Celestial Ascendancy
Chapter 87: The First of her Kind.
Elias Black.
Ministry of Magic, Japan.
I could feel my shoulders twitching, a weight of tiredness washing over me. Not physically, which was probably the worst part. No, I would prefer that to what I was feeling. I was simply mentally drained.
By everything. First, my own actions. I knew that I had acted in a way I wasn't used to, and while it was completely natural, as in, every feeling I felt was mine. Only mine, I could not deny that I was being impacted a lot more than I used to.
Don't get me wrong, I didn't regret making those bastards suffer at all. But I did feel a tiny bit guilty, and genuinely afraid, that I had changed something in my relationship with my girls.
I didn't even pay attention to them while I was judging the devils. Just quick glances that only showed fear in their expressions.
While I was thinking of this, I felt two arms covering my neck and a familiar smell in my nostrils.
"Did you calm down, Eli?" Iris asked cautiously as she hugged me from behind. The smell of cherries from her shampoo was almost intoxicating. Somehow, that alone made me feel more human than I used to in the past hours.
A second pair of arms came from the front, and I sighed in… relief? Happiness? I didn't know, but I felt the love of Rias now that I focused on her.
She took the opportunity to kiss my nose, not breaking eye contact as she somehow poured everything she felt in such a simple gesture.
"You worried us, Eli," she said softly, and I felt Iris's arms tightening, showing she felt the same, "Not that I can fault you, I felt the same anger, and I didn't even know the wizards like you did."
I closed my eyes tightly as I took a deep breath and hid my nose in Rias's beautiful red hair, "I'm better, and I'm sorry to all of you."
The rest of my girls, including Asia, walked towards me, slowly at first, before they all sprinted. Hermione, with a complicated expression, Fleur, who, surprisingly, or maybe not, was throwing heated glances at me while biting her lip, and Akeno, who had an understanding smile.
Asia was simply praying to my name, and that alone showed me how she wasn't afraid of me in the slightest. The unconditional trust coming out of our bond was something I had difficulty putting into words.
Kiba, who still had a catatonic Nymphadora in his arms, began walking cautiously towards me. His steps were slow, but firm. The frown on his face was deep, almost snarling, as he gingerly put my cousin in my open arms.
Seeing her like this… it almost brought back the wrath I was trying to keep hidden. It was practically all-encompassing, to the point that I decided to err on the side of caution.
With a pull from inside my soul, I felt my vision darken for a second when I used an item I received from the Grimoire a long time ago and never used. Afinar, a hollow mask from Bleach that sealed one's power.
I was smart enough to admit that I was not in the best headspace possible, and I had better do whatever I could to avoid risking my loved ones or everyone else.
Because I had reached a point in life where my mere anger could risk people around me.
I felt instantly as my power sealed shut, unable to pull even ten percent of what I had available. At the same time, in the back of my mind, I felt a switch to break the mask either in its entirety or in different percentages.
Kiba took a step back, which was understandable, really, but I just shook my head to signal everyone that I was all right. I don't remember the character this ability belonged to. Still, I knew from memory that ninety percent of Hollow masks were monstrous in appearance. Not that I had a mirror to see what I looked like now, so I had to wait.
I just hoped I didn't look completely hideous.
Feeling this weak was weird, but it was for the best, at least now.
I glanced at my cousin and dragged my hand softly across her cheek. Her eyes were dead, but I could see the pure darkness inside her heart growing by the second. And I wasn't talking about her demonic power, no. It was pure hatred.
The worst part? I could sense that the most significant part of it was against herself.
She didn't say anything, her eyes looking at nothing. I kissed her brow, willing my healing magic into her, and her eyes sealed shut, her chest rising peacefully as she fell asleep.
"Eli…" Iris's voice came from behind me.
"I know," I sighed, looking at Daphne. She was looking lost, her expression blank, which I didn't like. She was clearly bottling her feelings with Occlumency.
Something the majority who used that art knew was dangerous.
Clutching my cousin a bit tighter, I began to levitate softly. From this high up, I could see how much destruction and death had happened in such a short time.
