Army of Two
JBukharin
Signer of the Totalist Charter
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Chapter 78: Army of Two
It was a cool morning that greeted the sore body of one Vali Lucifer.
A little groan mixed to a yawn left his lips as he slowly tried to move away from the cold ground, his bones feeling ready to snap at the terrible training he had just come through.
Lilith was merciless, that 'angelic' face was hiding centuries worth of fighting knowledge that made her rightfully-feared by most of the Underworld and Heaven combined.
It didn't help that she was treating this mentoring more as a game rather than a serious situation, her playful remarks as she delightfully breached his guard to deliver some earthshaking blows were enough to send the Lucifer's mind in a state of utter confusion and detachment from reality.
The challenge of fighting her without Balance Breaker and his Ultimate Form.
The Empireo Juggernaut Overdrive had been conceived in a moment of despair during the week of training in the worst region of Hell itself, his Balance Breaker failing to keep up with the never-ending horde of high-level monsters rushing at him for the kill.
He had dealt with them for four days, his mind sharp enough to understand their pattern, but still incapable of fending off so many attacks at once.
It had been a close call, he could remember his Scale Mail was chipped hit by hit while Albion screeched inside his head to retreat, to get in a better position instead of standing like that and tank this much damage.
But logic and reason were failing to urge him outside of that brutal carnage, something clicking so deep from his consciousness that he was forced to refuse everything and search.
He searched up, down, outside and then… inside.
There was his heartbeat, there was the pressure exerted by his panicking thoughts and Albion's irritated yelling and then…
There was something roaring, something accustomed to the Vanishing Dragon, but the Beast was failing to perceive it as it called out for action.
It wasn't craving at Albion, no. It was roaring at Vali.
And Vali did accept the roar, he made it his own.
The Scale Mail broke abruptly as an immense beam of light scorched the monsters in his proximity, dense and undeniable power rushing to his veins, to his core and… to his Soul.
He roared, his newer, stronger Scale Mail displaying the raw anger and strength that was now his to take.
Differently from the cumbersome Juggernaut Drive and the painful efforts required to keep it going through the senseless voices of the past Hosts to the Vanishing Dragon, Vali didn't feel any of that.
He felt lighter, without any worry and… strong.
It wasn't a mere boost, he could feel his own Magic providing a blinding sight as his own Core was quickly but surely overcoming anything he had seen happening with his grandmother.
Lilith's energy paled at the overwhelming waves of mana flowing through his body, power that seemed to make everything possible to the truest heir to Lucifer.
As much as Hoitsu could have dared to get close to the title, it was his birthright that it was at stake and he couldn't concede it to his partner.
It was his responsibility, burden and duty towards himself and… his mother.
The following waves of monsters that tried to get close to the renewed armor were all greeted by a gruesome massacre that saw their numbers dwindling in mere moments of pure speed and sheer brutality.
It was in that moment that he felt it, no- It was him.
Hoitsu's magic was flaring to a degree far higher than usual, but there was nothing similar to his known strongest form.
The brunet's core was burning like a sun, he could see light erupting from several kilometers away as a beam of light-gray exploded and clashed against the resilient barrier.
The silver-haired young man's jaws dropped as he saw the crack forming, Hoitsu's impressive feat proving once and for all that they were truly connected by something that transcended fate itself.
It was a bond that formed in so little time, but that was undeniably the strongest thing Vali had felt on a personal level.
The kinship, the mutual respect and trust…
The Lucifer couldn't help but gloat at the fact that despite Albion's protestations, despite the curious development presented by the Host of the Red Dragon Emperor in his grown, Hoitsu was his sole and only rival.
Absurdly so, a human had managed to reach so far. Ignoring all of this 'family connection', all of this senseless talk about proper bloodlines, the young Devil was put at odds against the greatest enemy for someone with the kind of claims he had laid over the Underworld.
A prodigy against a hard-worker, a sane man against a mad one.
And that memory flared again, that crucial experience that had elevated this topic up to his main thoughts.
He could still remember that moment in time.
Even now that he was so tiredly trying to get off the training floor, his arms and legs wobbling as Vali barely stood up, his attention snatched away as he heard a familiar giggle.
"So you are finally awake, Vali?" The mirthful smile plastered on the woman's face was more than enough to force the hybrid to stand up with a tense posture, trying to portray some faux capability before the former Queen of Hell.
The redhead approached him with an interested glint in her eyes, her antiquate dress having long been replaced by a simpler but comfortable half-sleeved light-purple blouse and a knee-long white skirt.
She paused just in front of him, blinking as she quietly waited for him to stabilize a little more and she proceeded to bash him with an annoyed look.
"You know, when someone greets you they expect you to return the favor, you brat."
Vali snorted. "The favor is regarding those that are worth the respect, you hag-"
The room turned chilly almost instantly as the woman's smile turned a sicker kind of sweet.
"Oh?" She mused quietly. "So, I'm a hag now?"
He was shivering a little and… he blinked as he realized that they were now sitting by one of the benches by the side of the fighting area, the woman holding a small box on her lap.
The pressure was released a few more moments later, Lilith giggling as she unfastened the little bow holding the box closed. "I baked a cake," She commented without input, the sudden shift in her mood putting a sense of confusion within the young man's mind.
Something was off with the curious mood-swing, but his attention was quickly taken away by the lovely fragrance coming from the chocolate cake.
The baked good had some milky icing with small flakes of vanilla spread all over it.
Why did she do-
"You have skipped dinner after you fell unconscious," The woman commented quietly. "I thought you would have liked a hearty breakfast to enjoy."
His stomach decided to rumble in that precise moment, embarrassment increasing even more at the knowing smile on the woman's face as she too heard the noise.
"I-I will take a slice."
There was no point in denying the fact that he indeed required some nourishment or he would have his body weakened by that unbalanced kind of training.
His metabolism would deal with the new fats and sweets in mere instant while also giving him some energy as he thought of his next steps.
Tomorrow was going to be the big day, the proper time for him to display his full release, his truest form and…
To finally have a real fight with Hoitsu.
Joining the tournament created and funded by the Bael Clan had been a difficult move, mostly because the clan was known to be arrogant and rather 'attached' to the idea of a pure Devil.
And since they loved Lucifer, having been his main supporters, and he was the product of a Devil and a Human it was sure going to be a nightmare to face certain annoying but politically-powerful individuals.
He took the offered fork and small plate with the slice, the first bite hovering close to his mouth before he gave it a taste.
The moment his tongue touched the texture and the sweet flavor, Vali's eyes widened in surprise and delight at the decently-made cake.
It wasn't something made by a top chef, the edges of the baked good were still overcooked and slightly-burned but the food was still good enough to enjoy in relative peace.
Lilith was smiling as she watched him react to her hand-made food, happy to know that she did it correctly and as she remembered it.
