Chapter 11

* Yonuro saw a dream *

She dreamt of herself and Ramel during their tough seven-day-long travel to get the Pendant of Immortality...

(...)

Yonuro- Finally, we've arrived, Ramael. Rein's Palace stands before us.

Ramael was quite exhausted from the overuse of her powers and just nodded.

The moment someone opened the Palace's enormous entry door, Yonuro entered the building as well. After a few seconds, though, Ramael was unable to use her powers any longer, she had completely ran out of Holy energy.

Ramael- Yonuro... I can't...

Then, Yonuro became visible to the person who opened the door.

When he saw her, Yonuro panicked. However she didn't fully lose her coolness.

Yonuro- Good afternoon, sir. Ehm.. Fret not. I am---

Guard- HADNS UP! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE WITHOUT PERMISSION? YOU LOOK LIKE AN... ANGEL, BUT... ANGELS CANNOT LIVE HERE. WHO ARE YOU?!

Yonuro continued speaking in a formal way.

Yonuro- Excuse me, I haven't presented myself yet. I am the head-nun of Wargram's Church. I have a message to deliver to the higher-ups, especially to Patriarch Soda. Here, let me show you the letter I've got to deliver to him.

The guard approached Yonuro. Then, Yonuro head locked the guard, covered his mouth and quietly brought him to a corner. She made an "Oof" sound before continuing onwards, henceforth, without Ramael's invisibility incantation.

After a while, she heard a few voices talking. Fortunately, they didn't come from the same room she was in, but from the Demonic Council's Desicion Making Department. She saw, through the door's lock, 6 people sitting on a black round table. She didn't expect to recognize one of the participants. She saw the same person as in a picture in the abandoned apartment a week ago.

Yeah, she was definetely Aria, even though a little bit different. As their conversation continued, she understood that Aria was now a Pure Demonic Lord, not a human. The thing that really stood out to her though was the following, when she heard her say;

Aria- Yeah that would be for the best— No THAT'S NOT HAPPENING!

Yonuro reacted the same way as the other 5 Council members. She was really puzzled... But she stood there waiting for Ramael's energy to recharge, as well as discover the end result of the meeting.

The moment they were about to cast their votes on what should be done, Ramael thought that there would be chaos they could use to their advantage. Indeed, quite a few of the Guards who protected the Pendant moved toward the Decision Making department.

Ramael- Now's our chance, Yonuro!

Ramael covered Yonuro's entire body and used her remaining strength to make her invisible. Yonuro quickly ran to the Pendant's safe. There were 4 guards left that Yonuro had to take down. As she entered the room, Yonuro threw Ramael upwards thus revealing her face.

Yonuro- Hey there, everyone!

(whispering) "Ramael, "

Ramael- Angelic Ray!

Yonuro quickly punched one guard, kicked the other and Ramael took care of the third one. The last guard that witnessed the event tried to flee while screaming for his life.

Guard- AHHHHHH!!!

Alas, he slipped and fall. Yonuro laughed a bit before hitting him with her elbow. That was enough to render him unconscious.

Then, she saw the Pendant of Immortality. It was just half a meter away. She stretched her hand and grabbed it. The moment she briefly looked at the Pendant's icon, an alarm was set off that scared her. The instance the sound was heard, the guards in the vicinity swiftly ran to the Pendant's room.

Yonuro- Ramael, do you have any energy left?

Ramael- Just a little bit left, but don't worry, it's enough.

As soon as they made it in, the guards became stunned. The pendant was gone, and the culprit had vanished into thin air...

When Yonuro left the room and searched for somewhere safe to use the Pendant's power, she saw Hellva, Sadron and Aria fighting.

Yonuro thought to herself the following. "Did Aria object to killing Aniik and decided to confront everyone to save Aniik through dialogue?!"

Yonuro- Aria.. I had completely misunderstood you...

The room then darkened as nature reacted to the powerful incantation cast by Hellva. Yonuro inaudibly screamed when she saw the pain Aria felt... She was then angered by that and absolutely determined to do something about it. So, she approached Aria and said

Yonuro- Ra' Mén. May these blessed words heal this tortured soul...

Light particles of Holy Energy filled Yonuro's field of view...

———————————————————————

Yonuro- Ahhh?!

Yonuro woke up.

