Chapter 389: Bad Crow (2)
—
Raynare was supposed to be chillin' after dealing with Issei Hyuudo, that stupid human boy. However, not days after she was done with that, she was once again notified to do something. Thankfully, this one didn't seem like it would take much of her time.
Asia Argento, some "Saint" from Italy, had not arrived at the church in Kuoh yet. She was supposed to and had been spotted in the city before, but she never reached the Church. She was either abducted by someone, or she had decided not to go to the church herself. Either way, a few priests had noticed her in the city today, and they had made their report via messages.
Raynare loved this new era of technology, information was easy to share. If not for that, the news wouldn't have reached the church, because the priests had dropped dead without any cause.
After that, the church contacted her to look for Asia around the city and bring her back. Asia was sure to come if a Fallen Angel went to fetch her, since a few years ago when she was banished by the church in Vatican City, it was the Fallen Angel faction that had taken her in. She had been living with them until now before she was sent here.
That, and since normal priests have died by unknown causes, a Fallen Angel was more suitable for this mission. There was an unknown force at play here.
"There she is."
Raynare could care less, however.
Once she located the blonde little girl, playing in a children's park, she approached her from the air. Raynare also noticed two siblings, she assumed from their similar features, sitting on a swing and moving back and forth. Their intimate position was a little weird, but she was a Fallen, incest didn't bother her.
As she couldn't sense any mana from them, rendering her to believe they were weak, mere mortals. She ignored them and lowered her flight near Asia.
"Hey, there. You must be Asia Argento?"
Asia, who had just slid down a slide, sitting on her ass, paused as she looked at the person standing before her. There was nowhere to run, as she towered over her.
Raynare's black wings were wide and proud behind her, feathers gently floating around, as a few fell on Asia's head, making her shiver.
"I- uhm…"
"Never mind. I was just asking for the sake of it, I already know. Come on, we are going to leave."
With swift movements, Raynare grabbed the blondie by her wrist. Asia yelped, shaken, but Raynare ignored her – instead, she found something interesting. So it was true, this girl had a Sacred Gear.
It wasn't news. Raynare knew Asia had the [Twilight Healing] gear. Back in the church in Vatican City, she had healed a Devil once, and that Devil had killed a few priests before fleeing. The church banished her after that incident in particular, and the Fallen took her in.
In fact, the reason she was sent here to Japan was so that her Sacred Gear could be given to Raynare. By performing a ritual, the useless waste of air that was Asia Argento will die, and [Twilight Healing] will be claimed by Raynare. So, in essence, Asia was her property to be claimed.
Ignoring the little girl's yelp, as she struggled to free herself to no avail, Raynare took off in the air. Her feet lifted seven feet from the air, along with Asia, until she felt a strong hand grab her by her wing, and slam her face first on the ground.
– Bam!
* * *
Raynare was a girl of short stature. About 5"4, according to Neji's Jogan. She had a cute face, and cute black hair, contradicted by violent purple eyes.
Raynare looked like a wolf in pup's cloth. If not for her black wings, she was pretty unremarkable otherwise.
Sisty had moved at lightning speed to grab Asia before Raynare could fall, and now the two of them stood to the side, the systematic girl petting the nun on her head.
Neji stood over Raynare, who stayed down on the floor for a total of three seconds and five milliseconds before she spun around. It was an attack from the start, her wings tried to flap him away. As if he was a bug.
Obviously, that didn't work. The wings hit him, and even though he didn't want to do so, the bones within it broke. The force of the sudden stop caused Raynare to stumble, and the pain made her fall again with a yell.
Five seconds later, the girl stood back up. This time she took off in the air. Even if her wings weren't in their best state, she could still fly. However, to Neji's disappointment, she wasn't trying to flee when she took off. She was just getting out of his hand's reach, looking down with furious eyes.
"You mortal!"
She yelled, somehow thinking she was left in this state just due to a huge mortal. She thought it was his size that made her shame herself.
"I am an Angel! How dare you grab my wing?!"
Neji stared dryly. He reckoned he would have bickered her for this just two months ago. However, he couldn't bother less now.
Instead, he sighed. "You are a Fallen, not an Angel. Nobody who knows religious lore will judge me for grabbing your wings."
"Die!"
Of course, she couldn't argue with him. It also made her mad that he reminded her of her status as someone beneath pure Angels. She cursed her hand in the air, and a spear of light formed within it. Then, she threw it at him.
Neji didn't even dodge. There was no need to block it either. Instead, he used the light effect to transform. The spear hit his chest, bursting into particles of light, and those particles seemed to transform his short hair into a longer look, as his modern clothes too turned a bit historic.
