Third Person PoV
Next morning, the first thing after breakfast, Cain went to find Ajuka. Finding him in his lab he reached up to him and tapped him on his left shoulder.
But before his fingers could touch the Beezelbub, the man asked
"Do not try it anymore, I have learnt from the past, and say whatever you want to fast!"
"Chill man! Also give me a box capable of holding a soul."
Ajuka looked at Cain with a deadpan face.
"Cain, do you understand that the thing you asked is rarer than some god's divine weapon? And you just ask me to give it to you?"
"Do you have it or not?"
Cain added ignoring the question, he knew Ajuka had the thing he required, after all evil pieces can act as an anchor for the souls.
It would be idiotic of Ajuka to not have something to store a soul.
"Fine!"
Saying so he waved his hand and a purple box appeared in his hands.
"Use it carefully, it is fully made of the materials that the evil pieces use, the special crystals of Agares! Do not break it, or i will not lend another to you."
"Sure, sure!" Cain said, his interest now fully on the box.
He had no plans of returning it though, he might need something like this in the future, who knows.
And it will be troublesome to come to Ajuka to get it every time he needs it. Surely the mad scientist devil can afford to make another one.
Cain then went back to his castle, fetched the soul of the now deceased descendant of the Joan of Arc, tucked it safely inside the box and went off to France.
He planned to look at the situation till night and then go to meet the now resurrected saint.
More information will only make it easier for him to corrupt the saint into becoming his personal devil.
…
After roaming a bit for the entire day, Cain was finally satisfied by the church.
'They have made my job so much easier! They killed the original body's parents, points for me, they razed the village to the ground, points to me.
Now for the heavens system, it branded a saint descendant a heretic basically, also the original Jeanne was also burned on a stake, so yay this is going to be so easy!'
And the Catholics wonder why they are hated by both the supernatural world and their own believers.
…
In the lonely cell a man, on a closer look it was women dressed as a man. The woman had a look of disappointment and anguish, rather than of hatred which was to be expected from someone about to be burned alive.
Even when in such a dilemma she didn't lose her faith and her beliefs were unshaken.
The Lord had tested her once like this, time he surely will help her. The last time was a test of her resolve. Surely this time she would not have to go through the agony she went through last time.
She folded her arms and did another prayer, but unfortunately for her the prayers didn't reach the one intended.
…
Jeanne's last memory was getting burnt at the stake, after she was wrongly accused of heresy. The pain she felt at her skin burning, the smoke filling her lungs and the contempt of the people, were the last thing she remembered before everything went blank.
She didn't know what happens after that, she was in a deep sleep, she had woken only two times, both when she felt pain.
The pain was like someone was ripping apart her very existence. But that had happened only twice and that too at very long intervals of time.
And then suddenly she finds herself inside a body with a fleeting resemblance to her own, with different parents and more than a century after her birth.
She instantly knew that she was reincarnated, she was joyful that she got a second chance to fulfil her duties to the Lord.
She also knew that she was now said to be a martyr, some good lad had cleared her name and figured out the foul intentions of the original heretic.
And thus with renewed vigour she began to march towards the nearest church and asked the father there to help her contact the pope.
Bur everything from then went like her previous life, she was again accused of heresy and was condemned to a similar fate like her last life.
As she was reminiscing about her current and past lives, suddenly someone tapped at the iron bars on the sole window of her small prison.
She raised her head and looked at her sneaky visitor, silver hair, blood red eyes and a smirk on his face.
"What do you want?"
Her hoarse voice came out of her parched throat.
And magically the man crossed the wall as if it didn't exist, and came in front of her.
The dress of the man along with his unmistakable aura gave his race away.
The saint jumped back, her moves precise, still the grace that she had in her past were present in her movement.
"Devil!" The scorn in her voice was palpable.
Cain only smirked and sat down at the cold floor, and motioned her too.
"Calm down, 'saint' I am only here to talk. My name is Cain Livan Lucifer. It's basic courtesy to introduce yourself isn't it?"
Hearing the name, the saint was even more perturbed, she wasted no time in using an ability this body possessed.
Purple flames rose and moved towards Cain, to burn him to cinders. But just as the flames touched his white suit they vanished.
"Now before I force you to sit down, will you do it yourself?"
Although Cain was looking unfazed, internally he was jumping in joy.
'That was the Incinerate Anthem. Jackpot!!'
Seeing that she is powerless, the saint begrudgingly sat down as far away as possible in the cramped space, and then tried to kill him with her glare.
"Heh! Look at you hating me, but where is that god of yours? He isn't here to help you, I am!"
"I would never accept help from a devil, and moreover from the Lucifer!"
"Oh really? Then why are you here, in this cold, cramped space waiting for your execution. Why didn't an angel come to save you?"
At that the saint was silent, but the cold and sharp words of the devil continued to reach her soul.
"Do you want to know why I am here?"
"Why?" She asked with a tremor in her voice.
Cain took out a box and kept it infront of her.
"Well have you wondered what happened to the original soul of your current body?"
Jeanne's face scrunched up in distaste, showing her guilt.
"Well the soul came to Hell, now I was very surprised at that, you know, so I just checked the sin of this soul. And I was blown away when it was 'Obstructing God's Will. Isn't it ironic that a poor, innocent soul was thrown into Hell just because a saint inhabited her body?"
