The Seraphic System
Chapter: 107
Pa/ t reon details below the chapter if you're interested in seeing some content in advance.
(Heaven's Fire)
-{Kai}-
I stared thoughtfully at the lesser grail that floated in front of me almost languidly, the small plain bronze cup looking mighty inadequate next to the true Grail.
My eyes trailed across its surface as I studied its purified bronze surface with careful attention.
With the sludge gone, all that was left was a storage for life energy among some smaller features. The main ability seemed to be the ability to trade in pure magical power for life energy.
With Raphael's confirmation after carefully examining that the cup was no longer corrupted, I had quickly snatched it away and secluded myself after an idea had formed.
An idea I had begun hyper-focusing on.
My main goal was to find a way to harness what it had collected.
This had led to possibly the most intriguing aspect of the bronze cup. The ability it had to act as a converter for life energy. Though brief testing had shown that the ratio was heavily skewed.
The amount of power it absorbed compared to the life force it produced was remarkably inefficient, but that was to be expected.
You didn't just pull life force from nothing.
However, the conversion that was happening seemed to be based on the laws of equivalent exchange. Meaning, if I had been starting from scratch, it would have taken far too long to gather what I needed.
It would have been disappointing had it not accumulated a significant amount over the time it had been attached to Jeanne. I didn't want to call it a blessing, but I had been looking for a way to revive Uriel since the battle.
As for the corruption.
Gabriel's ring had proved more than sufficient for the purification process. The sheer purifying energy it had emanated was incredible, giving me a proper look at what true Mithril power could accomplish.
The problem now was access. Without some kind of control mechanism, I couldn't safely channel the stored energy without risking contamination or uncontrolled discharge.
Which was why I was settled into God's study.
My eyes trailed to the device I had made.
It was a small device made primarily from Arcsteel and Orichalcum. Both metals were good at channelling energy. There were slots where I could directly absorb life energy.
The device had taken an entire day of pure focus to make, but I had found myself astonished when I had finished.
[Artefact Inscription] (LVL: 11/100) {Adept}
Embedding complex magical formulas into physical objects for special abilities and effects.
My artefact inscription skill had ranked up in a record amount of time. Once reaching adept, I had found myself genuinely surprised as I gained another skill.
Skill Gained.
[Artefact Appraisal]
Allows for the analysis of inherent properties and enchantments of magical items to determine their effects and capabilities with greater precision.
It was a relatively minor skill, but it revealed that my appraisal wasn't all-knowing.
Naturally, I had quickly used it on the artefact I had just created.
Durability: 20%
Energy control: 24%
Amplification: 2%
Life Force Control: 43%
It had changed the entire way I saw items.
Honestly, I had the urge to go through every item I could find and check the properties of them, but I held back. For now, I needed to see if my new device worked.
Artefact Inscription had done most of the work. A layering of inscriptions had made the process surprisingly simple compared to how difficult it would have been with pure resources alone.
It was when I had begun this that I had realised how overpowered it was.
While it wasn't as easy as just drawing certain characters, it was more effective than any other type of runic language I had seen. Angelic script and runes in general seemed less powerful and precise.
With the knowledge I had gained from the basic Artefact inscription skill, after many hours spent in which I had destroyed many of the versions of this creation I had yet to name.
I had finally gotten it.
ᚦᚱᚢᚾ-ᚱᚨᚢᚾ ᚲᚱᚨᚠᛏ ᛒᛁᚾᛞ ᚹᚱᚨᛞ
The device was attached to the bronze cup, looking rather out of place, but I hadn't made it with a proper design in mind. The strange symbols glowed on its surface and it was ready to start.
There should be enough.
While I didn't appreciate the fact that it had latched onto Jeanne initially, gathering this much life force would have been an incredibly long process otherwise.
Unless I had made every Seraph slowly drain their angelic magic into the cup on a daily basis, which was hardly an option. The stored energy would at the very least make my next attempt safe to try.
The resurrection ability that the Rinnegan offered, its downside being that it absorbed life force to restore the dead. This scaled with a being's power which I had a suspicion was related to the soul.
With the device finished, I fiddled around with it for a few minutes before I immediately made my way to the sixth heaven.
I didn't want to waste any time, making my way to the sixth Heaven where the portal was located.