She blinked 2 times before noticing the blinding rays of the sun. She felt her body extremely exhausted and hurt. Nevertheless, she stood up, used her hand as a shield to block the sun and observed her surroundings. She was in the Overworld...

Yonuro managed to use the Pendant of immortality to travel back to the Overworld. However, she wasn't sure where she was... The non-urban scene she was looking at made her feel lost and confused. It was more like an agricultural area with nothing nearly close to buildings or adcanced civilization. Just a few small old houses and a gas station that could be noticed nearby.

Yonuro- What on earth...? (looks left and right) Where are we?

Ramael didn't speak a word about all this, so Yonuro tried waking her up. The eager attempt however was completely redundant. Ramael was well awake, but seemed even more exhausted than Yonuro so she was more quiet than usual.

Yonuro- Oh, you're awake... Can you tell where the fuck are we? I mean we're in the Overworld alright but...

Ramael- (...)

Yonuro- Hm... You don't know either.. Let's go toward that gas station, we might learn something.

Ramael- Yeah... (she slightly nodded)

It took them a couple of minutes on foot. The moment they got there, Yonuro noticed that the door of the building was broken and shattered pieces of glass had fallen down.

Yonuro- Hello? Is anyone there..? Hm?!

Yonuro saw a dead body with most of its limbs disintegrated. Her eyes widened and a loud scream soon followed.

Yonuro- AHHHH!

It was a natural reaction. Even Ramael was surprised and somewhat scared by that, despite her participance in many wars prior to the Barrier's formation.

After shaking her head in disgust and fear, Yonuro noticed what had truly gone wrong there. The interior of the gas station was a complete mess. Each counter that hosted goods was down on the floor, the windows were broken, numerous cardboards were torn apart...

Yonuro and Ramael had witnessed something similar before, even though that time there was nothing left standing. It was yet another Rift...

Ramael- (...)

Despite the current situation, Ramael still did not comment on anything.

When Yonuro got a hold of herself, she began looking around the station.

Yonuro- Hm... Let's see...

She walked carefully and slowly, avoiding the dead body and quite a few other obsactles. As she approached the counter, she noticed a receipt from a week ago. After giving it a quick look, she said.

Yonuro- Okay, so we're in the outskirts of Yonaga city. A bit far away from home but close enough. Let's inform Samei.

Ramael- Yeah— Ugh......

Yonuro- Ramael, are you okay? What happened?!

Ramael then averted her gaze and answered Yonuro's question.

Ramael- It's from all the exhaustion... Don't worry...

Yonuro- (...)

Yonuro didn't want to make things awkward and left things there, despite having the feeling that something might have happened.

She made a "Hm" sound and pressed her bracelet's operation button. A hologram of Samei appeared.

Hologram Samei- YONURO! Are you okay? Did you get the thingy?

Yonuro- Yup, we did! But we're in Champ lonsonline, in the outskirts of the city. Can you like... call someone to pick us up?

Samei- Sure thing, you'll be back in no time!

Yonuro- Thanks!

Yonuro then found a few snacks that had fallen from the counters due to the rift's appearance. She opened one, took a potato chip and ate it (HI! HA!)

She continued doing that until the bag was half empy. That was enough to keep her alive and save her from starvation. She offered the remaining chips to Ramael. Ramael though, is unable to eat and just stared at the chips in confusion.

Ramael- JIIIII---- (stare)

About 5 minutes later, the sound of a vehicle approaching drowned out the crunchy noise the chips made, while being munched by Yonuro. Yonuro then attached Ramael onto herself and hurried to the exit.

Yonuro- Let's go Ramael, .

As she exited the building, she saw a motorcycle approaching her location. When it got close enough, it abruptly stopped. The driver, then, removed their helmet. Yonuro never expected to see her.

Yonuro- Wow!... IS THAT... SAMEI?!

Samei- Hey! Yes, it's me! Long time no see, Yonuro!!!

Samei had vastly changed. Her hair was not caught up in a ponytail anymore and instead of glasses, she wore contact lenses. After putting away her helmet, the vivid wind blew her golden hair away, thus making crystal clear the light blue color of her eyes. The outfit she wore was also different. She usually wears skirts, but now she had black jeans and a beautiful short-sleeved white top with a few noticable japanese characters on the chest area. Also, Yonuro noticed a few of tatoos on Samei's body.

