Adapt to Live [Part 5]
Nov. 5th, 2015 09:55 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
esp_dragonFandom: Noblesse
Summary: It's been a long time since Tao had seen an angel, not since ze left Heaven and turned into a demon. Ze hadn't thought it was possible to pass through the barrier between Heaven and the physical realm without changing. M-21's task in the physical realm is to kill as many demons as they can. Except the pieces aren't fitting together.
Notes: Finally changed the summary, though I'll keep tweaking it.
Rating: PG
Genre: General
Word count: 2,200
Total word count: 12,261
Status: Work in progress
"You felt the energies," M-21 said as Seira closed the door behind them, looking at Regis, "and wanted to check on us?"
Regis arched an eyebrow at them, tilting his head a little. "Of course. I got Seira's text, but I was still worried about both you."
M-21 drooped their wings, looking away. Why hadn't they been the same? But when someone was given a mission by their Lord, it was a privilege, something that they all longed to do. There was no need to check what had happened after, because the rest of them were waiting for their own turn to help their Lord to be useful and do what they were created for.
But they'd been wrong all this time.
"Angel?" Seira said, watching them as Regis made some hot drinks.
"You were right," M-21 murmured, hovering around the table. "The demons you had seen, they must have been my batchmates, and other angels." But why they'd been in the physical realm, M-21 didn't know yet. If their batchmates and all the other angels had been sent by their Lord.
"I'm sorry," Seira said, dipping her head. Regis had finished making the drinks and set down one mug in front of Seira, keeping one of himself.
M-21 looked between both of them, puzzled. "It's not your fault."
...But then, if it wasn't Seira and Regis' fault, then whose fault was it? Was it their batchmates? It couldn't have been, not if they were ordered to do this, like M-21 had been. They would have had to choose between being loyal to their Lord or turning into a demon. Not that their batchmates would have known, thinking that they had been specifically created for the job. Walking straight though the barrier without a worry, because they had trusted their Lord.
And what had that gotten them? Changed into a demon, being cut off from Heaven, or having to fight their other batchmates, other angels that might not have been left Heaven of their own will.
Then why did angels turn into demons? Why was it a punishment to leave Heaven, and why did their Lord change angels into demons if they could control what happened to their creations, had created the barrier?
There had to be a reason for this. But this was the Lord they were trying to make sense of. Their creator - who were they to question what They did? All M-21 was created for was to follow Their orders. And how could they know what their Lord was planning? They should trust their Lord in whatever plan They had.
Was what M-21 had been taught, had always known their entire life.
But after everything had happened in the physical realm, they couldn't just accept what had happened now, couldn't just think that it was part of their Lord's plan for them. Because what was it for? What reason was there to make everyone fight each other?
There had to be something they weren't seeing, something they didn't understand.
"I have to talk with the demons," M-21 said, lifting their head. They were the only other people they could talk to, who could know what was going on. Those demons were older than them, had been around far longer than M-21 had; they had to know more about the barrier. "The ones that had talked to me before."
"It sounds like they're able to think," Regis said, his words slow.
"They do," M-21 said, puzzled by his words, and tone. Why did he sound suspicious?
"Just be careful," Seira said. "Because they can think and talk with you, that makes them more dangerous. It could be a trap."
"I know." But in all the times M-21 had met that other demon, the other demon hadn't tried to kill them. "But they had the chance to hurt me and didn't." Only hurting them to stop them when M-21 had tried to kill them. M-21 looked away. "They protected me just now." And they hadn't thanked them. M-21 looked up again. "I have to know."
But how could they get in contact with them? The demon had said they'd come running because they'd felt the fight.
Seira and Regis shared a look together, and then nodded.
"We might be able to call them out," Regis said.
"Along with every other demon in the city," Seira warned. "That demon thinks – they'll know we use our aura as a trap. So we might have to call nearly all of the demons in the city to us before they realise this is for them. Are you sure you want to do this?"
M-21 was about to nod but then hesitated. "Are you all right with this?" M-21 wasn't the only people involved here, and if they were calling all the demons in the city to them, then Seira and Regis would be in danger as well.
