Scarlet 22: Interlude: Quarta

Scarlet 22: Interlude: Quarta

…

Commissioned by Sivantic

Wordcount: 2500

…

There was an immediate change in Hyoudou Issei the moment that I attacked.

Irina’s childhood friend had been hiding the truth from the start, but I sensed it from the moment we met.

On the surface, the young man was merely a contractor of Devils. A man who offered his services to Hell and who was given power in turn. Irina saw him in that light, perhaps even more favorably because of their past, therefore she believed him worthy of redemption.

I saw the truth beneath.

His gaze always scanned every room in its entirety upon entrance. His stance was always a moment away from entering battle. His emotions were always controlled, even if his eyes wandered repeatedly.

I did not know how intelligent he was, nor did I care how easily he spoke and convinced others.

All I saw in him was a warrior whose aims I did not know.

Therefore, I chose to clash against him with my blade to peel back his mask and ascertain the truth.

The weight of his first blow nearly broke my arm and the force behind it sent me crashing through a tree.

I caught myself and I shivered when our gazes met.

He wielded the Longinus known as Boosted Gear.

According to the Church’s records, those with Boosted Gear became a slave to both power and their personal vices. Many who held it before reached the state known as Juggernaut Drive, becoming no more than fearsome berserkers capable of ravaging entire armies, before expiring as they fed the Longinus their entire lives for power.

When Hyoudou called it forth, I felt no change in his demeanor, even as his power grew and grew. His eyes became draconic in nature, and a strange ferocity came upon him, but his calm was beyond that.

It sent a shiver down my spine.

He looked at me as a set of challenges to be overcome on his path.

Not a person.

Not an Exorcist.

Not as a Wielder of a Holy Sword.

I was nothing more than a hurdle that he must surmount.

I trembled at that knowledge.

Though many Devils and Fallen looked down upon me before, there had always been a hint of fear in their eyes. They’d acknowledged that I was a threat, planned accordingly, and fought against me with caution no matter how much the demeaned me with their words.

Hyoudou approached me like I was something he already solved.

A part of an equation that he merely had to execute.

Though his approach enraged me, my anger was barely capable of overcoming the fear that I felt deep within.

I was so frightened that I didn’t manage to move after his strike, until he was a mere five paces from me… and spoke with a voice devoid of life.

“Leave or die.” The statement was simple and concise. Hyoudou did not explain why. He didn’t intend to. He merely looked upon me with that ultimatum with one arm covered in his Sacred Gear and the other holding the simple, toolbox hammer he’d used to send me flying with his Sacred Gear and his strength. “Choose.”

I did not typically speak.

Irina usually spoke, while I followed her directions.

However, I knew now that if I did not, then there were only two paths ahead for me… especially if I could not overpower my foe.

“You are being fooled, Hyoudou. The Devils stole the Holy Swords. They are part of a grand plan to undercut the church.” I rose and brandished my Excalibur before me. He did not move as I did. The length of my blade provided me with a measure of protection, as it took up almost half of the distance between us. At least, that was how it was supposed to be. My fear and trepidation did not fade. My instincts were telling me to flee. “This is the land of two heirs to Pillar Families. Nothing occurs here that they do not know… and Gremory herself has a Devil capable of wielding Holy Swords!”

Irina was quick to believe in the words of the Devils, because Hyoudou vouched for them. If not for him, she would have every reason to doubt the Devils words.

We had no reason to believe the tricksters of Hell for any other reason.

With my partner’s heart swayed by the desire to rescue and listen to her childhood friend, I had to do what was necessary and convince them both.

By force, if needed.

Though… it did not seem that was possible now.

So, I did my best to speak and convey my fears and thoughts to Hyoudou, because by either convincing or capturing him I would have Irina return to me.

