Haru's actions had not gone unnoticed. The sudden surge of magical power could be felt all the way from Kuoh, as there was no Bounded Field to prevent magic from seeping out and alerting others, as the case had been when Raynare attempted to kill Haru the first time around. Sona found the teacup in her hand suddenly falling from her hand, hitting the table and spilling the contents across the table.
"What in the world?!" she cried in shock before rising to her feet. "This-this power..."
She recognized it. It was the same magical surge back when Namikaze Haru was first attacked by Raynare. The exact same time when Tamamo-no-Mae appeared once more.
She immediately went to the far corner of the office and opened a secret compartment sealed by magic. To her shock, it was completely empty.
"The deck. It's… gone?!"
In a place that could only be considered a paradise, a pair of soulful blue eyes widened as a presence suddenly began to surface, emanating in one of the many old houses of God.
"This is..."
"—You didn't do a goddamn thing when your stupid fucking priests decided to make her a witch and toss her out—"
"—never asked to be put on a damned pedestal—"
"—why won't you save her—"
The words had been heard clearly, and a soul had responded. Deep within Haru's soul, where the gate resided, the left side bearing the mural of Ruler suddenly cracked before it groaned, doors slowly swinging open. Unlike when Tamamo had been called, where cherry blossoms and earthen tendrils seeped out, a golden light poured out from within the gate. A faint humming could be heard, reminiscent to that of singing. Birds flocked out and dived straight for whatever lay ahead of them. A lone figure stepped out, leaving her place of rest behind as an anguished soul cried out for her.
The woman looked up as the platform shattered apart, becoming a ball of white light that swallowed her up before it rapidly began to ascend, shooting straight for the surface, where she would be born into a new world. She had heard the desperate pleas of the one calling out, angered that God had not done anything to help a girl whose fate had been decided.
The World decreed that this girl, Asia Argent would die. She would abide by such rules, but not without putting her foot down, first.
It was her purpose, after all.
The ball of light broke free, shattering through the surface and dispersing. And with a smile, the woman emerged into a brand new world.
Unlike last time, Haru's consciousness had not immediately been thrown aside after the Heaven's Feel had activated without him knowing it. Unfortunately, he was at the cusp of unconsciousness as his body swayed, suddenly devoid of strength.
What… just happened? he thought tiredly, struggling to stay on his feet. He shambled forward, his vision blurry. There was something, or someone in front of him, but he couldn't see them at all. Why do I feel so… tired?'
His legs gave out and he fell forward. A pair of slender arms caught him before he could. Whoever was in front of him felt warm, so much so in fact that he was reminded of the hugs his parents would often give him when he was much younger, with nary a thought about a woman's breasts in mind.
"I'm sorry I couldn't answer you sooner." the person told him, their voice practically like music. "Please get some rest."
He wanted to respond, but his body finally succumbed and he gave out, his eyes closing and his mind drifting away.
Asia woke up in the middle of the night, feeling worse than she had this morning. She had felt someone standing next to her, their presence familiar. She had thought it was Haru and Aika, but to her mild disappointment, she saw that it was Rias Gremory, the Devil who had been looking after her.
"I'm sorry, Argento-chan." Rias apologized when she noticed Asia staring at her. "I was changing the flowers in your vase. They were starting to wilt."
"I see..." Asia smiled weakly. "Thank you..."
Rias offered her a small smile in return as she took the dead flowers from the vase and set them aside before placing a new set in their place. Finished, she looked back at Asia and bent down. "Do you need anything?"
"No, I'm… fine..." Asia shook her head. "How is… Haru… and Aika...?"
"They're doing fine, last I saw them."
"Did you… tell them...?"
Rias's smile dimmed. "... Yes." she told her. "Namikaze-kun took it as well as I expected."
"I see..." Her expression turned solemn. She felt guilty for having the truth be known to him at this point. Even after all of his attempts to cheer her up and encourage her.
Sadly. She did not have much time left. She was not naive. Ever since she had been pulled off that mockery of a cross, she had felt her life dwindling away. She knew that her time on this earth was going to be cut short.
Her only regret had been that she wouldn't be able to see Haru and Aika any longer, or hold on to the promise of seeing more of the city.