Shaking my head, I closed my eyes, saying a silent sorry for what had befallen my brethren. Flicking the switch in my head, I felt some pieces fall into nothingness as a percentage of my strength returned. My light blanketed the horizon, and I saw multiple people fall to their knees as they looked at me.
The warmth of my light was too much for some, as they lost consciousness and dropped to the ground like limp toys, their foreheads pressed into the ground, crying all the way.
With a sad smile, I sent my healing energy wherever I could, all but the few remaining prisoners, including Vali. My anger had abated after the beating I gave him, but I wanted it to last so that the lesson would stick.
Their consciousness returned after my light went past what my eyes could see, and I lowered myself to the ground once more.
"Iris," I told my girlfriend softly as I cradled Tonks in my arms, "Can you stay here and rally the survivors? Try to speak with whoever is left in charge and see how we can help. Do what you feel is best. I trust you with this."
"You shouldn't," she smirked, before nodding with a sad smile. "What about you?"
"I believe I need to have a much-needed conversation with the rest back in Kuoh. Do you think you'll need some help?"
"I would like Mione, but I don't think they will be appreciative of having devils anywhere close, no matter that they helped," Iris shook her head softly, sending a sad smile at Rias and her peerage.
Hermione, Fleur, and Pranitha nodded in understanding, but I could see how affected they too, were.
"We'll stay with her," the small girl from the principal clans, who had been doing whatever when we arrived, spoke. Genbu, I think that was her name.
"Your Goddess will want some of you to go with us," I told her softly, "And I need to speak with some of you, too. I need to thank you for protecting the people here when you could have run."
"Let Suzaku and Ouryuu accompany you," The bald one said, "We will help where we can here."
"No!" Suzaku shouted harshly, "I need to stay… I need to find my grand-uncle's body. If not my family…"
"We'll deal with it, Suzaku-chan," Genbu said softly as she patted the much taller girl's head, "Go with Ouryuu, that bastard doesn't deserve your piety. We'll speak with the elders when we return home."
I lifted my eyebrow in confusion, but was ignored by the three of them while Suzaku flinched. The little girl and the dude with a golden aura shook their heads firmly, so I decided to drop it. I would probably get my answer later either way.
"Then it's decided," I nodded at them, "Don't forget what I said, thank you for protecting them. I'll be in touch with your clans in a couple of days."
The four heirs nodded, Suzaku slower than the rest, as the feeling of guilt from all of them intensified. I wonder why. I probably wouldn't like it, but I would wait and see.
Iris pecked my lips and hugged me tightly before doing the same with the rest of our group, smirking saucily as she left Rias gasping for breath.
I had to hide my smirk and, honestly, a wince, too. Because I knew that her absurdly powerful brother just saw Iris almost suck her soul out of her lips.
Akeno returned Iris's heated glare with vengeance as she licked her lips and tittered behind her back, "We'll be waiting for you at home, Iris. Don't take too long."
"I wouldn't miss it for anything," Iris winked back, "I have an idea how to deal with this, and I'll return as soon as I can."
Nodding at her, she smiled cutely and began herding the survivors and retreated back to the ruined buildings.
"Be sure to call for Ash when you're done, love!" I shouted at her retreating back.
She didn't say anything, but I shuddered seeing her strut even more pronouncedly while she waved her hand.
Shaking my head in amusement, I whistled, then looked at Rias, who finally got her breathing in check, "Let's go, shall we?"
She nodded as she fanned her face with a light blush as Ash appeared on top of us and covered us with her fire.
Kuoh Academy.
As Ash fire retreated, I took a peek at every leader I could without making it too obvious.
Which I obviously failed, not because I was bad at it, but because everyone was looking only at me.
Hell, even Azazel, who was obviously worried for the idiot and noticeably tense, was only looking in my direction.
"Is there something on my face?" I asked wryly, only to smirk as Serafall nodded firmly.
"That's a mask," she replied neutrally.
"Ah," I tilted my head and laughed softly, letting the mask retreat back to wherever it hid when I wasn't using it. The feeling of power returned, and I shivered. It felt so lovely.