My heart began thundering with excitement as I caught sight of the portal to the sub-dimension that shimmered before me. I made my way through the portal and began making my way to the place where Uriel's body was safely guarded.
"Kai?" Hestia's voice carried a mixture of curiosity and concern.
I blinked and came to a halt, turning to face the Goddess.
"Hestia." I smiled, broken out of my daze.
The Goddess approached me.
"Are you okay? You look dazed." Hestia asked, coming to stand in front of me.
I relaxed at the sight of her familiar concerned expression.
"I'm just a little distracted," I responded, becoming slightly more apprehensive at the sight of her. "I'm sorry I haven't been able to see you."
Hestia stepped closer, her warm eyes studying my face with that gentle concern that was so uniquely hers. "You've been working too hard."
"I wouldn't say that," I chuckled nervously. "I'm mostly just sorting things out, making sure everything is properly handled and getting some long-overdue matters fulfilled."
Her expression softened and she reached out to place a warm hand on my arm. "You know you can ask me for help, right? I'm not all that great at leadership, but I can try."
"I wouldn't want to burden you with that, and my Arch-Seraphim mostly take care of such things." I replied with a chuckle. "I'm mostly working on Heaven's infrastructure and preparing for upcoming events. And the Architect just turned out to lead into a bigger organisation."
The last part was said with exasperation and Hestia frowned.
"Hey." Her voice was gentle as she squeezed my arm. "You're performing incredible feats. As someone who's lived so long, while not always paying close attention to such things, I can say you are without a doubt doing a better job than all the Gods I know. Just... Don't forget to take care of yourself too, okay?"
Damn it, Hestia. In truth, I still didn't feel like I was doing enough.
"I know. I'm sorry I haven't been able to spend time with you," I said sincerely. "I'll make it up to you. Perhaps a tour of Heaven? I've kept the sub-dimension separate from the rest, and it's long overdue for someone I trust so much to see it."
Hestia's expression softened into that warm smile I'd grown so fond of. She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around me in a gentle hug.
"You don't need to apologize to me, Kai. I understand." Her voice was quiet against my shoulder. "But I would like that very much. The tour, I mean. Not because I need to see Heaven, but because it means spending time with you."
She pulled back, her hand lingering on my arm.
"Now." Her eyes drifted to the bronze cup floating beside me. "Tell me about this device. You looked so focused when you were walking, I don't think you even noticed me at first."
I nodded seriously, then gestured to the bronze cup floating beside me. "I've found a way to revive Uriel."
Her eyes widened, flames flickering in them. "Really? That's wonderful, Kai." Then her brow creased slightly. "How?"
We began walking toward the grove where Uriel's body rested.
"It's a bit complicated." I gestured to the bronze cup as we walked. "Short version is that something unexpected fell into my hands."
Hestia tilted her head, waiting for me to continue.
"Jeanne noticed something was wrong with her power recently. The blessing I gave her should have made her much stronger, but she wasn't growing the way she should have been."
Hestia's expression shifted to concern. "Is she alright?"
"She's fine now," I assured her. "Turned out there was a bronze cup lodged in her soul. It was siphoning her magical energy and converting it into life force."
"A cup?"
"Some kind of imitation of the Grail. A lesser version." I frowned at the memory. "It was storing the life force and feeding it to this... corruptive sludge attached to it. We caught it before anything worse happened."
Hestia sighed. "And none of the sludge was left inside her?"
"No. Raphael checked her over thoroughly. She's clean." I paused. "From what we can tell, the sludge was dormant. Waiting for enough life force to build up before it triggered... something. We got lucky catching it when we did."
"Thank goodness." Relief washed over her features. "The thought of Jeanne being hurt by that thing..." She shook her head, then looked back at me. "So this is connected to Uriel?"
"The cup can store life force. A lot of it." I couldn't quite keep the anticipation out of my voice. "And I recently acquired a technique that uses life force to bring back the dead. Put them together..."
"I see." She was quiet for a moment. "But Kai, a technique like that would drain from you directly, wouldn't it? Are you sure such a risk is worth taking? And you're certain the cup is safe to use?"
"Gabriel's ring purified it completely. The sludge had no defence against it."
"Gabriel's ring?" Something flickered in Hestia's tone. A slight strain she tried to smooth over. "I see."
"It has a powerful purifying ability," I elaborated.
"And my ring?" Hestia asked. Her tone was light and playful, but there was something underneath it.