"My offer still stands, you know." Rias told her, gently clasping her hand. "I know the circumstances aren't ideal, and you would be branded a witch forever, but..."
"Can I still think on it...?"
"Of course. But I'm afraid there is not a lot of time for your choice..." She said regretfully.
"Okay… I just… want to think on it..."
Rias nodded. Giving Asia's hand a squeeze, she stepped out of the room, leaving Asia to herself. The blonde nun turned her gaze towards the ceiling, deep in thought and memories.
It seemed quite odd when she reflected on her situation. All her life, she had been doing what was expected of her. Following God's will, being kind and compassionate, and helping whoever needed it. Twilight Healing had been a wonderful asset, but in a way, it also brought her no small amount of discomfort when the priests and bishops had started to use her for their own gain. Rather than try and tell them off, she simply went along with their wishes. All she was doing was helping people.
Yet, healing a Devil because of such desires had immediately earned her scorn and hate. She would not lie, it hurt. Grievously so. The people she once called her family friends scorned her, all for trying to heal someone who needed it. She didn't care that they were a Devil. All she cared about was that they were injured, and that they needed healing.
Being taken in by the Grigori had been of some concern, given her upbringing. Yet Azazel was not the person everyone made him out to be. He was quite sincere and helpful as he did his best to make her welcome. And when the time came for her to finally leave, he sent her to the one place he thought she would be the most safe.
If only he knew that it wasn't safe at all. Yet, it was also thanks to him that she met such wonderful people.
And yet, it seemed as if God was testing her by putting her through this trial. She was left at a crossroads, and she didn't know what path to take.
"What should I do...?" Asia asked to herself quietly.
Then, a warm presence suddenly made itself known to her. "I believe the better question is, should you act on your own wish?"
"Eh...?" She questioned. However, she felt comforted by the new presence. It was so warm and soothing, as if it were the Lord's holy light. She felt at peace. She turned her head, finding someone new at her bed side. "Who… are you?"
Standing at her bed side was a woman around her age. She had long blonde hair tied in a braid that ran down her back, and compassionate blue eyes. Her developed figure was clad in silver armor and a blue cloak on the upper half of her body. She wore metal graves and stockers that stopped mid-thigh, leaving her upper thigh the only part uncovered by her attire.
Her attire and presence all gave her away. Asia had only heard of such people before in hushed whispers, but she would never mistake such warmth.
"Are you… an angel?" Asia found herself asking.
The woman smiled sweetly. "I'm afraid not. I'm but a simple servant of the Lord. Nothing more." she told her. "You are Asia Argento, correct? My name is Jeanne. It's an honor to meet you."
"Nice… to meet you… as well..." She smiled tiredly. "I'm sorry… I'm just so tired."
"I see that." Jeanne nodded, taking a seat next to her. "If I understand correctly, your soul is too damaged, is that right?"
"Y-Yes." Asia nodded. "Haru and Aika… they think I'll get better. Haru already knows… that I don't have much time left." She only ever saw him smiling or looking concerned. If she saw him when Rias gave him the truth, she'd probably break down into tears and apologize. She didn't want to imagine his face. "Aika said… we'd go see more… of the city. I'm… going to have… to break that promise."
"But you don't want to?" Jeanne asked.
"I… I don't… I want to be with them...I want to… be with my friends… I need to keep my promise..." Asia shook her eyes, eyes watery. "Rias… told me I could keep my promise… if I..."
"If you became a Devil." Jeanne finished. "And, you don't wish to become a Devil?"
"N… no..." Asks shook her head. "I… I don't want to betray the Lord..."
Her hands trembled as tears spilled from her face. "But I..." she sniffled, choking back a sob. "I don't want to break my promise."
Jeanne had been a paragon of virtue, listening intently while the poor girl poured her heart and soul out. She was a woman of the church, and remained as such even after the priests threw her aside. To her, the actions she had taken should have been something to admire. Even if the Church and the Devils were enemies, shouldn't the act of kindness be something to look up to? Even in her final moments, she showed no anger towards the people who treated her so unfairly. She merely accepted it for what it was.
