3 Chapter 3: Escape
I felt pain... That was the easiest way to describe it.
Wait pain? Didn't I die?
I remember being stabbed in the chest by that human-spider abomination, so how could I be alive?
I couldn't open my eyes or even move my body, but I felt warmth where I was stabbed.
This continued for a while as the pain lessened, and when it was gone, I could hear my heart start beating again.
As I managed to open my eyes, I saw the face of a crying Akeno, and before I managed to say anything, she kissed me.
My body froze like a statue, and my heart stopped again.
I kissed Akeno Himejima, a ten-year-old girl!
Doesn't that make me a criminal?
Am I going to jail?
'...' Even the voices in my head that calmed down slightly were left speechless as if asking if that was really the first thing I was concerned about after dying and coming back to life.
I tried my best not to think about it and figure out how I survived being stabbed through the heart.
...
..
.
"A-Akeno w-what happened after I... I, you know..." I asked after she calmed down.
"Y-You weren't breathing, b-but then a tattoo appeared on your right hand, and your body started absorbing my energy." She replied.
Tattoo?
Could that be my Sacred Gear?
Despite everything I tried, I couldn't activate it for ten years, so it may have had conditions to start.
No, maybe it was always active but didn't have a reason to do anything.
I looked at my right hand, and it was there VII.
"..." Great, a ten-year-old with a tattoo. Mom will surely kill me for this.
VII? The number seven. What does it mean? It feels like I'm missing something, but this isn't the time to think about it.
The tattoo dimmed, becoming barely visible.
I looked around the place and saw the beasts I killed before looking at the passage that looked like an exit.
"Let's go. We need to leave before more of them appear." I said.
Akeno nodded, "But this time, I won't sit back. I will help you," She said, showing me her Holy Lightning.
I didn't want her to fight.
Especially close to me when the curse is back, and I could harm her, but I don't know if I have the choice to decide.
My mana reserves have been refilled to about 20%.
Actually, it was less than 20%, but that's because my reserves grew, and this place only had a little of it for me to absorb.
"Fine, but stay at a safe distance."
If we encounter more of them, I couldn't take them on alone.
I picked up my twin swords that returned to their normal black and white colors. They felt stronger. Did I go up one rank?
"Hmmm. Akeno, did something else happen?"
"Two new wings appeared on your back before turning into particles and going to your swords."
A growth-type weapon!
Maybe cutting off my wings wasn't so bad.
...
..
.
We continued going up the cave and encountered more of the humanoid-like beast. Some even had multiple human heads, making them even worse to look at.
The thought of them being man-made resurfaced as we went higher.
I fought at close range while Akeno was shooting Holy Lightning and Light Spears at them. I felt bad for forcing a ten-year-old child into this, but this was the only way.
Akeno was having a hard time at first, but after the first few beasts, she started adjusting to killing them.
It was good that she didn't break down after killing them, but I felt anger boiling inside me for the people who caused this.
With my anger, the voices in my head grew louder.
It would be different if only I were here, but Akeno is a normal child who shouldn't have to do this.
A child her age should be playing around and not fighting for survival.
I swear, if...
No...
When!
When I find the people responsible for this, I will kill them!
'Kill, kill, kill them all! Pick their eyes out!' Unlike before, I agreed with what the voices told me this time. But it had to wait.
...
..
.
A lot of time passed, and I could feel the mental exhaustion.
Not only that, I was hungry and thirsty, with no food and water in sight.
If the beasts didn't resemble humans so much, I would have tried to eat them.
Deciding to look through my storage ring to see if I had something, I found a few candy bars I had hidden from my mother and Aunt Shuri.
"Here, have this," I gave one to Akeno. It isn't much, but it's better than nothing now if I only had water.
I'm guessing at least one day passed, so we could survive for a few more days without water.
...
..
.
We continued going through the beasts going up the cave until I heard voices.
Quickly grabbing Akeno, I hid and listened to their conversation, augmenting my ears.
"Another failed experiment, huh?"
"At least the reincarnated devils have some use."
"Just throw it in with the others."
I heard something fall to the ground and one of them walking away.
So I was right; those things are man-made.
"Hey, do you have a lighter?"
---
Michael POV:
It's bad... A whole day passed, and we weren't even closer to finding where Elijah and Akeno were.
We even have the help of Sirzechs and his Peerage searching the Underworld.