I couldn't help but smile. "I suppose I'll have to make you one."
The slight tension in her shoulders eased.
A soft pink crept across her cheeks as she looked away, but I caught the smile forming. "I'd like that."
We walked in comfortable silence for a moment before she spoke again.
"Kai... are you sure you have to do this?"
"Do what?"
"The revival." She slowed as the grove came into view. "I just worry about you."
Uriel lay on a raised stone pedestal ahead of us. He looked peaceful, as though merely sleeping. No trace of the violence that had claimed his life remained on his features.
"A technique that uses life force..." Hestia continued, her voice gentle but serious. "It has to take something from you. And for someone as powerful as Uriel, that cost won't be small. I don't think he'd want you hurting yourself for his sake."
"That's what the device is for," I said, nodding toward the bronze cup. "The cup already has the life force stored. I just need to channel it."
Hestia's reply was cut off as the air around us shimmered and Galadriel materialised from her concealment. My massive serpentine familiar regarded us with ancient, intelligent eyes.
"Galadriel," I said, reaching out to touch her scaled head. She leaned into the contact with what might have been affection."You've done a good job. Hopefully, you won't be needed for this task much longer."
Galadriel's intelligent slitted eyes blinked.
Hestia moved to stand beside me as I positioned myself over Uriel's still form.
"You managed to fully restore his body. " Hestia said curiously, examining him. "And I can sense a new type of fire burning through him."
"That'll be the phoenix blood I added to his system, I used it to fully heal his body properly," I explained.
"I'm sure you could have found simpler tasks for that," Hestia said with a hint of amusement.
"I could, but it felt appropriate. Beyond that, I think it melded well with his blood." I commented.
Hestia's flaming eyes seemingly pierced Uriel's body.
"It would seem so," Hestia confirmed.
Her hand was latched onto me as I viewed my Arch-Angel.
I began using all the angelic concealment magic spells I knew. I didn't want to distract anyone in case this somehow didn't work. And I wanted to focus without any outside distractions.
I'd have to see how this went considering I was using chakra and life force, which wasn't as bound to gain enough attention either way compared to my Angelic Magic turning into death magic.
No time like the present.
My Rinnegan activated.
-{Hestia}-
Hestia sent Kai a concerned look as he prepared for the revival attempt. The loveable former Angel didn't seem to care or realise just how much he was pushing himself. She wished he would relax, but it seemed such a thing wouldn't be happening anytime soon.
As she watched him about to begin, her mind couldn't help but drift to another subject while studying his focused features.
Gabriel had moved quickly to secure Kai's heart, and Hestia knew she had been too slow.
Learning of their newly formed relationship had nearly caused the Goddess to retreat entirely. To go so long without love, only to find it and potentially lose it, was heart-wrenching.
Her lips transformed into a frown at the memory.
She had lost the initial race, though not all hope was gone. Gabriel had proven agreeable to keeping the relationship non-exclusive.
The Arch-Angel reasoned that Kai carried deep darkness within himself, pain he would never share with anyone, and she seemed to understand that his wounded heart might need more than one person to help heal those shadows.
Perhaps the arrangement should have deterred her. It certainly would have offended a more prideful Goddess. But Hestia found she didn't mind. Gabriel had become a close confidant, and the Arch-Angel was genuinely kind, despite carrying her own deep sadness that healed a little more each day in Kai's presence.
Hestia knew Aphrodite also had her eyes on him, which meant she would need to act faster in the future.
For now, she could only watch nervously as Kai took a deep breath, his expression growing intensely focused.
She could see the determination burning in his eyes as he prepared to attempt whatever technique he had developed.
Greek Nectar and Ambrosia materialised in her hands, sustenance for Uriel and potentially Kai if he was hurt after this. She wasn't sure how much it would help but she was ready to drag him to Gabriel for healing if need be.
Kai's eyes snapped open, revealing something entirely different. Alien rings of purple light pulsed with otherworldly power where his normal eyes had been.
"Outer Path: Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique" His voice rang out through the area.
The very air tore apart above them.
Through the rift descended a massive, luminous figure with a halo of rainbow that further orbited divine energy and with massive wings of arcane light. Symbols were interconnected on this being's arms and legs.
Two piercing orbs briefly stared back at her before being consumed in light.
Kai's visage was twisted in slight shock before he refocused on the situation at hand.
