Little Russia

[SINIB]

Lubei

Lubei stared at her small, retreating shoulders for a moment before marching after. Never did he think in this life he would follow a servant of a zealous divinity deeper into the latter's territory to have a long talk over tea. He assumed there would be tea. But comforts aside, the Seraph sounded no more likely to approve of the rampant dangers of Uria and that evil forest than him, and if the lightning warrior could be saved... maybe this would be worth it.

The demon would still rather be in his meeting hall listening to bullheaded warmongers and ignoring them over a stupid novel until they finally got tired.

Anastasia

As he predicted, there was a steaming hot pot of tea waiting for them in the meeting room. A table separated two large plush couches, and this looked to be more of a casual common area where the nuns congregated than an interrogation room. However, in the center of it was an immense jug of a clear liquid, presumably alcoholic in nature. The small child who'd led him here offered him a seat and began to pour tea for him.

"Please, make yourself comfortable, o' great demon." She intoned, her voice suddenly different, more powerful. It was also calming, and without the subtle bite of racism that she'd had only moments before.

A faint halo of pure white light surrounded her head as she smiled at him.

[YOLF]

Lubei

It was impossible for his eyes to not dart around the room, and when he found his seating, he slumped with a sudden twitch. This was too comfortable for relaxation, and he didn't feel at ease with how she might as well have read his mind on the hospitality he expected. Respect didn't mean coddling him with soft ambience and welcoming sights.

His spectral companion cawed by his ear at that. "If you were treated like a scoundrel, you'd be complaining, but you receive politeness and you're whining?"

Lubei squashed a groan in the back of his throat and didn't grace the thought with even a dirty look at empty air. He looked down and stretched his palm, focusing on what lay deeper inside him than his retreating bruises. He let out a clipped breath when a small crystal formed, and squashed it between his fingers. His powers weren't suppressed.

That gave the demon king enough confidence to pick up the hot cup meant for him.

[SINIB]

Lubei

It was impossible for his eyes to not dart around the room, and when he found his seating, he slumped with a sudden twitch. This was too comfortable for relaxation, and he didn't feel at ease with how she might as well have read his mind on the hospitality he expected. Respect didn't mean coddling him with soft ambience and welcoming sights.

His spectral companion cawed by his ear at that. "If you were treated like a scoundrel, you'd be complaining, but you receive politeness and you're whining?"

Lubei squashed a groan in the back of his throat and didn't grace the thought with even a dirty look at empty air. He looked down and stretched his palm, focusing on what lay deeper inside him than his retreating bruises. He let out a clipped breath when a small crystal formed, and squashed it between his fingers. His powers weren't suppressed.

That gave the demon king enough confidence to pick up the hot cup meant for him.

Anastasia

The woman's eyes darted next to his shoulder, settling upon the bird perched upon his shoulder before returning her gaze to his face. Before handing him the cup of tea, she flavored it with several shots worth of the vodka, swirling it with a perfectly executed twist of her wrist. She sat down across from him and poured herself the same drink as well.

"Whilst some my progeny may have some issues with your kin, you may relax around me-so long as you speak the trust and avoid attempts at deception." She crossed her legs and leaned back into the chair, making herself comfortable. "May I look further? Will you show me the events that transpired?"

[YOLF]

Lubei

The tea was distractingly warm, yet there was no enmity in the preparation. In fact, it was the first taste of peace he'd had since setting foot on this confusing land. But Lubei knew well enough what the most heinous of tyrannies opened their arms only with the genuine desire to be kind.

"The Lady Seraph, I presume?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. Before he continued, he weaved a hand through the invisible feathers over his shoulder. She knew. "I will give no excuses or lies, so I ask that you take my word for it. The privacy of a ruler's mind is a pride beyond one person only."

[SINIB]

Lubei

The tea was distractingly warm, yet there was no enmity in the preparation. In fact, it was the first taste of peace he'd had since setting foot on this confusing land. But Lubei knew well enough what the most heinous of tyrannies opened their arms only with the genuine desire to be kind.