"That-that is not possible, you are lying, trying to deceive me!"
"Oh, then look at the soul yourself."
The box opened and the soul inside it tried to rush back inside its body but was unable to.
But just as the saint touched the soul, she touched the mark, and thus she knew that the devil was right, she had doomed a perfectly innocent soul to eternal damnation.
But before she could say anything, Cain took back the soul and kept it inside the box and made it disappear.
"So, dear saint. Wanna hear more"
The sinful words of the devil rang in her ears, the saint wanted to ignore it and believe in her lord, but her faith was shaken, and thus she allowed the words of the devil to sink into her heart.
"Yes." A whisper came out of her mouth but Cain was already grinning like a Cheshire cat.
That whisper was the opening he needed and now, his new knight was as good as in his hands by now.
…
"Let's start with your previous life, you did well fighting on God's command, had his vision, made Charles win multiple battles.
But only two losses and you fell out of favour, your name dragged through the mud by various people, who in reality were heretics, he tricked you and killed you brutally.
Finally after some years a good guy removed the dark mark on your name and you again became the martyr you were supposed to but wait a minute, where was your Lord when you were suffering?"
"That was a test of my resolve,and I passed. Hence why I am here alive once again!"
Although she tried to refute the growing sensation of betrayal in her heart, the cracks were forming.
Cain said calmly, not affected by her little outburst.
"Alright, let's just accept that as the truth for now, even though we both know you are simply denying the truth. But the real stuff starts now, what do you think happened to your soul after your death? Why didn't you go to heaven, let me guess you were in a void?"
"It was because I was to be reincarnated, if I went to reveal I might not want to come back."
"Wrong! Your soul was used as a catalyst to make your descendants, just like the one that you are using the body for, there was one before this too, and she died a horrible death at the hands of a crazy noble. But let me tell you more
Your soul was ripped apart as the BigG pleased and used you, like a tool. He didn't even acknowledge your efforts, he kept you like a pet! Using you whenever he liked and then leaving you alone!"
The words continued to hammer the wall of belief inside the saint's heart, but the wall was now full of cracks.
"No-no the Lord wouldn't!"
"Oh, then let me tell you this. The body which you are using now, do you know what happened to its parents? The village she was born in. Let me tell you, the parents were killed for birthing a heretic, the village was razed to the ground and the women and girls were raped.
Why because the crusaders which went there were the retainers and sons of the greedy nobels. Where was your god then? Where is he now, his precious saint sitting with the devil, and soon to be burned at a stake, again! Where is he?"
Cain said and his laugh was increasing in volume, as the biggest bomb was yet to be dropped.
"He will come, he will-"
"He won't, want me to tell you why? Because God is dead!"
The last three words were whispers, but to Jeanne's ears were the horn which blew at armageddon.
"No-no, lies, lies all of these. Yes lies that must be it. This is also a test, I must resist!"
"Haha! And I am the kindest guy, see we both can lie. You know deep inside too, you were betrayed by your lord, or should I say, the Archangel Michael?"
The hands which were at the head, now fell to her sides, her eyes were now lifeless.
And the wall of belief was now crashed, she was completely defenceless, she knew that the devil wouldn't be any better than her so called Lord, but still his words seeped into her heart, she allowed them to.
"Now, Jeanne, don't you want salvation? To be free from the paltry chain of belief? Don't you want to take your vengeance? They tricked you, killed you, betrayed you, yet you remained steadfast.
Even my father, the lightbringer fell due to his unjust treatment, you are only human. Why must you go through such pain?
Your soul was ripped, your descendant's murdered, their soul sent to Hell, that too forcing that sin on you! They killed innocent's just because they supported you! Now leave the title of a saint and embrace the darkness,
Come to me my witch, become Vengeance."
Cain's grand speech completely changed the atmosphere.
Jeanne's eyes which were till now filled with kindness and despair, burned with rage. In this moment she didn't focus on the father part.
And seeing that Cain embraced the witch, his witch. The witch also allowed her to sink deeper into his chest, as if letting him shoulder all her pains and sin.
"Don't worry, I am the punisher of all sinners, your sins won't go unpunished as they are yours, and your punishment is to stay with me and as my loyal Knight forever. I will bear all your pain. "
"Yes, My Lord."
The saint whose mouth only sang the praises of God, was now calling the devil her lord.
'All according to the plan, now to cement her place as my knight.'
"Lay down my witch, I shall fulfil our contract."
The former saint did as she was asked of and Cain brought out his knight piece.
Putting it on her clothed chest, he again began the chant
"I, Cain Livan Lucifer, hereby order you,
Heed me Jeanne's d'Arc, bound your soul back to me and become my witch.
You shall become my knight and rejoice in your newfound life."
The piece sank into her body and her ripped soul was mended and the transformation began, with purple flames surrounding her.
The flames died to reveal the new Jeanne d'Arc. With a smile on her face that promised nothing but pain and misery she said in a silky voice.
"I have been reborn, master!"
"Indeed, my witch!"
AN:- New chapter, now gimme those stones. Do point out the typos if you guys see them, help a poor guy out!