Samei- As you have noticed, I can drive a motorcyle now! I got the licence just a couple of days ago!

Yonuro- That's great! But, how did you manage to get it? I mean, is it possible to get one in a week's time worth of practice?

Samei- Hm? No, that's not the case. Regarding the overworld's time flow, you were missing for almost a month... It probably works the opossite way of the Lingering world. Time in the Underworld flows with triple the speed of the Overworld's.

Yonuro- Oh! Yeah, that makes sense. By the way, I'm fond of your new style. It's fucking dope!

Samei- Oh, thanks! I've changed a bit in order to forget a few things that have happened lately and I'm really happy with how the style ended up looking!

Yonuro- What do you mean? What happened?

Samei looked down, as her expression became kind of sad.

Samei- These sudden explosions, (sudden, violent connections of the worlds), the Rifts you speak of, have been a common thing the past couple of weeks. They have been acknowledged by the government and pose a severe threat to mankind. And unfortunately, my uncle has been hospitalized for more than a week now and the doctors say that he's in a bad condition... That was all due to a rift's involvement...

Yonuro- Oh... I'm.. sorry. I didn't know...

Samei- Either way, I had to tell you, so don't worry about it. Anyways, hop on!

Samei held out her hand and grabbed Yonuro's. She helped her get on the motorcycle and adjusted her sitting position.

Samei- Hold on tight!

The more the motorcycle was accelerating, the more anxious Yonuro got.

Yonuro- SLOW DOWN, SAMEI!!! You're not even a whole week in driving! You're gonna get us killed!

Samei let out a small laughter before reassuring Yonuro.

Samei- Hahaha! No worries! There's almost noone here. But, I'll slow down a bit if you're uncomforable.

Yonuro then nodded in confirmation. Afterwards, the three of them, Ramael, Yonuro and Samei, took the road that lead to Yonaga City...

------------------------------------------------------------------

After a while, the motorcycle was close enough to the city that Yonuro, Samei and Ramael could take in the absolutely aesthetic appeal the huge buildings gave off and the great balance between organized society and outdoor life the city boasts about.

Yonuro- Ah! It felt like ages! It's good to be back...

Samei- Sure is, Yonuro.

Ramael- Yeah...

They got in the city and numerous vehicles could now be seen everywhere. The city was as always quite crowded and even though the distance they had to cover wasn't long, it took them some time to finally arrive at their destination.

The motorcycle stopped right outside Samei's. Samei then turned the engine off and everyone got off the vehicle. Yonuro stretched a bit and let out a sigh of relief. Then, Samei said that she would move the motorcycle to her garage. Yonuro and Ramael followed her.

Samei- Alright, there you go buddy.

The garage opened when Samei pressed a button that was hanging from her keychains.

Afterwards, she moved the motorcycle inside carefully. As soon as they went in the garage, Yonuro and Ramael noticed many things they had not expected to see.

"Samei's working place is actually inside her garage?!" The two of them thought.

Countless cases full of toolboxes and small unfinished or broken gadget pieces caught Yonuro's eye. She excitedly picked up some of Samei's creations that were on her working table.

Yonuro- Woo! What does this do? Wah! I didn't see that coming! What about that one?! It actually opens and closes! Cool!

Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

Samei- They're just a bunch of unfinished gadgets. I don't know if I'll keep working on 'em though.

"They're cool and all but whatever" Samei giggled.

Yonuro- So, do you spend time here working on gadgets?

Samei scratched her chin and looked at her messy table.

Samei- Well... You could say that for the me from a month ago...

You see, the last thing I created was your bracelet. Other than that, I haven't worked on anything else, as there isn't much motivation for me anymore. It's not that I've lost interest. I just... don't have enough time or energy with everything that's been going on... It's not going all that well.

"Yeah, I understand. Your uncle is in the hospital, too. It's not the best of days surely..." Yonuro said with a somber tone.

Samei then approached Yonuro and and put both of her hands on her shoulders. With a somber voice she told her

Samei- At least you are here Yonuro... I've been all alone for such a long time. My uncle was the only company I had at home. Now, it's all empy. An empty lifeless house. I didn't know you'd even be back in one piece. I was worried. You don't understand how relieved I was when I heard your voice again. Thank you for being here, Yonuro...

Yonuro closed her eyes for a couple of seconds. When they opened once again, Yonuro's face expressed a great sense of determination and care.

