"Aha... eheh..." I wince, touching my fingers together, trying not to make eye-contact with the blonde woman standing in front of me. "H-Hello Aunt Gabriel!"
She has her arms crossed, the faintest hint of a frown on her lips.
"C-Come now!" I beam. "A frown has no place on the face of a beautiful woman such as you!"
"You know I'm kind of peeved at you, right?" The woman announces as my companions slowly- and VERY carefully walk around the two of us like Moses parting the red sea.
"Griselda already yelled at me a bunch so I was hoping we could skip that." I mutter, squirming in place.
A simple sigh leaves Gabriel's lips. "That was dangerous I hope you know..."
"No it wasn't." I shake my head. "Azazel had no intention of hurting me."
"You didn't know that." The seraph frowns.
"I did!" I protest. "I know lots of things."
The woman raises an eyebrow.
"I do!" I whine. "You could say I know everything!"
"..."
"Eighty percent of the time." I clarify after a moment.
The corners of her mouth turn upwards as she lets out a small snort. "Luce... what am I going to do with you."
I give her a weak smile.
She stares for a long moment. "There's something... different about you since we last met."
"Mhm?" I hum.
"It's... kind of familiar..." She taps her chin, gazing over me.
A quiet gasp leaves her lips.
"I'm taking Luce! I'll bring him back later!" She beams, then she reaches out.
*FLASH*
I am left blinking the spots from my vision as we seem to wink out of existence and reappear elsewhere.
"A-Ah..." I quietly whisper. "Would... now be a bad time to admit I have a crippling fear of non-portal based teleportation?"
"..." Gabriel's face becomes flat as I look to my hands.
"Am... I still the same person? Or... am I just like... a clone of the old me that was vaporized by your teleportation spell?"
"Teleportation doesn't work like that, silly." The woman sighs, ruffling my hair. "It's more opening a wormhole to another location."
"It... is?" I squeak.
"Yes." She smiles brightly. "A lot of the people who come into the supernatural world have that fear. You don't need to worry!"
A low breath leaves my lips. "Alright... so... where are we?"
"Miss Gabriel!"
Oh. There's Rubideciel. This must be Heaven, then.
"I took you to heaven to confirm something without allowing rumors to spread~" the woman hums. "May I see your wings, Luce?"
"Ah... well." I scratch the side of my head.
Her smile grows as she gives me a knowing look. "They've become a truly interesting color... haven't they?"
"Whaaat?" I ask with a bright smile. "Preposterous. Can we talk about something else... oh! I know! I've heard that you were picked as the most beautiful woman in the underworld a few years back. How'd you do that? I would think that you wouldn't even have been entered. It seems kind of... unfair, doesn't it?"
Her smile grows. "I suppose I was just blessed to have a fan in the underworld enter me into the contest. Though you are correct. It was quite unfair. Rubi, could you please get us something to drink... oh! That one coffee place owned by Chasimiel on First Heaven is quite nice! Luce... do you like coffee?"
"I prefer hot chocolate... if they have it."
"Hot chocolate it is, then! Here. Some money, and some pocket change! Please take your time."
"G-Gabriel?" Rubi sputters as she is nudged out the door to this fairly large penthouse-like apartment.
"..."
The blonde lets out a long sigh of relief, eventually turning towards me with a pout. "How'd you find out."
"Find out what?" I ask slowly. "Whatever could you mean, auntie!"
She continues to pout at me, causing my smile to grow. "To be fair, I think it's really funny! To think that my Aunt shares my hobby!"
"You've... been messing with Serafall as well?" The woman asks slowly, a small frown on her lips. "That might not be the best idea."
"That's... kind of hypocritical, Aunty." I point out blandly, causing the woman to pout again.
"That is... true." She sighs. "I just... don't know if you have what it takes to ride that fine line of infuriating and legitimately insulting. It took me centuries to learn it."
"So... is constructive criticism for her show sent to her personal email a step too far?" I ponder.
"You- You know her personal email?" Gabriel gasps, eyes widening.
She envelops me quickly in a hug, my head pressing between her bust as she zooms through the rooms of this place she seems to live.
I am placed in front of a computer. "Pleeeease Luce! I need to know it! Oh! Can I read the message you sent her? Please!"
"If you don't yell at me for my perceived recklessness." I frown up at her.
"..."
"Fine..." The woman sighs. "I'll admit... Azazel has changed... somewhat... I'll accept that you... knew... he... hm..."
She seems to think deeply on something. "Luce... do you sometimes just get flashes of insight? Like the locations of things? Or... visions."
A weary sigh leaves my lips. "Yes. Yes, I do."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"Luce. I don't believe you should leave heaven after today..." Gabriel begins quietly, causing me to turn to her with a frown.
"I'm sorry you think that!" I smile brightly.
"Luce!" The woman exclaims. "You don't understand... you were in incredible danger today. If Azazel had intended to hurt you, there's nothing I could have done to save you!"
"Hm." I hum quietly. "If you were watching me closely... you would have seen me open my bag before I went to go speak with him. Take a peek inside of my bag, please. Tell me what you see."
I pull the sack off my hip and offer it to the woman.
"Paintings? When did you have time to-"
"This... is Kindness and Chastity." I begin slowly before re-sealing the bag. "I am confident that with the two of them... I could have fought Azazel... or at the very least held him off for an hour or two. More than enough time for you to get there."
"Wh- Luce. Azazel is no joke. He survived the original great war. Nothing you could possibly paint could protect you for longer than a few seconds."
"Are you estimating the strength of my paintings on Rubideciel?" I ask slowly. "Because... to be fair to Rubi... she was not painted for conflict. She was painted to give you closure. These two? They were painted to both protect me annnnd make Serafall irritated at me."
"I get that you are worried for me." I begin as I begin tapping away at the computer. "I get that my powers would make me a target... and-"
My powers flare briefly.
"I get that some people down in the church tried to break into my room and steal Tock's original painting- I'm also aware that you took it out to prevent that from happening after the attempt and you can keep it here, just be sure to have someone ferry him down to where he is needed-" I note with a small head tilt. "But. Taking me from my friends. Locking me away here in heaven... it really wouldn't be much of a heaven for me, then, would it? Cause when I'm down there... I can feel myself improving."
The chair squeaks as I slowly turn it around. "Gabriel. I don't want to be forced to live alone again. Not since I finally made some new friends. Besides! I made a promise to Xenovia and I'm going to keep it!"
"Anyways, here's what I sent to Serafall. While writing it, I got a few interesting ideas!"
"We're not done with this conversation." Gabriel frowns before she begins reading the message.
"Heh heheheh." The seraph quietly laughs to herself. "This must have really bothered her!"
"Aunty, let's make a show!" I beam suddenly.
The seraph turns, offering me a confused blink. "A... show?"
"Mhm!" I nod once. "Just think about how much a competing magical girl show would irritate her! Especially if we get better ratings! I had this big idea to have one of the main villains be a Serafall Expy called 'Sera-thing the embodiment of envy'! Which would be REALLY funny if she got mad that our show was better than hers. And, well, if we make it so the show is widespread in the human world, this has the added benefit of newly reincarnated devils assuming that Serafall is actually a children's cartoon villain which would be even more funny!"
"I even thought of a general plot. It, of course, had to be a magical girl show as that's what Serafall's show is. The general synopsis is that the world is overtaken by villainy and cruelty, an average every-day girl, Sophie, figures out that she's the inheritor of the virtue of kindness, Asophiel! She is forced to run away from home, leaving behind what she knows in order to protect her family and must go on a quest across the globe to find the other virtues and defeat the fallen eighth virtue, Faith... which had become Idolatry after being tempted by the embodiment of Envy, Sera-thing!"
"This leads into season two where the group must begin fighting back against the seven sins!"
"Of course, I know nothing about film production, even if my paintings would allow us to give the entire show an interesting animated style, but I could paint a producer quite easily. Oh! Here's my plans!"
I reach into my bag and pull out some pieces of paper which house a rough sketch of a girl with sunglasses and a beret, holding a movie clapperboard.
