It was a bright and sunny day, yet one that was not too hot – the kind where children would rush out of their cottages after bidding their mothers good-bye to dance and frolic in the gra.s.sy fields.In the middle of one such verdant, gra.s.sy field stood a tall and healthy tree with green leaves that shone with vitality and purple flowers in full bloom. From that tree hung a swing, and on that swing sat a girl in the prime of her youth, radiant in her beauty.
She was gorgeous with a face that would put a G.o.ddess to shame, chiselled and dignified and yet still soft with the tinges of her youth. She was laughing as she swung back and forth on the swing, pure joy seen clearly on her face as her eyelids were half-closed in happiness.
Her laughter seemed to affect even the gra.s.s, trees and wind around her, with the greenery swaying gently and happily along with her laughter. If one could see or hear it, one would feel as if they had ascended to a heavenly place, an Elysium devoid of sorrow or pain.
Seated on the swing and going forwards and backwards in nearly a full semi-circle, the radiant girl was looking behind her, gaze fixed on the man behind her, eyes enamoured with the deepest of love and devotion.
"Even if the world collapses, just being with you… Is enough for me…" she continued to laugh like bells ringing, a dreamy look on her face as she felt his gentle yet strong hands push her to swing again and again.
They played, they rolled in the gra.s.s in one another"s embrace, they breathed in the sun, the gra.s.s, the dew and the wondrous smells of nature"s glory as they lay together.
She was happy, more than happy – completely content with their lot in life, as long as she had him.
As the afternoon sun began to turn to the golden-orange rays of the sunset, they stood beneath the tallest tree of the entire forest, plains and fields. This tree was so tall that, if one stood on it"s peak, one would be able to see a thousand kilometres away, even over the far horizon. And when standing at the peak of luxuriant red leaves, one would feel that they would be able to just reach out and grasp the clouds.
As the sun began to dip, the girl with purple hair stood at the base of the tree and looked up, calling out, "h.e.l.lo uncle Red! Bring us up!"
A loud rumble and a great creaking resounded as one hefty branch of the mighty red oak tree stretched down until one part at the tip large enough to sit on was level with the ground.
"Thank you!" the girl clapped her hands together in delight and hopped on to the branch, then reached out her hand to her companion, smiling.
"Let"s go up – I want to show you my world!" she looked expectantly at the love of her life, eyes br.i.m.m.i.n.g with joy and pride to be his and for him to be hers.
He beamed at her as he reached out his hand, but he stopped just before, hesitating and biting his lips.
"What"s wrong…?" her face fell for a moment as she wondered what could have happened.
"Belic... I"ll come up with you to your world… But…" he looked her flat in the eyes as his smooth voice trailed off.
"But what…? Aerol, you know I"ll do anything for you…!" desperate to please him, the purple haired 16 year old hopped off the tree branch and lunged forward to hold Aerol"s arms and shook him. Her voice shook and her eyes trembled, just as her heart was shaken and felt crushed at the thought that there could be something that would take her beloved away from her.
But he avoided her gaze, turning away and taking a sharp breath. She didn"t know why, but despite the warmth still exuded by the earth, the warmth of dusk, her hands were cold and her body too.
Aerol paused for a moment, brows furrowing as if in indecision, struggling to make up his mind. Seeing this, Belic"s eyes welled up with water that nearly spilled over. Her vision grew blurry, but she did not reach up to wipe them away, only holding on tight to her beloved lest he fly away into the sunset.
"Aerol, you, you know I love you and I"ll, I"d do anything for you! Please, please just tell me… Please!" she begged him, pulling on his hands, tears streaming down her face and she looked up at him with pleading eyes, until finally he relented.
He pursed his lips, then met her eyes squarely and said, "Belic… Will you be my…"
He stopped halfway, looking at her seriously as he held her face in his hands.
"Aerol… Will I be your… Your what…?" Her face burned, her heart thumped, she felt as if she had died and come back to life and died again as she stood there, not knowing what she was saying.