While this is happening, Azazel said he was getting closer to finding the location they were teleported to, but it would take him at least one more day.
We have angels and our most trusted exorcist searching the Human World for them, but still, we haven't found anything.
Then there is Gabriel, who Raphael and Uriel are still trying to calm down. She had been trying to leave Heaven and search for Elijah, but we stopped her.
She isn't in the right state of mind right now.
It's a miracle she hasn't fallen, but wrath and a mother's rage are different things.
"Father, what would you do if you were here?" I asked, not expecting any answer.
---
Elijah Heart POV:
After one of the men I listened in to left, I peeked my head out slightly and observed my surroundings.
At the bottom were me and Akeno, where I saw the newly dropped beast.
What could they have done for it to become something like that?
The beast growled and looked injured due to the fall. Like the other beast, it didn't look like it had even a shred of intelligence.
I kept my killing intent from leaking, not only for the guard at the top not to notice me but not to scare Akeno even more.
The idea of people experimenting on humans or even reincarnated humans disgusted me.
It wasn't the first time I saw something like that, but in my past life, I never saw so many in one place.
The things we killed used to be humans, and I allowed Akeno to fight them.
Anger boiled inside me as the voices in my head got louder, 'Kill, kill, kill...'
I tried to ignore them the best I could and focused on leaving this place.
How to deal with this? I started thinking.
If I attacked the beast first, I would make too much noise, and the guard would see me. The possibility of him calling for more people or attacking us is too high.
I could take on a beast with little to no issues, but an intelligent opponent could be much more challenging.
I need to take the guard down first. That's the best way to deal with our current situation.
But how?
I don't have my wings, so I couldn't fly up to him, but I could augment my legs and jump up to the guard.
But there is one problem.
I looked over at the beast. While injured, it still would make too much noise if I tried to sneak up on the guard.
A projectile would be best, but I don't...
I didn't finish my thoughts before a smirk formed on my face, and I looked at my twin swords.
"Alteration,' I muttered, and my swords began to change again. The black one transformed into a bow, and the white became an arrow.
I positioned myself out of sight of the beast and held my bow to the side towards the guard.
My arm was slightly bent and parallel to the ground while my other hand drew back the string.
I wanted to take my time to ensure a perfect shot. Finally, I released the arrow, and it swiftly hit the guard, not missing its mark.
It went through his back, piercing the guard's back and going out the front, killing him instantly. The arrow made from my wings made it a Light Weapon and deadly toward devils like the guard.
For the guard, it would be like being burned from the inside out before dying.
Now, with the guard taken care of, the last beast was the only thing stopping us from leaving this place.
I transformed the bow into my black sword and prepared for the final battle.
---
Azazel POV:
"I got it!"
"Where is my daughter!" Baraqiel shouted, grabbing me by the shoulders, and started shaking me.
"Baraqiel, calm down and put me down," I said, and he put me down.
Fixing my suit, I cleared my throat, "They were teleported somewhere in the Underworld, but I haven't pinpointed the exact location."
As the angered Baraqiel was ready to attack me again, I quickly added, "Eight hours! I need eight hours at most to pinpoint it!"
That got him to calm down. If that's Baraqiel's reaction, I'm scared to see Gabriel.
I shuddered before continuing my work. We need to contact Michael, and he will deal with her.
---
Gabriel POV:
I locked myself up in Elijah's room. I managed to distract Raphael and Uriel to get back here.
The house was fixed right after the attack, and the memories of the people who saw anything were altered.
Tears streamed down my cheeks as more than a day passed since everything happened.
I looked around the room. It didn't look like a ten-year-old boy's room. Elijah wasn't interested in toys besides the two swords he got as a birthday present.
The rest were different books and his notebooks.
Two filled notebooks. I remember giving El a third, but I couldn't find it. He probably had it with him in the storage ring made by Azazel.
I took the photo album filled with photos since Elijah was born and hugged it, "Father, please protect my child and let him return safely," I said between sobs.
I thought of all the worst-case scenarios of what might be happening while I couldn't do anything about it.
I could have prevented everything if I had been there a few minutes earlier!
I'm the strongest woman in Heaven, but here, I couldn't do anything but cry to find my own son.
Someone tried to open the door, "Gabriel!" Came the worried voices of Uriel and Raphael from the other side, "Azazel is close to locating them."