Hestia blinked, momentarily taken aback and genuinely intimidated as the feeling of a Primordial presence manifested. The being radiated divine presence that made her godly senses tingle with recognition.
How was this possible?
Kai hadn't ascended to godhood yet, even though he was clearly on that path. Her eyes widened as she watched his eyes glow with purple light, its ripples pulsing with power.
Wooden tendrils extended from his arms, already connected to the bronze cup and its strange device. The technique began in earnest and Hestia's concern spiked immediately.
She watched the strain hit Kai, his body tensing as an enormous drain pulled at the life force that he barely managed to redirect to the cup. Even from her position, she could feel the magnitude of energy being demanded.
The bronze cup erupted in brilliant light, golden sparks crackling wildly across its surface. The device hummed with power, its runic inscriptions blazing white-hot as energy channelled through the wooden connection.
"Kai..." she whispered, watching sweat bead on his forehead as he gritted his teeth against the overwhelming process.
She took a half-step forward, ready to intervene if necessary. While she didn't exactly know what she would do, she figured she could do something. Her domains were after all by no means weak.
The manifestation raised its hands toward Uriel's still form and streams of pure light flowed between them.
The cup's glow began to dim as its stored energy was consumed, but she could see the process nearing completion. Golden sparks danced around Uriel's body as life visibly returned.
Hestia considered asking Kai what had happened but she decided it was best saved for a later conversation, she didn't want to put a dampener on the current situation.
Uriel's chest rose after a few moments.
Hestia's eyes widened and genuine joy filled her.
-{Kai}-
I stared back at the being in shock and slight confusion, I was pretty sure that's not what I was meant to summon for this technique. I didn't have time to focus on what had been summoned as I was forced to focus as chakra began draining away.
The bronze cup glowed with power and the life force that was contained within was greedily sucked away. Then, abruptly as it started, the process finished and the figure dispersed instantly behind me.
The sheer amount of life force that had taken…
I stared down intensely at Uriel, feeling slightly nervous as the time ticked by.
Finally, Uriel's eyes fluttered open.
"Uriel," I breathed, relief flooding through me like a dam breaking.
With this, I could finally say the recent battle was a success, seriously. I didn't know what I would do if I weren't able to download resurrection skills. Beyond the connection I had with my Angels, Uriel had been the second addition to my family past Gabriel.
If he had died permanently a lot would have changed.
He blinked slowly, trying to focus on my face.
"Father?" He asked, his tone slightly weak but with a smile.
I pulled him into a hug. "Seriously Uriel."
"Ah, I succeeded." He chuckled weakly.
I pulled back and glared.
"At the cost of your own life." I scowled. "While I'm grateful you gave your life for me, you shouldn't have risked your life it."
Uriel shrugged, though he looked slightly guilty. "I would do it again, gladly even."
Hestia laughed lightly. "It's good to see your spirit hasn't been broken."
"Don't encourage him," I said, but a happy smile was on my face along with a weight lifted off my chest.
"Sorry Father, but quite frankly I imagine if any other Angels, seraph or not, were near to you. They would have done the same thing. With vigour even." Uriel was unapologetic and the normally fiery Angel looked happier than ever.
He seemed to be about to say something else before he gasped, an aura of light forming around him for a brief few seconds. His appearance made him look like a true Angel before he faded.
"The Angelic Empowerment…" he muttered, seemingly realising what it was in an instant. His eyes shone even brighter. "Definitely worth it."
"No, don't do that," I responded incredulously. "It would have happened either way."
"Perhaps it should have been done sooner." He joked.
"Uriel," I said with narrowed eyes.
Hestia merely laughed at the Arch-Seraphim's attitude.
"Sorry." Uriel apologised, even as his eyes looked at me with worship. "May I ask how long I was gone? I can sense you've grown massively in power."
"A week."
Uriel blinked in shock.
"Perhaps we shouldn't focus on such things." Hestia gently intervened. "Some rest may be in order."
"I don't feel tired." Uriel smiled gratefully. "I'm fine to talk. It's mostly my body that feels a little weak, though not as bad as I thought it would have been."
"That may be due to a certain action of mine, I decided to add phoenix blood to your system to restore your body properly and I thought it would go well with your fire attribute," I said, slightly bashfully. "I probably should have asked-"
"No, if that's your desire then I'm blessed to have received such an honour." Uriel said quickly, looking at me. "I had wondered why my veins felt like they were burning with power. I can feel a different type of fire flowing through me alongside my holy fire."