All she knew was that she would say yes – no matter what.
Aerol"s eyes turned hard, his expression growing deep and unfathomable. But this was lost to the girl who only had hearts in her eyes.
Then he spoke.
"Will you be my angel…? My angel of war…"
Not hesitating in the least, the love-struck girl said yes, gazing up into her captor"s eyes helplessly, a prisoner not struggling in the least as she was held in the hands of a predator.
Then they kissed, and the memories of sunlight, tears and doubt melted away under the veil of love.
* * * * *
"s.h.i.+t! What the ****!!!! What the h.e.l.l was that!!"
Lars woke up abruptly, spitting in disgust as he wiped his mouth and looked around hurriedly for water to wash and gargle his mouth.
He could still feel the hot breath of the man, Aerol, the touch of the lips, the moisture of an appendage as it snaked into his mouth…
Face turning pale, he turned and gagged, trying to vomit – but nothing came out.
Some moments later and after many attempts to cleanse his mouth and lips, Lars finally settled himself down and resolved to expunge the memory from his mind.
"Belic"s memories… Hmm… So the door of gluttony devours not just the target"s powers, but also some memories…? But apart from this, I didn"t get anything, no plans, no names, no faces, nothing… And I only received a memory from Belic. Perhaps it is only the strongest and deepest memories that can be devoured? Or perhaps it"s just that the soul fragment was too... Fragmented…?"
Lars mused as he sat beside Luca and monitored her condition while reviewing and making his plans.
Luca"s heart had resumed beating and her body was now alive and well, however, she showed no signs of regaining consciousness. About matters of the body and anatomy, Lars had a wealth of knowledge from his endless hours in the library both as a civilian and in the army. However, as for matters of the soul and mind, these were something that he had not enough exposure to.
He was not sure what having one"s heart ripped out and lungs damaged and left with a gaping hole in their chest for a minute and a half would do to one"s soul and mind. Would a person still be left with their consciousness, their self…? He did not know.
What he did know was that he would have to take care of her and monitor her condition. It would be best if she woke up on her own, but he would also delve into studies on the soul and mind"s restoration from this point on.
He sighed. It seemed that responsibilities, grudges, enemies – these would endlessly increase.
There were so many thoughts in his mind in this moment of quiet and repose. Thoughts of Sara, Moira, his birth parents both in this world and on Earth. His fallen brothers and sisters of the 108th platoon… He thought about the people of Gorun city, the Devil invasion, the kidnapped children…
Sara – did he love her anymore? It seemed so distant, so far away – almost like another life. No, literally, it was a story of his past life, wasn"t it…?
And yet, he owed her a debt as well – the necklace he had worn around his neck, the one that Kizorik and Demon Hunter Marzinus had said was an heirloom of the Demon Hunting Art"s founder…
"Strange… She gave it to me… So doesn"t that mean that she is the heir of the Demon Hunting Arts…? But… What has got me confused is that my bloodline inheritance is that of Insight, exactly the bloodline ability of the Demon Hunting Arts founder… Too confusing…"
Lars sighed again. He set this riddle aside as he thought about Moira. How was she doing? Was she better off as a princess of a nation than being by his side…? Even if he now had the power to just take her away, would that… Make her happy? Should he instead join her and stay by her side…?
The Darkness – Lord Aerol and the Divine Light Lord – Sun Lord. Also two schemers who he needed to deal with. But they were still too far above his current league – based on the power hierarchy, he had not even entered the Semi-divine realm yet, much less to contend with divine powerhouses…!
And the dastardly All-Heaven Divine Empire. When he thought about the All-Father… He felt small. Infinitely small. The best he could do would be to travel there covertly and disrupt any further invasion of Earth – to be a small spanner in their cogs.
To challenge the All-Father… He needed power. Far, far greater power. For that, he had some plans in mind and some preparations to be made on this world before he returned in 5 days.
Having put his mind to rest, he turned his attention to the last task to be cleared before he brought Luca to leave this place – digesting the power of laws he had just obtained…