Gabriel leans forwards slightly. "H-Huh? Why does... she have a minigun?"
"Why don't YOU have a minigun?!" I shoot back with a beaming smile. "Anyways, her main abilities would be her illusionary magic, which would allow us to cheaply create extras, special effects, and costumes quite easily... and, if I paint correctly, she'd have more than enough skill in producing, scripting, and even song-writing that we could make our show with merely a FRACTION of the money Serafall takes to make hers! Which is even better! As a majority of our profits can go to running charities and church renovations."
"Oh! And look here. At chastity... I made her look suspiciously like her little sister as a double insult! The first would us having a magical girl that looks like her sister- as she tries absolutely everything she can in order to get her own sister to share her hobbies, and then there's the fact that I made her CHASTITY. When Serafall is known to have an intense incestuous desire for her sister! I'd be slapping that desire in the face by having her desires be 'chastity'! Practically screaming to the world that they'll never happen!"
Spoiler
"..."
"You... put a lot of thought into this." The blonde carefully mutters.
"Of course I did!" I smile brightly. "If it has anything to do with art, I'll put my one hundred and ten percent into it! If I said all that stuff to Serafall and then turned around and made a soul-less cash-grab of a show with the sole purpose to anger her, I'd be nothing more than a hypocrite!"
"So... can you tell me a little more about this show of yours?" The girl questions. "Oh, and can you fetch me that book on the top shelf over there? I need to check something."
"Well, I haven't really thought that intently on the plot beyond a... skeleton, really." I admit, turning and walking across the bedroom. "I also plan to do something with the retired sin of Discord and the retired virtue of Concord. But that's more of a season five or six thing. The rough plan was to have all of the virtues aside from Kindness get corrupted by Discord and she inadvertently also becomes the Virtue of Concord and passes the torch of Kindness to a side character that had been in the series for a while at that point."
I stand on the tips of my toes, reaching up as I continue to speak. "We'd need to plan seasons in advance so we could keep a consistent narrative and fill any potential plot holes that might appear. unlike a certain magical girl show made by a certain satan."
I still can't reach the book.
My wings extend as I float up to grab the-
"..."
"I'm really not pleased with you right now." I deadpan. The woman having tricked me into exposing my now golden wings. Getting me distracted through talking about my passions then asking me to do something so simple that I wouldn't think about.
She lets out a squeal as I am picked up, my halo blazing slightly and tinging the room in a kaleidoscope of golden lights.
"This aura! This is a true miracle! Your light feels so... so warm and comforting!" She cheers, twirling around with me safely secured in her grasp.
I can't believe she tricked me.
I'm more mad at myself for getting so caught up in my show idea.
"This is incredible! To think that you would also gain golden wings!" The woman continues, carrying me around the room in a spiral as she floats off the ground. "Oh! I can't wait to tell Michael! Oh! The other seraphs would surely want to meet you!"
She carries me around like a stuffed animal. She seems to have no real concept of personal space... at least when it comes to me.
Well, I'm not complaining. Her chest is really soft.
Azazel wishes.
Eventually she puts me down, causing me to let out a single breath. "How do I get home."
"..."
"I can have someone build a new room here and you could live with me!" The woman beams.
"Gabriel." I deadpan. "I'm not leaving my friends."
"But- but you could- people- I don't want to lose you!" The girl sputters.
"..."
I tilt my head slightly.
'I wonder. Would that-' my mythic power surges. 'Huh... that'd certainly make the crafting a little bit harder... but I could probably manage... especially now that I can automatically 'take twenty' on my craft checks. My overall ranks in the skill... and the other buffs I have to it... that makes it... roughly a fifty... perhaps a little lower. That means on average I could paint something with thirty hit-die... twenty-eight, actually. Huh. That's enough to paint most ancient dragons. Heck, most Great Wyrm dragons.'
'Ah. Get back on track.'
"I... could be convinced. But you'll need to pay me. I'll paint a self portrait that'll let me shunt my senses into it. But- but I just don't want to lose the only friends I've ever had, Gabriel."
A pained expression crosses her face.
"So." I turn. "Train me. Make me stronger. And the second I get... say... eight wings? I'm going back down there and there's nothing you- nor anyone else here- can do to stop me."
"Besides... while being down on earth is certainly dangerous... it's not like I'll be that much safer up here." I shrug idly.
Her joyous expression slowly falls into an flat and serious one. Her eyes seem to bore into me.
"Explain." She request- no demands.
"Well, there's Cherudiel in the research division. Who's in contact with Satanael of the Grigori, who has been showing an indescribable interest in my paintings in order to create an endless army of spirits to seal within artificial sacred gears."
"Arinral from the heaven guard is in contact with a few reapers and has been smuggling souls out of third heaven and having them be transferred to the Greek pantheon through purgatory."
"WHAT?!" The woman snarls. "HOW?! That's the ultimate betrayal of the lord's work! He should have fallen LONG ago."
"Loopholes... in the heavenly system." I admit with a small shrug. "They believe... with all their heart that what they do is all for the benefit of heaven. The largest issue the angels face... is their declining birth rates and that slowly but surely, we are weakening... as more and more angels fall. Cherudiel is giving out information in the off chance that Satanael MIGHT have a solution to our issues... and that Satanael will give him the results of his research on artificial longinus."
I turn. "Arinral is bribing the grimm reapers as he wants to keep us away from war."
"They've self deluded themselves... almost like hypnotizing their very own minds." I finish.
"Do... Do you have proof?" Gabriel slowly asks.
My powers flare, my will seemingly reverberating across the room. The shelves briefly shake, a nearby painting tilts slightly Gabriel's face becomes ghastly pale before blooming into a tremendous smile. One that fades after she recalls the situation we are in.
"Cherudiel keeps numerous volumes of journals for his thoughts, research, and actions. A relevant one would be top shelf of his room. Third book from the right. Pages thirteen, eighty seven, one hundred and twenty two and two hundred and fifty through two hundred and fifty one."
"As for Arinral... that's a little more difficult to prove. There's no real way to do so. It's not as if he left any notes behind. I suppose the way you could do it is search for the people he's taken from the third heaven. I'll list a couple. These are the more recent ones. Jane Smith, born December first eighteen o-one, died age fifty-three, October eighteen fifty four. Jude Arnie, born march nineteen sixty seven, died age thirty-three January first, two thousand. I could go on, but we'd be here a while."
Gabriel's lips thin. "I... see... how many souls."
"It has been going on for a little over two centuries, Gabriel. If I was correct in my counting the number's sitting under twenty thousand but above fifteen thousand." I sigh rubbing my forehead. "Now... I've overused my powers today and I'm kind of spent. I think I'm going to lay down... do you mind if I... uh..."
I gesture over to the large comfortable looking bed sat nearby.
"No! Of course! Please rest in my bed, I'll return shortly I just have to... ahaha... take a quick look at some things~" the woman brightly smiles, but it doesn't reach her eyes.
I walk over to the bed and flop face first onto it as the woman begins to turn to leave.
"Oh. And Gabriel..." I begin tiredly.
"Yes Luce?" The woman hums, turning back to me.
"Before you go around proclaiming my little... omniscience to everyone. You should be made aware that it is merely flashes of omniscience. I ask myself a question and... eighty percent of the time... I just know. However. Twenty percent of the time... I don't... and I can never ask that question ever again... but it's improving. Slowly but surely. First it was seventy nine percent. Now it's eighty. I'm not using this ability for truly important things until its ninety eight percent or higher."
"You..." Gabriel whispers. "You know... about our father, then..."
"Yes." I whisper. "I'm sorry. It must be so painful."
"It... has gotten better with time." The woman weakly smiles. "I'll let you sleep now. After I take care of some business I'll see if I can't get you those materials you need... Oh! And a phone to call your friends."
"I'll be back soon!" She waves with a cheerful grin. One that turns into a serious glaring frown as she turns and almost stomps away. Quietly fuming over the injustices I revealed.
I find my eyes drifting shut.
'That was... odd... for a moment there it felt like my powers would have failed... but...'
