Chapter 2: Nepotism is a Superpower
September 9th, 1349
Tingen City, Awwa County, Loen Kingdom
Zouteland Street, Blackthorn Security
-Amadeus-
Stepping out of the ShadowEnclosure—an enclosed space formed by converging the surrounding shadows—where he had enlightened Ince Zangwill on the Lord's love before sending him off to the Lord, Amadeus' armored feet faltered for a brief moment before continuing as though nothing had occurred.
His grip on his mother tightened protectively.
Absolute Territory, which he had previously retracted so as not to drain his spirituality once more, unfolded again. The use of Authorities was instantly prohibited within a range of one hundred metres.
"Dear Father, adults are truly cunning creatures. Your fifteen-minute-old son might not even make it to the hour mark at this rate," Amadeus complained childishly, the tone in stark contrast to his intimidating appearance.
It had only been ten minutes since he had mercifully guided Zangwill toward revelation, allowing him to experience what befell those who resisted— Degeneration —the light. Yet within those same ten minutes, the big shots had arrived.
Blood-red eyes swept toward the bronze-skinned, black-haired man standing protectively before the Tingen Nighthawks. Amadeus could feel the Grazed soul of Ince Zangwill trembling in this man's presence, as if a higher order entity stood before him.
Azik Eggers, currently Sequence 4: Undying of the Death Pathway.
The Black Knight's scrutiny of this handicapped Son of Death was brief, however, as there was someone else who warranted greater attention.
Ordinary-looking? Check.
Eyes as serene as an enlightened monk? Check.
Wearing a robe with a belt woven from tree bark? Check.
A strange fetish for being barefoot? Check.
Then it could only be Klein's future yes-woman, Arianna, Head of the Thirteen Archbishops of the Evernight Church, and Sequence 2: Servant of Concealment of the Darkness Pathway.
"Mr. Mysteries must be really important if the wolf lady upstairs had to send an Angel, huh, Brother?" Amadeus glanced at the blond priest standing to his left, who was quietly staring at him as though examining a puzzle. It took all his willpower to resist calling him out as Sun daddy.
"?!"
Several pairs of eyes widened, some for more than one reason.
"You…" Arianna's tranquil gaze rippled with shock. A flicker of realization crossed her eyes as they shifted to the space just left of Amadeus. "Angel of Imagination?"
Amadeus wasn't surprised she identified Him so quickly. There were only a few people in history who could deceive the mind of an Angel. Instead, he remarked casually, "Lady, you must be really old."
The abrupt comment came utterly out of nowhere, spoken so bluntly to an Angel that the air itself seemed to freeze. Everyone present was left speechless, unable to react once more.
The Black Knight tilted his head in mild confusion before nodding, as though something had finally clicked. He then bowed apologetically to Arianna. "Ah, Mother said I shouldn't comment on a woman's age. Please forgive me if I offended you, big sister. It's just that with Father singing in my head from time to time, I tend to forget such things."
Arianna's calm expression seemed to soften slightly—it definitely wasn't his imagination—at his first sentence, but upon hearing the second, not only Her lips twitched, so did those of the Nighthawks and Azik.
"True…singing?" For the first time since arriving, Adam spoke, his voice quiet. The golden eyes that had once held a childlike innocence—one even purer than Amadeus'—were now filled with bewilderment.
Seeing that the situation wasn't nearly as dire as he'd anticipated, Amadeus swiftly changed the subject. "Umm, big sis?"
The Servant of Concealment regarded him silently, and he took it as a sign to continue.
"Wolf lady—" At the Angel's pointed look, Amadeus coughed, correcting himself, "Big sis Evernight didn't ask you to kill me, did She?"
He needed to know whether he would be discreetly disposed of the moment this "divine second pops" of his left. If that were the case, he might have to call his silver-haired, airheaded snake uncle for backup. Amadeus didn't even consider asking his monocle-wearing brother; knowing that bastard, He would end up becoming his mother by parasitizing Megose.
In fact, why wait? Calling that directionally challenged uncle early couldn't hurt. Backup was never too early.
With such thoughts, Amadeus spoke before Arianna could answer him.
"The Self-Devouring Snake of Mercury;
The Lingering Hero Spirit of The River; The Grace of the True Creator; The Eyes that Look at Fate;
The Great Soothsayer of Past, Present, and Future."
The instant the Black Knight finished speaking, the surrounding air lost its natural rhythm. An invisible current surged through the area, as if an unseen river had abruptly altered its course. The shadows cast by objects and people no longer aligned with their sources, stretching and folding back upon themselves in strange, self-devouring loops.
A low, inaudible hum echoed from the Spirit World, drawing closer.
Those sensitive to Fate—Arianna, Azik, and Adam—shifted their gazes to Amadeus' right. In the next instant, a silver haired figure stepped soundlessly out of the kaleidoscopic expanse that was the Spirit World.
The thing that caught Amadeus' attention was the illusory feathers upon his back, followed by a face so cold it bore not the faintest trace of humanity.
