script and pushed the button for the quote to show on everyone's screen.
"The quote goes like this. It is the 41st Millennium. For more than a hundred centuries, the Emperor has sat immobile on the Golden Throne of
Earth. He is the Master of Mankind by the will of the gods, and master of a
million worlds by the might of his inexhaustible armies. He is a rotting
carcass writhing invisibly with power from the Dark Age of Technology. He is
the Carrion Lord of the Imperium for whom a thousand souls are sacrificed every
day, so that he may never truly die.Yet even in his deathless state, the Emperor continues his eternal vigilance. Mighty battlefleets cross the daemon-infested miasma of the Warp, the only route between distant stars, their way lit by the Astronomican, the psychic manifestation of the Emperor's will. Vast armies give battle in his name on uncounted worlds. Greatest amongst his soldiers are the Adeptus Astartes, the Space Marines, bio-engineered super-warriors. Their comrades in arms are legion: the Imperial Guard and countless planetary defense forces, the ever-vigilant Inquisition, and the tech-priests of the Adeptus Mechanicus, to name only a few. But for all their multitudes, they are barely enough to hold off the ever-present threat from aliens, heretics, mutants - and worse.To be a man or woman in such times is to be one amongst untold trillions and to live in the cruelest and most bloody regime imaginable. These are the tales of those times. Forget the power of technology and science, for so much has been forgotten, never to be re-learned. Forget the promise of progress and understanding, for in the
grimdark future, there is only war. There is no peace amongst the stars, only
an eternity of carnage and slaughter, and the laughter of thirsting gods."
I let that sink in for my listeners and waited a few moments before continuing.
"The seeds of this future of hopelessness and eternal war were planted in the very far and distant past. All that would come about because of deeds done in manic desperation and a deal that was both a truth and a lie. These reasons and the circumstances around them will be where we properly start this journey. For in the far past of this tree, before the decay truly set in, there at one time lay endless hope for a galaxy being shaped under benevolent watchful eyes."
Almost as soon as I finished, the chat exploded into multiple questions, and I answered several of them while, unbeknownst to me, behind one of the screens, a silent battle was taking place.
Akeno was staring at the others here in the underworld manor in one of the common rooms as her father sat next to her, scowling at a certain someone. At the table, Irina, now a reincarnated two-piece pawn, had been listening to the episode as if it were the holiest of scripture while feeding her lust, determined to follow her new prophet and earn her redemption. Kiba was beside her, busy with a far-off look, imagining this place and what it must be like, while Asia, who was next to them, wore an ultra-disturbed face at the number of people sacrificed to this Emperor, having counted in her head and had immediately posted a question of why.
Her answer was that it would be explained in detail later, which made her scowl slightly as she theorized why they would do such an awful, inhuman thing. Jeanne, who had also recently reincarnated as a regular rook, was half listening from a couch as she did work with her rangers on multiple building-claiming operations in Europe, along with setting up a proper watch post in Normandy. Issari was next to her folks, explaining that yes, there were indeed different realities out there as the trio listened next to Jeanne. And as for her, she doubted. She doubted her cousin just as she doubted that bitch's dying words to her that day.
"He is dead. We used a soul-killing seal to ensure that. That thing is a Yūrei, and if you have any goodness left in you, girl, you will kill it before it hurts us all."
Akeno didn't want to believe it. He was the same, down to his snark, that had been there at an early age. The doubts flared again, making her feel deep shame. She doubted him, who had done everything to help her and her father get back together, even when she almost ruined the chance. She had Suzaku back in her life, along with her mother, who was now in her computer trying to help Akeno. She had Isa and the others, who brought life and joy to her in ways that she never knew she needed. It had to be a lie, yet Akeno couldn't shake the feeling, and as she looked at Suzaku's handle, she worried about what the other would say if this were true. It was then that Issari's eyes met hers, and Akeno felt the doubt wash away for a moment. Then Issari went back to talking to her parents as her father asked about whether she had a Longinus partner, and the chestnut pulled out her gauntlet. The absence made the doubts return once more and begin tearing her up again before she felt the ghostly hands of her mother touching her face. The hands remained there even as Akeno got up from the seat, followed by her worried father, as she headed towards the stairs and the church here. Maybe he could help her kill this doubt.
