The streets of a village haunted by the disappearance of its people remained dark and empty. The only presence was the harsh winds that pierced through the broken walls of the abandoned buildings and the empty roads. The light of that village was lost, yet withered plants bloomed near the shallow murky ponds that the rain had created. A village so far from the capital yet so close to the end of the world, it was a scenery well and truly unsettling.
Then, something changed. The darkness disappeared for a moment's notice. And a person, appeared out of nowhere. She looked at the sky and at the endless ocean that surrounded the tall edge of land she had appeared on. The tide struck at the bottom of that edge with outstanding force. The woman looked once again at these angry waters of the ocean before turning around.
She then decided to take a look around the lifeless village that soon appeared in her field of view. She walked towards it with a steady pace of movement.
Her boots splashed the water from the small ponds as she was trying to make it to a certain place in that village. A few droplets of water fell on a book she was holding with her right hand. For a moment she stopped walking and looked at the reflection of herself in the water. A pair of charming red eyes stared at each other.
"Why did I get here?" she thought. "That's not where I wanted to go to." thought the troubled woman.
She looked at herself once again and then touched her face with her left hand. "What's happening to me?" she wondered.
Nevertheless, she continued onwards and followed the whispers she could hear in her head. These whispers were subconsciously telling her the way. They wanted to show her something.
After a while, she stopped. A large building filled her sight. The building was apparently a mansion, that was too, abandoned. The woman opened the outside gate/door and found herself in the largest garden she had ever seen. She saw a pathway that lead to the interior of the building and she followed it.
A gloomy sight as it was, the woman thought that it couldn't get any worse. But that was just wishful thinking.
The pathway seemed to change a bit. The asphalt on the ground was starting to get uneasy to walk on. Something smelled awful as well. The smell of something long dead and rotten.
With each step the smell was getting stronger and the pathway stranger. At some point the woman realized what had happened, when she saw remnants of bodies and bones near the interior door. Just in front of that door was a pile of them. Bones, skulls and broken weapons. The woman was petrified by fear. The voice she could hear became louder and she was able to consciously understand it.
"Throw them away. Get inside."
She did as she was told. She left that ancient book on the floor and got rid of the piles of bones that were blocking the door. She picked it up again and moved inside.
Hush* Hush* the whispers became louder.
It was an enormous room with a single chair at the very end of it. The chair was more like a throne of some sort, so the mansion must be owned by someone of great wealth and power.
The throne was far away and the woman couldn't make out the exact details of it. So she got closer to understand what was going on.
Someone was sitting on the throne. The woman stopped for a second and asked "hello?" but no answer came. She approached it and realized that it wasn't a person in reality. It was a dead body (skeleton) with its head severed, yet dressed up in formal clothes.
The voice then talked to her.
???- This is my dead body, Aria.
Aria- Wh-What d' you mean? Who are you?
???- How couldst thou forget the Demonic Lord thou didst slay, Aria...?
Aria- A- Asmodeus..?
Aria looked at the throne which had the name that she just uttered carved on it.
Asmodeus- I wanted to present thee the consequence of thy actions that fateful day. That ritual contemplated by a petty human like you. This is the toll it hath taken upon me.
Aria was shocked by the sudden tragic revelations that she was witnessing with her own eyes.
Asmodeus- Upon mine regal seat, I was forced to be summoned in the Overworld by thee. Yet, the Barrier forbade my passage there, relentlessly pushing me away to the Underworld. So fierce was the Barrier's effect though, that the two opposite forces were devastating for my body. They ended up smashing my head into pieces...
The almighty Demonic Lord, Asmodeus, died on that day, a decade ago.. And the village that praised him as their god / savior soon met the same fate.
Aria was speechless and her whole body was trembling.
Asmodeus- Now, I won't be able to keep talking for much longer. Thou hast reclaimed full dominion over thy human mind due to thine unparalleled determination to rescue thy daughter... I wanted to reveal this unto thee so thou shall understand why I hate thee from the bottom of my heart. Farewell, Aria...
Aria felt guilty about what she did to Asmodeus. The last thing that she said to him was "I'm sorry. I never wanted this to happen, Asmodeus."
The voice stopped talking ever after and the hushes disappeared for good.
Aria was having an internal conflict. Thanks to her, all the villagers were somehow killed and so was Asmodeus.