"The Lady Seraph, I presume?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. Before he continued, he weaved a hand through the invisible feathers over his shoulder. She knew. "I will give no excuses or lies, so I ask that you take my word for it. The privacy of a ruler's mind is a pride beyond one person only."

Ivanna

"Indeed. I am afraid that seeing my true form would destroy you, so we will have to talk through my servant." She replied. "So long as you only speak the truth, you have nothing to fear from me. We share a goal, and betrayal of one's compatriots is among the gravest of sins."

She took a sip of tea. Her face flushed red with heat from the heavy burn of alcohol. "And furthermore, you are not of the traitor's ilk. You merely share a superficial similarity to him. I have no quarrel with your kind."

There was absolutely no deceit in any of her words.

[YOLF]

Lubei

So she said, but what kind of curse or might did she bear that mere sight could be so dangerous? The greatest gods and fiends could end the lives of mortals with a mere glare, but he was a demon king! Unless... he'd made a mistake in judgement. And not a favorable one.

"My kind," he repeated, measuring the words. It wasn't an insult, nor demeaning. But it fed questions he hadn't entertained until this very moment.

More despised the demonic than those who had cause to, and Sang suspected all in turn. It was a misattribution to protect himself and other demons. Those who didn't warrant extermination for living, as well as those who deserved pain for their sins. All of them were his responsibility, to lead by power even against the gods that extended their sympathy. No matter what else, the fiends and the heavens were like opposing magnets in the machinery of fate, and those that didn't repel were the exception.

That same magnetism pervaded this temple, but the one across from the demon didn't seem to acknowledge it. At the edge of his mind played a thin awareness of an unusual sense of friendliness calling out, but the implications at hand were more vital to reflect upon. Was this Seraph of a different breed entirely than the lords of heaven above Shenzhou?

"And if I ask for your counsel or aid for the sake of my kin, once the current problem is abated... will you hear me out?" He asked.

[SINIB]

Lubei

So she said, but what kind of curse or might did she bear that mere sight could be so dangerous? The greatest gods and fiends could end the lives of mortals with a mere glare, but he was a demon king! Unless... he'd made a mistake in judgement. And not a favorable one.

"My kind," he repeated, measuring the words. It wasn't an insult, nor demeaning. But it fed questions he hadn't entertained until this very moment.

More despised the demonic than those who had cause to, and Sang suspected all in turn. It was a misattribution to protect himself and other demons. Those who didn't warrant extermination for living, as well as those who deserved pain for their sins. All of them were his responsibility, to lead by power even against the gods that extended their sympathy. No matter what else, the fiends and the heavens were like opposing magnets in the machinery of fate, and those that didn't repel were the exception.

That same magnetism pervaded this temple, but the one across from the demon didn't seem to acknowledge it. At the edge of his mind played a thin awareness of an unusual sense of friendliness calling out, but the implications at hand were more vital to reflect upon. Was this Seraph of a different breed entirely than the lords of heaven above Shenzhou?

"And if I ask for your counsel or aid for the sake of my kin, once the current problem is abated... will you hear me out?" He asked.

Ivanna

The Seraph just smiled at him. "Of course." She replied. "Aaa-" With a single note of impossible clarity, their glasses refilled themselves to the brim. She leaned forward and clinked her mug against his. "I will be happy to hear you out in the future in exchange for your cooperation now."

She raised her cup of tea, waiting for him to reciprocate the action.

[YOLF]

Lubei

He gave it a suspicious look, but raised the cup to his lips, downing a gulp of liquid. Blinking at the mild sweetness and herban scent that seeped in.

A part of him lurched at the warmth.

Lubei Sang's bones were brittle. He remembered sights that others didn't. The moaning halls, where all must endure until they understand what they've dealt to others. He'd known what he deserved. His soul had been charred to the bone and not given the mercy to become ash. Memory and pain had grown again around it like meat, to be sloughed off again and showered in rime, and the cracks had crept into the marrow like scripture. He hadn't changed, though. Change needed work, and change needed time.