There's one possible reason as to why my flash pulled through...
Heaven's System.
I've had divine inspiration before. Perhaps this was similar?
The echo of the lord left in the heavenly system trying to correct the wrongs in its own way?
Hm...
A quest has been completed!
Exorcism boot camp: {Ongoing Quest}
So you want to be an exorcist, huh? Well. It's a tough job. Slaying vampires, werewolves, devils and fallen angels. How do we know that you'll be up to it? Well. Through some grueling training, of course!
Current days of Training: 72
Successful Duel Victories (Against Unique Opponents): 4
Special Objectives:
First Day of Training: [x]
Seven Days of Training: [x]
Two Weeks of Training: [x]
Thirty One Days of Training: [x]
Two Months of Training: [x]
Defeat Xenovia in a duel: [x]
Defeat Irina in a duel: [x]
Defeat Griselda in a duel: [-]
Defeat Sagume In a duel: [x]
Defeat Lint In a duel: [-]
Rewards:
8000 total experience
Ah... yeah that has come to its conclusion, hasn't it? I'll likely get a seraph training instead-
A quest has been received:
The Thirteenth Seraph: {Ongoing Quest}
Heaven has taken note of you. How fun! What's less fun is the fact that they have more or less- nicely- house-arrested you to the confines of heaven. Well, if you really fought for it, you'd probably be able to do what you want. No sense in having you fall, after all. But there's only one real option to put their hearts at ease... TRAIN! Train your ass off! You've got to become stronger! Strong enough that others can't push you around! You've got a hot blue haired girl waiting for you to breed her! You can't let your journey end here!
Current weeks of Training: 0
Special Objectives:
One Month of Training: [ ]
Three Months of Training: [ ]
Six Months of Training: [ ]
One Year of Training: [ ]
Defeat one of the Seraph in combat: [ ]
Defeat one of the Great Seraph in combat: [ ]
Rewards:
1000 Experience per week of training
Alright... this is technically an improvement. I can only imagine that the overall difficulty will be increased as well.
I should probably get some rest before I am sent through the ringer. That plane trip was exhausting.
A woman with long silky blonde hair stalks forwards with purpose, eyes narrowed slightly as an expertly tempered righteous fury burns in her stomach.
She wears a smile, but if you truly look closely, you would see the sharp edge to her lips and that her eyes are minutely narrowed.
She is flanked by another figure. She has long light blue hair, nearly white and blood red eyes, and wears a blue dress. Six white wings rest on her back, but those wings shouldn't deceive you. She is of the five great seraphs. Sariel. The Angel of Death.
Spoiler
A great seraph with six wings may seem strange... however...
The wings of an angel are a form of... status... they show to what heights an angel has risen. From the weak guardian angels with only a single pair, to the great seraph with twelve.
However, the strength of an angel does not necessarily decrease should they lose wings.
The blonde speaks, pausing in front of a second six-winged angel, this one a legitimate six-winged angel, not a result of battle damage like Sariel. "I need to speak with Arinral."
"Oh! Of course, my lady!" The angel sputters. "He's resting at the moment, just through that door in the barracks."
The two women step past, stepping through with purpose.
Numerous angels mill about the room, some laying on beds, others quietly speaking or reading books, some even pray towards a large cross at the back of the room.
Their gaze locks onto one of the angels laying in bed as those around the room sputter out whispers of shock.
"Hello." Gabriel smiles gently. "I'm afraid I need to speak with Arinral. It is vitally important."
The angel in question sits up, surprise on his face. "What can a lowly one such as I do for you, one of the Great Seraphim?"
"Please come with me, we have something vitally important to discuss." Gabriel notes, then with a snap of her fingers she forcibly teleports the three of them.
They reappear in a secluded section of second heaven. Something rarely used in this current day and age. The Tower of Babel. A prison crafted from human hubris and desire to play god.
Sariel turns, a crackling light spear appearing in her hand as she points it at the weaker four-winged angel, Arinral.
"W-What- what are you-"
"Principality Arinral. You have been charged with desecrating the sanctity, purity, safety and disturbing the final rest of souls within third heaven. How do you plead?"
"W-What?! No- that wasn't- I didn't-" The man sputters. "That wasn't my intention!"
"Why?" Gabriel whispers. "Those... those poor souls. Why would you do this?"
"O-Our father was weakened by that final battle, right? S-So much so that he has not been able to do much other than recover. When- when I discovered that our enemies could enter Heaven through Purgatory... I-I was horrified. But... I-I cut a deal with them. I-I just needed to buy time! Once our father is back at full strength- he would have reclaimed them! We just need more time!"
"Oh Arinral..." Gabriel whispers, sorrow briefly gripping her heart as she wipes a tear. "Why didn't you tell us? Why would you do something so foolish!"
"I-I... I don't know." The man whispers, head hanging low in shame.
There's a crack, the glowing halo atop his head shatters, four white wings becoming an inky pitch black.
Gabriel's voice hitches in her throat.
She...
She was aware this might happen.
He has committed a horrific crime.
One that by all means should have caused him to fall the FIRST time he did it.
And yet...
"N-No..." The man whispers, gazing at his hands in horror.
Her hand comes to her mouth as tears begin to drip down her cheeks. "Arinral... I- I am so sorry."
His head hangs down as Gabriel continues to cry.
Luce was right.
Heaven... isn't as safe as they believed.
If reapers can enter heaven through purgatory... what else could?! That is a MASSIVE security risk!
She turns away, unable to bear to see the fallen angel anymore. Knowing that he will be imprisoned here for... a long time... at least until they can feasibly protect the Third Heaven from incursions via purgatory... they can't cast him out yet because... frankly he knows too much. They cannot afford to let that knowledge get out when they are in such a precarious position.
"I'm truly sorry." She utters one final time before she takes off with a flap of her wings.
HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY! and wow! Luce's heaven-bound now! that's... neat... they're not going to let him leave, huh.
Oh well, time to get strong enough that he can casually toss around the seraph in order to walk outside!
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Don't Own DxD or D&D, Only The Oc
'thought'
"Speech"
System Text
"Tvs, Radios, and Text via book or newspaper... when those are around..."
The first thing I realize when I claw my way back to consciousness is that I can't move.
That causes brief terror to enter my body before my eyes crack open.
My face is buried in the chest of the woman who had brought me here last night as she rests with her eyes closed, clutching me tightly with a serene smile on her lips.
I resign myself to my fate, quietly accepting that I'm just going to be used as a teddy bear for 'the most beautiful woman in heaven'. There's worse ways to suffer pins and needles from your arm falling asleep.
I return her cuddling weakly and close my eyes again, planning to catch a little more sleep.
A quiet moan leaves Gabriel's lips causing my eyes to snap open.
Well... moan isn't really the right way to describe that noise. There was nothing sexual about it at all. it wasn't intense enough to be a grumble or groan, not quite a hum. Just a cute sleepy noise of the seraph.
She slowly sits up, freeing me from her grasp, she raises her arms up, chest bouncing slightly as she stretches, a quiet groan leaving her lips.
She looks down at me after yawning, a melodious greeting leaving her lips. "Good morning~"
"Good morning, Gabriel." I whisper, scratching my forehead now that I'm free and her hair is no longer tickling it. "What are we going to do today?"
"Oh! We're going to meet all of the seraph! I can't wait to introduce you! They'll be overjoyed! It's been far too long since another angel has blessed our halls... and with your wings, it's clear that you were destined to be a seraph!"
She gently takes my hands, practically floating out of bed. "Come on! You need to meet Michael, and Sariel, and Uriel, and Metatron, and- well- the rest of the seraph!"
"I should probably call my friends first, right?" I mutter under my breath. "Or at least send a message to Griselda for them. I didn't return yesterday so they're probably worried about me."
"Oh! Okaaaay!" The woman beams clasping her hands together. "We can do that right away!"
I hand the letter I had just finished writing to Gabriel, she folds it and sticks it in an envelope, then with a flash of light it completely disappears. "I've sent it to Griselda! Now, shall we go visit the others?"