---
Elijah Heart POV:
I flicked the blood off my blade and looked up, "Let's get out of here, Akeno." I said.
"Umu." Akeno nodded and unfurled her wings.
I augmented my legs and jumped, bouncing off the walls until I reached the top. Akeno landed a moment later and hid her wings.
I approached the devil guard's dead body and took out the white arrow before transforming it into a sword.
I checked his pockets for anything useful.
I took out a wallet and a phone.
To think that a devil would have these things.
The phone is good, but the problem is that I need to know someone's number.
I don't think Uncle Michael has a phone, and I don't know Uncle Azazel's number.
Even if I knew the number for the phone we had in our house, it must have been destroyed by the rubble.
Still, the phone can be helpful in the future.
I looked into the wallet and saw euro banknotes, 220 euros in total.
That could mean we are somewhere in Europe, or this devil often visits Europe.
If not for that beast, I could have kept him alive to find more information.
While I was doing that, Akeno looked at the guard with disgust and hatred.
She must have developed a hate for devils due to everything that happened. I can't blame her. Aunt Shuri is dead because of them, and I don't have the best relations with devils and demons yet.
But just like humans, I can't judge the whole race by the actions of one person or group.
I sighed, knowing I was not the best person to say this, "Akeno, I know you must hate devils for everything that is happening, but you can't blame the whole race for the actions of a single group."
She clenched her fists, "B-But..." She let out a sigh, "I see..."
One sentence wouldn't help her to forget everything and forgive them, but it's a good start before it becomes worse in the future.
I can try to help her after we escape.
"Let's go. We need to get out of here before anyone comes here," I said, and we exited the cave.
"What if we see someone?" She asked.
I thought about it momentarily before answering, "We try to hide, and if that's not an option, we attack or run."
I don't know how strong they are, so attacking them isn't the best option. While we have the advantage of them being devils and weak to Light Weapons, we shouldn't risk it.
We stepped outside the cave and saw that we were in a forest.
There must be something nearby. Otherwise, why would they have a guard here?
It could be some hidden laboratory or something similar.
If I were alone and at full strength, I would try sneaking around to find it, but that's not something I can do now.
I don't know where we could be and how to return home.
First, let's get a safe distance from this place.
"Let's go. If you sense someone, tell me instantly." I whispered. Akeno has always been good at sensing energy. I learned this while trying to train my magic while playing hide and seek.
While I'm not the worst sensor, it's harder for me due to my limitations.
...
..
.
We walked for around four hours until we came across a spring.
I didn't waste time and tried the water to see if it was drinkable, and thankfully it was.
It must have been my imagination because the water tasted so good.
It could have been because we didn't have anything to drink for over 24 hours.
I looked at my twin swords. I was about to store them in my storage ring before instinctively trying to place them on my back where my wings would be.
I felt them disappear from my hands, and my broken halo disappeared.
"Huh, that's interesting," I mumbled, "That works, too."
Deciding we were safe from where no one would find us, I took out the phone. Thankfully, it wasn't locked by a password, and I unlocked it.
The phone looked more advanced than the phones in this age should be.
I locked through the apps on the phone until I found the devil equivalent to Google Maps called Devil-Maps.
I opened the app, and it instantly gave me my position with all the different points of interest, like shops and restaurants. I could also change between the Underworld and the Human World.
To my dismay, I wasn't in the Human World anymore but in the Underworld with no idea how to get back.
I don't know how to use teleportation magic.
If we went to the Fallen Angel territory, we could find Azazel, Penemune, or Baraqiel. But I don't know if it would be safe to do so.
While I trust them, I don't trust the rest of Grigori.
We could try and get back to the Human World, go to the Vatican, and ask for help.
But the problem is that Akeno is a Fallen Angel, and I'm something similar to a Fallen Angel.
I don't know what to call myself. I'm like a Half-Fallen Angel. We would be attacked even before I could say a single word.
I was sitting down and thinking of what I should do next, and as if a lightbulb lit above my head, I got an idea.
Let's hope this works.
Tutorial YouTubers became famous in my previous world by making tutorials for the most basic spells. This world may have something similar.
I opened the Devil-Tube app and searched for 'Teleportation Magic Easy Tutorial.'
I sorted it by rating until I found a five-minute tutorial, "Akeno, watch this."
Using the spell would consume my mana, so I want Akeno to learn it.
Akeno didn't object and started watching the tutorial.