Lubei was only expected to follow the truth of power and the dignity of force in a world where respect was no right for the othered; Lubei Who Had Once Been was pulled between duty that was and conscience to be; and Sang strained to be everything inside the frozen walls he'd built so none could know how easy it was for them to crack him. The moment of unwarranted peace sent all these things toppling from the heights where they had been stacked.

The demon king heaved deeply, dragging a limp hand over his face. He badly needed to work on decompressing. Negotiations were probably the worst time to do so, but at this point he'd already entrusted them with Vanguard and was accepting pleasant hospitality, by human standards, so what the fuck.

"You are allowed to take care of yourself, you know," his ghostly companion cooed.

He looked back at at the Seraph's avatar. "Very well. Let's return to the subject. Details aside, there's one more thing. When I was retreating, another madman emerged from the hole in the sky."

There was a pause, and he uttered the next words carefully. "I don't know what it means for this mess, but he had a black wing, and the feeling he gave was... similar to you."

[SINIB]

Ivanna

Suddenly, her eyebrow twitched. "Similar to me?" She replied-she'd felt his descent, the same blasphemer who'd been responsible for this mess in the first place. The same one who she was tasked with destroying. "I see." She replied sullenly. Anger, annoyance, and hurt were all present on her face, but none of it directed towards him. More than anything else, she looked sad.

She would fulfill her duty. Her purpose was to do His dirty work. When angels did the unspeakable, she was tasked with their destruction. She'd done it countless times in the past. While her position in the heavenly host was admirable to some, for her, she felt it was an incredible burden. She took no pleasure in what she had to do, but she did it emotionlessly and without complaint. She'd worked her way up the hierarchy, and finally had been graced with a task that didn't involve killing her brethren. As hard as being separated from Him was, it was a break. It had been giving her some time to think, and to breathe.

But now, that rare break in her task was being trampled upon by this thing. This false angel! She clenched her fists and returned her gaze to Lubei.

"Continue." She said simply, quietly.

In the end, she was an executioner, and nothing more.

[YOLF]

Lubei

His gaze stuck to her as ghost of tumult passed behind the face of the young woman. Lubei sipped at the tea, cradling the cup to his palm before he continued.

"They began fighting then, Uria and the winged man. I couldn't tell you the outcome, but I doubt we are rid of them so easily." Lubei put down the drink and retracted his arms, resting the hands on his legs. The effects of the encounter were still evident in the damage to his outfit, but his color was less pale than it had been minutes ago.

"The inciter, however," he continued, an accusary grumble from the back of his throat, "was the summoner. He had come there with Vanguard, and accused me and prosecuted me and my then companion for the events in the slums, no quarter given. Any other time, I would be sure I ended him, but even filled with holes he still spoke as if the chaos that ensued was everything he needed. He was... falling apart. Like a scroll crumbling from age. But he sounded too secure about it."

Lubei shook his head, scowling. "I don't know what his scheme was, but I have no trust in the ramblings I heard."

[SINIB]

Ivanna

Ivanna sat there, rubbing her forehead.

"What a gargantuan mess." She muttered. "The first order of bussiness must to be to completely destroy the forest, both its form and fuctions. Nothing that lives there can be allowed to survive." She stared at Lubei and swallowed the remainder of her drink. "Thank you. Asking one such as myself for help must have been hard."

[YOLF]

Lubei

He left the remaining tea to stagnate at the bottom of the cup. Was that pity? Did this divine being hear him out, extend her patience to him, because she had sympathy his audacity? His stomach quivered. Lubei felt as though his throat was clogged with feathers and sticky with blood. He squeezed his thigh until the fingers dug in painfully, nails stinging through the pants, bringing him back.

Even if it was pity, he couldn't afford to refuse it. But more importantly, he couldn't go on being so thorny towards every little may-be and pretend to be tolerant of the worst assumption. His chest rose and fell shallowly as he bade the lines of his face to relax.

"I knew nowhere else to turn to," he said. "The gratitude should be mine."

[SINIB]

Lubei

He left the remaining tea to stagnate at the bottom of the cup. Was that pity? Did this divine being hear him out, extend her patience to him, because she had sympathy his audacity? His stomach quivered. Lubei felt as though his throat was clogged with feathers and sticky with blood. He squeezed his thigh until the fingers dug in painfully, nails stinging through the pants, bringing him back.

