Akuma Tiryns

I woke up on a bed layered with plush purple sheets and a soft pillow cradling my head. As if the softness wasn't enough to lull me back into slumber, the sweet scent of jasmine wafted up from my pillow. I was expecting to hear a slight breeze -or even birds chirping in the back- but this room had zero windows.

The space around me was quite small and barely furnished.

Above me, a brown ceiling fan slowly rotated, casting a warm glow. To my left, there was a bare concrete wall, while to my right lay another bed, identical to mine, where Tenshi was sleeping soundly.

I was glad to see he’d reverted to his human form, but a little confused to see his outfit. He was wearing some strange matte black bodysuit, and seeing it made me realize I too was wearing some kind of matte black suit. I could feel it emit a level of heat on my skin. But I have no memory of putting it on.

(Hmm. Must’ve happened while I was out cold… And it’s really quiet…)

“Guess I’ll go back to bed-”

*SLAM

Suddenly, the wooden door that led into the room burst open with a loud bang. It made an odd noise, one I wouldn’t expect from a wooden door; it sounded more like metal.

Standing in the doorway was a girl in her 20’s, dressed as a nun.

"Supper is ready, clowns!" she announced.

"..."

"..."

An awkward silence broke out as we just looked at each other.

"... Umm…So who are you, Ms.… Cosplayer?"

"I AM NOT A COSPLAYER!"

"Dude, it's waaay too early to be shouting this loud."

"*Ehem... Excuse my rudeness and I'm sorry for shouting. My name is Rin Ark and I'm Finral's granddaughter. Also, it's still evening. You were only asleep for about half an hour."

"…Who’s Finral?"

"THE POPE DUMMY!"

"What was the 'sorry" for if you're just gonna shout aga-?"

"You brothers piss me off, you know that? As I was saying earlier, supper is ready so please follow me."

"You're not gonna blow us up right before we take a bite, are you?"

I was still a bit shaken up by the events that transpired earlier. The image of that monster couldn't seem to leave my mind.

"Maybe I will if you don't hurry up."

Tenshi had finally woken up -most likely from all her shouting- and was gently rubbing his eyes while peeking around.

"Good morning, sleeping beauty. The food is ready so hurry downstairs."

"I thought you said it wasn't morning."

"..."

She simply ignored me and stormed off into the distance.

Even though I was wearing a tight heat generator, the chill in the air felt unusually intense. It was like being pushed into icy water without warning. I shivered my way to the door, rubbing my arms to desperately battle the goosebumps. Tenshi followed closely behind, battling his own shivers.

My curiosity got the best of me, and I grabbed the door -to catch a feel.

"Hey. Why'd you suddenly stop? It's freezing man."

(Just as I thought. It's hard. Harder than a normal wooden door should be.)

"Hey!"

(I wonder if it's to protect this building from attacks like the one that happened to us earl-)

My thoughts were interrupted when my impatient brother decided to knock me to the floor and trample over my fallen body. Bastard!

"What the hell do you think you're doing?! The floor's cold as hell!"

"Well, I kept calling out to you, and you wouldn't answer!"

"I was thinking!"

"My ass! You can't think worth a damn!"

Of course, this led to fighting as we pushed and shoved our way through the hallway and down the long staircase.

The floor below was mostly empty, with just a few tables scattered around and the kitchen at the far end. At the largest table near the kitchen sat the nun cosplayer and the priest from earlier.

"Good evening, you two" the priest greeted.

"I think way more than you! You, stupid head!"

"That's not even a good insult you damn, mop head!"

"We have the same hairstyle, you baldie!"

“……..”

{They were clearly too busy with their "discussion," as one might put it.}

"GRANDPA'S TALKING TO YOU TWO!!"

*Clock! *POW!!

***

"*Uh-em. Sorry about that. Rin can be a bit trigger happy at times."

"Tuh. It's their own fault."

"Umm, Sir. Why is it so cold?"

"..."

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"..."

They both stared directly into my eyes, maintaining an odd silence. Meanwhile, Tenshi was busy devouring the porridge we’d been served. Such a fat soul.

"Umm. Why did you guys ignore my question?"

"What question?"