It had a step-by-step tutorial on how to do it and even training exercises by transporting small objects from place A to place B.
I also got some helpful information from the video, like that the spell is the primary transportation used among most supernatural beings.
However, teleporting between worlds is considered illegal.
Well, it's time to break some laws...
...
..
.
Akeno practiced the spell on a rock, teleporting from one place to another. She got it down after a couple of hours.
After resting for four hours for both of our reserves to fully refill, we decided to do it. It was already dark.
"Now, Akeno, focus on the house," I said, standing close to her.
"Yes," She said in a low voice as she entirely concentrated.
A magic circle appeared, and the spell started working. I could see Akeno sweating and her reserves draining quickly.
Putting my hand on her back, I started feeding her my mana to fuel the spell.
It was expected that it would be challenging for someone to teleport two people in between dimensions on their first try.
The magic circle started getting unstable.
More and more of my mana started flowing towards Akeno, and I became concerned.
"Akeno, the spell is unstable. Stop it!" I shouted as lightning crackled around the magic circle
"I-I can't!" She replied weakly.
Then, my vision was covered by light, and our surroundings changed. We managed to teleport, but it wasn't the location we wanted to.
We were in a random alley.
I didn't have much time to look around before I caught the falling Akeno. She must have passed out due to mana loss.
I'm not in a better position, either. After the spell became unstable, it sucked out most of my mana.
---
Azazel POV:
"Now that everyone is gathered, let's go," I said and started the teleporting spell.
Michael, Gabriel, Baraqiel, Shirzechs, and me. All of us working together to find the kids.
Maybe something good will happen by their kidnapping. We could push the peace treaty negotiations, but the kids must be found and safe.
Well, let's not say that out loud; otherwise, I would be killed by either Gabriel or Baraqiel.
We were teleported inside the cave, and I noticed blood on the ground and a few white and black feathers.
Oh, this can't be good...
"Look over here," Sirzechs said with a frown.
I heard a gasp from Gabriel, and I could understand after seeing it.
Beasts similar to stray devils, but they looked experimented on. That thing couldn't be a normal stray devil.
I looked at Sirzechs, who looked disgusted by what had been done to them.
What is the Old Satan Faction trying to do?
We went to check over the beasts, "Slash and stab wounds. They were inflicted by swords," I said, noticing the burns from the light element.
"This couldn't have been done by either Elijah or Akeno," Gabriel said, and Baraqiel nodded, "There must have been another person here."
I inspected the wounds closer to determine the kind of kind of sword.
My mind went back to the sword design Elijah gave me. The wounds would be inflicted by a blade similar to the one he wanted.
"No Elijah could have done it, but how could he make them?" I voiced my thoughts out loud.
"But how could he do it? Elijah couldn't even form a Light Weapon." Gabriel said.
"I haven't seen him, but this doesn't look like something a ten-year-old kid could do. This looks like someone who has fought for years." Sirzechs added.
What bothers me is what he used to make the swords. I tried all the materials I could have thought of to make something he could use with his condition.
My eyes widened, and I looked back at the dried blood and feathers, "No, he couldn't have..." I muttered to myself.
Even if he did, how could he forge the swords?
No, he wouldn't. No matter how strange the kid was, he would never think of something like cutting off his wings.
...
..
.
We continued going up and saw more of the beasts. Unlike the ones in the first room, these ones also had lightning burns and what looked like stab wounds made by spears.
I must give the kids some credit for being able to fight after seeing those beasts.
We continued walking until we reached the exit and saw a dead devil pierced through the heart by what looked to be an arrow.
It looked like he was killed by a surprise attack.
Now, where could they have gone from here?
It was when I felt someone trying to use magic a few kilometers away.
We all looked at each other before flying toward the location where we felt the magic.
It felt like the spell was going out of control, and we could see the silhouettes of two kids before they disappeared.
The only thing left behind was charred grass from lightning.
"Tsk," We were so close, but they are gone again.
I started pinpointing their position, but due to the spell becoming unstable, I could only find out that it had teleported them somewhere in Europe.
---
Elijah Heart POV:
I put the unconscious Akeno on my back and took out my phone. I checked my location; the app changed from the Underworld to the Human World, and the dot showed I was in England.
I only have a phone and 220 euros. So, how can I get back to Japan?
It's not enough for two flight tickets, and I need to figure out how to start from here.