"I'm glad you like it," I said
He raised his hand and I caught it.
"You're going to be resting before you try it out," I commanded.
Uriel almost pouted but easily obeyed.
Hestia stepped up. "Just to soothe my worries, take these."
"Nectar and Ambrosia," Uriel stated. "Thank you, Lady Hestia."
Hestia's gaze turned flat. "Don't get all formal with me. We are too close for that and I'm pretty sure I've repeatedly told you not to."
"Apologies," Uriel said with a warm smile, gratefully accepting the offered nectar from Hestia's hands.
I found myself admiring Hestia for a few moments, her thoughtfulness in preparing the divine sustenance, the gentle concern in her eyes. She caught me looking and I felt heat rise to my cheeks as I quickly refocused on Uriel.
"So, care to tell me what spell you used on the evil Dragon?" I asked, having a suspicion I might recognise it.
"Trinity Blast," Uriel said, taking a bite of the nectar. "One of the forbidden techniques."
He chewed thoughtfully before continuing.
"The initial hit isn't much to look at. That's the point. It's the holy poison that does the real damage. Lingers in the system, can't be purged through normal healing." His expression darkened. "At my level of power, it would kill me in minutes. I figured if anything could hurt that creature, it would be that."
"It did, Michael said it left a massive weak spot on the Super Dragon's torso and it prevented him from escaping when he tried to make clones," I confirmed with a grin.
A slightly savage grin met mine and I could see that fiery temper of his rise.
"Definitely worth it."
"Uriel," I warned.
We spent a couple of hours together going over what had happened since, with Hestia for all intents and purposes mothering Uriel while we allowed him to adapt to his surroundings.
When Uriel could finally walk again, I decided to surprise everyone with his return.
"Oh before you go, Kai," Hestia called. "The egg you left by the tree has started showing signs of hatching. Nyxera said cracks have appeared on its surface."
I paused before, holding Uriel up, feeling a surge of excitement with Uriel's revival. "I'll check on it soon, hopefully my new familiar will be ready to hatch."
Galadriel let out a hiss and I was forced to placate her with headpats.
I began taking Uriel with me only to pause midstep as the Heavenly System materialised unexpectedly, half tensing as I expected another alert for an incoming attack to pop up.
Instead, it was a prayer.
I stared with a hint of confusion.
I admittedly didn't pay much attention to the prayers incoming. Not now, in any case. It was something I'd have to do, which was why I was confused as to who was praying to me.
That was until I recognised the voice.
Percy?
-{Percy Jackson}-
"Hey, Percy. Been a while."
Percy spun around so fast he nearly face-planted in the sand.
Standing there in an almost annoying amount of causality, was a masked figure he definitely recognised. The same Angel who'd helped him deliver Zeus's lightning bolt and had somehow managed to make Ares look like a complete fool in the process.
"Kai!" Percy's face broke into a huge grin. "So praying really did work."
"It did," Kai confirmed with what Percy could swear was amusement in his voice.
Percy let out a laugh that was equal parts relief and disbelief, then pulled his friend into a hug without thinking about it.
"Dude, I honestly didn't think the biblical God would answer me. I mean, I'm on Greek god territory. I figured your boss would take one look at Camp Half-Blood and scoff in Hebrew or something."
"Considering a prayer is an invitation, I'd say it was the best way of getting my attention. So it's probably Annabeth's idea." Kai said with a chuckle as Percy pulled back. "There are a few spaces that can block that."
Percy scowled. "I totally could have come up with that."
"But Annabeth did come up with it right?" Kai pointed out.
"Maybe." He crossed his arms.
"Why didn't she try it herself?" Kai asked curiously.
"Not sure, she will definitely want to see you though," Percy said, then gestured to the mask. "What's with the mysterious mask?"
"To make sure my presence isn't noticed. It allows for my presence to be completely sealed which is quite a hard feat, especially inside the domain of foreign Gods." Kai explained easily.
Percy blinked. "Really? Why? Didn't the gods name you a friend or something? I mean, you literally hand-delivered a divine weapon back to Sparky. That's gotta earn you some brownie points with the Greek crowd."
