"I thank you, sir. I'll pay you in advance tomorrow."
The officer said as he tipped his hat and grabbed his silver inlaid cane from off the doorframe.
I nodded to him with a small smile as I pushed my glasses off the bridge of my nose. After all that has happened my spirit body was feeling weary and groggy, and my physical body seemed to have also suffered from the residual effects.
I headed back to my apartment and made myself some sour tea with black leaves. The apartment was quiet and almost peaceful, but the distant ravings of the city always seemed to burst through the window even if it was closed.
I walked onto the small balcony and sipped my drink as I watched the commotion of the market below my apartment.
"Mother...Impure...Chaos..." I took a few steps back as a cluster of illusory voices filled my head. I gripped my forehead in pain as the Apocalypse sigil burned bright and hot, almost charring my forehead.
I instinctively sent myself into my divine protection as a possible way of warding off this mental attack, but it only seemed to intensify.
The crimson moon that siphoned whenever The Umbridge utilized "their" power after absorbing the moon properties from the fallen Nightshades hung in the air, radiating with a bright, malevolent hue.
The crimson moon was suddenly engulfed in a tide that seemed to be composed of shadows and flesh, with organs and bodily fluids wrapping around the surface of it.
At the other end of the now extended area, an illusory vortex began to form, a vortex composed of flesh, blood and intestines. A blurry figure materialized at the end of the vortex, as it began walking towards me.
The figure grew long black hair that was composed of the same illusory shadows. Their red eyes flickered with malice.
Suddenly, the vortex began to crack, and the audible sound of glass breaking was heard as it did so.
Beyond the illusory cracks a vague figure with green hair clad in green and black armor restrained by chains was seen. He sat inside a dark room, looking at the ground, their face contorted with inscrutable pain as if entering an intense mental struggle.
I looked up at the crimson moon, and was instantly reminded of the scene I saw with the figure on the moon and the world's destruction. The moon began to throb and change, as if it was too entering that struggle to maintain control.
The illusory vortex of flesh and blood started to close just as The Umbridge had manifested.
Their wormhole-like eyes were locked on the scene that played, and "they" instantly leapt at the slowly disappearing vortex, conjuring a sword composed of an almost demonic energy.
With a quick strike, they dealt a blow to the shadow figure with a single strike, sending it back with immense force. The wormhole suddenly disappeared. And the moon, which was slowly ebbing away, was grasped by The Umbridge.
"They" closed "their" eyes and clenched the moon's symbolism with "their" right hand, and the illusory essence of the shadow shrank into his body. "They" suddenly turned to face me, looking at me with an indifferent expression, or at least I think.
"You're awakened. You almost allowed "her" to enter you and take you over..." "they" said, "their" voice ringing out across the throne room.
"Who?..."
The Umbridge took a few steps back. "I can't say. Even Raymond refrained from showing you "her". In the previous epoch "she" was one of the Outer Lords that attempted to invade earth by breaking the barrier."
"Who was that?..." I asked, suddenly recalling the chained figure I had previously seen.
The Umbridge raised "their" left hand and a fit of dazzling green lights descended from the air, landing into "their" palm.
"He's mad. He's an emperor; or the shell of one. His appearance in the vortex wasn't an accident, for it's all part of "her" plan. He's restrained beneath the Katshin Empire, the chains of angelic origin."
"Who is he?..."
The Umbridge sighed softly. "Izuku Midoryia, the Mad King, the Emerald Emperor who had previously ruled alongside his ally: Katsuki Bakugou..."
"How do you know all this?" I continued, raising an eyebrow.
"When you're powerful you can and will gain knowledge of living beings, their goals, fate, and identity. But knowledge refraining towards the Outer Deities is something you wouldn't want to learn much about."
"They" suddenly pulled back their black robe and revealed what was behind it. It was a hole! A hole in time and space where "their" heart should be.
"This was one of the consequences of knowledge. It's the biggest curse yet the biggest ally in this world, Apocalypse."
"You tried to learn, didn't you?"
"They" nodded "their" head. "Even with omnipotence, foolishness is the biggest constant."
...
Aizawa sat up and met Scarlett's gaze. She raised an eyebrow upon seeing this. "Are you sure you're ok? You just suppressed a power beyond imagination on your own..."
Aizawa nodded as he rubbed his now aching temples, the consequences of using such mental strength was an absolutely awful headache.
"Although I'm no alchemist in regards to medicine, I think I have something to clear your headache in ample time."
She said as she ruffled through her numerous bags and jars that sat on tables inside the tent. After a few minutes she pulled out a small vial of yellow liquid that glowed dimly in the lack of light.
"This serum should help. It's made from phoenix feathers, which are known to bestow healing properties. It's of no charge though."
...
Aizawa returned to his apartment and collapsed onto the bed. Even in his tired state, he entered a deep train of thought.
Since Olive had fainted upon seeing traces of this deity in her mind, would this mean that she would also need an exorcism due to this happening? If she had "gazed" upon this deity in his eyes, she directly saw it and couldn't handle the mental backlash.
After sleeping for about 3 hours he woke up and stretched before heading out the door whilst still clad in his casual clothing. He headed downtown and approached the bar from which he had previously seen Olive before she took him to her crime scene.
And to little shock, he did see the young woman with blonde hair sipping a drink in the corner. He sighed to himself as he entered the bar and sat down next to her.
"I didn't know you could walk here. I'm honestly impressed with your affinity for alcohol." Aizawa teased, the corner of his lips twitching up to form a small smile.
Aizawa secretly searched her eyes for any traces of depravity or weakness, but the blueish-green ocean contained within them only crashed back at him, making him blush a tiny amount.
"When I woke up I felt pretty good. I'm surprised you didn't take me to a more secluded location, you just left me on the couch..." Olive said, her voice slightly annoyed as she glared down at her drink.
A small pang of guilt suddenly hit Aizawa like a steam engine, and he felt his heart clench up.
"I apologize. I had to exercise myself to prevent you from being hurt further. I didn't have time to take you anywhere simply because I felt conflicted...I was really worried about the both of us, but I guess I was selfish." Aizawa groaned, his crimson eyes softening.
Olive's eyes widened as she looked up from her drink and at Aizawa, a small smile tearing at her lips.
"But I also think I know why you left me...you knew I was strong, Aizawa. You knew how capable I was when fighting, I've already told you that. You weren't selfish, you were actually quite protective and caring to think of me as a strong woman...not many people think of people like me as that."
Aizawa's expression softened as blush continued to creep up his face. "I...thank you."
Aizawa didn't know what to say. He'd always thought of himself as a rational and intelligent person, but he'd often neglect others' personal feelings for what he deemed to be the "rational logic," making him appear cold and distant to those who tried to approach him.
"You're welcome." Olive replied.
She suddenly sighed as she finished her drink, pushing the empty glass away from her, making a dark and damp string of water stain the table.
"I'm used to getting into trouble, it's one of my flaws. But when you're with someone you know you trust...all sense of fault just disappears." She said softly, her eyes seemingly lost in a daze as she stared ahead, her eyes locked on the bustling street.
"Our investigation starts tomorrow." Aizawa announced.