"Why is it so col-"

"I want to start off by giving you my sincerest apologies."

(Holy crap. These people are for real...)

"Where should I start..."

"START WITH MY DAMN QUESTION, YOU FOSSIL!!"

“...I’ll start with this: Firstly, I’m not actually Rin’s grandpa. I’m actually her distant ancestor.”

“…Distant? Wait, how old are you?”

“Ehh… Like a million or something? I forgot.”

“Gah-? Who the hell forgets something like that?!”

“It happens. But the next thing I have to tell you is... hmm. There’s no good way to say this so I'll just say it... Do you boys remember when we first met, and I attempted to break Tenshi's seals?"

"Yeah?"

"Yeah?"

Perfect unison. We really are brothers.

"Basically, I did a pretty rough job. Which may or may not have caught the attention of the demons…"

"…Huh."

"Yeeah…"

"Then that monster that attacked us… that was your fault?"

"Haha... Pretty much."

"THE HELL ARE YOU LAUGHING FOR?!!"

"My bad-my bad. But look at the bright side. Your training starts now."

“…”

"Training!?? The hell are we training for exactly?"

Call me crazy, but I have a hunch he’s just trying to sound like some old o.p character from an anime. Does this guy even watch anime? For some reason, I felt like his old persona was just a facade, and he still had a youthful spirit in there.

"Ehh... War and stuff. I would hate for another demon to show up, while you boys are unequipped."

"While we’re on the subject, what are demons?" Tenshi asked.

He sat with both arms crossed and only one eye opened. I guessed that was his idea of "looking cool".

What a loser.

To Finral's right, Rin was the one to answer.

She cleared her throat and let out a brief explanation.

"The demon race is split into four main groups:

The ones at the bottom of the pyramid are called 'fiends'. They come in many shapes and colors, but to put it in terms you'd understand, they're like the shed skin of Nephilim. In other words, mere foot soldiers."

Tenshi and I were more than a little disappointed to hear that. I understand we were new to all this, but to think that we put well over 130% into that fight, and still almost died to a mere grunt was quite depressing to the ears.

Rin continued with her explanation as such:

"Above them are the Nephilim. What sets them apart from the rest is their huge bodies -and I mean HUGE bodies- and their abnormal raw power. Of course, they wouldn't be any problem for someone of my level.

Above them are what we call 'Asuras'. If they look human to you, then it's because they were. In short, they're people who have not only committed evil atrocities, but have also sold their souls to Lucifer. And in return, they get the special privileges of demons."

"Special privileges?"

"Yep. There's a core inside of hell. As long as that core is up, the demons will respawn even if you kill them."

(Respawn? Interesting way to put it.)

"Y'know, you don't have that smug tone this time. Can you not take one in a fight?" Tenshi questioned her.

Oddly, I was also interested in her reply.

"No, I couldn't..."

We were a little surprised by her response. I think somewhere in our minds we both thought of Rin to be some absolute unit on the battlefield.

Guess she's useless after all.

"What about you?" Tenshi restated his question, but this time for Finral.

I gulped down as I awaited his response. Hoping for a satisfactory answer. This guy was clearly the O.P sensei I see all the time in shows, so if he couldn't do it, then it's safe to say we're screwd.

"Boy, I have walked the earth for millions of years, mastering all that hoshi has to offer. And you ask such a foolish question? Of course not. Hahaha."

We dropped to the ground in disappointment.

(Damn faker! I've watched enough anime to know your secretly o.p. as hell.)

Rin cleared her throat once again to get our attention as she readied herself to pick up where she left off.

"That just leaves the last group…"

Her body began to tremble from the mere mention of these individuals.

"Amon the King of Diamonds,

Frankenstein the King of Clubs,

Kagutsuchi the Jack of Diamonds,

Hel the Queen of Spades,

and lastly

Dracula the Jack of Hearts.

...Though small in numbers, they are monsters beyond anything you could understand. We have come to call these demons by one name…The 5 Catastrophes. And leading these five, is one man. The evilest of scum. Lucifer."

(Oh no. They sound badass.)

"No need to worry about such matters right now. You boys wouldn't mind losing a bit of your soul, yes?"