"Yeah, but things have changed. And I don't know if calling the lightning princess by that term will earn you any brownie points." Kai chuckled and had a slightly rueful edge to it.
Percy laughed, feeling genuinely happy to have his friend back.
"Oh man, you have to tell me. Did you do something to insult one of the gods?" Percy's eyes lit up with the kind of curiosity that had gotten him in trouble more times than he could count. "Did you accidentally insult the love Goddess's hair or something?"
"Well, at least you've learned not to use names of gods directly." Kai mused. "We should probably talk about this somewhere more… secure."
"Have you got a place in mind?" Percy asked, understanding that privacy was hard to come by in the supernatural world.
"I do," Kai said, with what sounded like a grin.
He held out his hand and Percy rolled his eyes before grabbing it. A golden magical circle formed under them and Percy was subjugated to one of the rare times he was outright teleported.
The world shifted around him, the breeze became comfortable and a soothing presence made his body lax. A serene forest greeted his view and he found himself on a hill overlooking a sea of trees.
Percy looked around in genuine astonishment and his eyes landed on two massive trees that stood in the far distance. The sheer distance didn't do anything to make the massive trees any smaller.
His eyes glowed and he felt something spark against his divine blood.
"Is this heaven?" Percy asked with a hint of trepidation.
"Not quite. It's a sub-dimension linked to Heaven." Kai explained, taking his mask off.
"Is the big guy okay with that?" Percy asked.
Kai looked slightly bashful.
Then what followed was a conversation that left Percy's jaw somewhere in the vicinity of his shoes.
"What the fuck?" Percy finally managed to say, his voice slightly strangled.
"Yeah..."
"So you're... you're God now?"
"Kind of. I mean, I'm being reborn into that role. I'm somewhere between an angel and a god." Kai said, scratching his mask.
Percy stared at him for a long moment. "Like a... Demi-Angel?"
"Maybe." Kai sounded confused now.
"So that whole light show thing with Ares, that was like your divine awakening or whatever?" Percy asked, pieces clicking into place. "And you sent the Angels to save Annabeth?"
"Pretty much, yeah."
"And now you're running Heaven," Percy said in disbelief.
"Yep."
Percy ran his hands through his hair, making it stick up at even weirder angles. "And you recently got attacked by a high-ranking member of some organisation that has multiple evil gods, evil dragons, AND monsters."
"That about sums it up."
"That's..." Percy paused, searching for words. "That's completely insane, dude."
"It's certainly been interesting." Kai chuckled.
"The architect guy is dealt with, right?" Percy asked, his tone slightly concerned.
"He was sealed by his own spell," Kai said, an undertone of dark amusement. In which Percy briefly shared.
"And he's the son of an evil god? A demigod like me?" Percy asked for clarification.
"Correct."
Percy let out a long whistle. "I suddenly feel completely inadequate. Talk about career advancement for demigods." He sighed dramatically. "And to think you only found this architect creep because of that assassination organisation."
"Oh yeah," Kai said, and Percy could practically hear the grin in his voice, "you've definitely grown stronger since I last saw you."
"Thanks, dude," Percy replied with heavy sarcasm, spreading his arms wide. "I'm so glad all my training has led to such a glowing review."
"I do mean it, from what I'm hearing this isn't normal growth." Kai praised.
Percy grinned. "I guess we are just a bunch of freaks then."
"So why did you call for me?" Kai asks easily. "Did you just want to catch up? I have been meaning to talk to you."
Percy felt shame flash through him.
"I… was wondering if you could assist me." Percy began.
"Yeah?" Kai asked, not seeming put off.
"Artemis has been presumably kidnapped and for some reason, it's my problem. Some groups have been sent ahead and I've been 'tasked' to join." Percy explained with a sigh, figuring the Goddess wasn't around to hear him and if she was, she'd save him a lot of trouble.
"Annabeth has already agreed to go and I was wondering if you could? That was before I found out you were the King of Heaven anyway."
Kai was silent for a while.
Percy shifted nervously.
"I'll have to think about… I'm not sure the rest of Heaven would appreciate me going on a quest." Kai finally said. "And I am rather busy, I can probably find someone available to join though."
"Thank you," Percy said, grateful for whatever help he could give.
Even just hearing Kai would potentially send help eased him massively.
-{Kai}-
The quest that had popped up lingered out of view as I sent Percy back down to Camp Half-Blood.
