Mina looked visibly tense, her eyes flickering between Nathaniel and his companions. She seemed to weigh her options for a moment before finally relenting.
"Fine," she said, her voice tight. "I'll answer your questions."
Nathaniel nodded, satisfied. "Good. Now tell me, what happened to Sophia? Where is she?"
Mina hesitated for a moment, then spoke in a subdued tone. "Sophia... she's gone. She disappeared. We don't know where she went."
Nathaniel frowned, a sense of urgency rising within him. "Disappeared? How? When?"
Mina shifted uncomfortably. "It was a few weeks ago. She attacked us, and when we fought her, it looked like we were about to lose. Some white letters appeared in the air around her, and she disappeared. We searched everywhere, but there was no trace of her."
Nathaniel's eyes widened for a split second, but he pressed on. "So you have seen these letters anywhere else?"
Mina shook her head. "No, we're still investigating. It's been a mystery; those letters were just around Sophia when she disappeared. We haven't seen them anywhere else before or since. It was strange, like some kind of magic or supernatural occurrence. We did, however, find that they resemble Nordic Runes, but they didn’t match any of the known ones, so we gave up on that."
Nathaniel furrowed his brow, deep in thought. "Did she say or do anything unusual before she disappeared? Did she mention anything about her plans or where she planned on going?"
Before Mina could say anything, a stream of bats made of black mist erupted between Mina and the angels. The bats began to form a mist-shaped human, revealing Soma in his white coat. “Soma!” cried out Mina.
“Who are you, and what are you doing here?” asked Soma in a threatening manner.
Nathaniel's expression grew grim when he saw Soma. "This doesn't bode well. Who are you, and what is your connection with Sophia? Why can I sense lingering amounts of divine mana from you?"
Mina rushed forward and grabbed Soma’s shoulder. When he turned to look at her, she shook her head, conveying that he should not act rashly. She then turned to the angelic group and said, "This is my husband, Soma, and Sophia was trapped within his body for hundreds of years."
Nathaniel's gaze hardened. "Trapped? What do you mean by trapped? Tell us what occurred."
Mina bit her lip and began narrating the story she remembered. The story went as such: they found that Sophia attempted to create life but failed, creating a being named Yaldabaoth who usurped her power. He then proclaimed himself God and began ruling over the world. Yaldabaoth wished to be loved and praised by all, and when Soma, in his past life, refused, Yaldabaoth took his wife. Soma, in his grief and hatred, sought immortality.
Now an immortal vampire named Dracula; he began waging a war on those who worshipped Yaldabaoth. Eventually, Dracula grew weary of this and hid himself away until he met a woman who, unbeknownst to him, was the reincarnation of his wife. He found love again, and his cold heart thawed, although this was a trick by Yaldabaoth to give him eternal torment. His new wife was taken from him yet again, causing him to wage a war on humanity to which Yaldabaoth watched in amusement. Dracula was finally killed, and his soul hibernated until he could regain his physical form.
Centuries later Dracula was reborn as Soma, and his wife as Mina. They once again fell in love, but they fought against the tragedy of their endless suffering. Through luck and certain ancient texts, they managed to find out Yaldabaoth’s identity and that he placed something in Soma’s soul to control him. When they attempted to remove it, they discovered an entity named Sophia sealed within Soma. With her help, they managed to destroy the Chaos Entity sealed within Soma. With the Chaos Entity gone, Sophia was free, but without a physical body, she couldn’t fight Yaldabaoth.
So Mina offered herself to be the new host for Sophia, but since her body was weak, Sophia used some items and her power to change her into a more fitting host. This turned her into a lesser angel, as Sophia described it. So then she and Soma fought Yaldabaoth with all their strength and managed to defeat him. Now that Yaldabaoth was defeated, Sophia could reclaim the portion of her power that he stole. She separated from Mina and attacked them. They fought back but were too weak and injured to put up a proper fight. When she was about to kill them, some white letters appeared in the air around her, and she disappeared.
“That’s what happened,” said Mina.
Nathaniel listened intently to Mina's story, his expression not changing at all as he learned about the intricate history of Soma, Mina, Sophia, and Yaldabaoth. He processed the information, trying to make sense of the complex web of events that had unfolded.
Stolen novel; please report.
Soma stood silently, his eyes fixed on Nathaniel with caution. "You're an angel," he said harshly, his voice tinged with bitterness. "I can sense it too. But you're different from her. What are you doing here?"
Not paying any heed to Soma, Evangeline said, “Nathaniel, sir, this girl is the source of the aether that Muriel and I discovered. When comparing the mana from the boy and the girl, there are some similarities, so they probably are telling the truth that Sophia transformed the girl. However, I sense that she is more like a valkyrie than an angel.”
“What do you mean by that?” asked Seraphina.
“I think she means that Sophia might have gotten into a conflict with some valkyries before she was sealed. Ironically the seal hid her for anyone trying to locate her. It’s possible that when she used the remnants of their power and body to strengthen that girl into a vessel for herself, she was discovered. So when she was done, she tried to destroy all the evidence but was taken away for questioning by the Norse gods,” said Muriel, fabricating a false story although she was well aware of the truth.
"Regardless, we need to find her and question her about her actions," said Evangeline, her brow furrowed in concern. "Taking this girl back to Heaven for questioning might be our best option. We should also purge this city that’s been tainted by darkness."