After putting some more thought into it, she realized something and said the following out loud.
Aria- Why am I feeling guilty now? I've always been like this. Taking the freedom of others to keep on living myself. It's not something new. Then, Why?
"Is it because of Aniik? Could it be that becoming a mother myself changed me on the inside...?" she thought.
Aria closed her eyes. When she opened them, she felt a few dropplets of tears on her cheeks.
Aria then said with determination.
Aria- What's done is done... I cannot erase the things I've done. I cannot revive the dead. But I'll keep fighting for the living. This is the only way to face my past sins.
I'll settle in this very house to hide from the Underworld's wrath. Then, I'm going to read the Pandonomicon in its entirety, and I'll surely find a way.
I'll find a way to save Aniik and...
Aria opened the Pandonomicon to a certain page.
Yonuro Tokiyama...
The sound of a heavy book closing resounded throughout the mansion.
———————————————————————
Nearly ten minutes had passed since the last battle between Yuri Keller and Yonuro Tokiyama was over. Yuri was wounded heavily and she was bleeding from every angle of her face. Nonetheless, she was able to get up and walk towards the place Aniik had fought Aldrich. At a slow pace of course, but she made it.
There, she saw Aniik murmuring something outloud while trying to get a hold of herself. It was a rare sight to see her not in control of a situation. Yuri gathered the strength to shout her name and wake her up from whatever was happening to her.
Aniik remembered whose voice that was and opened her eyes. She saw Yuri seriously injured yet marching steadily to the murder scene.
"Yuri..." thought Aniik afterwards.
Aniik- So, you failed?
Yuri looked away angrily and made a noticable sound indicating her irritation. tsk*
After seeing each other wounded, they decided to move to Yuri's room in the hotel, which wasn't too far away from their current location compared to Aniik's hideout.
Just as they arrived there, Yuri remembered that she didn't have any money left to pay for her stay. Thankfully, the receptionist had gone to the bathroom, so Yuri and Aniik got to the second floor without being noticed. The problem now was how to get in without the access card.
This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
Yuri thought for a second and remembered the amount of power she had gain after becoming a Demonic Lord.
She tried to break open the door with a front kick, but even for a Demonic Lord it didn't do much.
After that failed attempt, though, she summoned her Demonic Item, the Diabolic Shield and took a few steps back to build up momentum before bashing into the door.
Without a scratch, Yuri was able to break through the door. And so they entered the room.
It was just like any other room that you'd find in a hotel. Yuri rented that room for the time she was in japan, i.e. twenty five days. Nevertheless, it was in a very good shape and really tidy.
That helped Yuri to easily find bandages and other necessary stuff to treat their injuries.
Aniik's injuries were somehow healed by themselves after she lost control of her mind at the end of her fight with Aldrich. So there were almost no wounds left to treat. On the other hand...
"She beat the hell out of you, didn't she, Yuri?" said Aniik with an ironic laughter.
Yuri was really tense and angry. Her defeat wasn't taken lightly apparently. And the fact that Aniik wasn't there to offer help made her all the more frustrated.
Yuri- SHUT IT ANIIK!
Aniik- (...)
Yuri- YOU'RE AT FAULT FOR THIS! YOU DIDN'T COME TO HELP ME! ENOUGH WITH YOUR IRONIES! SHUT YOUR MOUTH!
Aniik stood up and said in an infuriated manner.
Aniik- Now, now. WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?
Aniik approached Yuri and then called upon the demonic lord inside her, Zanir.
5 Long deadly nails appeared on her extended hand and were just a few centimeters away from Yuri's throat.
Aniik- So, where's RAMAEL? Wasn't it YOUR job to bring her to me with WHATEVER means possible?
WASN'T THIS OUR CONTRACT? HUH?!
Don't MISUNDERSTAND your POSITION! I said to come and help you PURELY out of my own good will. HOW DARE YOU put the blame on me?! You don't DESERVE this power. You went back on your word so I have EVERY RIGHT to take it away from you!
Yuri quickly stepped back and summoned her Diabolic Shield blocking Aniik's warning attack.
meanwhile...
The receptionist had finished with the bathroom and was happy to return back to his post. He sat on his chair and took a glance at the cameras that monitored the corridors of each floor.