Now I just kind of have to wait until my friends get that letter and begin to set up a call for us to talk more or less face to face via some communication magic.
Or Gabriel gets me my painting materials and I create a new body for me to shunt my senses into.
"I... guess?" I mutter under my breath as the woman lets out a cheer and practically drags me out of the room.
we step through long white halls gilded with gold. A little... gauche for my taste honestly. The white's kind of overbearing.
I see paintings here and there. Old. More than likely several hundred years old.
They are extremely well made. Expertly painted. At my current skill with my magic brush... I bet I could only just barely match the skill required to create them.
Well, except that one which looks like stick figures-
Oh?
G-Gabriel made that? Pfft-
It must have been a long time ago...
It looks akin to what a child would paint their parents... and it looks like god put it on the proverbial fridge that is this hallway.
That's... kind of cute, actually.
"Oh? Are you admiring the paintings."
"I am." I nod once. "and despite being called 'The Artisan' by the factions down on earth... I think I could only just barely match the skill in some of these."
The woman lets out a long sigh. "Jophiel... I miss her... she was the seraph of art but... she, like a lot of our siblings fell in the great war... oh, and I mean died... not... 'Fallen Angel' fell."
"I... wasn't aware that Seraphs had their own sort of domains, Gabriel." I mutter. "Well... Aside from myself, I guess."
"Oh! We do!" She smiles brightly as we walk. "I'm God's messenger and the angel of Good News!"
"Neat!" I hum.
"Oh! Metatron! Hey! Metatron!" My eyes stray from the bouncing Gabriel as she begins wildly waving at someone else walking down the halls.
I turn seeing a-
Ninja in white... with twelve large white wings on his back.
"..."
The man looking over some files looks up his eyes, some of the only things uncovered by his ninja garb, blinking once. "Yes Gabriel?"
His gaze briefly strays to me, widening slightly. "Who... is- wait is this... Luce, was it?"
"Yes!" Gabriel beams. "Luce, Meet Metatron! He's one of the seraph."
"Not great seraph?" I ask, tilting my head slightly. "He has twelve wings, right? I always thought the seraph had ten and the great seraph had twelve?"
"Oh! No!" Metatron warmly smiles. "There's a fair power gap between the two of us. Gabriel and the other great seraph are Archangels. You should think of them as fourteen-winged angels, really... well, aside from Michael and Sariel, they'd be sixteen."
"Oh!" I gasp. "That makes sense."
"So, Uncle, what do you do in heaven?" I question.
"Well, originally I was a scribe, recording the actions and merits of humanity, however as of recently that has... evolved into more of a... intelligence gathering."
"Oh... like... a Ninja?" I question.
"Exactly. I may not assassinate like a ninja but I lean fully into the spying aspects!"
"Oh! That's actually a misconception that has been popularized as of recently by fictional stories. Ninja's traditionally weren't necessarily assassins. Their jobs were primarily Infiltration, espionage, and sabotage. Though there are probably a few instances where a ninja did assassinate someone. Realistically as well they didn't wear what we see today as 'ninja clothing' and just simply looked like normal people."
"Er..." Metatron mutters.
"Oh! But don't get me wrong, I prefer the more fanciful version of ninjas that books and movies have popularized! They're much more interesting and I have to respect the artistry in that!" I smile brightly. "Ninjas are a lot cooler now."
"Y-Yeah." He mutters.
Gabriel grabs my hand and begins pulling me forwards again. "Come on, Luce! Let's go see the others!"
She loudly stage whispers to me. "Metatron's Ninja obsession is a little weird but we still love him all the same!"
She's loudly whispering this, loud enough for Metatron to easily overhear. This is some sibling level teasing.
"Aunt Gabriel!" I gasp, acting scandalized. "You shouldn't make fun of another's hobbies! Ninjas are cool! It's a man' romance! Like piloting giant robots while fighting other giant robots or forging magical swords or saying cool one-liners amidst battle!"
"Besides... haven't you heard the sayings about throwing stones in glass houses, Auntie?" I silt my head cutely, a slightly smug smile on my lips.
I can see a small glint in Metatron's eye as he cups his chin, likely having his hobby... not quite mocked by the other seraph, but more... teased. To hear that Gabriel had a hobby like that greatly interests him.
Gabriel's hand twitches slightly. "Come on! Let's go see Michael! There's something important we should discuss!"
She leads me through the halls, past doors which she lists as personal rooms for some of the seraph or work rooms, offices, and more, eventually we come to a larger room with a large circular table in the center.
Several large white chairs surround it, with five being slightly different.
In the room are four figures sat within four of the five chairs.
Four sets of eyes lock onto us as Gabriel had thrown open the door, the first is a woman with snow white hair, six large white wings at her back, the bends of which almost look... purple at some angles? I would have thought it was strange for her to be here... if it wasn't for the sheer power she radiates.
She isn't your typical six winged angel, that's for sure.
The next is a blonde man, kind of effeminate. Androgynous. His face has soft features and at a glance you could likely confuse him for a girl.
His green eyes are full of warmth as he smiles slightly, he looks quite similar to the woman beside me.
Spoiler
The next is a tall man with stern features, perhaps some dark circles around his eyes. He has neck-length golden hair and yellowish eyes that widen slightly upon seeing me.
Spoiler
The final person is a classic anime pretty boy, white hair, gold eyes, his smile grows slightly upon seeing me.
Spoiler
Gabriel pulls me into a hug and points to her siblings, first to the woman. "That's Sariel, the sleepy looking one is Uriel, the white haired one is Raphiel, and that's Michael."
"Oh... Hello." I bow my head slightly. "My name is Luce, it's a pleasure to meet you all."
The woman across the table has a faint smile.
Michael is the first to speak. "It is a pleasure to meet you after so long, Young Luce. Gabriel has spoken a lot about you."
"It's been a while since a new angel has been born." Raphiel notes.
"It was disheartening to hear what happened to you." Uriel speaks, his voice tired. "I am sorry you had to go through that."
"Oh. It wasn't your fault." I shake my head. "Please don't apologize to me. You didn't hurt me in any way."
we speak for a while, talking on how I have enjoyed heaven so far- to which I replied that I hadn't seen much of anything yet and cause Gabriel to declare that she was going to take me on a tour after we were done speaking. after that, there's a small lull in conversation. I can sense a small change in the room's atmosphere.
"You... are aware of our father, yes?" Michael carefully speaks after a brief silence.
"I am." I nod once.
"And your ability. Is it truly as you say?" Sariel speaks, she's a woman of few words, seemingly quite introverted. "Well... I suppose Gabriel and I did see a fraction of that yesterday and you would have no way of knowing."
"I can ask myself questions and have an eighty percent chance to know the answer, yes." I nod once.
"So. Could you... for instance... tell us the exact location of the Longinus sacred gear wielders?" Uriel mutters.
"I could... but is that something you wish to roll the dice on? Because after I ask a question... if I don't know it I can never ask that same question again, nor similar questions. Say for instance if I ask 'what is their plan' and get nothing, I can't turn around and ask something like 'what are their plans in this city'."
The four seraph aside from Gabriel look between themselves.
"Can you ask a question again if you know?" Sariel asks. "For instance, if you ask for the location of an enemy, and provided you know could you ask again at a later date and get updated information?"
"I am unsure." I tilt my head. "You know what, I'll ponder that."
My power surges briefly.
I flinch, hand coming to my nose as I get a nosebleed.
"Are you okay?!" Gabriel is at my side instantly and the others all look genuinely concerned.
"Ah... yes? Totally fine. Just a little nosebleed. uh... maybe using my flashes of omniscience... on my flashes of omniscience wasn't the best idea? Like a calculator dividing by zero. Ow... but- uh- I know, at the very least." I admit, healing light pooling in my hand as my headache lessens.
"The answer is yes with a small caveat. I can get updated information at a later date, yes. But I must wait a week. If I ask again within a week and I have previously gotten an answer, the original answer will repeat one hundred percent of the time even if it isn't exactly accurate anymore. But beyond a week? As long as it isn't a one hundred percent chance, it's likely I'll just... stop... getting information on something."