Muriel, however, shook her head. "No, I disagree. I believe we should leave her here and leave the city untouched," she said firmly. "Sophia seems cunning and powerful. We believe she was taken forcefully by the Norse gods, but what if she defected to their side? This could mean that they might have other angels lying in wait to take action against us. Taking the girls with us could lead to them believing that we’ve discovered their plan and could put us all at risk. I believe the best course of action is to leave her here and have someone observe her to see if Sophia returns. As for the city, our mission does not include purging of any kind."
Soma, who had been standing protectively in front of Mina, tensed, ready to defend her if necessary. Nathaniel raised a hand to calm him, his angelic aura radiating with serenity.
"We won't take the girl to Heaven or touch this city for now," Nathaniel said, his voice steady. "For now, we'll have to leave empty-handed. But before we do, Evangeline, take mana samples from both of them. We’ll easily be able to track them through their mana signatures. Lady Raphael has also dealt with those of the Norse pantheon before, so it would be wise to return for now so that we may receive further instructions."
Evangeline nodded and with a gripping motion collected mana samples from both Mina and Soma. She stored them carefully in clear spheres, ready to analyze them later.
“We will return at a later time, and if your story checks out, then we shall protect you. However, if we find that you have deceived us, then we shall purge you all and this city. Am I clear?” said Nathaniel.
Soma stepped in front of Mina and responded, “We’ve told you all we know, whether you believe us or not is not our problem. Just know that if you come for us, I will fight with everything I have to protect those I love.”
This caused Nathaniel to smile as he said, “I like you. If only your soul wasn’t tainted by darkness, then I’d apply for you to become an angel. My corps is full of fearless hot-blooded idiots like you.”
Just as he was about to say something else, the group received a message from Castiel which said, “Nathaniel sir, we’ve got 10 divine energy signatures coming straight to this world. I’m unsure but from the energy signature and the amount of power I believe them to be 8 valkyries accompanied by 2 gods.”
“It seems like we were a step too late. Looks like Sophia sent them here for us,” said Muriel.
“Damn, this is bad. We could have dealt with the valkyries, but not the two gods accompanying them. What shall we do, Nathaniel?” asked Seraphina.
“We need to get this information back as soon as possible. While the rest of us stay here to delay them, someone should fly back to Heaven to warn them of this treachery. Muriel, since you’re the fastest amongst those remaining here, you should go,” said Nathaniel.
“I respectfully decline that order,” said Muriel.
“What!? This is an order from your superior! You can’t refuse or you’ll be executed here and now,” said a visibly angry Nathaniel.
When Nathaniel finished saying these words, both Seraphina and Evangeline had already drawn their blades. However, before they could take another action, Muriel stated her reason for her disobedience. “Lord Phanuel’s orders supersede yours, which is why I have to decline your orders.”
“Archangel Phanuel? What orders did he give you?” asked Nathaniel.
“My orders are to make sure as many of us return as possible. So I advise that only I remain here to deter this group while the rest of you all return. With my speed, I should be able to buy more time than any of you. A case such as this falls under the jurisdiction of the Temperance Corps. We not only deal with demons but other creatures, so if there is a way out of this without fighting, I would be the best choice to find it. Besides, we’re already at war, so now is the time for diplomacy rather than action, don’t you agree?” said Muriel.
Nathaniel frowned, realizing that Muriel's words made sense. As a member of the Temperance Corps, her expertise was in dealing with different creatures and finding diplomatic solutions whenever possible. She was also right that fighting another pantheon while they were at war with the forces of Hell wouldn’t be the smartest move at the moment.
"Very well, Muriel," Nathaniel said, reluctantly accepting her decision. "You stay here and buy us as much time as you can. The rest of us will return to Heaven and inform Archangel Phanuel of the situation. We'll come back with reinforcements as soon as we can."
Seraphina and Evangeline sheathed their blades, nodding in agreement with Nathaniel's decision. They knew Muriel was the best choice to handle the situation at hand.
"What about us?" Soma spoke up, his eyes determined. "I need to make sure Mina and the city remain safe."
Ignoring what Soma said, Nathaniel flew off with Seraphina and Evangeline, leaving Muriel behind. She turned and said, “You’ll be fine. You just need to retrieve the man named Yuto and it will nearly be impossible for anyone to find you.”
“What does my father have to do with this?” asked Mina.
“You healed him so your energy is still around him and will take a while to dissipate. So if you’re unlucky and someone comes across him like we did, they can easily be able to track you down as we did,” answered Muriel.
“Wait, why are you telling us this?” asked Soma, who looked at Muriel with suspicion.
“Unlike some of my colleagues, I don’t hold any prejudice toward creatures of darkness. Besides, after dealing with this situation, we may need to come back to ask more questions, so it is in my best interest if you all survive,” said Muriel in a calm manner.
Soma and Mina exchanged glances, unsure of what to make of Muriel's sudden change in attitude when her comrades left. Nevertheless, they understood the urgency of the situation and nodded in agreement.
Saying nothing, they flew most likely to retrieve Yuto, inform Hikaru and the others of what just happened, and fortify their defenses so that they could hide while this mess was going on.
Muriel nodded in approval before turning her attention to the approaching valkyries and gods. She left the cave city and flew out of Earth’s atmosphere. It would be best not to battle on the planet’s surface, so she released her energy and flew in the direction of the next planet, hoping to draw them there. This also helped to divert their attention from the others.
Nathaniel, Seraphina, Castiel, and Evangeline flew swiftly back to the gate connecting to Heaven. They needed to inform Archangel Phanuel and Raphael of the impending threat. They knew time was of the essence, but they had to travel as slowly and quietly as possible to avoid being spotted. They would need to gather enough reinforcements to pressure the valkyries and Norse gods possibly sent by Sophia into retreating should Muriel fail.