Ouroboros ignored everyone—no, not everyone. He spared Adam a brief glance before turning his attention to Amadeus. "Are you the Lord's Son?" He spoke gently, yet the gentleness felt distinctly hollow, devoid of warmth.
Unbothered by the tone, the Son of God nodded his armored head. "That's me, Uncle Silver."
"Uncle… Silver?" Ouroboros tilted His head, faintly puzzled at the address.
"Ouroboros is a bit of a mouthful," Amadeusexplainedreadily. "And you're Father's most loyal Angel. That makes you my uncle, and you have silver hair."
The Snake of Mercury paused at those words, then nodded slowly in acceptance.
"The Lord instructed me to assist you when you ask," He said. After a brief pause, He added, "And the Aurora Order shall follow your lead from this moment onward."
"!!!"
"Huh?" An unintelligible sound left a certain green eyed Nighthawk at the bombshell that had been dropped.
Amadeus on his part just nodded, finding it all perfectly normal. Nepotism too was a superpower.
He then turned back to Arianna, only now remembering he'd interrupted her answer. "Sorry for ignoring you, big sis. About my question…?"
The raven-haired Servant of Concealment studied him quietly for a moment. Her serene gaze flicked briefly toward the Snake of Mercury before returning to him.
"The Goddess instructed me to handle the situation."
"'Handle the situation'…" The meaningful, knowing tone was unmistakable coming from Amadeus, and it caused several figures in the room to tense. After all, no matter how vague the phrasing, there was only one way to handle matters involving Evil Gods and the secret organisations that worshipped Them.
Amadeus, however, brightened at those words. "The Goddess must really trust you, huh, Big Sis? She even allowed you to handle the matter at your own discretion. With Ince Zangwill no longer here, I take it the situation is… handled?"
"..."
Several mouths opened—mostly among the Tingen Nighthawks—but no words followed. Uncertain glances were exchanged as those unable to see Adam looked from the very obvious Angel—Ouroboros —beside Amadeus back to Arianna.
The ascetic Servant of Concealment first regarded Adam— an empty space in Her view— to the Black Knight's left, then turned her gaze to Ouroboros on the right.
Two Kings of Angels against a Sequence 2… Amadeus almost felt guilty for putting Her on the spot like this. Almost. If Adam hadn't been present, who was to say She wouldn't have "handled" him the instant She appeared?
With that thought, he calmly met those ghostly black eyes that emanated an overwhelming sense of peace.
After a few moments of silence, Arianna nodded serenely and, without any change in expression, said, "The situation in Tingen City has been handled. You have my thanks for assisting the Nighthawks."
The Blackthorn Security personnel neither objected nor spoke against the verdict, yet their expressions alone conveyed how… strange it felt to thank the very individual who should have been the cause of their deaths, and who now stood as the new leader of the most infamous unorthodox secret organisation.
Thanks? Can I eat that? Amadeus felt he had earned the right to take certain liberties. Not only had he deviated from the script, he had also cleaned up after the Church of Evernight by personally dealing with Ince. But first… I should make myself presentable.
Put your best foot forward and all.
To everyone's surprise, the Armour of Degeneration suddenly dissolved. The figure revealed beneath it sent ripples of astonishment through the room.
"Lord?" For the first time, Ouroboros's aloof, indifferent expression cracked into open shock. Unfortunately, the Black Knight missed this rare sight, there were more pressing matters at hand.
"Ah, this isn't quite what I had in mind when I thought of looking presentable." Amadeus glanced down at his pale, roughly nine-year-old form, as bare as the day he was born, which, upon further consideration, was today.
That made the saying rather difficult to apply.
The Son of God scratched the back of his neck, fingers brushing through curly, raven-black hair streaked faintly with blonde at the roots, while carefully handling his mother using his shadow. After a moment's thought, he shrugged and looked back at Arianna.
"Big Sis, Mother said good children get rewarded. Since I helped the Nighthawks, can I get a reward?" He blinked slowly, gazing up at her with innocent expectation.
Arianna stared at him in silence once more. Amadeus idly wondered if the woman before him had some… peculiar preferences, judging by how intently she seemed to enjoy staring. Or perhaps it was an aura-farming technique known only among Angels? Something about speaking less to maximise the presence of one's actions?
He stroked his chin thoughtfully—an action that looked rather comedic on a face so childish and chubby—before his musings were interrupted.
"You may." A soft nod followed from the Servant of Concealment.
Hm? Did She just smile? Unsure whether his eyes had deceived him, the Black Knight decided to gloss over it and immediately called in the favour owed to him.
"Then…" He tilted his head, one finger resting against his chin. "Can the Church of Evernight cease its pursuit of the Aurora Order?"
Radiant gold tinged with a hint of madness met ghostly black eyes exuding profound stillness.
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A/N: This chapter was a little…wordy? Quite a lot of dialogue. And yeah decided to completely scrap the Sasrir appearance and straight up made him look like a mini Ancient Sun God.
Adam.exe is confused. Why can't I read his mind? How is he blocking my Authorities? Huh? Why does he look like my original self? True, what brand of madness are you smoking?