"We are," Regis said, intertwining his fingers as he leaned on the table, "or else we wouldn't be offering to do this."
M-21 nodded, trying to think it over again. They wanted to meet the demon again, but this was the only way for them to contact them. But if the demon didn't come, Seira and Regis could be fighting for nothing, could be hurt for nothing. Because of them. Could they allow that to happen? They were an angel - it was their job to protect humans.
Just like it was their job to follow their Lord's orders.
"We have made our choice, Angel," Seira said. "Don't worry about us and choose."
Were they that obvious? How did everyone seem to know more than them?
M-21 didn't want Seira and Regis hurt, but they were they strong enough to protect them? They had proven they had failed easily already, and the demon had gotten hurt because of them as well.
"I want to do it." M-21 nodded. If they were to do this, they would do it. They had to know. This time, even if they were attacked by their batchmates, they wouldn't hold back.
Seira nodded. "We're going to need a place that's open. It might take us a while to get there." Seira smiled at them. "We can't fly from place to place like you can."
M-21 looked between Seira and Regis. "I might be able to take you there, if I know where it is."
Seira frowned. "You can carry us? I thought you couldn't touch us?"
M-21 shook their head, a small smile quirking their lips. "If I can concentrate, I think I can touch you." It was the reverse of what the demon had done to them. "And I won't be carrying you. I can flit you over to a place, so long as I know where to go. Or try to." They had only every moved another angel through; they'd never tried a person with a physical body before.
"Do you want to try?" Seira asked, holding her mug out.
M-21 nodded and concentrated their aura, remembering what the demon had done when they'd touched. They frowned, their hands tingling. That should be enough. M-21 reached their hand towards the cup.
Their hand didn't go through it, the cup resisting their hand, like they'd come up against a shield. It was strange in their hands, and this was what humans felt all the time?
Now they had to try and flit with it.
They concentrated again again, and thought of the other side of the room like they always did when they flitted. All they needed was the knowledge of somewhere they'd been before and they could travel there with a thought.
And then they were there, one the other side of the room, the cup in their hand. They'd done-!
The cup slipped from their fingertips, crashing to the floor.
The sound made them flap their wings. "Sorry." They should have realised that would happen – they had seen how humans held things.
Seira smiled, waving them off as M-21 drew on their power to try and pick up the cup again. "It's fine – it was empty, and now we know you can do it."
M-21 nodded. "…I think I'll still flit you one at a time." It would be safer that way.
* * *
Tao raised an eyebrow as ze glanced in the direction of the power ze could sense. That was...strange. It was almost like... It was and Tao exhaled, trying to ignore it. If Loyard and Landegre were laying another trap, ze would leave them to it. They'd learned from the last time. Though if the angel was with them…
Minutes ticked by and the sense of power didn't stop.
Why weren't they stopping? A demon would have found them by now. In fact, the fight should have finished already.
But then… Tao tapped hir finger on hir bed. Before Landegre had been attacked, they'd stopped pretending to leak out power – it would be bad if too many demons attacked at once. Were they still broadcasting while they were fighting? It didn't make sense. Unless…
An uneasy dread filled Tao's stomach as ze continued to wait and nothing happened, the call continuing to pulse.
It was like they were trying to call all the demons in the city. And it was too obvious. Tao should leave it be. Except with how long they were going and how it wasn't stopping...
It was more obvious than last time and yeah. Maybe it was a signal for them.
Tao bite hir lip, fidgeting with hir blanket. Ze had told Boss ze would stay in bed, and Tao would do just that. Ze wouldn't go out straight into a fight ze would know would walk straight into.
Tao reached over and grabbed hir phone, wincing as ze pulled at some of hir stitches. They didn't break and Tao exhaled as ze lay back down into hir bed.
[
There was a difference between taking on a demon one by one, and trying to call all the demons in the city to them. That was the only reason why Tao could think of that they would continue doing that.