"Is it wrong to want to live?" she asked Asia. "Even if it means becoming a Devil? The Lord is the creator of all things. From the animals to us humans. The Angels, and even the Devils themselves. They are all His creations. Perhaps becoming a Devil is falling away to temptation, but your heart belongs to Him, yes?" The nun nodded, not quite understanding what Jeanne was getting at. The woman then smiled and took Asia's hands into hers. "Then live. Live and lead a happy life. Even if you wallow in the dark, you are still His child, are you not? Surely, even He could forgive you for wanting to be selfish."
Tears spilled down Asia's face, bottom lip trembling. "Do you… really think so?"
"I believe so..." She nodded kindly.
Jeanne d'Arc had disappeared, shortly after Asia had once again fallen asleep. Two hours later, when Akeno entered the room to check on her, she found the girl deathly still, hands held in prayer and with a smile on her face. On the table next to her, sitting next to the vase, was a small letter she had written before her passing.
On April 13, 2012, Asia Argento had died.
"Silver and gemstone line the path. They forge the circle of the pact—calling to spirits of myth and legend to partake in the communion of battle."
"Desires, ideals, ambitions… they become the core of the chant. The heroes of yore answer the call, vacating their thrones."
"Fill and shut. Fill and shut. Fill and shut. Fill and shut. Fill and shut. The filling of thy cup continues until it breaks. The cycle repeats until power is made manifest."
"Warriors of the sword, bow, and lance. Heroes of the chariot, tome and dagger. Legends of vengeance, madness and forgiveness. Together, they swirl at the center. O soul who weaves together the arcane—holder of all that creates and destroys… answer."
He was here again. In this empty space, with only a faint light in front of him. The same voice called out to him, still incoherent, yet clear enough for him to understand. So many different tongues, so many languages, as if it were more than one person speaking.
"What is it you seek to obtain when...w...o...eg...s?"
Haru found himself waking up to a most unusual sight. That is to say, a slightly ticked off Tamamo glaring down at him. "Mwuah...?"
"H-a-r-u ...!" Tamamo growled, eyes watery before she brought down her fist. "You cheater!"
"AW!"
Let it be known that, for all her cute and cuddly antics, Tamamo really knew how to hit hard. She did held back considerably, as the poor pervert felt only a massive welt on the back of his head. Even so, it was a hell of a wake up call as he fell from his bed, tending to his poor wound.
"What the heck was that for?!"
"I can't believe you!" Tamamo whined pitifully, looking massively upset. The worst part was that Haru just didn't know why she was upset in the first place. "I know I haven't been as helpful as I should be, but-but that's no reason to bring some woman home with you!"
"Wait, what? Time-time out, what do you mean by that?!"
"My sincerest apologies, Mr. Namikaze." a new voice, the same as the one he heard before he lost consciousness back at the church, said coming from behind Tamamo and from the doorway. "I honestly never intended for this to happen."
Looking over Tamamo's shoulder, Haru suddenly found himself lost for breath. "A-an Ojou?!" he cried in shock. Standing in his doorway was a beautiful girl, foreign like Asia, perhaps French, with long blonde hair that was pulled into a long braid and wonderful bluish-purple eyes, wearing a sleeveless button-up shirt with a black tie, a short skirt that exposed quite a bit of leg in spite of the thigh-high stockings, and brown shoes.
And just like Tamamo, she was completely out of this world.
"Mgrgrgr!" Tamamo grounded her teeth, whirling on her foot as she glared daggers at the new arrival, pointing an accusing finger. "You! I have no idea who you are, but stay away from my Husband!"
The girl giggled. "I can assure you, Tamamo, I have no intention of stealing your husband away from you." she said, causing Tamamo to blink. "I would say it's been a while, but these memories are so confusing. I can hardly tell one apart from the other."
"What?"
"Would it make more sense if I mentioned the names Kishinami Haru and Fujimaru Haruka?"
The Amaterasu Incarnation's eyes widened. Those names definitely sparked recognition in her mind. They were her previous masters from alternate universes and alternate timelines. "W-Wait a minute... Are you—?!"
The woman bowed deeply. "Allow me to introduce myself formally. I am Jeanne d'Arc, formerly a Ruler-class Servant. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mr. Namikaze."
He blinked. Once, twice. Three times.
"... Huh?"