Vali mused inwardly over the ingredients, realizing that most of those were his favorites, chocolate and vanilla being the main elements he wanted to see in a sweet food baked for him and it had been just so long since he tried a proper cake.
It was smaller than one he would find at any elegant party back in the underworld but… it was well-crafted. He blinked, his tongue finally picking some familiarity within the texture and taste, something that came from the past but-
That couldn't be.
He glanced down at the plate and soon he started to realize that the 'breakfast' was awfully similar to something he had experienced many years ago.
Before his mind was troubled with the need of proving his strength, before he had to actually prove something to someone and himself.
Before his mother died, the loving woman would make the same kind of cakes for his birthdays.
He paused for a moment, his eyes lifting up in a curious display at the silent woman and Lilith looked away, feinting innocence as she seemed to genuinely know about this little connection.
He blinked again, his mouth restraining the questions building up from within his mind as he… just wanted to enjoy that cake.
After finishing the first slice, he asked for a second, the redhead's smile widening and twitching at the polite request as she happily granted him that.
The whole calm and relax felt odd at someone like the young man, his tense shoulders were now eased and his guard was dropped the lowest in years.
He felt safe and ready to enjoy some proper rest after the intense training session of the last two days, the preparation for the tournaments concluded as he could now divert his attention to plan out the possible match-ups with the known candidates and participants.
Some had bragged about it to the entire underworld, while others had no choice but broadcast their official entering to the media present in Hell.
Diehauser Belial had accepted the challenge, the Champion of multiple RG-Related tournaments having displayed curiosity and interest in taking part at the event, citing his intention to meet with Hoitsu Sakakibara.
That final comment had stirred some irritation from within Vali, causing the Lucifer to contemplate something far more vicious in case he ended up fighting the pretentious bastard in one of the tournament's matches.
And while his mind was drowning with the thoughts about the important days that was tomorrow, the young man was completely unaware that Lilith wasn't going to keep quiet in that very moment.
"Vali," She started with a calm tone. "May I ask you about something… about Hoitsu?"
The younger Devil frowned at the sudden query, feeling confused as of why the woman would want to know anything about his rival from him of all people.
The brunet and the redhead shared a friendly relationship, so why wouldn't she directly ask to Hoitsu himself about it? Was it something that the human hadn't wanted to tell her or… was it something about him too?
He merely nodded, curiosity overcoming his initial hesitation and the former Queen didn't waste any time in delivering her true question.
"Back when we first started training, you said that you were training to beat Hoitsu," She started with a careful approach, stealing another nod from Vali. "And when I asked Hoitsu if he knew why you were like this… he said that it wasn't nothing worrying."
There was a pause, one that slowly reminded the young Lucifer of what 'nothing worrying' the human might have been talking about.
He hid an irritated frown from the woman, realizing where things were ending up and he braced for the inevitable.
"What exactly did happen to have you two… share this bond?" The redhead finally asked, her eyes blinking and sporting curiosity over the matter. "What might have caused you two to get this close and-"
"Enough." The calm imposition ended up silencing the woman mid-sentence, her eyes widened in annoyance at the sudden uncalled interruption but Vali wasn't done yet.
"I will tell you what this is about and… you swear to me that you never tell this to anyone else."
Lilith blinked at that command. "That sounds too much for-"
"Swear it." He repeated with a sterner tone, eyes narrowing at the former Queen.
She blinked again, confusion evident even more than before but… she conceded him a nod.
He sighed and nodded back. "This happened… I would say a few days after we had our first mission in Kyoto," The young man started to explain. "It was supposed to be a minor role that we were going to deal as the mission itself was a risky one. So much risky that even Azazel was there to oversee its success."
There was a brief pause, he sighed drawing a tired and long one.
"And the reason why Hoitsu isn't keen to speak about it is because that very day is..."
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(Between Chapter 12 and 13)
The request itself had came from Hades himself, the conditions being far from easy to accomplish as the primary task was the search and the re-seal of someone that wasn't supposed to have been let free.
Azazel having descended upon Cocytus with a large majority of the organization, most of the heads of the Cadres joining this expedition to secure the important target, the monster that was now lurking inside the deadly land.
Vali scowled behind his blue-covered mask, the hooded mantle giving him little cover from the horrible cold that was so endlessly spread out in that Ice Hell deep inside the Realm of Dead.
Many others were suffering his same situation, even the now-irritated Hekishoku was coming to terms with the fact that magical flames didn't help in deterring the glacial weather persisting in that lower section of the Underworld.
Magic had little effect in fighting back this kind of eternal storm, the only means to keeping their bodies warm were the small seals that Shemhazai himself had provided with his own squadron to the rest of the division dispatched to this little crusade to find where the greatest prisoner of this section of this Realm was hiding.
It wasn't difficult to understand that there was only one possible suspect and… Vali couldn't certainly deny that a minor sense of dread and hesitation had taken hold on his chest, driven by Albion's numerous warnings over the individual they were meant to return back to its limited state.
Samael was considered to be something similar to Lucifer himself in terms of infamy and brutality, the reasons behind his Fall (which is considered the First Fall ever recorded) being related to his undeniable influence in having both Adam and Eve to consume the Apple of Knowledge.
He was the main reason why God harbored a strong hatred against Dragons and snakes, the reason why Christianity itself saw the two kind of animals as Devil-related monsters that had to be hunted down and killed.
Several Hosts of Dragon-made Sacred Gears were killed, torched or burned in stakes, condemned to a painful demise for several centuries and forcing a large population composed by Supernatural beings from other Pantheons to find refuge in small communities away from mundane people.
The perfect example being the wizards living in Europe, their lifestyle having reached a comfortable level of detachment from mankind as a whole.
But God's hatred towards Samael wasn't truly as unjust as it might appear, the former Angel having deserved this punishment if not worse for the creature he ended up becoming.
He reneged his connection with Dragons after decades of suffering, his new meaning of life being the full extermination of his former passion, his initial love for Dragon-kind.
His Curse Poison being more than enough to kill a High-Level Dragon in mere hours, the Fallen Monster having this substance running through his whole body and rendering him an effective predator to any kind of Dragons, may them be normal ones or Sacred Gears Hosts.
That is why, despite the assurance from Baraqiel and Azazel that he would be ignored because his scent would be masked by the storm, his nerves were still tense and his guard was ready to spring into action the moment he noticed even a glimpse of the horrible fiend wandering those icy wastelands.
The only thing that was far worse to endure, at least early on, was the constant whining coming from Hekishoku.
The human piped in every few minutes, his chatty mouth and his chattering teeth creating quite the irritating individual to be dealing with right now of all times.
Seriously, why would Baraqiel think that teaming someone like the moron with him would make him improve and grow? Why would Azazel even think of accepting this ridiculous proposal?!