Ash chirped from the ceiling and decreased her size, but much to my surprise, she didn't fly down to my head or shoulders as she usually did. No, she skydived directly into Gabriel's bosom, earning a squeak and squeal from the angel.
… I was surrounded by perverts, and my precious baby was corrupted.
Somehow, I knew this was Iris's fault. I had absolutely nothing to do with it.
The little baby even began making soft sounds as the stunning angel began to pet her.
"Before we start, I believe that I deserve some help first," I said, shaking my head in amusement at the bright-eyed Gabriel, then frowned at everyone else. "I will tell you all something important after that."
"What happened today was a mistake, Elias," Sirzechs said firmly, "And while it will complicate matters, we owe you something out of it. Ask away."
Rias nodded firmly at her brother, and I saw the devil's lips twitch in amusement and irritation. His eyes were warm as he looked at her little sister, the prideful expression making Rias blush slightly.
Serafall, too, nodded, while Ajuka's eyes were looking at me like I was a subject he couldn't wait to get his hands on. Falbium, on the other hand, was looking at me warily, but nodded all the same when he realized everyone agreed.
"There are fewer prisoners than I hoped to get," I said neutrally, not showing an ounce of shame, "But we can deal with that later. I need help with you all fixing this mess."
I cradled Tonks protectively in my arms and noticed that she had woken up. She tightened her arms around me but said nothing. Her expression blank, her eyes dead. And for the love of God, it broke my heart looking at the usual peppy woman look like this.
"Daphne, can you tell us what happened?" I looked back at the girl who was being hugged by Hermione and Fleur. The fact that she was allowing that showed how rattled she was. She wasn't the kind of woman to let things like that. At all.
In all my years at Hogwarts, I had never seen Tracy, her best friend, hugging the blonde.
Daphne trembled, and I felt bad putting her on the spot, "Daphne, I know that you two went through a lot… but trust me on this, no one here will harm you. I need to know what happened."
I ignored when Ouryuu and Susaku walked towards Amaterasu's side.
Daphne took a deep breath before her expression went blanker, earning lifted eyebrows from a couple of the leaders.
"Minister Bones sent us to Japan on a diplomatic mission after you sent word about the start of an alliance," she began neutrally, "She knew that as much as you are doing for us, you are not a politician, Elias."
There were a couple of snorts from some of my girls, and even Serafall giggled at the deadpan way the sentence was said.
"Auror Tonks was tasked with my protection while I was in charge of the meeting. I believe that Professor Lupin was supposed to join us. But he was sent to some nomadic werewolf packs in France," she continued.
Her neutral expression broke for a second before her walls went up again. I bit my lip in worry, but let her continue after she shook her head.
"Things were going as usual, it was too good to be true," she bit her lip, "The one in charge from Japan was Mr. Moriyama, since he was your personal contact. Just before we could sign the treaty, the building began to shake, coming from on top of the Ministry."
I felt the feeling of guilt coming from Suzaku intensify, and I turned in her direction.
"Anything you wish to say, Suzaku?" I asked her directly, "I can sense the guilt eating you up from the inside."
The girl couldn't play poker even if her life depended on it, and I doubted I was the only one who noticed her scared expression before it went firm.
Amaterasu, too, obviously noticed and put her hand on the girl's back, "Child, go on. Tell us what you know."
Suzaku took a deep breath and nodded at her Goddess, "Suou Himejima turned traitor, Lady Amaterasu."
The heat from the Goddess's side of the room increased to the point that everyone had to shield their sides if they had someone from the younger generation with them.
Rho Aias took the brunt of it, and I saw multiple people look at my golden shield in curiosity, including Odin, who nodded in respect, even if he was curious.
Not that I could fault him, it was a shield that managed to stop him, for lack of a better word, from killing Walburga back then.
"Speak plainly, Suzaku Himejima," Amaterasu said neutrally as the poor girl took breaths in fear. I could even see the shine of sweat dropping down her forehead.
The girl dropped to the floor with her forehead pressed into the ground.
"My apologies, Lady Amaterasu," she cried, "I don't know what exactly happened. But today, while we were in the meeting with the leader of the wizards to make peace, traitor Suou dropped an artifact that bound us in place and activated a teleportation circle. Out of it came a group of magicians. Suou Himejima spoke with them, but I could not understand what they said while we were under the bindings."