I need money. But how do two ten-year-old kids earn enough money for two plane tickets?
"No..." I muttered to myself. We still needed identification even if I had enough money for two plane tickets. Besides, they wouldn't let two kids travel alone.
That leaves two options.
One is Akeno learning how to properly use Teleportation Magic or finding someone who knows about the supernatural world and asking them for help.
The first can take a long time, while the second option is too risky.
...
..
.
"Kukuku. Look at what we have here, boys," A female voice said behind me.
I instantly turned around and saw a group of three fallen angels above me. Two males and one female.
"Both of them will sell for a good price." The second said.
"The girl could still sell for a good price even if used." The third added.
Sell...
I felt my anger rising with each word they said. The voices in my head got louder and louder, 'Kill, kill, kill, KILL, KILL!'. Slight killing intent leaked out of my body.
The female fallen angel chuckled as she commented, "Oh, looks like the pretty boy knows how to put up a fight."
Taking a quick glance at my surroundings, I realized that I was in no position to fight with an unconscious Akeno on my back.
My only option was to run.
Without wasting any time, I infused mana into my legs, strengthening them as I fled in the opposite direction.
"Oh, how cute he thinks he can escape us. But the boy is a magician, which makes him more valuable. Catch them!" I heard the female fallen angel shout.
My heart was pounding in my chest, and my breaths were coming in short gasps as I tried to put as much distance between myself and the fallen angels.
The fallen angels were hot on my heels, their wings beating furiously as they closed the gap between us. One of them even managed to grab onto my arm, but I twisted out of his grip and kept running.
"He thinks he can outsmart us by running away. Catch him!" one of the male fallen angels shouted to his companion as they chased after me.
Despite their efforts to grab me, I managed to evade them and even climbed the walls of a building. I navigated through narrow passageways and anything else I could think of to shake them off, but it was all in vain.
Their wings gave them an advantage over me, as I had sacrificed mine to create weapons, leaving me unable to fly. This made escaping nearly impossible, especially with an unconscious Akeno on my back.
I heard a loud crash behind me as I darted down another alleyway.
Turning quickly, I saw that one of the fallen angels had collided with a wall in his haste to catch up to me. I took advantage of the distraction and bolted down the street, putting as much distance between us as possible.
...
..
.
The chase continued for hours as my mana was slowly running out.
My mana reserves weren't full when this started; if this continued, I would run out of mana in less than an hour.
My legs were aching, and my breaths came in ragged gasps, but I kept pushing forward. I knew that I couldn't let them catch us.
"Fuck the money the brat made us waste the whole night! I'm done playing around." I heard the voice of the fallen angel behind me before my senses screamed at me to dodge.
I didn't hesitate and dodged to the right as a light spear flew past me.
"Shit." I cursed under my breath.
Things just went from bad to worse!
I continued running, relying on my instincts to dodge all the spears coming my way, as I couldn't afford to look back.
The chase intensified as I continued to dodge the light spears and avoid getting caught.
It was not until I stepped on a loose roof tile that I lost balance and fell down the building I was currently on.
I immediately closed my eyes, augmenting my whole body to lessen the impact with the hard ground, but that never happened.
Instead, I landed on something softer and heard someone scream, "Kya!"
I opened my eyes only to notice I landed on a fallen angel I didn't recognize, and the scream I heard came from a girl similar age to me.
Blonde hair and blue eyes, and she wore a witch-like dress.
Another fallen angel was beside him, already knocked out or killed. I didn't know and didn't have the time to check.
I managed to get on my feet before I heard the voices of the fallen angels coming from behind me.
"Finally caught you, and you even led us to another."
"Shit," I didn't waste time and turned around before backing up closer to the witch girl.
As we both were in the same situation, I asked, "Hey, can you use magic?"
"Uh, yeah." She replied. She was calm, as if this wasn't her first time in a situation like this.
"Good," I said, carefully placing Akeno down without leaving my sight from the fallen angels, "Can you protect her?"
She didn't say anything, but I saw her nod from the corner of my vision.
I reached for my back to get my twin swords. They materialized in my hands, and the broken halo appeared above my head, and I got ready to attack them.
"What is that? A Sacred Gear?" The fallen angels asked, noticing my appearance.
The witch girl also gave me a quick look, especially my broken halo.
---
Author's Note:
Thank you for reading this chapter.
If you enjoy this story, remember to vote and leave a review if you haven't.
