(A/N: Not even 250 PS. I'm washed fr. Should quit writing.)
Waver took a deep whiff from his cigar, lying against the armrest of his stained sofa with brows furrowed. Gray stood in a corner of the room, hooded as ever, trying to make herself as small as possible as she stacked the books strewn about his messy apartment into neat piles.
He didn't blame her. He too wished to dig up a grave or something and bury himself alive if it meant avoiding the demon sitting across from him. No, to say it was a demon in the form of an angel would be more appropriate.
Reines El-Melloi Archisorte. His so-called 'little sister'. The leader of the extended El-Melloi family. The person responsible for unilaterally shoving the title of El-Melloi II (she'd called it 'adoption') on him after the death of his teacher, Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald in the previous Holy Grail War. The title brought more trouble than it was worth. She knew it. He knew it.
Their rivals had stripped them of everything following the death of Kayneth, and all that Waver obtained from the prestigious title was an astronomical debt... and well the title itself.
As ever, her pale doll-like skin was without blemish, her brilliant golden hair seemed to shimmer, and her fiery eyes still burned with ambition and determination that would give any pause. With lithe fingers, she sipped tea from a porcelain cup, wearing her thin, ever-amused smile unbefitting one who looked so young and frail. Yes, she seemed perfect indeed... But Waver knew well that she would drive him mad the moment she finished with her tea.
He took another whiff, afraid to speak and cast a glance at Gray... His apprentice had finished stacking her books. Now, she was stealing shy looks at Trimmau, the silver-skinned inhuman maid standing behind Reines with eyes closed. He knew that creature could kill him before he could even blink. It was, after all, the leading design in the field of automata, designed by Reines from Kayneth's leftover research.
Finally, accepting his fate, Waver spoke cautiously. "How... How can I help you today, my lady?"
"We're finally talking, are we?" Reines tilted her head just so slightly, holding her cup to the side. Then, she took another slow sip before finally putting it down on the tray. Of course, she deliberately made him wait. Some power play no doubt. It did make him feel inadequate.
She gave him a ridiculing smile, "Well, it's nothing. A little bird told me my dearest elder brother had employed a disciple... on his own dime. Why, I wasn't aware you had that kind of money just lying around."
"I pay him from my wages..."
She made the motion of spilling sand from her empty palm. "So... not only do you seek to empty a desert handful by handful. You also want to be stingy with the handful?"
Waver didn't have the words to refute her. It was true that he'd tacked on a downright ridiculous debt to acquire the capital necessary for taking hold of the Department of Modern Magecraft. Still, if asked, he'd never say he regretted taking on his mentor's legacy. He owed him that much.
He measured his words, "I believe him to be worth the trouble."
"Oh?" She smiled. "He must be quite the person for you to feel so strongly."
"If what I know is the actual truth. Then, yes." Waver put his hands on his knees.
Reines seemed to consider something a moment. She pursed her lips together and fixed her hat. "If you're not willing to explain, then it really must be quite something. Quite brave, dearest elder brother."
"My lady, if you were to replace me with him, he could no doubt rebuild your legacy in a week-... no, a day even."
His placation wasn't enough. Waver shivered when Reines smiled. He knew that smile. That sweet smile that promised a world of headaches. The worst part was, she genuinely enjoyed it too. Always. Reines ignored him. She held a hand out to Trimmau instead. The automaton maid with bubbling silver hair passed her a sealed envelope.
Wordlessly, Reines ripped it open and tossed the contents onto the low table between them. It was Henry, with Luviagelita Edelfelt of all people. That fierce magus from Finland. If he were to face her, not even Gray could save him.
"Can I inquire as to how those hyenas sniffed him out? What is the Edelfelt head doing with your disciple? Even I can not believe that you would let something slip to her that you would not even share with your cute little sister."
Waver shook his head. He didn't know. In fact, it was Lord Valualeta who'd initially shoved Henry on him long before Waver even knew of his particular... disposition. The youth wasn't the type to be open with his abilities either... so how?
"I don't know." He confessed. "It was Lord Inorai who made me take him in my class. The extent of what they know is... beyond me."
Reines bit her finger, brows furrowed ever so slightly. "That Lord, huh? She's always been troublesome, doing whatever she wants."
...Somehow, she didn't see the irony in those words. Waver didn't have the guts to point it out.
"Then that Edelfelt girl is playing the lure, trying to take him to their side."
Waver put the cigar to his lips. "I wouldn't worry about that, my lady."
"Why do you think that, pray tell?"
"It's just a feeling."
"Might I know the reason for this confidence?"
Faced with her real question, and the reason she was likely here to begin with, Waver exhaled a small cloud of smoke and spoke his mind. There was no point in hiding from Reines.
"I would not be so presumptuous as to say that he can change the whole world. But I believe... that he is the beginning of a new era... in our world."
-
It was ironic... and hilarious too.
A ritual invoking Gabriel's miracle... giving birth to a daemon sharing the Archangel's visage. But, I didn't have that luxury right now, or the luxury for jokes. It was time lock in lest I get a train ran on me.
Small bolts of azure flame shot at the daemon, leaving a smouldering trail. They carried the velocity of a bullet and the explosive force of an artillery round. It wasn't enough. I didn't need to look to know that. I moved with them, reinforcing my legs as best I could.
But, the metaphysical weight wasn't a weapon. I lunged at Yvette instead, sling her over my shoulder before turning heel and running the fuck away. I didn't know how daemons worked in fate. But I knew we were in a domain expansion, and that damn thing carried the name of an Archangel.
With how mystery was structured, the name alone spelt death for both of us. My blood rushed, and my heart drummed against my chest. This was the most exciting thing I had ever experienced.