"It is as Suzaku says, Lady Amaterasu," Ouryuu spoke next to her, lowering to his knees, "Our senses were affected by said artifact. But I could see just fine. Suou was speaking with the leader of the magicians before he was struck from behind and beheaded by the one who looked to be second in command."
I could feel my anger return before I called for my mask once more. I didn't want a repeat of what happened before.
"Why?" I asked neutrally, "Why did he work with them? Didn't we reach an agreement during our last meeting? Did Amaterasu's medallion not mean anything to him?"
"It was jealousy and fear, Lord Elias," Ouryuu shook his head, "Father told me that Suou was jealous that an outsider was running around with Lady Amaterasu's favor, as well as scared that the wizards would take our place in the future since he believed Lady Amaterasu would start favoring the wizards."
"Then he worked with the devils for that?" Rias asked mockingly, "How did he expect to come out of it? Would you all keep such things hidden?"
"I cannot answer that question, Rias Gremory," he shook his head firmly, "But if I may say something… I doubt that he knew that devils would make an appearance. He didn't look like he expected to deal with anyone other than the magicians, and they were the ones who summoned the devils after they killed him."
Amaterasu's fire had not dimmed; if anything, it kept flaring, burning through her composure. Her aura made the walls crackle, and even Odin shifted his shoulders as if enjoying the heat.
"Careful, girl," Odin said finally, his lips curling into a smirk, "It seems like you're also at fault here. Don't glare at me, Amaterasu. If you paid closer attention to your people, this wouldn't have happened."
The Goddess's fan snapped open with a crack like thunder. "Do not lecture me, old man. The Shinto had nothing to do with this treachery, and we will not be faulted for it."
Odin barked a laugh, deep and sharp, making the whole room jolt as the weight of his power increased.
He continued mockingly, "Not faulted? The dead will not care for your excuses; you don't get scot free from this mess."
The temperature spiked again. Blue light began to crawl over my skin, and I had to bite down hard, willing the mask back into place before I lost myself.
For a moment, the thought burned clean: I could end this now. Eradicate every last one of them. Erase the Himejima clan from the face of the earth.
If they had spawned traitors like Suou, perhaps their entire system deserved to burn.
I almost rose before I took a deep breath.
"Enough," Serafall cut in sharply, stepping between them with hands raised placatingly, "This isn't the time for measuring who's the one at fault. Unless one of you wants to start the war we just prevented?"
The room fell silent, though the tension had increased by several magnitudes.
It was Suzaku who broke it. She crawled forward, forehead to the floor again.
Her voice trembled, but she continued with a firm tone, "Lady Amaterasu, Lord Elias. If punishment is demanded, then let it fall on me. Take my life, burn my name from history. But the others… the others knew nothing. Please, spare them."
Her voice cracked at the end. She was crying, but not begging for herself.
The sincerity in her words slammed into me harder than any attack could possibly do. I blinked down at her.
"You didn't know," I said softly, frowning, "Then why offer your life so quickly? Why pay for their crimes?"
Suzaku lifted her head, her red eyes shining with unshed tears, "Because someone must take responsibility. If our family cannot guard its own honor, then I will. If I die for it, then perhaps the others can live to cleanse our stain."
Even Odin nodded approvingly at the girl. No… no girl.
A leader. A good human being. One who didn't hesitate to pay for crimes she didn't commit as long as her people didn't suffer for it.
I exhaled slowly and shook my head, "No. That is not justice. I will not see more innocent blood be shed today."
My eyes went to Amaterasu, who was still burning with fury, "Let me deal with them, Lady Amaterasu. Consider it as repayment for cleansing the Seiryuu. If you want to blow some steam, I will be happy to accompany you for a few rounds."
That snapped a few necks around the chamber. Even Serafall's eyes widened.
I knew that I was talking out of my arse. I had no way to win against her, but she owed me, and even if we fought, I would not lose without giving her a piece of my mind.
I'd like to think our relationship would help deal with this without much trouble. It's not as if I planned to let them get away with it, but I had a couple of ideas where such a force would be helpful in the future.