Ajuka sat in his office topside with Nikola and Grace. His bishop and pawn were both debating extensively about what they had heard from Alex's episode and what each nugget of information could mean. Yet Ajuka's attention was mostly focused on the person next to the window staring out at the city and the evening sky. It was Sirzches who had been here since nine this morning and had come to speak with him about the various things that Faibium had learned from the Legio Heaven and Grigori's spymasters. And to poke at him about their experience in the church in Alex's city.
Upon entering it, Sirzches and Ajuka had been shocked to see amongst the pews half of his son's levies, over two hundred and fifty commoners, thirty Legio members and five exorcists praying together in harmony. Ajuka had taken a seat near the back of the church, and his tablet, which held Nomie, seemed warmer there. He could have sworn he could see his wife sitting beside him in the bleachers multiple times, but for Sirzches, the moment had struck differently.
His best friend had immediately frozen upon stepping over the threshold as the mask of the Great King fell away. It was a place of worship that actually felt holy, unlike every temple to the Morningstar he had ever been in. Awe gave way to questions as Sirzches had made his way to the woman, the Priestess, who was surrounded by several commoners, newcomers to the church. She had finished up with them and then turned to Sirzches, who asked his question before the woman had said.
"We kneel to him, Lord Lucifer, by choice, as to follow the Machine God and the Omnissiah is not the forced submission and fear that they in the Cult of the Morningstar preach and enforce. It is a choice to leave behind the weaknesses that have defined our lives, whatever they might be, and to begin the climb to break them into strengths. When we conquer them all, we reach the strength and certainty of steel and finally see the better, stronger being we can be under all the weaknesses of flesh. I would never trade this feeling of warmth and light under the Three who are One for the Morningstar's cold and darkness. It is like finally having a father after a lifetime of them missing."
Sirzches had been quiet after that and had spent the rest of their time there sitting next to Ajuka, staring at the cog emblem on the pulpit and above the church entrance, when they left deep in thought. Just like he used to do when they were kids. Still, Ajuka didn't bother the other man and instead turned his attention back to the list on his desk.
It was a list of locations for multiple Leviathan bases that Galius Leviathan had given them, yet none were in the underworld; instead, they were topside in Central Asia. That fact had shocked Fabium and Sirzches as the New Satans had always assumed the OSF had sequestered themselves in very remote places of the underworld. The fact that the OSF had gone topside to escape their scrutiny had made Sirzches and Fabium uneasy. It meant they were entering very uncharted territory, as the maps and info they had were multiple centuries out of date, prompting Ajuka to give his two cents. They needed the Legio now more than ever before, which led them to decide on a radical course of action.
In Camp Olympus Mons, the now-over-a-thousand humans and seventy new angels here had all squeezed into the mess hall after someone heard about
the broadcast from Vanguard Marshal Issari, who visited today with her folks. The
crowd was silent, thinking about the Omnissiah's words that had been played out
on the speaker describing this place. For the former Grigori exorcists who had
heard snippets of this place from Paula, Marshal Issari, and the original Legio
members, they were eager to hear about someone called the Harbinger.
For the recently arrived five hundred exorcists, who were mostly newly healed Catholics and Protestants, this new information was just further proof to them that the Omnissiah really was a new Prophet. The first thing many of them had asked the others about was the Omnissiah's character, and what they heard convinced them fully. The Omnissiah loved humanity despite the other half of him. He cared about those under him, as the people in the Legio had training and equipment that they never had in the churches. He cared about those who had been forgotten as their newly returned limbs now had flesh again, thanks to the kitsune and angel Drs here. Yet most of all, he genuinely cared about and loved the regular people of the world, ignorant of the supernatural world and its darkness, as seen by his stray hunting and his avenging of ten thousand souls.
And as the newcomers were told what the Legio faced in the Chaos Brigade and what they were like, it became clear that the Omnissiah was proactively protecting the world, while the churches for the most part had long since stopped doing so. The Omnissiah believed they were brave and righteous souls. They would prove to him that they were and urge others, especially the Catholic exorcists, to join. As the Legio members said, the Omnissiah protects and brings light to the world. So shall they.