Yonuro- Ah, Samei. Of course and I'd return. There's no way I'd ever leave you alone for long. When Ramael returns to the Lingering World, I promise you'll never again feel lonely! Even if there's noone else left in this world, I'll always be there as your caring friend.

Samei then hugged Yonuro and tears started constantly dropping down on the floor from the two of them...

After a while, when emotions of both parties had settled down, a strange noise resounded in the garage. *Growl*———————

Yonuro- Oh, My bad! (giggle) Even though I ate that bag of chips I'm still extremely hungry...

Samei- Yeah, I understand. What have you been eating all this time?

Yonuro- He he... Whatever we could find... We even robbed a Demon house once.

Samei- Interesting... Well, since my house is kinda... all over the place.... and I don't have anything for us to eat—

Yonuro- How about going to my place? My mom should be able to make us something delicious!

Samei seemed troubled when she heard Yonuro's answer.

Samei- But your parents aren't home, are they?

As they continued talking, things got a bit complicated and confusing...

Yonuro- Huh? What are you talking about? Where would they go? They must be waiting for me, worrying over my safety. I said that I had some things to settle, so I'd be away for some time.

Samei- That's weird though. When I walked by your house, I did not see your parents' car outside. Not only that, but when I rang the bell, knocked on the door, shouted "hello?" Noone answered.

Yonuro- Well, Yuri must have returned to England by now, so they could have gone there to check in on her. They do that sometimes, but it's kind of weird that they wouldn't worry about my disappearance. Whatever. We could eat ramen at a restaurant. That should do it. What do you think?

Samei and Ramael agreed to Yonuro's idea. Therefore, they decided to go out and look for a restaurant. When they left Samei's garage, they took the left pavement heading toward Yonaga City Central.

As they were walking, Yonuro noticed quite a few inconsistencies in Yonaga City and apparently in the entirety of the Overworld.

Many popular stores with generous income had closed for good, homeless people were everywhere, and... something else that made her stop walking...

Preacher- The end is near! "Pray for thy safety" these naive priests say. But the truth is that God has abandoned us! These are the dark ages mankind feared would come. Spread the word. Humanity's last breath will be drawn soon... A godless race is no race at all!

Yonuro- Tsk* What are they fucking saying? This is not the middle ages you no-brainers!

Samei- A little bit louder and they would hear you!

Yonuro- Oof, you're right. Let's get out of here!

They passed the next few roads quickly and with less talking. Surprisingly, with each block they moved, the inconsistances were greatly declining. It seemed like everything was getting better and better as they got closer to Yonaga City Central. Lively citizens, stage music, vendors left and right, very few homeless people, and of course the restaurant wasn't far away.

But something or someone in particular would not get any better...

Ramael- Yonuro, there's something I need to— UGHHH!

Ramael's Veil-like body was starting to tear apart. She withstood such a volume of pain that her body had began to wither.

After looking at Ramael's body, Yonuro stopped dead at her tracks. It was like her heart had stopped beating. And then all hell broke lose on her head. She stressfully put Ramael out of her conveniently sewn pocket and ran at the speed of light to a small narrow space between two buildings. She desperately tried everything she could think of to save Ramael...

Yonuro- RAMAEL? RAMAEL? TALK TO ME, RAMAEL!

Panic, panic, panic. Her head was pounding from despair. Ramael wasn't responding. Yonuro didn't know what to do. She looked left and right but she realized she couldn't ask for anyone's help. It'd only lead to further catastrophe...

Yonuro's tears started falling on Ramael's body.

Yonuro- PLEASE, RAMAEL! DON'T GO! I'M HERE FOR YOU! PLEASEEE!

But Yonuro knew that simple words wouldn't wake up an unconsious body so easily. All she could rely on was a miracle to happen.

"A miracle, huh?" She thought...

Yonuro- Ra' Mén. May these blessed words heal this tortured soul.

Yonuro performed this incantation with such strong willpower, using her everything to save Ramael. And then, her pleas were answered and Ramael came around from the unbearable pain.

Yonuro- RAMAEL? CAN YOU HEAR ME?

Ramael- Ugh...... Yeah.......... *cough

Samei then caught up to them and seemed really puzzled and worried at first. After seeing the whole picture though, she caught on and decided not to interrupt.

Ramael- Thanks, Yonuro....... The pain is going away...... Don't worry, I— I can talk now.