Receptionist- Mhm, nice, everything good. ————WHAT?!
He saw a room that didn't have a door. And that room was Yuri's who was yet to pay for her stay. Frustrated over all this, he went to the second floor.
"What's going on, Yuri Tokiyama? Who do you think you are, breaking the door open and not paying————"
The man witnessed two girls ready to kill each other with unique weapons like long purply black nails and a crimson spikey shield.
Receptionist- Wh—WHAT IS THIS?
Aniik- tsk* Yuri, can you hand me that over for a sec?
Yuri- Sure.
Yuri gave her a gun and Aniik pointed it to the direction of his face.
Aniik- Hm... Look, I don't wanna break it to you, but you're ruining an important moment. So, pack your bags and get out of my sight!
Receptionist- DON'T SHOOT! I'M— I'M LEAVING.
Aniik- And don't you dare call the cops. Just pretend you saw nothing, or else I'll kill you and your family!
Receptionist- I— I don't have a wife, I— I Mean, Yeah! I'll leave you alone!
With shaky hands, the guy stared at them with a shocked expression.
Aniik- Okay, leave then, you nasty virgin! What's the point of staring me in the eye? You think I'll fall for you or something?
While nodding, the receptionist said "Hai!!" and then left the scene.
Aniik- So, where were we? Oh, yeah you were crying over your defeat? No, no no, you were ehm... Asking for my help? Nah that's not it either.
Yuri let out an angry sigh. Aniik's ironic statements were seemingly getting on her nerves.
Yuri- WE WERE—
Aniik- Oh, yeah I remember! How could I forget?!
Aniik summoned her Demonic Claws once more and dropped the act.
Aniik and Yuri fought for a few seconds, but the fight was so one sided that it felt almost like a beat-down.
Aniik- Did you really think you could beat me in a one versus one battle? With those wounds and inexperience? Don't make me laugh...
After letting out a long sigh, Aniik then said
Aniik- Well, what's done is done. There's no point for us to fight. Get up.
Aniik gave her a helping hand to get her back on her feet.
Yuri- Yes, I'm sorry. I couldn't control my emotions.
Yuri got up with Aniik's help and seemed more calm this time around.
Aniik- It's okay. I'm not mad at you or something. I can't really blame you for everything, because the miscalculations in our plan were just factors that we couldn't predict; The Faith Organization...
Yuri- What?! Did that person who killed our allies work for the Faith Organization?!
Aniik- Yeah. He must have been working for them. I'm telling ya, I haven't fought anyone like him before. Not even a hundred men could match his power. There's no other posibility.
Yuri realized something.
Yuri- He was sent by— Now I understand! It was my step-mother, Kanae Tokiyama, all along. Tsk* Our relationship had a bittersweet ending, after all.
Aniik- Either way, I'm not gonna hold a grudge against you. You can keep this power to yourself. I renounce our contract from now on, so you're free to do whatever you like.
Yuri was confused over Aniik's sudden kindness.
Yuri- Why are you leaving me off the hook like that? I mean I won't complain of course...
Aniik- I'm doing this cause I wanna become a better person for the sake of my people. I want to start developing more virtues, namely "tolerance" and "kindness". (And more importantly understand the meaning of the word Love)
These values are necessary for the New World I will create.
"The what?" wondered Yuri.
Aniik- The reason why I'm after Ramael, the Angelic Veil of Holy Energy, is to attain Godly power and create a new world from zero with that power. I'll take revenge from those who lied to me and denied me by leading this New World of equality.
"What a messed up plan..." thought Yuri.
Nevertheless, as she didn't want to change her decision of destroying the contract, she went on with the mood.
Yuri- Good luck, then. I'm— rooting for you... Yay..
They remained silent for a few minutes. Afterwards, as they were really exhausted, they decided to sleep the rest of the day off.
The next two days, Yuri and Aniik talked about many things such as the worlds, the Accursed, Aniik's past and of course about Yonuro Tokiyama and the Angel Ramael.
Walking in the park or the streets of Yonaga City and inside their temporary room, they spent much time together and learned a lot about each other.
In this time window, Aniik was able to better explain to Yuri her plan about the New World and somewhat persuade her that it was the right thing to do.
Still, Yuri didn't accept the plan and thought of it as "fucked up", but she could no longer deny it as well. This injustice that Aniik talked about, Yuri could understand very well.