Another proof that Grigori was far more flawed than he had learned it to be, that the organization was far too bloated in its administration to be considered a preferable place where the young Lucifer could have fostered his successful path to glory.
He had heard of a new group rising up with interesting individuals, strong individuals and his first impression about them had been… lame.
Kuroka, the dark-haired Nekoshou responsible for the extermination of a High-Level Devil and his peerage, had been responsible for the crucial role of try to kidnap the brat related to the leader of the Yokai faction sited in Kyoto.
Yasaka had been quite adamant from making step forwards at first with the dialogues, the woman expressing distrust regarding the past dealings afforded by Grigori and her hesitation had almost costed him his first diplomatic failure.
And then Hekishoku came along.
The human (his scent was human and there was no way in Hell that he wasn't one) had literally waltzed in, befriended the little girl and avoided her capture by someone that was leagues beyond him.
A mere rookie, someone that had little experience on the field, had somehow subverted a visible losing situation for Grigori, bringing up a strong connection between Japanese Yokais and the group led by Azazel.
The victory had guaranteed some more time to think and train, away from Kyoto's unbearable appearance and the limitations imposed by the mission itself, but Vali could hardly consider this a victory to call his.
It was the human's, a weak and inexperienced human that had somehow pulled an incredible miracle because of his dumb luck and granted success to the group silver-haired youth was affiliated to.
Annoyance barely fitted with the stinging sensation he felt at remembering what had happened, the aftermath being perceived far more bitter than sweet to the young Lucifer as his presence here had been superfluous and useless to the cause.
So the irritation was boiling up as Hekishoku continued to annoy with his complaining, his voice reminding him of something strident and infuriating that just existed to be the bane of his existence.
But before the culmination of his fury could be even touched, the entire column of Grigori members stopped, everyone pausing as the leading section had ordered to stop, saying nothing else but-
Stop.
Everyone tensed up as some distant noises coming from numerous meters away, right where the head of the column was, started to increase and get easier to understand.
Moments of uncertainty passed as it became more and more clear that they had ended up encountering something dangerous… that was making its way quickly towards them.
Hekishoku was the first to recover, starting to order the magicians assigned to their squads to prepare some traps as whatever monster was coming their way, it had to be stopped and killed if possible.
A tall order from a rookie but, despite the clear difference in ranks and experience, several members nodded in agreement and started to prepare some spells either by their palms or with their staffs.
Restless seconds passed, the noise of brutal fighting increasing more and more and… then he appeared.
Jumping up above, Samael roared angrily towards Vali.
His upper body was human-looking, his face covered with a blindfold from which tears of blood dropped from underneath; his inhuman-looking fangs and his lower-body that resembled an Eastern Dragon giving him the sense of monstrosity-
"DRAGON!" The former Angel demanded in an angry fit, rushing towards the partially-paralyzed Vali.
The intense energy erupting from that being, the hatred and pressure exerted by it being something that far exceeded anything he had ever experienced before in his life.
Not even Rizevim had been this bloodthirsty and-
"NOW!" Hekishoku roared back, the loud order was met with the quick execution of multiple volleys of explosive spells rushed at the approaching fiend, the bright spectacle that ensued creating a large earthquake that sent Vali recoiling numerous meters away from his initial position.
The explosive greeting was enough to get his brain to reboot and return his attention at the threat at hand, handing him several options in how to deal with this.
Even Albion's voice was concerned, the White Dragon surely perceiving the murderous intent expressed by the Dragon-hating Samael, but the real issue was that nothing here could genuinely maim him for long.
In fact, the mere peace that ensued lasted moments as the former Angel rushed vengefully towards the ones responsible for the failure of his early push.
The clawed dragonic feet tore easily through the cloaks of the various members of Fallen Angels and Magicians trying to either return the offense or stall the monster even for a moment.
Nothing was working, either the damage inflicted would vanish because of its regeneration or the stalling efforts were replied with more vehemence from the infuriated predator, slashing and cutting through his preys without mercy nor restraint.
Hekishoku was the only one managing to avoid most of the damage, some of his cloak being targeted as his speed barely kept up with Samael's unrelenting assault and his Silver Linings slowing down just enough the monstrous efforts exerted by this fiend for just killing a single individual.
"STAY STILL!"
"Make me?!" The human shot back with a snark, his palm forming a white orb that the young man was ready to throw at the fiend but, before he could cock his aim at the approaching creature, the serpentine tail suddenly whipped swiftly forwarding and slammed at the growing sphere.
The explosion sending Hekishoku flying a little feet, his cloak tearing even more as the cold started to finally form some ice on his now-exposed pants and shirt.
"Funny!" The former Angel called out loudly but emotionlessly. "And now you are mine!"
The tail quickly coiled around the human's neck, lifting his freezing body up as to stare at his mask.
"Any other sarcastic comeback, you fool? Do you wish to delay my rightful vengeance again?"
Hekishoku tilted his head in confusion. "Are you dumb?"
Before the monster could reply, electricity started to course out of the human's hands and, through the entire serpentine body, reached Samael's human-looking section.
Pain-riddled yelps and roars ensued; The monster slammed without hesitation his aggressor to the ground, something cracked as Hekishoku started to cough and tremble as the ice was finally building up once again.
Freed from the electric torture, the former Angel didn't hesitate to lift his tail and rush it down towards the downed human, ready to end the life of this annoying pest once and for all-
But despite the intrigue of being left partner-less and be given freedom away from that irritating bug, Vali couldn't certainly allow Samael to have any reprieve now that he was exposed.
His Balance Breaker was already in full display as he pushed his wings to their own limits, his armor slamming on the unsuspecting beast and sending him flying away with him, his plan of attack fairly simple.
By using Divine Dividing on a constant pattern on the creature's regenerative factor, the monstrous fiend was left exposed to be pummeled by some quick and unforgiving punches and kicks, giving him the best chance of disabling this threat before the situation could escalate to a worse degree.
This 'flawless' tactic lasted for about a full minute of endless attacking, never giving reprieve to his opponent as his punches and kicks started to render him tired and sore the more he overshot his attacks.
Then Samael managed to sneak one of his human hands on his scale mail, interrupting his beating and giving the monster the chance of recovering in the insanest way possible.
Slamming his head on Vali's Balance Breaker, the Lucifer was quick to feel the searing pain coming from a pair of fangs sinking on his shoulder.
He yelped in pain, his concentration disrupted as the poison started to enter inside his body, the effects immediate as his Scale Mail broke suddenly; leaving him to face the now-smirking Samael.
"You thought that a filthy Dragon like you could truly kill me?" His dry chuckle barely getting a reaction, Vali's brain burning as he tried to keep awake, his body fighting the poison the best possible but-
"I bet you want to fight even now that you are close to death," The monster sighed, shaking his head in disappointment. "Truly, you foul creatures are the worst and most disgusting fiends in this world."
