Ed and Invidia locked eyes, a twinkle of amusement in hers. It had been a long time since someone who wasn’t a Sin had challenged her so directly. Especially someone so weak. She felt like stretching her legs a little, but considering he was one of Elaine’s men, she decided to not go too hard on him. That would be Elaine’s job to punish him for his insubordination.

Eager for a fight, she held back her strength, wanting to engage him in a test of skill rather than just thrashing him about. She took a step forward.

The tense atmosphere was broken by Lola, who couldn’t help but laugh at Ed. “God, what an idiot!”

Elaine stepped in between them, Staring Ed down. “Stand down.” Her voice boomed, knocking Ed to his knees. His threads rippled through the air. Except for the ones protecting Zara, they all fell to the ground, wriggling back into his body.

Seeing this she turned around to Invidia and bowed. “My apologies Lady Invidia, could you please remove the pain from the angel?”

Seeing Ed gasping for breath on the floor, she decided that the battle wasn’t worth any potential headaches from Superbia. She took back the pain, throwing it onto a random body.

The body convulsed then exploded, splattering blood across the room.

Having defused the situation, Elaine turned her attention to Ulric, having noticed his strange reaction when Ed had prepared to attack. The pieces clicked together in her mind as she looked between Ed and Ulric.

Without even having to hear the question on her mind, Ulric nodded solemnly, pointing at the threads. “That’s the monster we saw.”

Shaking the ringing away, Ed caught what Ulric said and looked up at them in confusion. No longer having to fight, he finally noticed his surroundings. The horrid sights and smells flooded his senses. It was on a level beyond much of what he had seen while working for the company. It was far more visceral and real than anything he had seen through the computer screen. He had never felt more grateful that the company had distanced him from the horrors he was causing.

“Interesting. So both of you were forced to flee when facing someone who has only been in Hell for a few weeks? Has all the training and power I’ve given you meant nothing?” Elaine asked Ulric, a soft, but cold smile on her lips.

Ulric trembled, bowing for forgiveness. “Of course not your Majesty. The strength you have given us has helped us take down many foes and has changed our lives for the better. Please forgive us for our mistake.”

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Wait, what happened?” Ed interjected, even more confused.

“You both lost to someone who wasn’t even aware of what he was doing. Do you think you are deserving of forgiveness?” She asked, her smile now completely gone.

“...No, your Majesty. We will take whatever punishment you decide.” Ulric sighed. This was a stain on his record that would never be washed away.

“We can get to that later. Now Ed, mind telling us why you are defending an angel?” She asked, her curiosity growing as she forced Ed’s threads apart so that she could see Zara.

Ed wanted to try and close the gap, but no matter how hard he struggled, he couldn’t fight against Elaine’s strength. So he gave up. He took solace in the fact that he was still alive; since Elaine hadn’t killed him yet, clearly he hadn’t done anything too bad.

“She’s my girlfriend.” He said simply, hoping that that was enough justification for his actions. Seeing that Zara had gotten back to her feet, he decided to drop the threads and pull her into his arms. The warmth of her skin was comforting, and something he wanted to relax in to forget his troubles, but he knew he couldn’t do that just yet. The wings were an odd sensation, but he couldn’t deny that he enjoyed how it wrapped itself around him.

He looked down at her face, noticing that she was still wary and ready for battle. With a smile, he made sure to hold her back so that she wouldn’t start anything. I missed this.

Elaine softened slightly at this display, finding his actions reasonable. Her eyes darted over to Lola. She knew she would do the same. Seeing Invidia nod out of the corner of her eye, she decided to leave his punishment at what had already happened. “I won’t punish you for your actions, but first you have to apologise to Lady Invidia.”

Looking over at the woman he was just about to fight, it dawned on him why she looked so familiar. Holy shit. Elaine really just saved my ass. Taking a bow, he lowered himself in apology and stayed there until she accepted it. “I apologise for my actions Lady Invidia.”

She waved her hand, finding his apology acceptable.

~

While all of this was happening, Balthazar had walked further into the complex. I need something better; those ones weren’t good enough. Studying the disaster with interest, he walked up to the closest full body, which was currently slumped over a partially destroyed table.

Placing his ear to its chest, he heard the light thumping of a heart. Lifting the person’s eyelids, he watched as the pupils dilated from the sudden intake of stimulus, but aside from that, had no other reaction. Interesting. He watched the chest rise and fall with the body’s breathing. I need to get a closer look.

Mist spread out from under his hood, swirling through the air. Drifting up into the person’s nose, it scattered throughout the body. First wrapping around the brain, scanning the electrical impulses it was producing. The mist swept through the body, wrapping around the heart and the lungs. Scanning every organ and muscle, watching as they functioned as normal. For all intents and purposes this body is fully functional. But I can’t sense the soul anywhere. How marvellous.