“Hm. I suppose that sounds reasonable to you… but I’ve actually spent time with the Gremory and Sitri Familias. Neither are interested in anything beyond Kuoh.” Hyoudou’s words made me blink in confusion. I’d thought that they’d seduced him to their side, but he spoke easily about both Pillars heirs in the town. “They spend time together, do schoolwork, and work during the evening hunting Strays or completing contracts. They don’t have the time to mount an international plan that involves stealing from the Church.”

As I tried to accept his words, Hyoudou made his move.

He was faster and stronger this time. The time we spent talking was not wasted. His physical attributes doubled every ten seconds, and our conversation had taken a considerable amount of time.

His normal, toolbox hammer collided with the flat of my Excaliber’s blade as I attempted to thrust it forward into him, and the impact nearly threw my blade from my hands.

My training to never let go of my weapon ensured that the weapon did not take flight… and allowed Hyoudou to rest the head of the hammer against my temple, while he stood perfectly within my guard.

Despite my circumstances, I almost breathed a sigh of relief.

Because I chose to stay, yet I didn’t die.

“You’re not off the hook. You’re only alive because it sounds like you acted on poor intelligence.” Hyoudou spoke with more warmth in his voice this time. A part of me screamed to try and kill him, to summon my secret weapon, and to try and take advantage of his lowered guard. I pushed that part of me aside and matched his gaze with a glare instead. I knew that I wouldn’t survive that attempt. He’d destroy me before I managed to draw my second weapon out. “But, this is your one, single chance to not make another mistake in Kuoh. If you do this to me, or anyone else in Kuoh, then you die.”

I shivered at his words once again.

They weren’t the words of a young man.

It was a promise made by something beyond the reach of most humans.

An oath of a nascent god-slayer.

When Hyoudou took a step back from me, I sent my Excalibur away, and met his gaze while he awaited my answer.

Everything I knew of Devils and Fallen told me to refuse, to fight, and to die against the implacable force that stood against me.

But it was easily buried by my fear.

“I understand. I will wait… without any further incident.” It felt like surrendering, but when Hyoudou nodded my way… an immense weight fell off my shoulders.

This time I couldn’t hide my sight of relief, but I didn’t need.

Hyoudou Issei asked nothing more of me and left.

Not before ogling me once more, but I found that acceptable.

It was a return to normalcy.

…

“What were you thinking!?” Irina yelled at me in our shared room at the hotel. She pored over the wound on my arm.

The place where the hammer connected was creating a dark, deep bruise. I could no longer move the army without help. Though no bones had been broken, I was sure that there were many fractures alongside them. If I had continued to fight against Hyoudou, he could’ve broken my arm, and I would’ve been left powerless.

His very first blow had decided the battle.

If I had swung my blade with all my might, the many fractures would’ve made my arm come apart.

Everything after that was him simply going through the motions.

“I was foolish. I thought by bringing Hyoudou to our side, I could have you see reason, and no longer put any trust in the Devils. Since he seemed seduced by the Devils, capturing him by force seemed to be the only way forward.” Irina did her best to care for my wounds. Her magic was soothing and speeding my recovery, but it could not compare to Twilight Healing. She could only hasten my own healing process. “… I don’t believe them, Irina, and you shouldn’t either. The Fallen and the Devils are duplicitous and willing to do anything to sway the hearts of the faithful.”

Opposing the Fallen and Hell is the duty of the Church.

The traitors we now seek are evidence of that.

Those with weak wills, those who are willing to listen to Devils, are on the path of destruction.

The path which will lead to the suffering of so many others.

I hoped my words would sway Irina, but no words of affirmation came from my friend, and even as she treated my wounds, I felt incredibly alone.

She only broke the silence after she finished wrapping my arm in dressing which would aid in its healing.

“Xenovia… I know Ise-kun. You might think that I don’t see how he’s different, but I do.” Irina took a seat and sighed. She shook her head as she recalled her childhood. I succeeded in overcoming my foolish jealousy. “He has always been in pain, he has always searched for safety, and he has always never allowed others to dictate how he should live his life… I believe that some part of him is in incredible pain and he’s unwilling to share that with anyone else.”