But, I wasn't even halfway down the main corridor when I took a turn and found that thing staring at us. A malformed grin split its stony lips, reaching its ears. The pale wings shimmered again.
"Eh, why'd we stop?"
"Fine, fucker."
I didn't take the right path. I held Yvette close and reinforced my arms, turning to the wall. With a heave, the rotting walls gave way. I blew through them like motherfucking Juggernaut, halting only when I rushed into the collapsed veranda overlooking a rotted garden littered with dead flowers and trees.
"Burn that shit to the ground."
"Yes, sir!" Yvette glared at the building, and the distinct smell of burning wood reached my nostrils along with a lickering heat. I stole a glance backward, and found a great fire slowly crawling over the mansion, blanketing it.
But again, in the second I took to glance back, that thing was in front of me again. "You're one creepy motherfucker, aren't you?"
I didn't know what happened next, the soil under gave away, sucking in my leg. I ripped it free without ceremony and let Yvette go. The daemon just stood there. Why was it just waiting and not actually doing anything?
Suddenly, it rasped in garbled words that confused me even more. The soil suddenly became liquid. It took the shape of a spike and shot forth. I barely managed to throw Yvette aside before it pierced right through my shoulder, lifting me with it. With a grunt, I brought down my elbow and snapped the strange solid in two.
There was no magecraft involved in whatever happened. The 'angel' had spoken and the world around us answered it.
Right... domain expansion...
Its grin stretched further. I swung my hand and shot a flurry of flames at it, faster, deadlier than before. They died and sputtered out long before they ever neared it, fading away. This time the air was abruptly sucked from my lungs. All while 'Gabriel' just stood there. The ground became searing hot, and liquid again. My soles melted away before I realised it, and I ran when I felt the heat on my feet.
"How the fuck are we supposed to beat this?"
It dawned on me that I'd bit off a bit more than I could chew realistically. But well... I didn't feel bad.
In fact,
Nah, I'd win.
"Yvette, this is a domain expansion-..." I ducked under a stream of flames.
"I still don't know what that means!" She shouted back, worriedly.
Gabriel's wings shimmered. It still didn't move. This time I was struck by nothing but raw force... or something invisible with enough momentum to toss me like a sack so hard I got dragged against the soil like a third rate seasonal villain. My back burned. I hissed.
"What... I mean is! ...This is that thing's world!"
"Doesn't that mean we're screwed?!"
"Nah. Buy me some time."
"Do you know a church sacrament?! That's the only thing that can get rid of a daemon!"
I was feeling like him. All the pain was making me feel excited. The rushing adrenaline. Oh... boy. Henry was cautious. William was downright suicidal in his search for excitement. I channelled my inner American this time.
If this was that thing's world. Then I was going to make it mine.
"A question..." I addressed the angel.
"Is there oil here?"
It was Yvette who answered, "It can definitely make oil if it's ability is to make things age faster."
Suddenly, I heard the call of an eagle. The spirits of my ancestors. It was time to take some indigenous land from its real owners. If it was making this world through some kind of spell, no, through mana, all I had to do was reverse engineer that... but that meant rewriting the very fabric this domain was woven on.
"I can do it."
"I'm not a combatant so… um, I don't know how long I can do this for!"
"That'll be enough."
I needed seconds to process everything. Then seconds to re-engineer it.
Yvette glared at the grinning creature, flames began to sprout on its form as I pushed my brain and eyes to their utmost. Bit by bit, character by character, I processed this 'field' within which this thing was God. It was woven in foreign script... but that didn't mean I couldn't decipher those letters. It didn't mean I couldn't flip them on their heads.
Those precious seconds cost Yvette. When next I looked her way, Gabriel had pushed a finger through her ruby eye, blood rolled down her eye but the girl didn't so much as squeak. She only grinned at the monstrous figure seconds away from ending her life.
But, they were enough.
With a massive grin, I addressed the Angel who heralded the end of eras, and the beginning.
"Oi, Gabriel!"
It turned my way. That was the first time I'd seen it move. I realised then it was toying with us. But... it was too late now. It had fucked up.
"You're not needed, cunt!"
I shouted indignantly, readying the spells I'd torn from its world. The opposite of evil and blasphemy. The Light of Scripture. Only a cheap knock-off considering I'd engineered it by reversing a daemon's existence... but I prayed it'd be enough.
"The world doesn't need you to herald the end of this era. You're obsolete!"
It screeched, like it understood my words. I knew it didn't... it couldn't. My words were grander than necessary. This bitch would definitely get fucked by the Church if I hadn't come along to end it first.
With a shit-eating grin, I pointed a thumb at my chest.
"God already made me."
With a snap of my fingers, the domain was reversed. Light exploded. Instead of moving forward, everything moved back. But no, this wasn't so great as reversing time. It was simply ending the effects of what the daemon had done.
When the light faded away, the estate was still dead, but the daemon was gone. I'd simply reversed what it had forwarded. But... I didn't kill it. I couldn't kill it. The means were beyond me. This wasn't time-manipulation. Instead of the manse, I isolated my spell to the daemon alone. It was still in that mansion. Waiting. And probably, mad as hell.
Mine was a mere imitation in a controlled environment.
Something science could already do... just not so freely.
Instead of the manse, I isolated my spell to the daemon alone. It was still in that mansion. Waiting. And probably, mad as hell.
I couldn't either. The simple act sapped away all the mana in the atmosphere, and the Od I held in my magic circuits as well. My head spun, my feet lost their strength and I stumbled down to my ass.
But, it was enough.
I'd won.
"God, I fucking love this world."
-
Hope you enjoyed.
Goddamit I LOVED writing this chapter. PLEASE comment SOMETHING.
You can find five chaps ahead at patre0n.com/Bleap
Hop on the discord too,
https://discord.gg/MSJgg9DE2M