Even if it was pity, he couldn't afford to refuse it. But more importantly, he couldn't go on being so thorny towards every little may-be and pretend to be tolerant of the worst assumption. His chest rose and fell shallowly as he bade the lines of his face to relax.

"I knew nowhere else to turn to," he said. "The gratitude should be mine."

Ivanna

"You should learn to accept honest gratitude at face-value. To reject it is sinful in and of itself." She chuckled, and then the holy aura surrounding her host-body vanished, and she slumped into her chair, breathing softly in her sleep.

[YOLF]

Lubei

Lubei's ears were not flushed. He, who had uncontested command over the cold of hell and the frost of the North, was absolutely not red in the ears from having his turmoil called out by someone who looked like a child next to him. This did not happen. There was no witness to this shame, because the Seraph had left without giving him a chance to retort!

Freezing his countenance back into a dignified shape, he hazarded a glance at the sleeping young woman who remained. He finished the now-cold tea without disturbing her, before clambering to his feet and pushing open the door. Lubei made no attempt to hide himself as he looked through the expansive, tiled hall for someone to lead him to Vanguard.

[Kotomine_Rin]

Ivanna

"Please, leave him at the door, I will deal with the rest myself."

Just as the junior Nun was about to rap her knuckle on the door, her Lady spoke up and preempted her. It filled her with a sense of awe at the all-knowing nature of Her. She always seemed to know what was going on, but there was a twinge of disappointment in the back of her mind. She'd wanted to get closer to Ivanna; to have a moment in order to bask in the warmth and glory of Her...

Without questioning her orders, she rested the dying man upon the wall and prepared to leave.

>>>>>

Ivanna opened the door and carried him inside herself, cradling the unconscious man with her lower right wing. "Poor thing." She muttered to herself, reaching down to run a finger down his ghastly injuries.

"Rejoice, human. For it is not your time yet." She let out a soft angelic cry and began to sing in Greek. Four seperate voices intoned atop one another, all at different pitches and tempos. It resonated through the room, growing louder and more intense with each passing second, but no less haunting and beautiful.

_{Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name.}
"Πάτερ ἡμῶν ὁ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς..."

Vanguard erupted in clensing fires which focused on his wounds as she sang. The bleeding stopped, color returned to his skin, and limbs began to regrow from his stumps.

The Broken Hero

Assassin of our families!

His dreams were a blur of savage battle amidst the clockwork tower. Swallowed up by the burning seas of elysium, he battled foes he could never recollect. Slash, slash, slash again. Stop thinking of anything else. The being in his dreams only charged ahead with halberd in hand. The warrior feared and panicked, trying desperately to fend off its enemies. Wait! This isn't me! This isn't my body!

Monster!

He looked... lonely. Even surrounded by enemies, the Devil of This Earth did not abandon its dream. By the side of angelic automata, it resisted and endured to protect its paradise. It fought on with senseless abandon accross a ravaged throne room.

Betrayer!

But he could not resist the will of this world. Its champions came at him one by one, slashing and piercing at him. And just as it looked like it could overturn the tables-

Stab.

What is going on? Why are you doing this?!

The piercing pain in his back followed countless weapons shooting into its body. The mighty warrior was brought on its knees and stared at a strange woman. But he couldn't recollect her face. The prisoner of metal tried to fight back, but only for a moment, its hand hesitated.

Wait. This is wrong.

A shadow stabbed into its face, and the sound of crystal breaking echoed in this warped dream. His body felt like it was sinking. Deeper.... deeper into the abyss. Into this clockwork tower.

No! Wait...! Not now! Just answer me! I-

Shadow giants swallowed him whole without mercy. And so the dreamer ends.


A gasp suddenly woke the warrior into the real world. Pain. Everywhere. Worse than being stabbed a million times and being swallowed by voracious shadows. Flames cleansed him to the bone and licked at his very soul.

Yet he just stared at the ceiling with wide, shocked eyes and an uneasy expression.

What was that?