The beast's human hands reached for his neck through the cloak, squeezing strongly at his neck and getting a gasp out of the Lucifer.
W-Was this his ultimate end?
Was this how- how he died? Against a bastard like Samael?
His sight started to darken, blurring as the poison continued to shattering the last resistance left in his body and pushing him to his last stand.
There was no strength, only trembling and suffering.
Everything burned, nothing felt fine as even the cold felt coarse on his skin; a sign his nerves were collapsing and-
A loud explosion ripped into the insane-looking fiend, the smoke reaching around him as he fell on the ground, the chokehold broken and his body now painfully lying on the cold snow.
Before Samael could react to the sudden attack, a beam of light-no, thousands of Silver Lining rushed at his frame. The immense quantity was enough to keep him stuck still and soon the strings began tightening and cutting through its skin, the slow process was then concluded by his body being chopped up and electrified for several moments.
His shrieks of fear and pain lasted for a some time and soon, the carbonized but still regenerating monster fell unconscious on the floor, twitching once or twice in a while as it suffered a… seizure.
A figure crouched beside Vali's dying body, frantically whispering as hands started to pull him closer to a somewhat cooler sensation, some pressure now exercised right by the bite holes left on his neck.
He felt growing limp, his eyes now unfocused as he felt the last essence of life vanishing before his eyes and… and maybe he could now go and see her, down below.
There was silence, there was peace and… he stopped hurting.
Moments of quiet passed, Vali's eyes blinking slowly as pain seemed to… have never existed, his body now reacting to the sensations properly but still heightened by the inflamed nerves recovering from the poison and-
Thud
His eyes quickly noticed the figure falling on the floor, Albion's screams finally blasting him off from his reverie as the situation slowly started to appear clearer much to his surprise and dread.
Breathing in pain, the partly ice-covered Hekishoku was struggling to keep up, his skin pale and his Core… close to be dried up by the experience.
The mask had survived, some cracks on it but nothing coming out of it and… Vali was mesmerized by the sight.
To see the human, aching here in front of him after he had neutralized Samael and… saved him.
Hekishoku, the weak human, the useless and insufferable moron, had saved him from certain death.
He blinked, he scowled and he wished to ignore all of this but-
But he was already on his feat, the young Lucifer slowly bringing the human in his hold and… he pushed him inside his cloak. With the moron's own cloak shredded, it was a miracle he hadn't died at the Ice Hell's exposure.
From the darkening fingertips, the young Devil couldn't help but flinch at the sign of poison, the idiot having surely used one of his spells to get the poison inside his body, purging it from the white-haired Lucifer's body.
He glanced at the carbonized living corpse with a sneer, his Balance Breaker reforming as he used Half Dimension to reduce the size of the pieces and put them in a magical bubble attached to him.
Without wasting further time, Vali jumped and he soared furiously through the sky as his wings tore through the endless storm. His destination being right where Azazel was supposed to be.
Time was short and he didn't have the patience to arrive too late!
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Present…
"After making sure he was healed and put to safety, I was given a strong lecture from Azazel," Vali continued to speak. "The man was furious for my decision to jump into action, to not organize a group retaliation instead of rushing individually at Samael."
Lilith sighed and nodded, waiting for his grandchild to explain the rest of the final part.
"Baraqiel was irritated too but… he was grateful that I had jumped in when I had the chance," He concluded with a sigh. "All in all… I did end up almost dead because of my own arrogance."
"Only for arrogance?" The woman questioned with a frown. "I think you are missing something important from this event, Vali. Something that is more than mere 'arrogance'."
The young man frowned. "I was too cocky-"
"And you paid the price, yes," The former Queen interjected. "But what if the reason that had you jump in that very moment wasn't arrogance? Why didn't you jump earlier if it was arrogance?"
The silver-haired Devil blinked and opened his mouth… only to close it up in self-confusion, for the first time in a long time he felt doubtful about that very life-changing event.
"You gave your life away, but it wasn't selfishness that drove you to face this gamble," Lilith stated with utter determination. "It was compassion. It was altruism."
"What?"
"If you were arrogant and unwilling to accept help, you would have left Hoitsu to die the moment you were up and running," The woman admitted with a sigh. "You weren't given the duty of keeping an eye out for him, nor were you responsible for his survival. You could have lied, but you decided to save him."
"It was a debt-"
"That wasn't forced upon you," The redhead interrupted with a snort. "You weren't coerced to help him against your wishes, you were urged by something within you."
"I- I'm not a-"
"Good person?" She shook her head and smiled brightly. "You are one of the best ones I've ever met."
"I-I'm a Devil, my father was a pureblooded Devil-"
"And your mother was a kind human woman," Lilith shot back with a snort, ignoring the fact that the young man had gone tense at the mentioning of his mother.
"Someone that cared for you even at the weakest, that gave you hope even in the worst cases. I've… I've sought the house you used back when..." She sighed, pausing just for a moment to recollect. "I've found a diary, it was hers and..."
Vali's eyes widened as he found himself staring at a small book, the woman slowly opening the last page and pointing at the words written there.
It was a message, a curt but well-written message that was left for-
To my baby boy, my strong child and… my last hope,
This could be considered my last will to you, my legacy I wish to rest upon your shoulders as a grand mantle to wear with pride and just righteousness.
I can say so much about my truest wishes about your future; I wish for you to become important, to have the best chance at life, to have a happy family and so much more.
But then I wouldn't be correct towards your own desires, towards your own chance at the world and…
That is why I will make sure to be quick but concise with what I wish from you.
I wish that you, my little Vali, learn to find real happiness from the world.
To find friends, to find a family, to find someone that truly matters to you and that never lets you go in the worst cases.
I wish you to be compassionate, to be humble and… that you live the best of lives.
I wish to tell you more, I wish to bring out more of the love I have for you, my son…
But time is scarce and this might be the last time I gift you something.
My legacy, for you to use at your caution and freedom…
It's compassion.
May you enjoy a brighter life and find love.
Goodbye, my lovely child.
The diary started to crumple up a little, his hand tightening its hold over the page. It wasn't enough to tear it but… then he saw the first tear drop on the paper.
A moment passed and soon more tears started to fall, forcing the now shaken individual to close the book and hide his expression with his free hand.
Lilith smiled sadly and slowly reached out her arm around his shoulders, bringing him close to her and hugging him a little.
Vali was silent, but the tears couldn't just resist to fall even more and the redhead wasn't going to tease him for doing so.
After all, can't a Devil be human too?
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AN
Any comment about Vali's representation here? I think this is a major point to his character's development.
Not the zenith, but something that accentuate the final lap to reach the conclusion of his growth.
As always, constructive criticism is more than welcome and… See you soon!