Raphiel looks to his brother as Gabriel continues to fuss over me. "Michael, what do you think?"
He seems to be thinking deeply. "On one hand. Knowledge on the location of the Longinus is something that would allow us to plan things out much better. Potentially even allow the church to gain another under their banner. On the other... to know where they were at all times... that is a gift that I don't think we should risk."
Uriel speaks up. "Reasonably nothing would change if we exhausted the option now, however... but isn't there two ways to locate the Longinus? Asking where they are and asking who wields them? The prior is much more useful, sure, but the latter at least gives us a place to begin looking."
"That is a fair point." Sariel nods once, cupping her chin. "I believe that we should save the prior. The latter? It would be helpful. A lot of the Longinus have gone quiet since World War two and that has left me... worried. It would put my mind at ease to at the very least have names we could look into."
My eyes stray around the four as they discuss the pros and cons of using the ability now. Gabriel daps at my nose with a handkerchief she got from... somewhere...
"Oh, one moment Aunt Gabriel, I've got it." I whisper to her as a wave of bubbles washes over my face, removing the blood completely.
With a wave of my hand, it also is taken off the handkerchief.
My attention is drawn back to the other great seraphs as Michael nods. "I see. Yes. That makes sense. We will do that, then."
He turns to me. "Luce... would you mind asking the who the wielders of the Longinus are?"
"Very well."
I close my eyes for a long moment.
"Huh... uh... does anyone have a piece of paper on them?" I ask slowly.
Uriel leans forwards, eyes lighting up. "It worked?"
"Yes." I nod once.
With a small flash a quill and a piece of parchment appears in Raphiel's hands. "Proceed please!"
I take a deep breath and exhale. "Spear of Longinus, Hong Mengde. Zenith Tempest, Dulio Gesualdo. Dimension Lost, John Faust. Annihilation Maker, Otello Davinci-"
I watch as their eyes sharpen at the last name. It's Italian so they're probably going to start an absolute manhunt.
I wonder if they'll reach him before Georg and Cao Cao does...
Wait... Cao Cao's real name is Hong?
Georg's real name is JOHN!?
That's like calling him John wizard or something. I'm going to have so much fun using their original names- not the names they stole from their ancestors- if- no... when we meet.
"Boosted Gear, Issane Hyoudou... and I'm going to pause here for a moment. That sounds... familiar- Oh! Irina says that she has a friend named Issane. I wonder if they're the same person? Anyways. Divine Dividing, Vali Lucifer."
"WHAT?!" Uriel shouts.
I look him in the eyes. "Divine Dividing. Vali Lucifer."
Sariel lets out a long sigh. "Wonderful."
"Regulus Nemea wielded by Regulus N- wait that not- oh... it's... a free independent avatar sacred gear after previous wielder was killed doing Breakdown the Beast. It's current... well... owner is Sairaorg Bael."
"It should have returned to the heavenly system when its previous wielder died." Michael whispers, eyes growing wide.
"Would you like me to ask why it didn't?"
"No... not right now. Maybe later. I can hazard a guess as to why it didn't. Tch. Evil pieces." He shakes his head. "I apologize, please continue."
"Canis Lykaon, Tobio Ikuse. Sephiroth Graal, Valerie Tepes."
"Oh, that poor girl." Gabriel whispers. "The holy energies of that sacred gear are probably causing her so much pain if it is awakened."
"Incenerate Anthem, Walburga. No last name given. Absolute Demise, Lavinia Reni. Innovate Clear, Mitsuya Kanzaki. Taelos Karma, Momiji Nakiri."
"I see..." Michael rumbles. "This information is invaluable, Luce, you have no idea how much this means to us-"
I interupt him. "Nereid Kyrie, Ingvild Leviathan."
Everyone in the room freezes at my statement.
"Star Buster Star Blaster wielded by Shooting Star- yes that's his legal name he changed it a few years back."
"Aeon Balor, wielded by Gasper Valdi. Alphecca Tyrant, Meredith Ordinton."
"Unknown Dictator... Magnus Rose."
"..."
"..."
"..."
Michael takes a breath as if he is about to say something. "And then there's Genshirou Saji who has Absorption line. The other Vritra gears were taken from their wielders over the past century or so, however. So each of them are currently without wielders. And also Eden's Dual wielded by Zekka Miyamoto. The other half of which is currently owned by Loki. Though I assume he just has it in a vault somewhere as a collector's piece."
He notices my bright smile. "You were waiting for me to say something, weren't you?"
"I have to have my fun somehow!" I beam.
"Vritra isn't... a Longinus, Uriel slowly points out.
"It would be if the pieces were successfully combined." I reply. "Almost certainly the weakest, but a longinus all the same."
"What about the other five?!" Sariel questions rising to her feet. "Nereid Kyrie, Aeon Balor, the dumb sounding one and Unknown Dictator?"
"Alphecca tyrant isn't a Longinus either." I can hear Michael whisper.
"Oh, there's actually a few other Longinus as well, but they're all in the Sacred Gear system as nobody has yet met the requirements for them. Like the Miracle Child one made from the crown of thorns. It's just... none of the past Miracle Children have gotten lucky yet and there's just so few overall. Then one which was put into the system but wasn't officially added to the... ah... 'rotation' of sacred gears. The Ark of the Covenant."
"How many?" Michael whispers.
"Six total. Though if the Tarrasque and Peluda gears were finished that number would arguably increase to eight... maybe... I'm not entirely sure on that one. That wasn't me using my powers just guessing." I point out.
"What can you tell us of these... new Longinus? The ones outside." Sariel demands, before blinking. "If... you wouldn't mind, Luce."
"Alright, alright." I rub my temple. "I'll go case by case. Nereid Kyrie, has two key abilities. Sea Manipulation and dragon manipulation. Well, dragon control, empowerment and weakening. Almost certainly a high-tier Longinus... or it would be if the wielder hadn't been in a coma for the past several hundred years due to Devil Sleeping Sickness. We should be fine on this one."
Aeon Balor is Forbidden Balor View evolved. It retains the time manipulation aspect but is now able to affect stronger targets, in addition it gains the ability to create tremendous amounts of darkness and can make 'shadow monsters' whatever that means.
Unknown Dictator is only dangerous because of how much humanity has advanced. Its main ability is iron and electrical device manipulation. Dangerous hundreds of years ago due to metal weapons and armor. Terrifying nowadays due to all the advancements in technology."
"Alphecca Tyrant is- oh dear... it lost its ability to manipulate all humans and now manipulates sacred gear wielders... exclusively... including other Longinus."
"And for Star Buster Star Blaster? Sorry. Twenty percent. I have no idea. Maybe it shoots black holes at people? Or miniature stars? I mean, I imagine something is being blasted at people as the boosted gear boosts, and divine dividing divides but beyond that... I apologize. I can't give you much information."
"Luce... this gift you have given us is more than enough." Raphiel smiles warmly. "Thank you. Truly. If there's anything we can do to make you happier, you need just ask."
"Can you get me more materials to paint?" I ask slowly. "I had a few ideas and, well..."
"Of course." Michael nods. "We were pondering on how to get what you needed before you arrived. You should have what you need in the next couple of days."
"Can I also have some sort of heavy warded vault room to keep my paintings within?" I ask.
"Of course!" Uriel agrees. "We wouldn't want the paintings damaged or stolen. It will be perhaps the second most well protected location in heaven."
"I'm glad." I gently smile. "I would also appreciate some training. I wish to get as strong as possible... as soon as possible. Because I want to get to a point... where I can go back to earth and return to my friends."
"Are you sure that is a good decision?" Michael carefully whispers.
"Xenovia and Irina freed me from a genuine hellish existence. And I would appreciate if I could see them often as they are among the very few people who I care deeply about. Michael, how would you feel if you got grabbed by a random relative you met only a month ago, they rip you from heaven here and say that you can't go and visit your family here because it's dangerous. I mean, fair point, it is. But the options we have realistically is I go there, or we figure out a way to make our own evil pieces and they come here."