Amaterasu's fan lowered by an inch. She said nothing, but the fire dimmed slightly, her silence a tacit concession. Suzaku's shoulders shook as she pressed her head back down, whispering her thanks to both of us.
Before I could say more, Daphne cleared her throat and continued where she left off.
"Mister Moriyama lost consciousness when a group of enemies entered the room," she said, looking pale as Mione patted her back, "One of the devils reached us. He… he wanted me. He said he would break me before he made me one of his."
Rias stiffened beside me, her eyes narrowing, "The Old Satan Faction abhorred the evil pieces… Lady Serafall, what happened?"
Serafall frowned and pursed her lips, sharing a look with her fellow Satans before she sighed, "The one devil Elias killed was Lord Shax's son… a member of the Great King faction."
I burnt that name in my memory, but kept silent.
Daphne's lips trembled, but she forced herself to continue. "Tonks stopped him. She… she changed herself, used her gift to draw his eyes away from me."
Her voice was broken.
She clenched her fists hard enough to draw blood, "They stripped her. Hit her. Touched her. Laughed as she screamed. And when she still spat in their faces, he forced a chess piece into her chest."
She glanced at Tonks in my arms, "Then he reached for me next, laughing that I would still be his. We were too weak to stop him."
The world went silent. My mask cracked across my face on instinct, blue fire boiling under my skin, because the fury that surged then was enough to tear the roof off Kuoh.
"They never got the chance," Daphne whispered, as she couldn't help but let frustrated tears fall. "That's when you came."
"I want you to fix her." My voice was quiet, too quiet, and I could feel the mask crawling at the edges of my skin again.
Ajuka lifted his hands at once, palms outward, his eyes apologetic but firm, "I cannot. Elias, listen to me…"
"Can't or won't?" I hissed, light threatening to come out.
"Can't," he cut in firmly.
"The Evil Pieces are a product of pure luck. They do not simply change the body; they consume and overwrite the soul itself. Whatever a person was before, it is devoured, replaced, and reshaped until only a devil remains. It can not be undone. Not by me. Not by anyone."
Azazel exhaled slowly, his eyes showing a sharpness I had not imagined coming from him as he glared at Ajuka, "He's right. We've tried. More times than I care to count. Every attempt left a corpse."
Odin's chuckle was low and humorless. "Wonderful things, marvelous, even. And vile. Ajuka speaks true, kiddo, it's a change that can not be undone."
Even Amaterasu inclined her head, her eyes locking in Ajuka, who looked unconcerned with the glares coming from every side of the room, "Every faction tested them. None succeeded."
The room was silent until a voice I had almost forgotten rasped from my arms.
"…Kill me then."
Tonks's eyes were dead, her lips cracked. Her voice held no hesitation, only a hollow demand. "I don't want to live like this. I won't live with… with his hands in my memory. End me."
Something inside me shattered. My arms tightened, my throat locked as I almost choked.
"No," I whispered, "Don't say that. You are family, Nym. One of the few I have left. Think of your parents. Of Sirius. Of Moony. You don't get to leave them like this."
She broke then, sobbing into my chest, hands clawing weakly at my robe. "You don't understand. Remus… I was defiled, Elias. I can still feel it. Every touch, every laugh. Elias, please. Please kill me. Or let someone else do it. Just don't make me live like this."
My heart clenched so hard it hurt. I looked up, desperate, at Ajuka. "Can't I try to change her back? I can interact with souls."
Ajuka's gaze flickered, for the first time looking uncertain, "It would be gentler to grant her wish. You… you show frightening talent with souls, Elias. But this? You've never attempted anything like it. If you try, you'll rip her apart."
"Better a clean death," Odin sighed, his voice almost cruel if not for the honesty I could hear, "Even I say so."
Tonks's hands fisted into my chest, "Do it. Please."
I clenched my teeth hard enough to crack. My gaze passed over my girls, each of them pale, stricken with fury.
Fleur was trembling with rage, Hermione was openly crying, and Rias's nails dug into her palms. But it was Asia that my eyes stopped on.