Future milestone 1: 1080 Followers and Favorite.
It was a cool morning that greeted the sore body of one Vali Lucifer.
A little groan mixed to a yawn left his lips as he slowly tried to move away from the cold ground, his bones feeling ready to snap at the terrible training he had just come through.
Lilith was merciless, that 'angelic' face was hiding centuries worth of fighting knowledge that made her rightfully-feared by most of the Underworld and Heaven combined.
It didn't help that she was treating this mentoring more as a game rather than a serious situation, her playful remarks as she delightfully breached his guard to deliver some earthshaking blows were enough to send the Lucifer's mind in a state of utter confusion and detachment from reality.
The challenge of fighting her without Balance Breaker and his Ultimate Form.
The Empireo Juggernaut Overdrive had been conceived in a moment of despair during the week of training in the worst region of Hell itself, his Balance Breaker failing to keep up with the never-ending horde of high-level monsters rushing at him for the kill.
He had dealt with them for four days, his mind sharp enough to understand their pattern, but still incapable of fending off so many attacks at once.
It had been a close call, he could remember his Scale Mail was chipped hit by hit while Albion screeched inside his head to retreat, to get in a better position instead of standing like that and tank this much damage.
But logic and reason were failing to urge him outside of that brutal carnage, something clicking so deep from his consciousness that he was forced to refuse everything and search.
He searched up, down, outside and then… inside.
There was his heartbeat, there was the pressure exerted by his panicking thoughts and Albion's irritated yelling and then…
There was something roaring, something accustomed to the Vanishing Dragon, but the Beast was failing to perceive it as it called out for action.
It wasn't craving at Albion, no. It was roaring at Vali.
And Vali did accept the roar, he made it his own.
The Scale Mail broke abruptly as an immense beam of light scorched the monsters in his proximity, dense and undeniable power rushing to his veins, to his core and… to his Soul.
He roared, his newer, stronger Scale Mail displaying the raw anger and strength that was now his to take.
Differently from the cumbersome Juggernaut Drive and the painful efforts required to keep it going through the senseless voices of the past Hosts to the Vanishing Dragon, Vali didn't feel any of that.
He felt lighter, without any worry and… strong.
It wasn't a mere boost, he could feel his own Magic providing a blinding sight as his own Core was quickly but surely overcoming anything he had seen happening with his grandmother.
Lilith's energy paled at the overwhelming waves of mana flowing through his body, power that seemed to make everything possible to the truest heir to Lucifer.
As much as Hoitsu could have dared to get close to the title, it was his birthright that it was at stake and he couldn't concede it to his partner.
It was his responsibility, burden and duty towards himself and… his mother.
The following waves of monsters that tried to get close to the renewed armor were all greeted by a gruesome massacre that saw their numbers dwindling in mere moments of pure speed and sheer brutality.
It was in that moment that he felt it, no- It was him.
Hoitsu's magic was flaring to a degree far higher than usual, but there was nothing similar to his known strongest form.
The brunet's core was burning like a sun, he could see light erupting from several kilometers away as a beam of light-gray exploded and clashed against the resilient barrier.
The silver-haired young man's jaws dropped as he saw the crack forming, Hoitsu's impressive feat proving once and for all that they were truly connected by something that transcended fate itself.
It was a bond that formed in so little time, but that was undeniably the strongest thing Vali had felt on a personal level.
The kinship, the mutual respect and trust…
The Lucifer couldn't help but gloat at the fact that despite Albion's protestations, despite the curious development presented by the Host of the Red Dragon Emperor in his grown, Hoitsu was his sole and only rival.
Absurdly so, a human had managed to reach so far. Ignoring all of this 'family connection', all of this senseless talk about proper bloodlines, the young Devil was put at odds against the greatest enemy for someone with the kind of claims he had laid over the Underworld.
A prodigy against a hard-worker, a sane man against a mad one.
And that memory flared again, that crucial experience that had elevated this topic up to his main thoughts.
He could still remember that moment in time.
Even now that he was so tiredly trying to get off the training floor, his arms and legs wobbling as Vali barely stood up, his attention snatched away as he heard a familiar giggle.
"So you are finally awake, Vali?" The mirthful smile plastered on the woman's face was more than enough to force the hybrid to stand up with a tense posture, trying to portray some faux capability before the former Queen of Hell.
The redhead approached him with an interested glint in her eyes, her antiquate dress having long been replaced by a simpler but comfortable half-sleeved light-purple blouse and a knee-long white skirt.
She paused just in front of him, blinking as she quietly waited for him to stabilize a little more and she proceeded to bash him with an annoyed look.
"You know, when someone greets you they expect you to return the favor, you brat."
Vali snorted. "The favor is regarding those that are worth the respect, you hag-"
The room turned chilly almost instantly as the woman's smile turned a sicker kind of sweet.
"Oh?" She mused quietly. "So, I'm a hag now?"
He was shivering a little and… he blinked as he realized that they were now sitting by one of the benches by the side of the fighting area, the woman holding a small box on her lap.
The pressure was released a few more moments later, Lilith giggling as she unfastened the little bow holding the box closed. "I baked a cake," She commented without input, the sudden shift in her mood putting a sense of confusion within the young man's mind.
Something was off with the curious mood-swing, but his attention was quickly taken away by the lovely fragrance coming from the chocolate cake.
The baked good had some milky icing with small flakes of vanilla spread all over it.
Why did she do-
"You have skipped dinner after you fell unconscious," The woman commented quietly. "I thought you would have liked a hearty breakfast to enjoy."
His stomach decided to rumble in that precise moment, embarrassment increasing even more at the knowing smile on the woman's face as she too heard the noise.
"I-I will take a slice."
There was no point in denying the fact that he indeed required some nourishment or he would have his body weakened by that unbalanced kind of training.
His metabolism would deal with the new fats and sweets in mere instant while also giving him some energy as he thought of his next steps.
Tomorrow was going to be the big day, the proper time for him to display his full release, his truest form and…
To finally have a real fight with Hoitsu.
Joining the tournament created and funded by the Bael Clan had been a difficult move, mostly because the clan was known to be arrogant and rather 'attached' to the idea of a pure Devil.
And since they loved Lucifer, having been his main supporters, and he was the product of a Devil and a Human it was sure going to be a nightmare to face certain annoying but politically-powerful individuals.
He took the offered fork and small plate with the slice, the first bite hovering close to his mouth before he gave it a taste.
The moment his tongue touched the texture and the sweet flavor, Vali's eyes widened in surprise and delight at the decently-made cake.
It wasn't something made by a top chef, the edges of the baked good were still overcooked and slightly-burned but the food was still good enough to enjoy in relative peace.
Lilith was smiling as she watched him react to her hand-made food, happy to know that she did it correctly and as she remembered it.