At that moment, Raynare realized she was not dealing with a civilian. So that meant the reason why she couldn't feel mana from him, and the girl behind him, wasn't because they lacked it, but because they just had too much more than herself.
"Shit."
Finally, Raynare had the idea to flee. She turned around in the air and flapped her wings to shoot towards the clouds.
Instead, all she achieved was a translucent dome that surrounded the area, her nose hitting the wall as she stumbled in the air.
"Be careful, it was already bleeding from before."
The white-haired individual was suddenly by her side, standing in the middle of the air without any help.
"How far you have fallen, looking like nothing but an ugly crow. How pitiful, child."
Raynare flinched, stumbling back while he casually observed the nearly invisible barrier that she had just crashed into.
"We are within a [Dome of Light]. It has a few effects, but the main one is that people from outside the dome would be unable to see or sense the people inside. Plus, those people can't enter if I wish to keep them away, and also, the people in here can't leave without my permission."
It was a Lumomancer skill.
He gently patted her shoulder, looking her in the eye as she tried not to attack. She was at least smart enough to realize he was not on the same level as her. However, that didn't stop her curiosity.
"You can use light magic?"
Light magic of that level, used by a person she didn't recognize? Who was he? He was not a devil, that was for certain, so they weren't direct enemies. Was he an angel? She didn't think so, at least her senses didn't. Then…
'No way, is he the Sun God from another Pantheon?'
White hair and bright blue eyes… Raynare didn't know any Sun God with that sort of description. On the contrary, he looked a bit Japanese. It was hard to gauge, as he had a more universal handsome look, being the most handsome one she had seen in her thousand years of life actually, but yes he did show signs of Japanese heritage.
"Of course. The branch of Light Magic is usually the bread and butter of Holy Magic, no? So it's natural that I would be more than just proficient in this field."
Raynare grew more sure of her suspicion. Admitting he could use Holy Magic meant he was either an Angel, but she didn't know any with his appearance, or a God. She believed the latter.
She couldn't believe she was saying this, but she was beginning to feel uncomfortable with his touch. Any other day, she would have dragged this hot of a man to her bed, but if he was a God then he could destroy her with a thought.
"Uhm…" Raynare tried to withdraw her shoulder from his grip, gently, but he held on. So she gave up. "Sir, which Pantheon are you from?"
To her surprise, the God sounded offended.
"Raynare?"
Raynare was confused at his tone, fearful, as she stared at him.
"Do you not recognize me?"
Now that made Raynare blink. What the hell? Recognize him? Right, if she had seen someone this hot before, she would have easily recognized him. There was no way she wouldn't, if she had met him.
"Err, my apologies. But I don't think we have met before."
"Haah, how disappointing."
Raynare's surroundings suddenly changed. While she was in the air just a moment ago, now she was standing on the ground. He was in front of her, his hand moving from her shoulder, and reaching her forehead.
"To not recognize your own creator,"
What? Creator?
Raynare's entire existence shook.
"Let me give you a hint."
He flicked his finger, and when his nail touched her forehead, a brilliant light illuminated the entire dome.
Along with that, divinity washed over her form.
Raynare collapsed on her knees. Her eyes went wide, her tears a fountain, as all of her jet-black wings shimmered, taking a brilliant white in color.
"M-my Lord…"
The Fallen Angel had fallen on her knees, seemingly reversing her Fallen status. She looked up at her creator, her father, and her entire world.
While it took Asia a bit of convincing, it took Raynare none of that. Even Chief Gods of the strongest Pantheons couldn't revert a Fallen back to their pure state. That was just not possible, yet it had happened. So even though the aura, the divinity she felt, was a lot different than what she remembered, it was the same kind.
The same, if not a lot purer, than what it used to be. The divinity that smelled… home.
He looked different; he appeared different. None of his features were similar to the "he" from before. But Raynare felt it deep within her soul that had just been touched by divinity, that this was him, that this was… father.
"My God!"
This was her creator, the being that gave her life.
Fallen or not, when your creator comes before you, you bow as an angel. An angel's instinctual desire was to submit to the one and only.
As Raynare bowed and kissed his shoe, her body shivered, all her sins and painful memories washed off, and that made her cry. He forgave her, that's why her wings regained their pureness. The time she had betrayed him, by giving in to the emotion of lust, and becoming a fallen, all those memories made her cry.
Raynare wept, as the night continued, yet her world seemed to grow brighter than ever.
Raynare felt like she had just been reborn.
[Ding! Your progression has leaped up by 1% as you have saved your first Fallen.]
Progress Bar: | 1.01%
**
**
**
If you want to read the next 20 chapters right away, visit my Patreon.
Link: Patreon.com/Master4thWall