"Huh?" we asked in confusion.

"Well, it doesn't matter."

Raising his cane towards us, he conjured an army of shimmering silver stars that enveloped the entire area, surrounding us completely. I could call them beautiful, but that would hardly do them justice. Dazzling might be a better fit, but even then I still feel iffy.

Then the pope began a chant:

"He who is my catalyst, lend me vigor.

The soul sleeps within, while I sleep without

Come forth thou inner and accept thou offer!

Come forth!!

A serene, misty black aura emanated from our skin, swirling gently around us. Soon after, this aura began to stretch toward the staff, as if reaching out to a beloved companion. The tips of our auras touched the staff, and then, like a bubble, they separated, leaving two small orbs of aura behind. The orb from my aura transformed into a radiant gold, while Tenshi's faded into a rich crimson.

That’s when something strange occurred.

Like a storm, his orb started to crackle with thunder and lightning, wreaking havoc on the nearby furniture and belongings.

Rin and I shielded our faces from the sparks, while Finral gripped his staff tightly, attempting to stabilize the soul, but it was all in vain. The orb swelled and then burst like a balloon.

"Umm… Is that supposed to happen...?"

"Obviously not!" Rin shouted.

(It was a rhetorical question, woman! Geez, does this girl have any friends?)

Finral was visually the most taken aback, dropping his staff and leaping from his seat.

My aura orb floated above the table, gently bobbing up and down, appearing quite stable, unlike the “other one”. Heh. Noob.

Finral hurried to the opposite side of the table and placed his palm on Tenshi's forehead, pouring all his focus into whatever he was attempting to do.

***

Finral Ark

I placed my right hand gently on the boy's head, channeling the full extent of my understanding of hoshi to send my spiritual essence into his soul.

In that moment, it felt like I was immersed in an infinite azure sea. I dove deeper and deeper, yet it seemed I was making no progress. Suddenly, the environment shifted dramatically. The vibrant blue waters transformed into a dark crimson hue, resembling a vast ocean of blood. I yearned to plunge even further, but beneath me lay an abyss of utter darkness. Gathering my courage, I continued my descent.

Before I could cover much ground, a vision of pure malevolence appeared before me. A sinister grin emerged from the depths, as if I were staring directly at the devil himself.

Like a disc ejected from a malfunctioning player, I was abruptly expelled from the boy's inner being and returned to the ordinary world.

***

He was visibly anxious about whatever had transpired with Tenshi. In that short amount of time, he’d somehow become mentally exhausted.

"I couldn't tell you why, but it seems there's someone or something disconnecting your soul from anything on the outside…"

I could tell he was hiding something; It was written all over the guy's face. But I wasn't going to pry.

"Well, no Tamashi for you," Rin interjected unexpectedly.

“?”

"What’s a Tamashi?" Tenshi inquired.

I had the same question, but the last thing I was going to do was ask this stuck-up woman anything.

Rin smirked at the question, puffing out her chest:

"Fu-fu. You want to know?"

Oh great, who didn’t see that coming? Can't believe some people are this attention starved. I'm never asking her pompous ass for anything.

"Yeah, on second thought, I'm alright."

(Smart man.)

Finral stepped away from Tenshi and picked up my aura blob from the table. "Alright, gentlemen, I’m off. While I’m away, Rin will give you the basics."

*Swoosh!

In an instant, he disappeared, leaving only a soft breeze in his wake. For all I knew, he could be halfway across the globe by now.

(He sure recovered quick.)

Rin sighed and said something quite peculiar. "Well, you heard him. Come on, let’s head outside..."

"Shouldn't we get dressed first?" I asked.

"Hmmm. Nah, I think it's better this way."

She swung open the door to the hideout, and I swear I nearly lost consciousness for a moment. A blast of frigid air rushed in, revealing a landscape of white hills and endless snow.

Then it all clicked.

I should have known from the abnormal frosty air and the freezing floors. We were smack dab in the middle of antarctica.

(I see why we woke up with heated body suits!)

Rin grinned as we shivered against the cold. Unfortunately, she seemed completely unfazed by it.

Unfortunately…

"Your first lesson begins now!"