She was praying, not in pity, but in hope. The light of her faith already glowed faintly against her chest, as though her Sacred Gear was answering the grief before I could even ask.
An idea struck me like lightning.
"Asia," I called her, feeling something stir inside, "Can you use your Balance Breaker? Just focus on her. To keep her alive no matter what I do."
Her eyes widened, but she nodded, looking resolute. "Yes. I can keep doing it, Lord Elias."
The fact that she didn't hesitate warmed my heart.
Odin barked a laugh again, louder this time, sounding delighted, "Madness! Sheer Madness! And yet… oh, I've never been more interested. Do it, boyo."
The angels stirred, offering their aid, but Odin shook his head sharply. "Not your lot, Michael. Your holy light is poison to devils. But this one…" his eye locked on me, gleaming with a hunger of knowledge I could almost taste, "... comes from somewhere else. I doubt that it will work, but at least it will be interesting."
Asia moved closer, her Sacred Gear flaring open in Balance Breaker. Her light blanketed Nym gently. Her body lifted slightly, her broken breathing easing as the Gear's miracle kept her tethered to her mortal coil.
I drew a long breath, my hands trembling over Tonks's heart, "Trust me on this, cousin. I will do whatever I can to change you, so that you won't despise yourself anymore."
Odin leaned on his spear, "Then begin, boyo. Let's see if you can create a miracle."
I closed my eyes and pushed.
My hand began pushing gently around her heart, my light entering her in a metaphysical sense as I looked inside at her soul. She screamed in pure agony.
The sound tore the room in half.
Her back arched violently, her hair blazing between colors, divine gold and the darkest of black. Her nails clawed at my arms as her scream grew raw, an animal sound, too much for any human throat.
Asia cried out, her light straining to hold Tonks's soul intact as mine raked against the Evil Piece's corruption.
I wanted to stop. God, I wanted to. But I couldn't. Because she was family. Because she begged me to kill her, and this was the only answer I had left.
I didn't want to lose the little family I had left, ever.
Tonks's screams ripped at me, but I held on, forcing my light through every crack in her soul. Her body convulsed, her hands clawing at my wrists.
Ajuka shook his head slowly, pity in his eyes. "It cannot be done. You are trying to strip something woven into her nature. You will only tear her apart."
Odin's voice joined his, colder than usual, "He speaks true, boy. It was interesting, but you are just making her suffer for naught."
My teeth ground together. I looked down at her tear-streaked face, the sheer misery carved into it, the broken sobs she couldn't stop, even as Asia's light held her soul together.
For a moment, I tried again, just a whisper of my light through her heart. Her scream broke my heart, and I stopped. I couldn't torture her any further.
But maybe… maybe I didn't need to strip it away.
I lifted my head, looking directly at Odin, "Then tell me, old man, what if I balance it? What if I make her both? Part me, part demonic, equally balanced."
The chamber fell silent as I could feel the wide eyes of everyone.
Odin's one eye widened, then he threw back his head and laughed, tapping his knee with his palms, "You're insane, kid! You dare to make a devil half-divine!"
Uriel slammed his heel into the floor, his voice sharp as steel. "Heresy! Blasphemy! You cannot…"
I met his eyes, and my mask cracked across my face with a flare of white light. He froze mid-shout. Michael gripped his brother's shoulder, pulling him back, his own expression a mix between concern and confusion, but his eyes never left me.
Gabriel's lips parted in curiosity as she clutched Ash closer, whispering something I couldn't hear to the small bird that chirped in response.
Raphael leaned forward, almost shaking with curiosity. Azazel, on the other hand, looked disgusted and curious in equal measure.
Ajuka was whispering too fast for me to catch as the rest looked at me in pity, "Impossible. We are too different, Elias."
Amaterasu shook her head firmly, "Elias, accept it, boy. Just give the poor girl her rest."
Baldur inclined his head stiffly, not sharing the same enthusiasm as his father, "There is no precedent. Even a miracle has limits."
I ignored all of them, looking at Nym's tear-stricken face, "Do you want that, cousin? Would you accept this mad option?"
Her eyes locked with mine, and I saw a sprout of hope blossoming in her soul. Then she nodded.