I'd offered him a place in my sub-dimension, which had essentially become Heaven's guest quarters. He'd turned it down.
Part of me had wanted to accept.
The quest rewards were tempting, and helping Percy was reason enough on its own. But the scale of what the system was offering hinted at danger to match. Serious danger. The kind I couldn't predict.
And right now, Heaven needed me focused. Raphael's reports had been promising. Our strength was growing faster than expected. I couldn't afford to derail that progress chasing quests, no matter how tempting.
Maybe I could send someone from the Night Scripture. The whole point of that division was operating without drawing attention. Every faction had something similar.
For now, Uriel was waiting back at the mansion.
I was grateful I'd thrown up those concealment spells before the resurrection. At the time, I'd just wanted to avoid worrying my Angels until I knew it would work. I hadn't expected to summon... whatever that had been.
If the Arch-Seraphim had sensed that presence, I'd have had half of Heaven descending on the grove in seconds. Fortunate that whatever I'd called didn't project its power outward, or my concealment would have shattered on contact.
It did leave the question, was whatever I summoned during Uriel's rebirth able to be summoned with the other path of the Rinnegan?
A question for later.
For now, I wanted to go check on the Lion Turtle egg.
-{Azazel}-
Since his Father's death, the entire board had changed.
The Great War almost felt planned with how it ended, the leaders of both Heaven and the Devils dead, a mystery battle left to be told by known liars and traitors. Leaving the truth of what happened forever sealed.
There was no victor in its wake, only a war that went cold.
By many, Father was considered one of, if not the most powerful of all the Gods in the world and they're right. He's one of the most powerful beings in the world, capable of warding off even the beings in the void such as Ophis away.
Wise, loving, especially of humanity.
Yahweh was the Great Creator and it was He who created the Heavenly System with His powers, a unique creation that has further emphasised just how scary he had been.
To create a System that was beyond many Elder Gods or Primordials themselves. So his death had been a surprise. Leaving the three factions to emerge with their power severely diminished.
The Fallen had never been in a strong position to begin with.
Lucifer could somehow create Devils, God could create Angels, even if He had refrained from doing so at the end. The Fallen, however, relied entirely on those who chose rebellion or had made critical mistakes.
The conflict hadn't even been that serious initially, just small skirmishes that never ended in death. Azazel had caused the initial rift with his stunt when he fell into lust. Taking the chance he had fled with many of his loyal subordinates when God had sent them to earth. Betraying their creator.
Even then, they hadn't done it to intentionally overthrow him. It had been harmless and Father was too kind to hunt them down. Until Lucifer went berserk in her exile. Then, a few years later, an army of Devils began slaughtering everything in sight.
What had been disagreements escalated into a matter of survival, intensifying the war thousands of times over.
It was a blessing that the Devils had such a low fertility rate and the Angels could not reproduce without falling. It gave the Fallen the time to rise into a proper Faction.
It was the perfect play.
After the short armistice to deal with the Heavenly Dragons, God and Lucifer killed each other, finally ending the long Great War. Heaven was at its weakest and then God was dead, leaving a secret that had been formed to keep outsiders out.
The board was reset…
Azazel and the Fallen that had followed the previous Governor of Heaven created the Grigori.
With the Great War over. Every faction began looking into avenues of gaining power. The devils created contracts, and the Fallen reproduced. The race between the church, the Devils and the Fallen for Sacred Gears began.
The Fallen had gotten a steady stream of original Fallen when God had died. Further boosting them until Michael had finally gotten a hold of the situation.
The Angels had retreated into Heaven, relying on the Heavenly System's functions that were running on old orders. Where the other gods had to perform miracles using proxies. His Father created a self-sustaining system that allowed humans themselves to take his power to create miracles.
That was the progress that had been made within the Three Factions as the rest of the supernatural world backed off.
His thoughts came to an end with a grimace.
Azazel sighed, rubbing his forehead and finally relaxing back in his large chair.
Now the Governor of the Fallen Angels was left stuck with one question on his mind.
Was he back?
It was plaguing him. The Ancient Fallen Angel wouldn't deny he was intimidated. Gods could reform and he didn't know what had happened at the end. It had been the first three centuries that he had prepared for war. Almost refusing to believe it.
The presence had been unmistakable and then Heaven had gone quiet.