It didn't take long for Boss to answer. [
Tao sighed, wriggling back into bed. [
[
Dammit. [
[
"Fine, fine," Tao muttered under hir breath and put hir phone down again. Ze wanted to curl up and close hir eyes again but the call was still going strong. But ze'd promised Boss ze wouldn't move.
Tao exhaled one more time and went to different app on hir phone. Time to search for other stuff to see if they could distract hirself.
* * *
The air buzzed with magic. From Regis continually outpouring power to attract demons and Seira's scythe flashing before slicing through another demon. M-21 didn't have much time to think as they ducked under a blow, seeing the snarling face pass them by as they shoved their sword through the demon. The blood splatter went through them, and the snow around them was stained with it.
"This wasn't-" Seira said, whirling around, her scythe slicing through a demon, "what I had intended when I said I would teach you fight."
"It's helping," M-21 said, keeping their attention on the incoming demons. They were learning what to do and by watching Seira when they could.
The demons were trickling in one by one, but they were getting more frequent. It wasn't the organised army M-21 had heard they would be, and they didn't want to think about it, but that was all their brain would do.
They hadn't recognised anyone –yet- but they had caught glimpses of marks in the brief breaks they had been able to take.
The evidence was mounting up against their Lord, and it couldn't be true, yet it seemed like it was.
"Angel!"
M-21 whirled around, parrying a knife and then sliding in their sword and stabbing the demon. They felt the buzz of magic that wasn't Seira or Regis' and flitted away.
By the time they reappeared next to Regis, the demon was slumped over, multiple long spears jutting out of their body.
It wasn't Seira or Regis' weapons, and it wasn't like any of the weapons M-21 had seen yet.
No, they'd seen that black and purple design before.
M-21 whirled around, trying to find the attacker and there was the blond demon –in a suit like last time- that had been with the other one, one hand raised with a handkerchief waving in the wind. What was that supposed to mean?
"I unfortunately don't have a white flag," the blond demon said, "so I hope that this is sufficient."
Summary: It's been a long time since Tao had seen an angel, not since ze left Heaven and turned into a demon. Ze hadn't thought it was possible to pass through the barrier between Heaven and the physical realm without changing. M-21's task in the physical realm is to kill as many demons as they can. Except the pieces aren't fitting together.
Notes: Finally changed the summary, though I'll keep tweaking it.
Rating: PG
Genre: General
Word count: 2,200
Total word count: 12,261
Status: Work in progress
"You felt the energies," M-21 said as Seira closed the door behind them, looking at Regis, "and wanted to check on us?"
Regis arched an eyebrow at them, tilting his head a little. "Of course. I got Seira's text, but I was still worried about both you."
M-21 drooped their wings, looking away. Why hadn't they been the same? But when someone was given a mission by their Lord, it was a privilege, something that they all longed to do. There was no need to check what had happened after, because the rest of them were waiting for their own turn to help their Lord to be useful and do what they were created for.
But they'd been wrong all this time.
"Angel?" Seira said, watching them as Regis made some hot drinks.
"You were right," M-21 murmured, hovering around the table. "The demons you had seen, they must have been my batchmates, and other angels." But why they'd been in the physical realm, M-21 didn't know yet. If their batchmates and all the other angels had been sent by their Lord.
"I'm sorry," Seira said, dipping her head. Regis had finished making the drinks and set down one mug in front of Seira, keeping one of himself.
M-21 looked between both of them, puzzled. "It's not your fault."
...But then, if it wasn't Seira and Regis' fault, then whose fault was it? Was it their batchmates? It couldn't have been, not if they were ordered to do this, like M-21 had been. They would have had to choose between being loyal to their Lord or turning into a demon. Not that their batchmates would have known, thinking that they had been specifically created for the job. Walking straight though the barrier without a worry, because they had trusted their Lord.
And what had that gotten them? Changed into a demon, being cut off from Heaven, or having to fight their other batchmates, other angels that might not have been left Heaven of their own will.
Then why did angels turn into demons? Why was it a punishment to leave Heaven, and why did their Lord change angels into demons if they could control what happened to their creations, had created the barrier?