Vali mused inwardly over the ingredients, realizing that most of those were his favorites, chocolate and vanilla being the main elements he wanted to see in a sweet food baked for him and it had been just so long since he tried a proper cake.
It was smaller than one he would find at any elegant party back in the underworld but… it was well-crafted. He blinked, his tongue finally picking some familiarity within the texture and taste, something that came from the past but-
That couldn't be.
He glanced down at the plate and soon he started to realize that the 'breakfast' was awfully similar to something he had experienced many years ago.
Before his mind was troubled with the need of proving his strength, before he had to actually prove something to someone and himself.
Before his mother died, the loving woman would make the same kind of cakes for his birthdays.
He paused for a moment, his eyes lifting up in a curious display at the silent woman and Lilith looked away, feinting innocence as she seemed to genuinely know about this little connection.
He blinked again, his mouth restraining the questions building up from within his mind as he… just wanted to enjoy that cake.
After finishing the first slice, he asked for a second, the redhead's smile widening and twitching at the polite request as she happily granted him that.
The whole calm and relax felt odd at someone like the young man, his tense shoulders were now eased and his guard was dropped the lowest in years.
He felt safe and ready to enjoy some proper rest after the intense training session of the last two days, the preparation for the tournaments concluded as he could now divert his attention to plan out the possible match-ups with the known candidates and participants.
Some had bragged about it to the entire underworld, while others had no choice but broadcast their official entering to the media present in Hell.
Diehauser Belial had accepted the challenge, the Champion of multiple RG-Related tournaments having displayed curiosity and interest in taking part at the event, citing his intention to meet with Hoitsu Sakakibara.
That final comment had stirred some irritation from within Vali, causing the Lucifer to contemplate something far more vicious in case he ended up fighting the pretentious bastard in one of the tournament's matches.
And while his mind was drowning with the thoughts about the important days that was tomorrow, the young man was completely unaware that Lilith wasn't going to keep quiet in that very moment.
"Vali," She started with a calm tone. "May I ask you about something… about Hoitsu?"
The younger Devil frowned at the sudden query, feeling confused as of why the woman would want to know anything about his rival from him of all people.
The brunet and the redhead shared a friendly relationship, so why wouldn't she directly ask to Hoitsu himself about it? Was it something that the human hadn't wanted to tell her or… was it something about him too?
He merely nodded, curiosity overcoming his initial hesitation and the former Queen didn't waste any time in delivering her true question.
"Back when we first started training, you said that you were training to beat Hoitsu," She started with a careful approach, stealing another nod from Vali. "And when I asked Hoitsu if he knew why you were like this… he said that it wasn't nothing worrying."
There was a pause, one that slowly reminded the young Lucifer of what 'nothing worrying' the human might have been talking about.
He hid an irritated frown from the woman, realizing where things were ending up and he braced for the inevitable.
"What exactly did happen to have you two… share this bond?" The redhead finally asked, her eyes blinking and sporting curiosity over the matter. "What might have caused you two to get this close and-"
"Enough." The calm imposition ended up silencing the woman mid-sentence, her eyes widened in annoyance at the sudden uncalled interruption but Vali wasn't done yet.
"I will tell you what this is about and… you swear to me that you never tell this to anyone else."
Lilith blinked at that command. "That sounds too much for-"
"Swear it." He repeated with a sterner tone, eyes narrowing at the former Queen.
She blinked again, confusion evident even more than before but… she conceded him a nod.
He sighed and nodded back. "This happened… I would say a few days after we had our first mission in Kyoto," The young man started to explain. "It was supposed to be a minor role that we were going to deal as the mission itself was a risky one. So much risky that even Azazel was there to oversee its success."
There was a brief pause, he sighed drawing a tired and long one.
"And the reason why Hoitsu isn't keen to speak about it is because that very day is..."
"We both came close to die that day."
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(Between Chapter 12 and 13)
The request itself had came from Hades himself, the conditions being far from easy to accomplish as the primary task was the search and the re-seal of someone that wasn't supposed to have been let free.
Azazel having descended upon Cocytus with a large majority of the organization, most of the heads of the Cadres joining this expedition to secure the important target, the monster that was now lurking inside the deadly land.
Vali scowled behind his blue-covered mask, the hooded mantle giving him little cover from the horrible cold that was so endlessly spread out in that Ice Hell deep inside the Realm of Dead.
Many others were suffering his same situation, even the now-irritated Hekishoku was coming to terms with the fact that magical flames didn't help in deterring the glacial weather persisting in that lower section of the Underworld.
Magic had little effect in fighting back this kind of eternal storm, the only means to keeping their bodies warm were the small seals that Shemhazai himself had provided with his own squadron to the rest of the division dispatched to this little crusade to find where the greatest prisoner of this section of this Realm was hiding.
It wasn't difficult to understand that there was only one possible suspect and… Vali couldn't certainly deny that a minor sense of dread and hesitation had taken hold on his chest, driven by Albion's numerous warnings over the individual they were meant to return back to its limited state.
Samael was considered to be something similar to Lucifer himself in terms of infamy and brutality, the reasons behind his Fall (which is considered the First Fall ever recorded) being related to his undeniable influence in having both Adam and Eve to consume the Apple of Knowledge.
He was the main reason why God harbored a strong hatred against Dragons and snakes, the reason why Christianity itself saw the two kind of animals as Devil-related monsters that had to be hunted down and killed.
Several Hosts of Dragon-made Sacred Gears were killed, torched or burned in stakes, condemned to a painful demise for several centuries and forcing a large population composed by Supernatural beings from other Pantheons to find refuge in small communities away from mundane people.
The perfect example being the wizards living in Europe, their lifestyle having reached a comfortable level of detachment from mankind as a whole.
But God's hatred towards Samael wasn't truly as unjust as it might appear, the former Angel having deserved this punishment if not worse for the creature he ended up becoming.
He reneged his connection with Dragons after decades of suffering, his new meaning of life being the full extermination of his former passion, his initial love for Dragon-kind.
His Curse Poison being more than enough to kill a High-Level Dragon in mere hours, the Fallen Monster having this substance running through his whole body and rendering him an effective predator to any kind of Dragons, may them be normal ones or Sacred Gears Hosts.
That is why, despite the assurance from Baraqiel and Azazel that he would be ignored because his scent would be masked by the storm, his nerves were still tense and his guard was ready to spring into action the moment he noticed even a glimpse of the horrible fiend wandering those icy wastelands.
The only thing that was far worse to endure, at least early on, was the constant whining coming from Hekishoku.
The human piped in every few minutes, his chatty mouth and his chattering teeth creating quite the irritating individual to be dealing with right now of all times.
Seriously, why would Baraqiel think that teaming someone like the moron with him would make him improve and grow? Why would Azazel even think of accepting this ridiculous proposal?!