"Could you?" Raphiel leans forwards slightly, steepling his hands in front of his face. "I am of the belief that it would be incredibly dangerous for you to go back down to earth. But I don't want to tear you from the people you've made deep connections with. I understand your situation. You feel you owe a tremendous debt to them and you've grown closer to them over the months."
Uriel speaks next. "Yes... I know of your pain child... I do not seek to drag you away from your friends but... I have been told you have golden wings... an angel that has the potential to rival- and almost certainly surpass our strongest if your powers are anything worthy of note. That level of... potential... you have responsibilities."
"Losing you would be a crushing blow that would cripple heaven." He continues. "For the first time in hundreds of years. For the first time since our father died. We may just have a solution to our greatest problems. A way to stop spiraling. To recover. Your powers have worried the world at large. Azazel has already sought you out. What happens when another who doesn't have intentions to merely satiate their own curiosity? How long until you are sent on a mission that is a trap specifically made to kill you? Seeking to utterly destroy you before you can reach your potential. Many would sacrifice their own lives just to see you die. It's a notable strategy that even we used once during the great war to ensure the destruction of the Zagan devil clan."
I wince, gazing down at the floor.
In a way, he's right. When I first arrived in this world I just wanted to hit level five... then just paint and paint and paint.
Paint until I wasn't in danger anymore.
But then I got friends, and... well.
The danger kind of helped my growth, but... people now know of my abilities and he's right in saying that someone might just try and kill me. I have no delusion that my current defenses could stop something like... I don't know... Rizevim popping in out of nowhere to kill me.
Holding off Azazel for a few minutes? Maybe- and that's a hard maybe. But killing a super devil? Absolutely not.
The girls I painted may be level twenty... but stronger ultimate class beings are almost certainly epic-level. Beyond twenty.
"I know you hurt. And I know you seek to see your friends. But it truly is far too dangerous to allow you to roam without protection." He finishes. "However. That doesn't mean we don't want to help you. If you find a way to turn them into angels... they may come and stay with you. In addition, even if you do not, you may occasionally visit them, provided one of us five are with you."
"Why can't they come now?" I ask slowly. "I've heard that miracle children can't either? Why is that?"
Gabriel looks saddened. "Heaven is... inherently divine in nature. The higher- and closer you get to heaven's system. The more that... divinity weighs on someone. A Human body cannot handle the strain. The spirit is willing and accepting, but the body is weak. They will basically get poisoned by the high concentration of light as devils do. Miracle children are the same. They are half human. They can certainly visit. Even humans could theoretically visit first heaven for a short time depending on the strength and vitality of the person in question. But even still they will eventually become weakened and may even die if they remain for too long. It may take a decades for miracle children. Maybe centuries. But it happens all the same. Being so high up... with only four wings, the same will perhaps happen to you, Luce. But it will take time. Centuries even. Enough time that I believe that we could train you that this becomes a non-issue for you. and if not? you could stay in first heaven for a decade or two before returning."
A long sigh leaves my lips. "Alright... You're right. You're right. I know. Fine. I'll make an angel equivalent to evil pieces, then."
Well, we met the Seraphs... Neat! plus it looks like Luce well and truly won't be leaving heaven any time soon. I mean. fair. he IS someone that other factions would probably try and have killed.
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Don't Own DxD or D&D, Only The Oc
'thought'
"Speech"
System Text
"Tvs, Radios, and Text via book or newspaper... when those are around..."
A sigh leaves my lips. "You're right. You're right. I know. Fine. I'll make an angel equivalent to evil pieces."
"Y-You know?!" Metatron smiles brightly. "You know how that Beelzebub did it?!"
"They used a crystal in the underworld. Agaresite. Which transforms the body of the reincarnate-e into a devil akin to a philosopher's stone turning lead to gold. In that same vein..." I turn to Gabriel. "I need a Philosopher's stone... and a bunch of other things. The largest issue would be some sort of 'slate' that can bind the Evil Pieces. Ajuka used a large hunk of Agaresite, but it's very nature is more suited to devils. We'd need to find a replacement which- huh... is in god's sacred gear workshop. He had some sort of... strange... holy adjacent Agaresite. A key part of sacred gears."
Hope is on Uriels face now as he stands up. "Could we not use that, instead of philosopher's stones, then?"
"Ah... well... I kind of want to leave some behind so in the far future I can finish some of your fathers abandoned projects... it might... be presumptuous of me but... I really can't stand to see something like that unfinished. The sacred gears primarily. But yes... it would technically work. I suppose in the future I could always ask how to get or make more."
"The true mastery of Ajuka's Evil Pieces lies within the powers and other secret features of the pieces. Transforming someone into another race is one thing, but blessing them with inherent abilities based on piece? Infusing the rooks with the ability to swap places with their master? Especially promotion! I'd need to think of our very own gimmick... it's no fun to just flat out copy another."
"Virtues? No. There's only five great Seraph so two of the seven wouldn't be portrayed." I mutter. "Besides, there's no real 'pieces' to the Virtues that we could use to reincarnate others. So it has to be a game of some sort."
"Luce, you can think about this once you've gotten the things you need, right? Surly it will take time."
"Yeah..." I nod slowly. "I'll probably also have to make some magical tools to assist me. I can have a list of everything I will need soon enough."
"Now... is this everything or is there any other questions that need asking?" I ask, looking between the five.
"We will need to think of things to ask that we would be fine not knowing the answers to... asking about the peerage system was frankly... perhaps a risk we shouldn't have taken but it seems to have worked out. In this case. There are things we've lost. Things we would like to know, but we should think on it before asking." Michael declares.
"Luce." The six-winged seraph begins. "You seek... training, correct?"
"Yes."
"You seek to grow as strong as possible as soon as possible, correct?"
I nod once. "Yes?"
"I have a training regime. It will be grueling. It will be painful. You will nearly be broken down and rebuilt but your strength will grow greatly. Do you wish for that?"
My eyes narrow slightly, offering the Seraph a resolute nod. "Yes."
There's a faint smile on her lips. "Very well... we will start tomorrow, then. You will of course be given time to paint, build, and even contact your human friends. But during training... you will perhaps not like me very much."
"That's fine."
Michael begins to stand so I speak one further time.
"Michael... before you go can you ensure that nothing happens to my friends? That no one in the church would suddenly decide to send them on a mission that they have no way of completing." I ask.
"That is- I don't believe-"
"No. It's a genuine worry. The church doesn't follow the will of the angels. I bet that a large portion of the church uses God as an excuse to justify their hatred." I continue. "If we, at this exact moment made peace with the fallen angels... with devils... TRUE peace, not our tense truce as of this moment... if that were to happen a not so small portion of the church would rebel, and I frankly find that disgusting."
His face falls slightly. "Yes. I will ensure that they aren't sent on missions like that."
"Okay!" I smile brightly, turning to Gabriel. "So, anyways Aunty, you wanted to show me around first heaven?"
Heaven is large.
The layers kind of remind me of what Yggdrasil of the Norse is supposed to be.
Gabriel is... energetic... dragging me around first heaven.
It was kind of fun.
In addition, I got an... interesting alert.
Achievement:
Impress the Five Great Seraph:
For the first time in hundreds of years things are going heaven's way. The knowledge of the Longinus holders. The potential of an angel equivalent to Evil Pieces? And one little angel standing in the middle of all that. You've got big shoes to fill, but this is absolutely a good start.
Reward: +2 Mythic Trials
You have ascended to Mythic Rank 4
With that, I got the ability to 'bestow' my 'holy sword' ability onto others. One other, that is. I also unlocked another Mythic Ability and an increase to one of my stats. I'm just unsure of what I'd want right now.
"Luce! You're getting a call!" The woman hums, fluttering into the room with a telephone that looks suspiciously like an Iphone with angel wings.
It soars from her hands and begins floating in front of my face as I slowly sit up from laying on the couch.
The black screen connects, and suddenly familiar breasts concealed by exorcist garb fills the screen.
