6 Chapter 6

"What is your secret?!?" Josh was physically assaulted the moment they returned back to the Grigori base. Azazel wasted no time and grabbed him by the shoulders before he started shaking him back and forward. Josh was worried that the Governor had found what his Sacred Gear really was, but that wasn't it.

"How? I've tried over and over to reproduce someone like you, but none survived the operation!" Azazel was in anguish as his violet orbs stared right into Josh's soul.

"I don't know." Relief washed over him, but Josh was also reminded why he wasn't that comfortable with the Grigori.

Azazel had experimented on people, trying to replicate what he had done with Josh. All of those had died, but the Governor didn't care about them. He was only worried he wasn't making any progress.

From what he managed to find by asking around, Josh learned that Azazel only experimented with death row inmates or people like the Necromancer. Humans which deserved it in a way, but that still left a bad taste in his mouth. After all, Josh was raised outside of the supernatural world where killing was considered a grievous crime.

Azazel's expression suddenly turned serious as he took a closer look at him. The Governor looked Josh up and down and squeezed his shoulder lightly.

"You raised your magical power." Azazel stated with a serious tone. "What did it cost you? What did you sacrifice?"

"A part of me. I had to fight for my life." Josh answered with a half-truth. He sacrificed part of his humanity when he fought and killed in the Colosseum for the first time. It might've been a projection, but to him, it felt real enough.

"You stupid, stupid boy. The cat is a foreign entity, and it could've tricked you! I would've expected something like this from Vali and not from you. I won't be surprised if he sacrifices a body part or two to Albion in exchange for a power-up. You, on the other hand, already got burned once. You should've learned from your mistakes." Azazel scolded him like a father would his son.

That's how he usually acted around Vali. Azazel was fond of him and really treated him like his own son. Josh, however, didn't particularly like Vali. Mostly due to how their first and only interaction had gone.

The silver-haired teenager took one look at Josh, then called him a 'weakling' and walked away. Vali wasn't wrong, but it was shortly after he woke up from the experiment. He was a different person now.

"I did what I had to." Josh kept it vague, not specifying how and what he had sacrificed.

"Jo-Jo." Lavinia's sad voice was heard from behind him.

"Haaaa, it's too late to take it back, I suppose. Your life isn't in immediate danger, is it?" Azazel asked with a tired sigh.

"No." Josh shook his head. Unless he overestimated himself and died in the Colosseum.

"Let's hope so." Azazel stepped back. "You know, I understand freedom of choice better than most supernatural beings out there. Just... make sure you won't make any decisions that you would regret later on in your life, okay?"

Azazel turned around and walked away after that, hiding his expression in the process. Josh wasn't sure if he saw correctly, but the Governor looked sad at that moment, leaving him unsure if this was an act or not. After his first encounter with the supernatural world, he was paranoid about dealing with anyone from it.

"Jo-Jo." Lavinia hugged him tightly and asked. "Why?"

Choosing not to be entirely truthful with Azazel was easy, but the same couldn't be said when it came to Lavinia. Josh decided to simply stay quiet and hug her back. They stayed like that for a while until she pulled back.

"I know you wish to separate yourself from the Grigori, and I don't entirely agree with that, but I will support you!" Lavinia declared, and her eyes burned with conviction. "Just... promise me you will keep in touch. And if you ever need help in the future, you will call your Lavi-chan, okay? I will be there in a jiffy to aid you however I can!"

"I will." Josh didn't have to think about that. Even if all of this was an act, Lavinia had already woven herself into his heart. He could only hope for the best now.

"I will hold you to that." Lavinia's bright smile lit up the room at that moment. "But that's for the future. For now, we are going to spend some time together!"

Josh considered pointing out they had an entire week for themselves, but he stayed silent. Spending time with the cheery and gentle girl was enjoyable as long as he wasn't overthinking it.

'Maybe...'

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"Arata-kun." The stiff voice of Baraqiel greeted Josh. He was tall, robust, and overall built like a mountain. Baraqiel looked like a regular human, but there was this intimidating aura he gave off that would make others move out of his way if he was spotted walking down the street.

However, despite the tough exterior, Baraqiel was a softie on the inside. He wouldn't have paid for his parents' funeral, otherwise. Josh still owed him for that gesture.

"Baraqiel-sama." Josh greeted him with a nod as he ate his lunch in the cafeteria of the base.

Even though all Fallen Angels had the ability to speak every language known to man, they didn't use honorifics. Except for Baraqiel, who for some reason did. Josh didn't mind it that much. He may have been raised in Japan, but his mother was a foreigner. She taught him English from a very young age, where honorifics weren't used that often.

"You completed your first mission." Baraqiel said as he sat down in front of him.

"I did." Josh nodded.

"How are you feeling?" Baraqiel's voice was still stiff, but there was a tinge of softness in it now.

"I've been getting better." Josh said, knowing the Fallen Angel wasn't asking about the mission.

"Time is... supposed to heal all wounds." Baraqiel told him with a glazed look in his eyes.

"Supposedly." Josh looked down before shaking his head. "And how are you feeling, Baraqiel-sama?"