Another proof that Grigori was far more flawed than he had learned it to be, that the organization was far too bloated in its administration to be considered a preferable place where the young Lucifer could have fostered his successful path to glory.
He had heard of a new group rising up with interesting individuals, strong individuals and his first impression about them had been… lame.
Kuroka, the dark-haired Nekoshou responsible for the extermination of a High-Level Devil and his peerage, had been responsible for the crucial role of try to kidnap the brat related to the leader of the Yokai faction sited in Kyoto.
Yasaka had been quite adamant from making step forwards at first with the dialogues, the woman expressing distrust regarding the past dealings afforded by Grigori and her hesitation had almost costed him his first diplomatic failure.
And then Hekishoku came along.
The human (his scent was human and there was no way in Hell that he wasn't one) had literally waltzed in, befriended the little girl and avoided her capture by someone that was leagues beyond him.
A mere rookie, someone that had little experience on the field, had somehow subverted a visible losing situation for Grigori, bringing up a strong connection between Japanese Yokais and the group led by Azazel.
The victory had guaranteed some more time to think and train, away from Kyoto's unbearable appearance and the limitations imposed by the mission itself, but Vali could hardly consider this a victory to call his.
It was the human's, a weak and inexperienced human that had somehow pulled an incredible miracle because of his dumb luck and granted success to the group silver-haired youth was affiliated to.
Annoyance barely fitted with the stinging sensation he felt at remembering what had happened, the aftermath being perceived far more bitter than sweet to the young Lucifer as his presence here had been superfluous and useless to the cause.
So the irritation was boiling up as Hekishoku continued to annoy with his complaining, his voice reminding him of something strident and infuriating that just existed to be the bane of his existence.
But before the culmination of his fury could be even touched, the entire column of Grigori members stopped, everyone pausing as the leading section had ordered to stop, saying nothing else but-
Stop.
Everyone tensed up as some distant noises coming from numerous meters away, right where the head of the column was, started to increase and get easier to understand.
Moments of uncertainty passed as it became more and more clear that they had ended up encountering something dangerous… that was making its way quickly towards them.
Hekishoku was the first to recover, starting to order the magicians assigned to their squads to prepare some traps as whatever monster was coming their way, it had to be stopped and killed if possible.
A tall order from a rookie but, despite the clear difference in ranks and experience, several members nodded in agreement and started to prepare some spells either by their palms or with their staffs.
Restless seconds passed, the noise of brutal fighting increasing more and more and… then he appeared.
Jumping up above, Samael roared angrily towards Vali.
His upper body was human-looking, his face covered with a blindfold from which tears of blood dropped from underneath; his inhuman-looking fangs and his lower-body that resembled an Eastern Dragon giving him the sense of monstrosity-
"DRAGON!" The former Angel demanded in an angry fit, rushing towards the partially-paralyzed Vali.
The intense energy erupting from that being, the hatred and pressure exerted by it being something that far exceeded anything he had ever experienced before in his life.
Not even Rizevim had been this bloodthirsty and-
"NOW!" Hekishoku roared back, the loud order was met with the quick execution of multiple volleys of explosive spells rushed at the approaching fiend, the bright spectacle that ensued creating a large earthquake that sent Vali recoiling numerous meters away from his initial position.
The explosive greeting was enough to get his brain to reboot and return his attention at the threat at hand, handing him several options in how to deal with this.
Even Albion's voice was concerned, the White Dragon surely perceiving the murderous intent expressed by the Dragon-hating Samael, but the real issue was that nothing here could genuinely maim him for long.
In fact, the mere peace that ensued lasted moments as the former Angel rushed vengefully towards the ones responsible for the failure of his early push.
The clawed dragonic feet tore easily through the cloaks of the various members of Fallen Angels and Magicians trying to either return the offense or stall the monster even for a moment.
Nothing was working, either the damage inflicted would vanish because of its regeneration or the stalling efforts were replied with more vehemence from the infuriated predator, slashing and cutting through his preys without mercy nor restraint.
Hekishoku was the only one managing to avoid most of the damage, some of his cloak being targeted as his speed barely kept up with Samael's unrelenting assault and his Silver Linings slowing down just enough the monstrous efforts exerted by this fiend for just killing a single individual.
"STAY STILL!"
"Make me?!" The human shot back with a snark, his palm forming a white orb that the young man was ready to throw at the fiend but, before he could cock his aim at the approaching creature, the serpentine tail suddenly whipped swiftly forwarding and slammed at the growing sphere.
The explosion sending Hekishoku flying a little feet, his cloak tearing even more as the cold started to finally form some ice on his now-exposed pants and shirt.
"Funny!" The former Angel called out loudly but emotionlessly. "And now you are mine!"
The tail quickly coiled around the human's neck, lifting his freezing body up as to stare at his mask.
"Any other sarcastic comeback, you fool? Do you wish to delay my rightful vengeance again?"
Hekishoku tilted his head in confusion. "Are you dumb?"
Before the monster could reply, electricity started to course out of the human's hands and, through the entire serpentine body, reached Samael's human-looking section.
Pain-riddled yelps and roars ensued; The monster slammed without hesitation his aggressor to the ground, something cracked as Hekishoku started to cough and tremble as the ice was finally building up once again.
Freed from the electric torture, the former Angel didn't hesitate to lift his tail and rush it down towards the downed human, ready to end the life of this annoying pest once and for all-
But despite the intrigue of being left partner-less and be given freedom away from that irritating bug, Vali couldn't certainly allow Samael to have any reprieve now that he was exposed.
His Balance Breaker was already in full display as he pushed his wings to their own limits, his armor slamming on the unsuspecting beast and sending him flying away with him, his plan of attack fairly simple.
By using Divine Dividing on a constant pattern on the creature's regenerative factor, the monstrous fiend was left exposed to be pummeled by some quick and unforgiving punches and kicks, giving him the best chance of disabling this threat before the situation could escalate to a worse degree.
This 'flawless' tactic lasted for about a full minute of endless attacking, never giving reprieve to his opponent as his punches and kicks started to render him tired and sore the more he overshot his attacks.
Then Samael managed to sneak one of his human hands on his scale mail, interrupting his beating and giving the monster the chance of recovering in the insanest way possible.
Slamming his head on Vali's Balance Breaker, the Lucifer was quick to feel the searing pain coming from a pair of fangs sinking on his shoulder.
He yelped in pain, his concentration disrupted as the poison started to enter inside his body, the effects immediate as his Scale Mail broke suddenly; leaving him to face the now-smirking Samael.
"You thought that a filthy Dragon like you could truly kill me?" His dry chuckle barely getting a reaction, Vali's brain burning as he tried to keep awake, his body fighting the poison the best possible but-
"I bet you want to fight even now that you are close to death," The monster sighed, shaking his head in disappointment. "Truly, you foul creatures are the worst and most disgusting fiends in this world."