Irina’s words… shocked me, as I she described him in her own way, yet reminded me perfectly of the man I fought.

“I want to help him. He’s the first person I ever wanted to help. But ever since we first met, I couldn’t… and it’s only now that I can finally do something for him.” Irina’s eyes burned with a pure intensity that drew doubt from deep within me. I couldn’t imagine her feelings. Never did I feel as strongly as she did. “I don’t trust the Devils, but I do trust Ise-kun. I know that he wouldn’t support anyone who wants to start a war between all Three Factions. He… he wants peace more than anyone else I’ve met. He would never forgive himself, if he ever did anything to ruin the life he has now.”

Irina stood up after those words, as she was finished with whatever she had to say, but before she left… the phone given to her by Hyoudou rang.

She answered it… and smiled shortly after.

Irina gave me a soft smile as she started to clean the room and told me that Asia Argento was coming to heal me.

Courtesy of the man I tried to defeat just hours ago.

…

The Devils called us a week into their investigation and presented us with the information that they promised.

Sitri explained the intricacies of the situation.

Their various familiars and scouts worked to scour the forest close to the abandoned Church. Before long the familiars were able to find and locate a facility a few kilometers away from the Abandoned Church, in the forest surrounding Kuoh. They’d performed surveillance on the area, wary of any detection methods, and discerned that large numbers of former Exorcists and Fallen were continuously entering the facility… and vanishing from the senses of any moments later.

Gremory explained that the facility’s surveillance systems were focused on detecting Devils and ensuring that Devils couldn’t find them. Irina verified this fact, as she went to investigate the spells, and found that they were similar, altered versions of spells used by the church to sometimes hide from the attention of Devils.

Thereafter, Hyoudou’s familiar came into play.

A Ratatoskr that he earned as a reward for a contract he entered for the Devils.

The Ratatoskr was contracted to a human, and  had its own defenses against detection, so it pierced the surveillance network well. It used a small, recording camera, in addition to its ability to relay information to Hyoudou, in order to scout the facility.

We found the experiments that caused the excommunication of Valper continued with the aid of Fallen.

The production of Light Containers.

The Light Container project was born from the Holy Sword Project. Many lacked the ability to utilize Holy Swords. Valper discovered that it was due to their lack of innate talent with Light. However, in his Holy Sword Project, he took potential candidates and extracted their Light from them. It killed them in the process, but resulted in the Light Container, which could be imbued into another individual and grant them the ability to utilize a Holy Sword.

Additional Light Containers, or larger ones, could even allow multiple Holy Swords to be utilized by one person.

However, since they contained God’s Light… they couldn’t be of use to the Devils.

Irina’s gaze softened when she realized that thought occurred to me.

If the Devils were working with Valper, they wouldn’t be producing Light Containers, and would instead be using Yuuto’s ability to use Holy Swords as a Devil. The Light Containers and the presence of the Fallen unmade my declarations completely.

Irina took a step closer to me, as to support and protect me from the Devil’s claims and pointed words… but they never came.

Instead, the Devils and Hyoudou began to plan for the destruction of the facility.

The anger amongst the Devils, which travelled through the Peerages, shocked me immensely.

They were willing to ignore my weakness, something they could capitalize upon, in order to assault a facility in which humans were working with the Fallen.

I was told that Devils were cruel, capricious, and thought only of themselves, but the moment Hyoudou’s familiar relayed the truth… their focus was on destroying Valper’s facility and rescuing the children whose lives were in danger.

Children that they couldn’t turn into Demons.

Children that they couldn’t have sign contracts with them.

Children who didn’t have homes or families that cared for them.

Children who the Church would throw aside, as they didn’t have enough Light to wield a Holy Sword, like those I grew up with.

Though I found it difficult to breathe with those thoughts, I stayed strong and managed to listen to the rest of the meeting.

Time for thoughts could come later.

Tonight there were innocent lives to be saved.