The moon shone through the window of an apartment in Tokyo, and inside, two people were not having a good time with their assigned tasks. Aj had not been making much headway, and neither had Killian. The two of them wore expressions of frustration, and Aj was reaching new levels of hatred for this kid, who was ultra-smart, as befitting the son of Ajuka Beelzebub. For the next time, Aj and several magicians from his new subfaction in Nilrem had moved on to the old school and found it empty of everything, and worst of all, the kid had discovered and removed the tracking spells on the crates. That had pissed off Aj to no end, and his anger was shared by Killian, who had on the coffee table next to her laptop pictures
of the kid's known peerage gathered by their extremely small devil cell. To her
rage, all the people were too close to him for Killian's ability to work.
They had been at this for most of the last three days, with Aj trying to figure out where the kid had moved the crates, while the Croatian was about to try again to find the weak link, when the laptop in front of them chimed. The noise spooked Killian out of her glare, and she looked at the computer like it had stolen her lunch money before she reached for and opened it. Aj barely noticed that glaring at a map of the city when he heard a familiar voice from the computer.
"Sister Flamma."
Aj blinked before turning to see the head of their vast cell in the Christian Churches, Cardinal Adamo of Florence, on the screen. His appearance made Killian frown before she growled out.
"Brother Cinis, what do you want? Your next report isn't due till Wednesday."
The Italian man was wearing a massive scowl that went well with Killian's, and that scowl deepened further.
"This can't wait till Wednesday, Sister. We have a situation. Many of the subjects we were saving for Project Rebirth are now healed."
Killian froze for a moment before a massive, pissed-off face plus a ghost sword sprang into being, making Aj jump over the couch to get away from that.
"What?! Healed?!! By whom?!"
Cinis was not pleased, and his hands clenched the table on which his laptop sat.
"A filthy heretic did it that the Archangel declared as a new 'Prophet' for the churches. The 'Omnissiah.' A fucking human-devil half-breed scum who insults the true…"
The moment the word half-breed left the Italian's mouth, Killian and Aj froze before Killian barked out.
"Half-breed?! Did he have green hair?!"
Cinis nodded, and Killian's rage grew again while Aj was beyond confused. He had never heard of Project Rebirth, and he was high in the ranks, yet he knew better than to ask about it and instead got out.
"Did he mention where he was before he got to the cathedral?"
Cinis frowned before growling.
"No, he didn't, and neither did the angel who brought him to the church. All he would say when I pressed him was that the Omnissiah was in Kuoh, Japan. We must do
something to him quickly, as he is an affront to him and we will lose all of the
test subjects!"
That it seemed pissed Killian off further before she got a gleam in her eyes.
"Was this angel close to him?"
Aj leaned forward there while Cinis thought.
"Not particularly. Why does that matter…"
Killian grew even more manic.
"Describe the angel. Now!!"
Cinis did, and then he jumped when Killian's eyes flashed blue twice, then multiple times. Then a massive, ultra-manic grin grew on her face.
"Brother, you have just helped me immensely. Try to divert as many of the subjects as you can from this vermin. Project Rebirth is close to the first milestone."
The Italian looked at Killian, then gave an eager nod, and the call ended. Then Killian's eyes lit up and began cycling blue as Aj watched before she grinned widely, willing away the sword and pulling up an image on the screen.
"We are in business. And because I'm being nice, they took the crates to this former army base in Japan. There are also plenty of guns there for you. You're welcome."
Aj would take all the help he could get on this front. Seraphina's death had been
brutal as the boss had one of his most trusted people pluck the fallen angel's
ten wings' feathers off one by one and then flayed her alive live on their network.
All because she had failed to do her job of toppling a government in South
America. Aj would do anything to avoid that fate.
The moon was shining down on a cabin on Baekaedo Island when three figures
made their way to it slowly. Then the door creaked open as Vali gingerly moved into it, followed by Sha, who had Bikou leaning on her heavily. Vali flipped on the lights, then the White Dragon Emperor sank into a comfortable chair and sighed, feeling the adrenaline rush he lusted for leave him. Sha helped Bikou over to a couch and began heading for the kitchen cabinets for the small stock of Phenex tears they had here. The monkey prince groaned, and Vali could agree with that even as his wounds healed thanks to his regeneration. Sha returned with the vial and popped one before shoving it in Bikou's mouth while she used the other and sighed in relief.