"I've been getting better." The Fallen Angel replied after a moment with the words Josh had just used. The teenager considered parroting what Baraqiel told him, but he decided against that. They could go back and forward all day like that, just repeating the other's words.

"Azazel decided on your next mission." The atmosphere around Baraqiel turned serious with that. "A group of Devils has been causing trouble in the borders of our territory in the Underworld. He wants you to eliminate them."

"How many?" Josh asked with a sense of fear. He wasn't sure how he compared against a Devil, let alone a group of them. But Azazel wouldn't just send him to his grave, right?

"Four, but there may be more with them. I will also be coming with you." Baraqiel's words relieved him. He was one of the strongest Fallen Angels and part of the leadership of the Grigori. With him around, this wouldn't be a problem.

"I will keep my distance and only assist you if the situation requires it." That was a slight issue, but at least Josh knew he would be safe. Baraqiel had earned his trust.

"Understood." Josh nodded, but then he narrowed his eyes. "Won't this action be taken as me being part of the Grigori by the other factions?"

"If you are spotted, and there is someone to report it, then yes." Baraqiel did not even consider lying to him and even gave him the solution to his problem.

If the Devils didn't even know he was the one to eliminate the group, they wouldn't be able to associate him with the Grigori. Though there were both pros and cons for that. If the Devils associated Josh with the Grigori, they would think he has a big organization behind his back, but they would consider him an enemy. And if they didn't know he was part of the Grigori, he would be free game for a Devil to try and recruit him to his peerage, either by force or persuasion.

"I will take over your training for the next week. We will focus on using a light gun and sword. Afterward, we leave for the Underworld for your mission." Being trained by one of the strongest Fallen Angels was a definitive plus in his eyes. And it was Baraqiel, so that made it even better.

Oh, how wrong Josh was to think that. Baraqiel turned out to be a complete slave driver. At times he even felt as if the Fallen Angel was enjoying seeing him in pain, but that surely wasn't the case, right?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"So this is the Underworld?" Josh said, looking around in wonder. "I expected something more..."

"Hellish?" Baraqiel added.

"Yeah, that." Josh expected to see fire and brimstone, to smell the scent of burned corpses, and to witness hellish creatures walking around. Instead, he was greeted by a purple sky, clear air, and a modern city that wouldn't look out of place in the human world.

"A long time ago, it looked just as humans believe Hell is supposed to be." Baraqiel said, his eyes looking into the distance. "It was hellish and inhospitable. Few beings lived here at that point. Mostly those that were born here or... were banished. The Underworld was one of the main reasons behind the Great War."

"Because it wasn't suitable for living?" Josh asked.

"We didn't have an issue living here even with the harsh environment. Neither did the Devils. Both races could endure it here. However, neither of us wanted to stay and live in the Underworld. The Devils had tasted the human world and its riches, finding it more to their liking than here. We, on the other hand, came from the Heavens. The Underworld just couldn't compare to our old home."

"So you tried invading the human world for a better living environment?" Josh asked.

"More or less." Baraqiel nodded. "However, the Angels and God were against that. Humans were the favorite creation of God, after all. He wouldn't let them get corrupted by the Devils or the Fallen Angels. Every time one of us invaded, their armies drove us back. It started with small skirmishes until it turned into a full-blown war."

"Then why are the Devils allowed to prey on us when we are His favorite creation?" Josh asked with anger. "Why isn't God protecting us? Why didn't He prevent what happened to my family?"

"It's not that simple." Baraqiel said with a grimace.

"Why?" Josh wanted to know why a so-called omnipotent being had forsaken his parents.

"It's not something I can explain to you. But God really cared for you. He really did. God wouldn't have created the Sacred Gear system if He didn't love you. Those artifacts gave humans a chance to fight against supernatural creatures on their own."

"Then why did He stop caring about us?" Josh picked up on the fact that Baraqiel was speaking in past tense when referring to God's love for humans.

Baraqiel stayed silent in response.

"Did He give up on us?" Josh asked after thinking about it. Humans committed just as many sins as other beings. Maybe that was the reason He didn't protect them any longer. "Because we weren't perfect? We weren't what He expected from us?"

"No, no, no." Baraqiel shook his head. "You were made imperfect for a reason. God already learned his mistake when he made us. And even we weren't perfect, but you were designed that way."

"Why?"

"If you were made into perfect beings, then how would you ever improve further than that? If you were perfect, you would never experience change, and you will never develop and advance as a species. The Angels that still reside in Heaven are the so-called perfect beings. And ever since they were born, they haven't improved the slightest. The Ten Seraphs and the rest of the Angels are still the same as they were a millennia ago."

"A lot of Fallen Angels even envy you, humans. God loved you more than He did us. A lot of us fell from grace because we wanted to be more like you. We wanted Him to look at us the same way He looked at you."

"Then what changed?" Josh asked.

"He... it's better we stop this discussion here. We should focus on the mission at hand. The group of Devils is your current priority." Baraqiel obviously didn't wish to discuss this further.

"Fine." Josh grumbled, but he wasn't happy.