It was probably the third time in my life I went to my knees to connect with something grander than me as I began whispering under my breath. Not for power, not for my personal gain, but to save one of the few loved ones that remained with me.
Michael staggered, clutching his temple, wincing in pain. "Impossible…" he whispered, but his voice shook with awe.
The ceiling cracked and split. Light poured down from the sky, gentle and vast, descending in a mantle of white that wrapped the chamber in silence. My own light braided into it, not clashing, but weaving. To sources of light, one from this world, one from another world, mixing in perfect harmony as I felt something grasp my hand.
Gasps echoed all around me. Odin's laughter cut short, replaced by silence.
His single eye locked on me with something I had never seen in him before: absolute shock.
I felt it then. Her soul finding a balance that hummed with the essence of creation itself. I pressed my hand to Tonks's heart and guided the light to meet the devil's stain inside her.
Her scream died away into a gasp. Her body arched once, then stilled.
Her hair shimmered from inky black to radiant silver-blonde just like the angels, streaked through with veins of living light.
Her skin glowed faintly. She opened her eyes, one still the violet of her birth, the other glowing with my light.
Tonks exhaled, sounding something like peace personified. Divinely beautiful yet sinfully alluring.
She sat up straighter in my arms, taller, her posture unbowed, her aura stronger.
Divine and demonic, opposite halves braided into a perfect equilibrium. For the first time since I'd found her, her face was not broken, not blank. It was peaceful.
No one said anything, just marveling at the birth of something this world had never seen.
Gabriel was the first to weep, tears streaming down her face as she whispered, "Beautiful."
Michael's knuckles whitened around his brother's shoulder. He could only shake his head, unable to put the words together.
Ajuka's eyes blazed with fascination, "This is impossible."
Odin leaned forward as he inspected my cousin, his spear creaking as he put his weight on it.
His voice was quiet now, stripped of mockery. "By Yggdrasil… you've made her perfect. Girl, do you want to be my new minder? The last one left me for this brat."
Without turning my head, I felt my magic lash out against the bastard, giving him a gut punch with solidified light.
Not even his son helped him stand up as he laughed loudly, too entranced by Nym's perfection.
Tonks met my gaze, her lips trembling into something like a smile. And for the first time since the massacre began, I let myself breathe.
The silence after was suffocating.
I looked at them all, my arms still cradling Tonks as if she might vanish if I let go. Every leader, every friend, every God and angel and devil in this room… all of them were staring at me.
Ajuka was the first to find his tongue, though his voice was little more than a whisper as he looked at something only he could see, "How is this… possible?"
I shrugged, my shoulders relaxing for the first time of the night, "Beat me. I don't know what I just did."
That earned a few looks, disbelief, irritation, and even fear coming from Falbium.
I meant it. I hadn't followed a plan, hadn't solved an equation. I had only begged, and something had answered. Something had guided me.
It was Sirzechs who coughed into his hand, his gaze flicking around the table. "We… should return to the matter at hand. The peace talks." His voice was even, but the tension bled through.
I nodded slowly, "Then let's continue. Whatever else has happened, we can't leave things unfinished. Too much blood has already been spilled."
But even as I spoke, I felt the way all of the factions were looking at me differently. They weren't seeing just an ally anymore, no, I was something more.
Something that would change the world as it was, and they finally understood the truth of my existence. Perhaps it was the first time I, myself, realized how much I could change the world.
I turned my head at last, my gaze locking on Vali. He hadn't stopped staring at me since Tonks breathed again. His silver hair was damp with sweat and blood, his eyes caught between shame, wonder, and a tiny bit of anger.
"You can still do the right thing," I told him quietly, "It doesn't have to end the way you think it does, you can still make your mother proud."
For a long moment, he said nothing. Just kept watching me as he clenched his jaw. Then, he nodded defeatedly.
"My team and I…"
And we listened carefully; there was much to talk about before we could go our separate ways.
Author's note: Thanks once more for Diablo's world and the ideas coming out of their lore. If you know what I'm talking about, yes, Tonks's new nature comes from them. Next chapter will be on Sunday-Monday.
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