The fight with the fallen had been nasty, and the three of them had taken multiple wounds again from it. Yet so had the fallen, and it was only when Vali went into full balance break and got ready to push them into the DMZ that they broke off and retreated fully. It had been good practice, but Vali needed to rest for a little bit before they moved again. He was just about to relax by sinking into this chair when his enchanted mirror for Ophis let out a whine from his pocket. Vali didn't answer as Ophis could wait. The mirror let out another whine. Then another. Then another, and
that finally made Vali growl dragon-like before he got up and went to the
kitchen to answer it. When he returned five minutes later, he saw Bikou was back
on his feet, and Sha was about to pop a soda before he grunted.
"The boss wants us ready for a mission; we leave tomorrow morning."
That got a grunt from Sha while Bikou shrugged, then headed off to one of the guest rooms to sleep. Vali was looking forward to this mission, as it would help him achieve his goal of getting a rematch with his worthy rivals.
In a vast hall full of people, the bards were singing an old ballad while being cheered by men and women warriors. Mugs of ale were raised high as the climax of the ballad drew close, and from his seat at a table at the highest point in the hall, Odin smiled wide as did his sons, Balder, Thor, and Vidar, at the sight of Valhalla. Besides Odin, Frigg was with Tyr next to her, and Frigg was her personal Valkyrie,
Rossweisse. Odin watched her out of the corner of his eye as she was a
delectable woman with a fat ass and massive knockers, but quickly looked
elsewhere as Frigg caught his gaze and glared.
The All Father sighed, not for the first time, at not being able to convince the Valkyrie school headmistress to give Rossweisse to him as his assistant and not Frigg's. Oh well, he thought, before he got ready to declare a brawl so he could watch Rossweisse properly. He was, however, interrupted when another Valkyrie came running up to him and whispered something in his ear.
The All Father frowned and then grunted out to her an order. The Valkyrie ran off again, and Odin watched her decently thicc thighs when Frigg set down her ale.
"And what was that for, dear husband?"
Odin glanced at his wife and shrugged.
"We have an Aether guest, actually, Frigg."
Frigg raised a blonde eyebrow high. Asgard had not had guests from the Aether in a very long time. Since the middle of the Great War, in fact, when the Norse had surrendered most of their Midgard territory to the heathen Biblical God. The news also made Baldr, Thor, Vidar, Tyr and Rossweisse turn Odin's way when the Valkyrie returned from a side door, with a crow with the face of a human man and three legs. The crow smiled, seeing Odin and Frigg, and his appearance made the bards and then the warriors of Valhalla fall silent. Odin actually blinked as this was no ordinary guest.
For this was Yatagarasu, Amaterasu's personal messenger. Yatagarasu came to a halt before the table and bowed low to the Norse Gods and Goddess here before his face came up.
"All Father and All Mother. You honor a lowly being such as I in your presence."
Frigg stared at the crow, as did Rossweisse, fascinated, as Odin recovered and grunted.
"Yatagarasu, this is quite the… surprise. Usually, you and your mistress stick to your side of the Aether and don't venture far from it. What is your business here?"
The crow gave a slight shrug of his wings.
"That is true, All Father, but times have changed for us. As for my business, it is quite simple. My Mistress would like to invite you, your wife, and sons to a divine
conclave she and Sususnoo are hosting."
The news made mouths drop to the floor across the hall for the gods and goddess as this was definitely news. The human souls looked on in shock too, and Odin, to his credit, only stared for a moment before he grew contemplative. Then his curiosity went into overdrive. He could see Frigg was deeply intrigued by this, and the slightest flip of her golden hair told him all he needed to know about her opinion.
"We would love to attend."
Five minutes later, Yatagarasu left Valhalla pleased. His next stop was the Olympians, and he expected a harder time than here in Asgard. Their agreeing on anything was rare, but Yatagarasu had plenty of tricks up his sleeve. You didn't get to be a divine messenger without learning a few tricks.