The beast's human hands reached for his neck through the cloak, squeezing strongly at his neck and getting a gasp out of the Lucifer.
W-Was this his ultimate end?
Was this how- how he died? Against a bastard like Samael?
His sight started to darken, blurring as the poison continued to shattering the last resistance left in his body and pushing him to his last stand.
There was no strength, only trembling and suffering.
Everything burned, nothing felt fine as even the cold felt coarse on his skin; a sign his nerves were collapsing and-
A loud explosion ripped into the insane-looking fiend, the smoke reaching around him as he fell on the ground, the chokehold broken and his body now painfully lying on the cold snow.
Before Samael could react to the sudden attack, a beam of light-no, thousands of Silver Lining rushed at his frame. The immense quantity was enough to keep him stuck still and soon the strings began tightening and cutting through its skin, the slow process was then concluded by his body being chopped up and electrified for several moments.
His shrieks of fear and pain lasted for a some time and soon, the carbonized but still regenerating monster fell unconscious on the floor, twitching once or twice in a while as it suffered a… seizure.
A figure crouched beside Vali's dying body, frantically whispering as hands started to pull him closer to a somewhat cooler sensation, some pressure now exercised right by the bite holes left on his neck.
He felt growing limp, his eyes now unfocused as he felt the last essence of life vanishing before his eyes and… and maybe he could now go and see her, down below.
There was silence, there was peace and… he stopped hurting.
Moments of quiet passed, Vali's eyes blinking slowly as pain seemed to… have never existed, his body now reacting to the sensations properly but still heightened by the inflamed nerves recovering from the poison and-
Thud
His eyes quickly noticed the figure falling on the floor, Albion's screams finally blasting him off from his reverie as the situation slowly started to appear clearer much to his surprise and dread.
Breathing in pain, the partly ice-covered Hekishoku was struggling to keep up, his skin pale and his Core… close to be dried up by the experience.
The mask had survived, some cracks on it but nothing coming out of it and… Vali was mesmerized by the sight.
To see the human, aching here in front of him after he had neutralized Samael and… saved him.
Hekishoku, the weak human, the useless and insufferable moron, had saved him from certain death.
He blinked, he scowled and he wished to ignore all of this but-
But he was already on his feat, the young Lucifer slowly bringing the human in his hold and… he pushed him inside his cloak. With the moron's own cloak shredded, it was a miracle he hadn't died at the Ice Hell's exposure.
From the darkening fingertips, the young Devil couldn't help but flinch at the sign of poison, the idiot having surely used one of his spells to get the poison inside his body, purging it from the white-haired Lucifer's body.
He glanced at the carbonized living corpse with a sneer, his Balance Breaker reforming as he used Half Dimension to reduce the size of the pieces and put them in a magical bubble attached to him.
Without wasting further time, Vali jumped and he soared furiously through the sky as his wings tore through the endless storm. His destination being right where Azazel was supposed to be.
Time was short and he didn't have the patience to arrive too late!
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Present…
"After making sure he was healed and put to safety, I was given a strong lecture from Azazel," Vali continued to speak. "The man was furious for my decision to jump into action, to not organize a group retaliation instead of rushing individually at Samael."
Lilith sighed and nodded, waiting for his grandchild to explain the rest of the final part.
"Baraqiel was irritated too but… he was grateful that I had jumped in when I had the chance," He concluded with a sigh. "All in all… I did end up almost dead because of my own arrogance."
"Only for arrogance?" The woman questioned with a frown. "I think you are missing something important from this event, Vali. Something that is more than mere 'arrogance'."
The young man frowned. "I was too cocky-"
"And you paid the price, yes," The former Queen interjected. "But what if the reason that had you jump in that very moment wasn't arrogance? Why didn't you jump earlier if it was arrogance?"
The silver-haired Devil blinked and opened his mouth… only to close it up in self-confusion, for the first time in a long time he felt doubtful about that very life-changing event.
"You gave your life away, but it wasn't selfishness that drove you to face this gamble," Lilith stated with utter determination. "It was compassion. It was altruism."
"What?"
"If you were arrogant and unwilling to accept help, you would have left Hoitsu to die the moment you were up and running," The woman admitted with a sigh. "You weren't given the duty of keeping an eye out for him, nor were you responsible for his survival. You could have lied, but you decided to save him."
"It was a debt-"
"That wasn't forced upon you," The redhead interrupted with a snort. "You weren't coerced to help him against your wishes, you were urged by something within you."
"I- I'm not a-"
"Good person?" She shook her head and smiled brightly. "You are one of the best ones I've ever met."
"I-I'm a Devil, my father was a pureblooded Devil-"
"And your mother was a kind human woman," Lilith shot back with a snort, ignoring the fact that the young man had gone tense at the mentioning of his mother.
"Someone that cared for you even at the weakest, that gave you hope even in the worst cases. I've… I've sought the house you used back when..." She sighed, pausing just for a moment to recollect. "I've found a diary, it was hers and..."
Vali's eyes widened as he found himself staring at a small book, the woman slowly opening the last page and pointing at the words written there.
It was a message, a curt but well-written message that was left for-
To my baby boy, my strong child and… my last hope,
This could be considered my last will to you, my legacy I wish to rest upon your shoulders as a grand mantle to wear with pride and just righteousness.
I can say so much about my truest wishes about your future; I wish for you to become important, to have the best chance at life, to have a happy family and so much more.
But then I wouldn't be correct towards your own desires, towards your own chance at the world and…
That is why I will make sure to be quick but concise with what I wish from you.
I wish that you, my little Vali, learn to find real happiness from the world.
To find friends, to find a family, to find someone that truly matters to you and that never lets you go in the worst cases.
I wish you to be compassionate, to be humble and… that you live the best of lives.
I wish to tell you more, I wish to bring out more of the love I have for you, my son…
But time is scarce and this might be the last time I gift you something.
My legacy, for you to use at your caution and freedom…
It's compassion.
May you enjoy a brighter life and find love.
Goodbye, my lovely child.
The diary started to crumple up a little, his hand tightening its hold over the page. It wasn't enough to tear it but… then he saw the first tear drop on the paper.
A moment passed and soon more tears started to fall, forcing the now shaken individual to close the book and hide his expression with his free hand.
Lilith smiled sadly and slowly reached out her arm around his shoulders, bringing him close to her and hugging him a little.
Vali was silent, but the tears couldn't just resist to fall even more and the redhead wasn't going to tease him for doing so.
After all, can't a Devil be human too?
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AN
Any comment about Vali's representation here? I think this is a major point to his character's development.
Not the zenith, but something that accentuate the final lap to reach the conclusion of his growth.
As always, constructive criticism is more than welcome and… See you soon!
Future milestone 1: 1080 Followers and Favorite.