"Xenovia. Tilt it up slightly." I hear Griselda mutter off screen.
I am shown her stomach.
"That's down."
It pans up to her face. "Luce!"
I watch as the blue haired girl's face lights up, her eyes are practically sparkling.
"Hello Xenovia." I smile warmly.
"Are you okay? I got your letter. Are you really staying in heaven?"
"For now..." I admit with a shrug. "The loss of my abilities would be... genuinely crippling to heaven in its current state. Are the others there with you?"
I see a brown head of hair poke over Xenovia's shoulder, a peace sign slowly slide into frame from the other side.
Irina and Lint.
"Sagume is here as well." Xenovia nods slowly.
"Well... uh... My wings are gold so apparently I have the potential to become a great seraph and with my painting ability they kind of assume I'll grow to be on par with Michael at the very least, and he's the strongest amongst them."
I watch shock appear on Xenovia's and Irina's faces.
"Which is why they'd suggested I stay here... because a lot of people wouldn't want another Great Seraph in the world... and with my painting ability? it's kind of reaching a level I would call 'Faction Leaders would willingly go on a suicide mission to take me down.' which was putting not only myself in danger, but all of you as well."
"So... you're going to stay in heaven..." Xenovia slowly repeats.
"For now." I admit with a single nod. "I'll certainly visit you at some point and I have a few potential ideas for solutions, but overall... I'm probably going to be here for a long time."
"Oh..." The blue haired girl whispers.
"What's heaven like, Luce?" Irina questions, curiosity in her eyes.
"Well, it's... white... really white... like to a ludicrous degree. almost blinding at some points. Like. There are other colors, am I right? But in its own way it's... beautiful... golden skies, white clouds, brick roads. The buildings are strange. Some look straight out of the middle ages while others have a more modern aesthetic. Nothing newer than the nineteen forties or so, though. There's coffee shops, restaurants, churches- SO many churches. Like ALL of the churches. Kind of wish there was more grass, though... and trees... First heaven has a park but I'd kind of personally like to see it everywhere instead of just centralized in a single- albeit serene and beautiful place."
"I haven't been to the Garden of Eden yet, nor third heaven, where the souls of the dead believers rest... uh... Oh! I met some more of the seraphs! You've met Gabriel, Michael looks... similar, kind of just a boy version of her. Uriel is intense and looks a little tired, Metatron is nice and REALLY likes ninjas. To the point where he was wearing a white ninja outfit when I saw him. Raphiel is quite kind and gentle and very pretty and Sariel is... a little scary. But! Tomorrow I'm going to start training with her so I can get strong enough that the seraphs don't necessarily need to hold my hand every time I take a single step outside of heaven."
"Have you met your father yet?" Xenovia questions.
I let out a low hiss as I wince. "Ehhh. Not yet. I'm not entirely sure if I'm... ready for that... I'd like to see him, sure and he probably wants to see me. But our meeting will probably be so... so awkward and I'm not that good at meeting new people."
"Have you met god?" Irina smiles brightly.
Gabriel looks like she's about to interject.
"Not yet." I admit with a small shrug. "I probably will eventually, but I've been told he's unavailable for any meetings right now."
"Okay!" Irina smiles brightly. "You should tell us when you meet him!"
"I will!" I hum. "So. What about you? Has anything happened in the past couple of days?"
"We haven't had any adventures yet, Luce." Irina shakes her head. "Unlike you..."
"We were given some time off after our mission." Xenovia supplies. "I'm not sure how long it'll be, but it'll give us the opportunity to train more."
"That's good!" I grin. "Getting stronger is always good! I know that Sariel's training is probably going to suck, but in the end I feel like it'll benefit me great-"
I freeze, eyes widening.
"Please... please lord just send me a friend... send me anything please! I beg of you! I don't know how much more I can take! I-I'm always alone... so alone... I try to help where I can. To heal who they ask, but they... they just keep me locked up. Why does Father Florenzi keep me locked up?! Please lord, send me a sign! Please... please let me know that you are listening!"
"..."
I slowly turn to Gabriel who seems content to watch me talk to my friends.
"Gabriel... did you hear that?"
"Hear what? A prayer?" She mutters.
"What is it, Luce?" Xenovia asks.
"Oh! Don't worry about it, I just got a slightly worrisome prayer. I can take care of it, though. And speaking of prayers. If any of you wish to reach out to me, you could always pray, you know that right? You can pray to specific angels more closely connected to the lord's system such as the seraph... or me!"
Xenovia's serious frown slowly turns into a smile. "Yes... I'll do that."
"Now, Irina, I have a question for you." I turn slightly, looking to the brown haired girl on the screen.
"Yes?" She asks.
"What was the name of your childhood friend?" I tilt my head slightly.
"Oh?" She echoes. "Issane? Why?"
"What's her last name?" I continue, casting a small glance over to Gabriel.
"Oh! Hou...dou? I think? It was something like that."
"Hyoudou?" I suggest.
"That's it!" She beams only to pause, a small frown appearing on her lips. "Wait... why are you asking?"
"Angel business and something I don't really want getting out." I casually excuse, looking at the nails on one of my hands.
"It's getting quite late." A voice in the background observes. Griselda. "You girls should really get to bed soon."
"Yes, mother." Xenovia replies, glancing to the side before looking back to me. "I suppose this is goodbye for now, Luce. We will miss you and await your return."
"We'll see each other again." I agree. "After all. I promised you something and angels shouldn't go back on promises!"
Her face flushes.
"G-Goodbye!" The blue haired girl sputters.
with that, the call ends.
"Your... promise?" Gabriel echoes.
"Don't worry about it! Nooooow." I begin as I close my eyes, scratching my temple.
My mythic power flares. "Can you please get an angel to go and break one 'Father Florenzi's kneecaps for me?"
The woman blinks twice.
"The prayer I got was from Asia Argento a Holy Maiden. A girl who has twilight healing. She's being abused by Father Florinzi of Barolo who keeps her locked away, using her for her healing ability and taking... donations... that seem to flow into his own pockets."
"Asia was crying... only praying for a friend. To go outside. To stop being so alone. Sooo uh... maybe introduce her to Xenovia and the others? She isn't suited to be an exorcist, too kind and gentle, but twilight healing is incredibly useful."
"Of course! I'll have someone deal with it."
We sit in silence for a long moment before I ask a question that has been quietly bothering me. "Soooo uh... How bad do you think Miss Sariel's training is going to be?"
"I have complete faith that you'll be fine!" The woman beams.
My back impacts the ground with a loud crack, air is knocked from my lungs, the hair on the back of my neck raises slightly as I roll as hard as I can, avoiding a stomp from the blue haired woman.
"Come on! Your light spears are powerful for the number of wings you have, but they won't be enough. You need to grow. Gain more wings. Grow used to your power."
I swing my weapon upwards, the light sword crackling against the seraph's own. She easily overpowers me, sending me skidding backwards with a small flick of the wrist.
I hurl my weapon forwards, conjuring a second even as the woman effortlessly steps around the hurled weapon and dispels it with a swipe as it turns and comes back around for another pass. "Your ability to control your light spears after you have thrown them is quite interesting. Your magical capabilities are a step above those of a typical four winged angel, I'll give you that at the very least."
Golden light explodes from my halo as with a single flap of my wings I dart forwards, swiping my blade at her. all of which she effortlessly parries.
with a final kick she sends me crashing back to the floor.
"This is enough." She decides. "I have a decent grasp of your skill level. Good. You'd best most high class almost assuredly. But beyond that? If you want to freely walk around earth without worry you need to be at least as strong as me. That will take some time. Now. Allow me to show you some exercises."
"nhhhhh" I groan. "Everything hurts."
"Sariel can be pretty intense." Gabriel smiles. "Oh! And your things for painting arrived."
I sit up, eyes glinting. "Where?!"
She leads me across the room to... another door that wasn't here last night. I didn't even notice it. Huh. Supernatural creatures work fast.