There had to be a reason for this. But this was the Lord they were trying to make sense of. Their creator - who were they to question what They did? All M-21 was created for was to follow Their orders. And how could they know what their Lord was planning? They should trust their Lord in whatever plan They had.
Was what M-21 had been taught, had always known their entire life.
But after everything had happened in the physical realm, they couldn't just accept what had happened now, couldn't just think that it was part of their Lord's plan for them. Because what was it for? What reason was there to make everyone fight each other?
There had to be something they weren't seeing, something they didn't understand.
"I have to talk with the demons," M-21 said, lifting their head. They were the only other people they could talk to, who could know what was going on. Those demons were older than them, had been around far longer than M-21 had; they had to know more about the barrier. "The ones that had talked to me before."
"It sounds like they're able to think," Regis said, his words slow.
"They do," M-21 said, puzzled by his words, and tone. Why did he sound suspicious?
"Just be careful," Seira said. "Because they can think and talk with you, that makes them more dangerous. It could be a trap."
"I know." But in all the times M-21 had met that other demon, the other demon hadn't tried to kill them. "But they had the chance to hurt me and didn't." Only hurting them to stop them when M-21 had tried to kill them. M-21 looked away. "They protected me just now." And they hadn't thanked them. M-21 looked up again. "I have to know."
But how could they get in contact with them? The demon had said they'd come running because they'd felt the fight.
Seira and Regis shared a look together, and then nodded.
"We might be able to call them out," Regis said.
"Along with every other demon in the city," Seira warned. "That demon thinks – they'll know we use our aura as a trap. So we might have to call nearly all of the demons in the city to us before they realise this is for them. Are you sure you want to do this?"
M-21 was about to nod but then hesitated. "Are you all right with this?" M-21 wasn't the only people involved here, and if they were calling all the demons in the city to them, then Seira and Regis would be in danger as well.
"We are," Regis said, intertwining his fingers as he leaned on the table, "or else we wouldn't be offering to do this."
M-21 nodded, trying to think it over again. They wanted to meet the demon again, but this was the only way for them to contact them. But if the demon didn't come, Seira and Regis could be fighting for nothing, could be hurt for nothing. Because of them. Could they allow that to happen? They were an angel - it was their job to protect humans.
Just like it was their job to follow their Lord's orders.
"We have made our choice, Angel," Seira said. "Don't worry about us and choose."
Were they that obvious? How did everyone seem to know more than them?
M-21 didn't want Seira and Regis hurt, but they were they strong enough to protect them? They had proven they had failed easily already, and the demon had gotten hurt because of them as well.
"I want to do it." M-21 nodded. If they were to do this, they would do it. They had to know. This time, even if they were attacked by their batchmates, they wouldn't hold back.
Seira nodded. "We're going to need a place that's open. It might take us a while to get there." Seira smiled at them. "We can't fly from place to place like you can."
M-21 looked between Seira and Regis. "I might be able to take you there, if I know where it is."
Seira frowned. "You can carry us? I thought you couldn't touch us?"
M-21 shook their head, a small smile quirking their lips. "If I can concentrate, I think I can touch you." It was the reverse of what the demon had done to them. "And I won't be carrying you. I can flit you over to a place, so long as I know where to go. Or try to." They had only every moved another angel through; they'd never tried a person with a physical body before.
"Do you want to try?" Seira asked, holding her mug out.
M-21 nodded and concentrated their aura, remembering what the demon had done when they'd touched. They frowned, their hands tingling. That should be enough. M-21 reached their hand towards the cup.
Their hand didn't go through it, the cup resisting their hand, like they'd come up against a shield. It was strange in their hands, and this was what humans felt all the time?
Now they had to try and flit with it.
They concentrated again again, and thought of the other side of the room like they always did when they flitted. All they needed was the knowledge of somewhere they'd been before and they could travel there with a thought.
And then they were there, one the other side of the room, the cup in their hand. They'd done-!
The cup slipped from their fingertips, crashing to the floor.
The sound made them flap their wings. "Sorry." They should have realised that would happen – they had seen how humans held things.