Also the steep change in Yuri's personality after unconsciously merging with Sadron and her newly formed hatred towards Yonuro, lead to a very interesting turn of events.
2 Days after the end of the "War"
Aniik and Yuri were in the hotel room, talking one last time before parting ways.
Aniik- This is the last day I'll spend here in the Overworld, Yuri. I'm glad I got to open up to someone else other than the Accursed in the Lingering World. Although we failed our mission, I don't regret siding with you.
As I said yesterday, I'm going to the Lingering World. Yonuro Tokiyama will be heading there soon. I need to be there and finally end this. I will kill Yonuro with my own hands and finally fulfill my goal. See you in the New World, then, Yuri...
As Aniik was about to tap her Demonic Ring and leave the hotel, Yuri abruptly stopped her.
Yuri- Aniik! WAIT!
As though she was standing on the edge of a cliff, Aniik immediately stopped moving and turned her head back to look at Yuri.
Aniik- What's the matter?
With a determined tone of voice and a sense of anger imbued in these following words, Yuri said
Yuri- I'll follow you to the Lingering World and fight Yonuro together. I can't stand her getting away with everything that happened. This doesn't only matter to you. I want to get revenge, AS WELL! For me, IT'S PERSONAL!
Aniik- Interesting... Even though you know what I'm going to do afterwards? Are you sure?
Yuri- Yes, I don't mind destroying this current world and creating a new one. I can see where you're coming from at the end of the day. I've been through all this as well. I can relate with your hatred for this world. I appreciate the kindness you showed me but I'm not done yet. Let's do this, Aniik.
Yuri stretched her hand and waited for a handshake, which was soon accepted.
Aniik- Let's go to my "place" one last time, then. Come on, Yuri.
Yuri nodded and followed her to the hotel's ground floor.
As soon as Aniik arrived at the reception, the man sitting on his wheelchair hid under the counter absolutely coward in fear.
Aniik approached the same counter, picked up a pen and a small piece of paper and wrote something on it. Afterwards, she brought out of her pocket a bundle of cash and left it there.
Yuri was still going down the stairs and didn't see any of that happening. Nevertheless, Aniik's small delay gave Yuri enough time to catch up to her and finally leave the hotel for good.
The door closed and to anyone's surprise the wind that came inside the hotel wasn't freezing cold. It was somewhat hot and dry, the kind of air you could breathe at the end of spring, despite it being January. The receptionist took a quick glace at the door and his surroundings to be sure they had left.
He then saw the money that Aniik had left behind and what that "letter" she wrote was about.
"Here's Yuri's payment for the past 3 weeks. And a quick tip: If I were you, I'd use it to hook up with a chick. What d' you say, cherry-boy?"
The receptionist, a reserved man as he was, blushed, looked outside the glass entrance door and said "WHAAAAA?!"
————————————————————
In front of their eyes appeared a semi-collapsed house, similar to the bombarded ones you could find after a war. It was the place Yuri had first met Aniik, Aniik's house.
Both of them went in without the need to open the door, because there wasn't one in the first place.
Yuri recognized the pillar she was tied on in the past and looked away from it while feeling discomfort.
After entering the kitchen, Aniik served Yuri and herself a bowl of hot noodles to prepare themselves for what's to come.
Aniik- So, how do you like it? I mean... It's not like I made it myself. I just bought the noodles from the supermarket.
Yuri- Ah! So that's why I can't taste them whatsoever! The quality must have dropped so much lately...
Aniik- Well, I think it tastes just fine, but that's probably because I'm used to cheap ready food way too much!
Yuri- Anyway, enough about noodles.
Aniik- Alright. Let's talk buisiness now.
Aniik explained that the Demonic Lords have the ability of teleportation. This ability is strongly tied to the bearer's mind and one must have clear thought and strong willpower to be able to safely teleport to the desired location—even if that is a different world.
Aniik described in detail each step she was going to follow in order to teleport and Yuri did as she was told. At last, Aniik mediated above the ground and disappeared into thin air.
In an identical set of actions, Yuri used her demonic powers and managed to meet Aniik in a different, co-existing world. A prosperous land and a holy ground one could say where time passes by slowly, it was the prestigious and prominent Lingering World.