Yonuro- Ramael, please tell me what's going on. I really want to help you...

Ramael- The truth is that, Yonuro, for a while now I— I've been seeing... things... Terrible things that cause me pain...

Yonuro- What kind of things?

Ramael- Living... Nightmares...

Ramael then tried however she could to explain what she saw in these nightmares.

"In most of these nightmares Ramael sees a young woman with both hands and legs chained on two pillars and a few obscure faces of men watching over and torturing her.

???- PLEASE! HELP ME! SOMEBODY! AHHHH! RAMAEL?! IS THAT YOU? NO, SHE'S— SHE'S NOT.

NO, I AM JUST CONFUSED. I DI—DIDN'T MEAN IT. I SAID I DON'T KNOW! WHAT ARE YOU DOING? NO, PLEASE! UGHHHHH!

The nightmares always end with a loud female scream."

Ramael- And every time I see something similar, it's like... my soul hurts so much that my whole body shivers in pain.

Yonuro- I understand... We're here Ramael. You're gonna be okay. We'll figure this out.

Yonuro said those reassuring words while keeping her anxiety at bay so that it wouldn't affect Ramael any further. She then talked to Samei quietly.

Yonuro- Samei, as you've noticed, the incantation I cast stopped the pain temporarily. But I don't think it will cure her permanently. That's because the incantation can cure a soul that has been affected by someone or something else's interferance. However, in our case, the cause of pain is Ramael herself. So when the incantation's effect wears off, we'll have the same problem...

Samei put her hand on her chin before saying

Samei- If Ramael herself is the cause of the pain, then I think we need to approach this psychologically. That's because the pain that makes her body wither might not actually be there. It could very well be that her mind is playing tricks on her... But, I'm not sure at all. We need to learn more about those dreams so that we can make further progress.

Yonuro- Okay, I'll try to ask her about that person she saw. Let's hope she has the energy to remember.

Yonuro moved her body towards Ramael.

Yonuro- Ramael... can you still talk..?

Ramael made a slow long nod.

Yonuro- Alright. Let's take this slowly. The figure you saw in your nightmare talking called out your name, right?

Ramael- Yeah, she did.

Yonuro- Okay, so she is probably related to you somehow.

Ramael- She seemed... familiar... yes... But, It's all.. so hazy...

Yonuro- Hm. Do you remember what she looked like..?

Ramael- Errr... She had... long fair hair and... hazel eyes.

Yonuro- Have you met anyone like that before?

Ramael- I don't think so. She even had a tattoo on her left arm...

Yonuro- Can you make out what tattoo that was?

Ramael- It had... ugh... Four... Feathers—? Ugh....

Ramael stopped talking due to a faint headache.

Yonuro- Um...

Yonuro was unable to understand who that person was, even with Ramael's additive pieces of information.

Yonuro- Fu— I'm sorry.... I can't figure this out.....

And at that moment, Ramael came to a realization. Her sudden headache from earlier was not ill-willed, but it was the defining factor to make her remember.

Ramael- Wait... Long fair hair, hazel eyes and the four feather tattoo. She's... She's the Angel of Holy Energy, RAMAEL.

Samei and Yonuro- WHAT?!

After uncovering the truth, both of them were speechless for a moment. They couldn't believe Ramael's latest statement. "Wait, how is that possible..?" Samei pondered for a while.

But knowing that the incantation's effect doesn't last long, Yonuro didn't have any time to waste. She tried to push herself to her limits in order to put the pieces together and come up with a solution. (Like a real détective)

Yonuro- Ramael, listen to me. The incantation's effect is wearing off. Another nightmare may be appearing soon. I want you to be ready. I think that these nightmares are occuring because of your two separated soul parts, the one in your veil and the one in your Angelic body.

You have to understand that the pain you feel isn't actually there, it's just made up. When it happens, close your eyes and focus on the real you. Not at your body in the Lingering World. Focus on the Ramael I know! And let's hope that the temporary psychological pain isn't transformed into permanent physical pain. That's the best solution I can think of.

And remember. Whatever happens, I'll always be here by your side...

Yonuro put Ramael against her forehead for a couple of seconds. Then, light particles disappeared into thin air. The incantation's effect had indeed ended and Ramael saw a living nightmare once more...