The door creaks open and- holy mother of materials... this- this is a LOT
Canvasses, wood- for frames- gemstones, and materials to make paints of all sorts such as powdered lapis lazuli, cinnabar, a hue of purple that is from those sea snails.
I turn to Gabriel. "What should I paint, Gabriel? Maybe... hm... should I continue my idea for the show? Or maybe I could paint a dragon... maybe a swordsman."
"Just paint whatever your heart desires, Luce." The woman smiles brightly tilting her head to the side.
"Should I paint angel serafall?" I ponder.
"As funny as that would be, I believe that your painting that was inspired by her little sister might be pushing it a little bit.
"Oh... right." I pout. "That's fair."
"Luce. I pray that one of these days we might meet once more and that you may bless my womb with your seed."
I let out a quiet sputtering cough.
"Are you okay?" Gabriel tilts her head cutely.
"Choked on my spit." I croak, face slightly flustered.
"Hello, Irina." I smile brightly.
"Luce!" She beams. "How have you been?"
"Oh, you know. Getting beat up under the guise of training, mostly." I smile weakly. "So, not much has changed. I've been painting some. Uhhh oh! The angels are letting me make an animated series, so that's cool! What about all of you? How has the past month been treating all of you?"
"We've been training..." Irina admits slowly. "Oh! We got a new member! Her name is Asia, she's a holy maiden with a healing sacred gear."
"Are you being good friends to her?" I ask with a gentle smile.
"Yep! She's so nice and cute! I just want to pinch her cheek sometimes!"
"To tell you the truth, Irina... during our last conversation she was the person I heard the prayer of... the prayer for even a single friend. The prayer to not be used as just a tool anymore."
I watch the girl's eyes widen.
"Oh..." She whispers, her eyes straying off screen.
"Mr... angel heard my prayer?" I can hear a quiet voice whisper.
"Come here, Asia." Irina waves over.
A blonde girl steps into view, she looks down at the floor. "H-Hello Mr. Angel... I-I'm happy you heard my prayer."
Spoiler
"Please, just call me Luce." I warmly smile. "I'm not that much older than you... actually I think we may even be the same age. All that 'Mr.' Stuff just makes me sound so... old..."
"Y-Yes, M-Mr- L-Luce..." The blonde girl fidgets.
A small sigh leaves my lips as I give the girl a gentle grin, offering a small eye roll. "Alright alright... I suppose you can just call me whatever you feel comfortable with."
"T-Thank you... t-thank you for listening to my prayer." The girl bows her head, clasping her hands together.
"You are welcome." I nod once, a satisfied smirk on my lips.
"Oh! Luce! One more thing! We were given a mission to head back to my home town! Can you believe it!"
"Oh?" I question.
My power flares.
Kuoh town is under the control of the devils however no-one has actually gone to oversee it yet. Sirzechs and Serafall want to give it to their siblings because it's one: relatively out of the way, and two: a good method to teach them responsibility. But as of recently, they've come to accept a... compromise with the church.
"Ah... I see." I nod slowly. "Your mission's going to be pretty important."
"You know about our mission?" The girl gasps, a bright smile on her face. "What is it?"
"A secret." I impishly smirk. "Just know that it is definitely important... and that eventually two devil heiresses will be arriving to that town. Xenovia. If you are lingering in the background. Listen to me. DO NOT PROVOKE THEM. I expect you to be polite with them."
"Wh- but they're devils! Why do I have to be friendly!?"
"Polite does not imply friendly." I correct. "But provoking them will be bad for the church. In particular you'd likely die. And then I'd fall. You don't want me to fall, do you? You don't want me to fall from sorrow and rage after my friends got killed because they promptly attacked the two people they REALLY shouldn't?"
"OF COURSE NOT!" Xenovia shouts. "I-I promise. I'll... I'll restrain my disgust... for you, Luce."
I give her a kind smile as she comes into view. "Thank you... Xenovia... truly. It means the world to me!"
Her face flushes slightly.
"Oh! And if you see a blonde youkai woman with purple eyes wearing a purple dress for ALL that is holy. DO NOT Back sass her. Do not be short with her. Be polite, respectful and make sure to smile and nod. Do not EVER get on her bad side. In fact, I'd suggest not bothering youkai as a whole. But more specifically HER."
Xenovia blinks. "Why? What could a youkai possibly do?"
"Because that woman is arguably one of the top ten strongest beings in the world and she is NOT to be messed with. She could fight every SINGLE seraph at once and turn them all into a living jigsaw puzzle. You're going to Japan. Her backyard. Be on your best behavior."
Turns out this world is connected with FUCKING touhou.
Should have really caught on with Sagume and Sariel.
"R-Right..." Irina stutters. "We'll... take your warning to heart."
"So. Aunt Gabriel." I begin as I drag my paint brush across the canvas. "Have you made any contact with any of the Longinus so far?"
"Well, you're aware of our attempts at reaching out to this generation's Red Dragon Emperor. We will likely need them due to the identity of the white dragon emperor, but beyond that? An envoy has been sent to the Golden Dawn to meet Meredith Ordinton-"
"An envoy? Oh boy I can't wait to see how the church mucks this one up. Probably going to call her a witch for using human magic" I scoff.
"Which is why we sent Dulio. He doesn't carry the prejudices of the wider church, allowing us to leave a better impression. We also found young Otello. He was in one of our orphanages. He hasn't awakened his sacred gear yet, though."
"So, that's four possible Longinus on our side? That's good." I nod once, gazing back to my painting. "Otello will likely join the church if he is made Dulio's apprentice, Meredith... is unlikely... she likes her job sealing things for the Golden Dawn. Issane is..."
I scratch my chin with a thumb, making sure to not get any of the paint from my brush on my face. "She has a... unique... personality."
"Unique how?"
"She's a bisexual pervert who wants nothing more than to have a harem of 'hot girls and guys'... so much so that she shouts about it day and night even though she has no idea about the supernatural. It would be laughably easy to turn her into a devil if you just utter the words 'devils more often than not have harems'."
Gabriel's face is completely flat. "Oh. I see."
"So... Irina has her work cut out for her." I sigh, shoulders slumping. "Oh how I wish I could see her face when she finds out-"
I blink twice.
My mythic power surges.
"PFFFT- AHAHAHAH Oh my goodness! That's hilarious! Oh I should DEFINITELY paint that! It's absolutely gold!" I let out a low wheeze, wiping a tear from my eye. "Haaah. You know, probably not the best use for my limited charges of immense power... but one that definitely needed to happen!"
Gabriel and the other seraph have been asking me things occasionally such as intel from the past- to clarify things- what weapons the underworld has- they know about the Melbranche now and, FUCK I had forgotten about them. In the past apparently the 'Weakest' amongst them gave a Beelzebub descendant a 'fraction' of its power and promptly made Sirzechs 'THE SUPER DEVIL' Gremory be forced to enter his true form- which is basically clan trait balance breaker- to kill it.
They did not take that well.
Ah. I got side-tracked.
"Anyways, considering how typical female exorcist outfits look, Issane might also be open to becoming an exorcist... maybe... if only to gaze at girls and boys in exorcist garbs."
"Let's... not dwell on the red dragon emperor." Gabriel weakly smiles. "What are you painting?"
"Oh? This?" I ask with a small smile. "This is going to be two things. Firstly, her name. This is Flonne, she's going to be Patience in my show. Next... she's... let's call it an experiment. I saw how worried you were about the Melbranche, sooo I thought I'd make something to mildly put you all at ease... the Flugel... the Winged Ones.
"Flugel?" The woman echoes.
"You'll see, auntie~" I Hum with a mischievous grin. "But. At the end of the day, Flonne and the multiple other Flonnes I'll paint will be an army in and of themselves! With enough strength that maybe heaven won't be pushed around anymore! And MAYBE we can actually start regulating the church like we SHOULD be!"
I turn to the seraph. "Hint. Hint."
"Yes! That'd be wonderful!" Gabriel smiles.
"Well... once I finish her, I'll have painted all of the girls for my show, Coco has already been filming some and Patience won't really show up until about three-fourths of the way through the first season."