Seira smiled, waving them off as M-21 drew on their power to try and pick up the cup again. "It's fine – it was empty, and now we know you can do it."
M-21 nodded. "…I think I'll still flit you one at a time." It would be safer that way.
Tao raised an eyebrow as ze glanced in the direction of the power ze could sense. That was...strange. It was almost like... It was and Tao exhaled, trying to ignore it. If Loyard and Landegre were laying another trap, ze would leave them to it. They'd learned from the last time. Though if the angel was with them…
Minutes ticked by and the sense of power didn't stop.
Why weren't they stopping? A demon would have found them by now. In fact, the fight should have finished already.
But then… Tao tapped hir finger on hir bed. Before Landegre had been attacked, they'd stopped pretending to leak out power – it would be bad if too many demons attacked at once. Were they still broadcasting while they were fighting? It didn't make sense. Unless…
An uneasy dread filled Tao's stomach as ze continued to wait and nothing happened, the call continuing to pulse.
It was like they were trying to call all the demons in the city. And it was too obvious. Tao should leave it be. Except with how long they were going and how it wasn't stopping...
It was more obvious than last time and yeah. Maybe it was a signal for them.
Tao bite hir lip, fidgeting with hir blanket. Ze had told Boss ze would stay in bed, and Tao would do just that. Ze wouldn't go out straight into a fight ze would know would walk straight into.
Tao reached over and grabbed hir phone, wincing as ze pulled at some of hir stitches. They didn't break and Tao exhaled as ze lay back down into hir bed.
[
Hey, Boss, I'm sure you can hear that call,] Tao wrote and hummed, the call still tapping at hir senses. [I think we should answer.] Before they died.There was a difference between taking on a demon one by one, and trying to call all the demons in the city to them. That was the only reason why Tao could think of that they would continue doing that.
It didn't take long for Boss to answer. [
I'll see to it. You continue resting.]Tao sighed, wriggling back into bed. [
Are you sure? They might not recognise you.] The angel had only met with Boss once. It was safer if ze came with. [
Stay. I'll be all right.]Dammit. [
Fine. You better not come back with holes in your clothes I have to patch up.] And the holes in the body that accompanied with them. [
I'll make sure. Now REST.]"Fine, fine," Tao muttered under hir breath and put hir phone down again. Ze wanted to curl up and close hir eyes again but the call was still going strong. But ze'd promised Boss ze wouldn't move.
Tao exhaled one more time and went to different app on hir phone. Time to search for other stuff to see if they could distract hirself.
The air buzzed with magic. From Regis continually outpouring power to attract demons and Seira's scythe flashing before slicing through another demon. M-21 didn't have much time to think as they ducked under a blow, seeing the snarling face pass them by as they shoved their sword through the demon. The blood splatter went through them, and the snow around them was stained with it.
"This wasn't-" Seira said, whirling around, her scythe slicing through a demon, "what I had intended when I said I would teach you fight."
"It's helping," M-21 said, keeping their attention on the incoming demons. They were learning what to do and by watching Seira when they could.
The demons were trickling in one by one, but they were getting more frequent. It wasn't the organised army M-21 had heard they would be, and they didn't want to think about it, but that was all their brain would do.
They hadn't recognised anyone –yet- but they had caught glimpses of marks in the brief breaks they had been able to take.
The evidence was mounting up against their Lord, and it couldn't be true, yet it seemed like it was.
"Angel!"
M-21 whirled around, parrying a knife and then sliding in their sword and stabbing the demon. They felt the buzz of magic that wasn't Seira or Regis' and flitted away.
By the time they reappeared next to Regis, the demon was slumped over, multiple long spears jutting out of their body.
It wasn't Seira or Regis' weapons, and it wasn't like any of the weapons M-21 had seen yet.
No, they'd seen that black and purple design before.
M-21 whirled around, trying to find the attacker and there was the blond demon –in a suit like last time- that had been with the other one, one hand raised with a handkerchief waving in the wind. What was that supposed to mean?
"I unfortunately don't have a white flag," the blond demon said, "so I hope that this is sufficient."