This time, the "dream" was a bit different. But still as deadly as the other ones. The nightmare was a really strong one, the hazy things Ramael saw did a number on herself. But she used Yonuro's advice, closed her eyes and focused on her Veil-like self.

The psychological battle inside Ramael's head lasted over 3 minutes. Yonuro and Samei were trembling over the thought that the plan wouldn't work out.

After a while, though, Ramael woke up. Her body was complete and didn't show any signs of wither. Only noticable were a few dropplets of tears that dropped down from the left side of her head. Yonuro screamed "Ramael" and hugged her.

Apparently, she managed to evade the physical pain with Samei and Yonuro's help.

Yonuro- The withering seems to wear off. How are you feeling Ramael?

Even after everything that happened, Ramael could still talk. The incantation's effect is pretty potent after all.

Ramael- Yeah, I'm feeling a lot better. The scorching pain has disappeared. Thank you so much, you two...

Afterwards, Ramael tried to explain what she saw in her latest nightmare. So hazy was her memory of it, though, that her explanation efforts went to waste. That's because the things she said didn't make any sense whatsoever. They were pure gibberish.

Ramael thought to herself "Why can't I remember what I saw...?" "Why is everything so hazy in my mind..?" "Why can't I ever be useful..?!"

Ramael- I'm so... sorry, you two. I promised I would protect you and make your journey just a bit easier but I can't be of any help and I've only caused you trouble. I... always.... do that...

Yonuro- Don't say that Ramael. You've saved me countless times. It's only reasonable for us to do the same!

Ramael- You don't understand how pathetic I am, Yonuro... That's because I lied to you about that time, when I lost my Angelic Veil.

Yonuro- What time? What do you mean?

Ramael- When Aniik tore my Veil off, I told you that I was just a bystander who couldn't do anything. But that was far from the truth. I knew everything from the start. I knew I was going to be attacked that day. I knew the exact time and place it was going to happen.

I was trusted upon defending the world. I had to fulfill his desire. But, I failed. I failed Sachrist. I failed everyone. Whether you accept it or not, I've always been a disappointment to everyone.

Yonuro couldn't stand how much Ramael was underestimating herself and decided to speak up and change her mind.

Yonuro- DON'T SAY SUCH STUPID THINGS, RAMAEL! You are so kind, you always try your best, it's so fun talking to you, you spent all this time teaching me new things. You taught me how to cast incantations, be patient, be more open-hearted, understand others' and my own feelings. And we are now fighting together to save the World!

How could you say that you are pathetic? Did that person you spoke of, Sachrist, do anything like that? Did he?! Don't look down on yourself. You truly are the best companion one could wish for. The thing that matters is that you're better now. Toss these bad thoughts about you away. Come here Ramael...

Yonuro hugged Ramael and caressed her head. Ramael felt at ease. It was a feeling that she needed to experience in order to keep moving forward. Affection.

For the first time in over 400 years, Ramael felt someone's affection and the same feeling was reciprocated. Even though she tells Yonuro all the time to be herself, open her heart and feelings to others, she never does that. She never accepts her feelings and keeps hiding them from others. That's because in all of her life, her love was always one-sided.

But this time, Yonuro's heartwarming embrace changed that. Ramael felt purely happy for the first time in her life. This moment was truly special.

After a little while, Yonuro stood up with Ramael on her right arm and she looked up in the sky. She noticed that it was drizzling and told Ramael and Samei to go and find cover in the restaurant they originally wanted to go to, in case it started raining.

Yonuro- We should go find the restaurant. It's probably going to rain.

And so they went.

—————————————————————————

The rain started slowly but surely getting stronger, and with each dropplet more and more people could be seen taking a taxi or getting on their cars to leave the area. Fortunately, the restaurant was close to the place they had stopped to help Ramael. The rain intensified, but before they could get excessively wet, they managed to go inside.

The interior of the restaurant was smartly decorated and gave a pleasant sensation to the customers. Speaking of customers, the place was massively crowded. Yonuro asked the waitress if there was an unoccupied table, but she shook her head and told her;

Waitress- No.. I'm sorry but I think we're full— Ohhhhhh wait! A customer on the 2nd floor just left. Follow me.

Yonuro and Samaei did as the woman said.

As they walked up the staircase, Yonuro saw a person walking downstairs and talking very silently to a microphone on their suit. He was the person who was apparently leaving.