Many meetings had transpired, with many suggesting they should reach out while others told them to strike now. While God was ideally weakened, which was backed up by the lack of motion from Heaven.
Whereas they had been contacting regularly before and inching closer to an alliance, that progress had halted. That alone was telling and in and of itself a confirmation. But it could also not be the case.
The door to Azazel's office opened without a knock and Shemhazai entered. His eyes swept the room, taking in Azazel's tense posture and the scattered documents across the desk.
He sighed, unable to hide the slight tired glint in his eyes.
Azazel observed him with an unnerving serious expression.
"At least I don't have to tell you to work anymore," he said dryly, settling into the chair across from Azazel.
Azazel merely sent him an unamused look, his fingers drumming against the armrest of his chair.
Shemhazai chuckled softly, but his expression grew more serious as he leaned forward. "So what do you intend to do?"
Azazel's frown deepened.
"You understand that starting another Great War isn't... ideal." Shemhazai continued slowly.
Azazel sent him a flat look. "Of course it isn't ideal. It was never ideal in the first place."
"Well, we did kind of choose it," Shemhazai pointed out with a slight shrug.
Azazel's glare intensified, prompting the other Fallen Angel to raise his hands defensively.
"Fine, fine. I'm just trying to allow for a brighter mood. You're rarely in such a serious mood." Shemhazai sighed.
"I need to think..." Azazel finally said. "If Father is back, and with all the signs from Heaven, it looks like he is, besides the fact that he hasn't said anything, which is even more worrying. I'm worried about what this means. We were so close to peace..."
Shemhazai nodded, his expression growing contemplative. "I know... but you need to decide for the Fallen. The entire board is going to be flipped for all three Factions if it's really true."
"It's tricky… I don't know if Father will be the same, or even as forgiving as he was when he gets an update on... everything we've done since." Azazel replied, his demeanour reminding Shemhazai of the Great War.
"We also don't know what Kokabiel is doing… for all we know he's happily taking this chance to provoke Heaven." Shemhazai pointed out.
Azazel didn't respond visibly.
"Fine." He straightened in his chair, a decision crystallising in his mind. "With seemingly all our informants vanishing, it's best we go the official route."
"The latest news is that Serafall Levithan met up with Gabriel," Azazel informed him. "It's best we don't lose out, maybe we can appeal to an alliance if this isn't just an overreaction by us."
Shemhazai nodded.
Azazel sent the command, but couldn't help shake that something was amiss.
The quiet was shattered when the office door burst open.
A mid-ranking Fallen Angel rushed in, his usual composure completely abandoned. His wings were still partially manifested, indicating he had flown here in haste.
"Governor Azazel!" the messenger gasped, slightly out of breath. "Urgent report."
Azazel regarded the Fallen with a hint of exhaustion.
"What is it Gadreel?" Azazel questioned.
"There's been a change in the registry, one that is believed to be a top priority due to your request to monitor them." The Fallen Angel said quickly.
"Kokabiel?" Azazel deduced.
"Yes."
Azazel frowned. "Is he dead?"
The Mirror of Registry was one of Azazel's most closely guarded secrets, a network of links he had painstakingly created to monitor all Fallen Angels under his command.
While not as powerful and accurate as Heaven's legendary Board of Angels, it served its purpose well, alerting him when a Fallen died or underwent a significant transformation. Which meant a change of race.
The latter function had proven invaluable in detecting when Devils attempted to fake a Fallen's death only to have them resurface years later as reincarnated Devils.
"No! You have to see it."
Azazel nodded and languidly followed the Fallen Angel, giving a nod to Shemhazi on the way out, who merely smiled tiredly.
The duo made their way through the corridors of Grigori headquarters to the restricted Registry Chamber.
The room was dimly lit, dominated by a large mirror that seemed to absorb light rather than reflect it. The surface rippled with dark energy, names and status indicators floating across its obsidian depths.
It was a bastardised version of Heaven's board, not nearly as omnipotent as it had shown itself to wrongly assume Fallen Angels dead in the past and vise versa, but it was still being improved.
Azazel approached the mirror, placing his hand on its surface.
Kokabiel's name flickered.
Azazel's tired and mildly annoyed state was broken from its stupor.
A shock rippled through him.
"Kokabiel… is somehow no longer a Fallen Angel," Azazel said in disbelief.
-END-
Note: Merry Belated Christmas, sorry for the late update!
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