After that, Samei and Yonuro went to the second floor and eventually sat at their table. Yonuro then told the waitress "Can you bring us a third chair, please?" The waitress hid her bafflement and brought them what she asked.

Waitress- Certainly.

Yonuro then coated Ramael around the third chair, so that she didn't feel out of place and she could be a part of their discussions.

After they had ordered, Yonuro told Samei

Yonuro- I have never been this hungry before... I'M STARVING!

Samei laughed a bit and told her

Samei- We're gonna eat well in here. Everything's top quality.

The passage of ten minutes felt like an entire day to Yonuro. But the dishes were finally served. Yonuro made a "WOOO" sound from her absolute excitement. Samei was also quite hungry and she made a small smile.

Samei and Yonuro- Itadakimasu! (let's dig in)

Both of them enjoyed a wonderful meal.

Ramael on the other hand...

Ramael- It's still kind of weird not being able to eat, if I'm being honest. I remember the dishes my mom made 400 years ago. Mmm, they were really delicious. But my current body doesn't need food apparently. However, I've noticed that I'm quite more energetic when you've eaten something or slept. I'm probably dependent on you, since we're connected via the Angelic Bond.

Yonuro stopped eating, looked at Samei and said

Yonuro- Yeah, I've noticed that, too. It'd be really nice if you could eat, though. The ramen is so tasty!

Ramael- Huh? Why are you looking at Samei but talking to me? —Oh, I understand.

Yonuro- It'd be pretty weird if I was talking to a chair, wouldn't it? Hahaha.

Yonuro chuckled a bit before resuming her meal and held the chopsticks the wrong way...

Samei- Yonuro be careful, you might—

Samei tried to stop Yonuro but as a result, Samei's own bowl of ramen flipped over and the inside soup fell on her lap. Samei was embarrassed because she attracted the restaurant's attention with a loud scream.

Samei- AHHHH!

Yonuro's small giggles turned into uncontrollable loud laughter.

Samei- Hey! Don't make fun of me, Yonuro! I was trying to----

Yonuro- Hahahahaha!

Ramael grinned slightly at the situation.

Then the waitress made her appearance once more. She helped Samei clean her clothes, which, ehm, didn't really end up the way she wanted. Her outfit still needed to be changed eventually.

After a while, Yonuro finished her ramen and her stomach was now full. She and Ramael were feeling refreshed. On the other hand, Samei was a bit frustrated that she couldn't finish her own, as it fell on her lap, but couldn't blame anyone but herself.

The girls talked for a while and waited about twenty minutes before exiting the restaurant. They walked down the stairs and made it to the ground floor. The exit door was right to the side of the staircase. The moment Yonuro opened the door, she was jumpscared by a tall, brawny man with glasses! That was really unnecessary, though.

Salesman- Would you like to buy an umbrella?

Yonuro- AHHHH! Ahem* How much is it?

Salesman- It's 800 yen for one, 1500 yen for two. It's a small discount but I don't know by how much. I was never good at maths.

Yonuro- O-Okay? Um, wait a minute. (whispering) Samei, do you have any cash left?

Samei- Yeah leave it to me. We'll take two.

Salesman- Thank you, have a good one!

Samei and Yonuro opened their umbrellas and headed to the common crossroads. Samei tried to forget whatever happened at the restaurant, but to no real outcome.

Samei- Oh, well. Luck's not on our side lately.

Yonuro kept on walking and looked down on the glossy road.

Yonuro- That's so true... At least we aquired the Pendant of Immortality and returned safe and sound.

Yonuro put her necklace out of her blouse and held it tightly. She then said

Yonuro- Wow, I never got a good look at it. So shiny and beautiful, It surely is outstanding.

Ramael- Well, It is the Pendant of Immortality after all. It cannot rust and Its beauty has remained unscathed. It surely is amazing...

Samei- Don't lose sight of it, though. It's important.

Yonuro- Yeah, I know... It gave us so much trouble that neglecting it is nealy impossible.

Before going to separate ways, Samei said

Samei- I'll go to the hospital to check in on my uncle. I have a change of clothes there as well, so it's two in one. Haha... So, we'll keep in touch. And remember... Take care of yourself and Ramael!

Yonuro- Yeah, you too! Take care and stay safe!

They then waved at each other, and went to different directions.

After an astonishing 23 days, Yonuro finally returned home. The sentiment of safety someone's home provides is irreplaceable. She was so happy to finally unlock the door and go inside. She grabbed the key from her pocket and opened the door.

However, the door didn't make any clicky sound and the key seemed useless. And that's because the door was aparently unlocked...

Her emotions changed in a split second to anxiety and worry. Opening the door made a lingering squeaking sound. Dim light was coming from the kitchen, two rooms away from the entrance hall. Her heartbeat was intense, she had never been this anxious before.

Yonuro decided to keep the door slightly open, as it would make a loud sound if closed. She then slowly approached and grabbed a baseball bat, before confronting the kitchen.

As she saw the kitchen door wide open, she gulped and approached it. Then a person inside, left the room and bumped into her.

Yonuro- AHHHHHHH! I'M ARMED! GET AWAY FROM ME!!!

Yuri- Yonuro?! Is that you?

Yonuro colapsed down on the floor.

Yonuro- It's just you, Yuri?! I was so scared!

Yuri- I had been waiting for you, but never expected that reaction. It's not the best of welcomes but I'm glad you're finally here.

Yonuro- Phew, this time it wasn't someone out for my blood. Just my sister. I thought there was a burglar inside! Haha!

Yuri- Would a burglar just calmly stay inside the kitchen and not transform the entire house into a mess?

Yonuro- Well, I guess not!

Yonuro went to close the door. The heavy rain was now a thunderstorm. The blots of lightning that constantly stroke the city made her feel unsafe and scared, but...

Yuri- Come inside the kitchen. I'll make us tea. The weather's so rainy, that it fits well.

Yonuro- Okay, thanks!

A good cup of tea makes the spirit care free, after all.

Yonuro backtracked her way to the kitchen and sat at the kitchen table. Yuri grabbed two mugs from a self next to the sink and filled them with boiled water she had prepared earlier. A couple of minutes later, she sat at the table as well, added the tea, stirred each mug and said

Yuri- Well, how've you been?

Yonuro- A lot of ups and downs but we're good now.

Yuri- You mean you and your Angelic Veil?

Yonuro- Yeah, her name's Ramael, remember?

Yuri- Oh yeah, I forgot.

After a small pause, Yonuro asked Yuri.

Yonuro- By the way, I thought mom and dad had gone to England to check in on you... But since you're still here in Japan, where are they?

Yuri continued moving the small spoon in cirlces around the mug. The tea was ready, but she kept on doing that.

Yonuro- I think it's ready. Yuri? *clap*

Yuri came back to reality.

Yuri- They're fine... Ehm, I'm sorry, It's like I'm not myself lately. I get easily distracted and forget stuff in an instant, I'm sorry.

Yonuro moved her head up and down to express her understanding.

A few seconds of silence later, Yuri said

Yuri- Can you do me a favor Yonuro?

Yonuro- Yeah, sure.

Yuri- Can I have Ramael for a moment?

Yonuro, baffled by the strange question, asked

Yonuro- Ramael? What do you need her for?

Yuri looked at Ramael and then stared at Yonuro's eyes intently and said

Yuri- I think her Holy Energy may help me with a few psychological problems I'm going through recently...

Yonuro- Yeah, I mean... Sure... but answer my question first. If you said mom and dad are fine, then where are they?

Yuri- Let me touch Ramael for a moment and then I'll tell you... It's no big deal, they're just sorting out some things. They're completely safe.

Yonuro- Why do you avoid my question, Yuri?!

Yuri- Do as I say Yonuro! Hand Ramael OVER!

Yonuro- Huh?! What's going on Yuri?!

Yuri then put out a gun from her pocket and aimed it at Yonuro.

Yuri- GIVE ME RAMAEL OR ELSE I'LL SHOOT.

Yonuro felt a chill run down her spine. The mug she was holding dropped down on the floor and broke. A complex combination of emotions overwhelmed her.

Yonuro- YURI? Why are you doing this? We can still talk about this, you know...

(immense increase in heart rate)

Yuri- SO, YOU'RE NOT AFRAID OF GUNS, 'EY...

Yonuro- (...)

Yuri- What about this one, then?

"Materialize, DIABOLIC SHIELD!"

Sadron's Demonic Item, a circular shield ignited by flame, made its appearance in the Overworld.

Yonuro- YURI?! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!

———————————————————