| Answers/A Trip Underground

"Who are you?" Hachiro asked the girl.

This infuriated the girl. "Who am I?" She barks. "Who am I!" The tone of her voice raises. "You abduct me, then ask who I am? Who are you?! Why do this to me?" She yells.

She reveals a steel pipe she was holding behind her back that she had ripped off the wall. She walks towards Hachiro, scraping the pipe across the hospital floor.

"Wait, no, you got it all wrong. I saved you." Hachiro's pleas as he steps backward. "You sick animals! You take me from my home, knock me out, then try to run test on me inside this filthy laboratory! Now you're trying to manipulate me! I'll take all of you demons out for this! All of you!" She shouts as she flails around the pipe.

Hachiro's pupils constrict as he scans the room. How did I let my excitement blind me? He asked himself. I didn't even realize that she took out all the nurses. She also didn't even acknowledge the fact that I said I saved her. She's like a frightened cat. She's just on the defensive, running off pure instinct. What should I do? Try to talk to her. Try to get something out.

"Listen, you're in an infirmary. This isn't a lab." Hachiro says to the girl. She looks around in confusion, and Hachiro picks up on that. She reacted. Hachiro thinks to himself. Ok, so she's listening now.

"If this is an infirmary, why connect me to all those wires? You could have just used healing magic, you liar!" Healing magic? Hachiro questioned. People can't use magic. At least I've never seen anyone use magic. I can't even use magic, and I'm an angel. Wait, that means.

Hachiro realizes.

"You…you're from the realm above?" Hachiro asked the girl. The girl looks at Hachiro as if she had just regained consciousness. She looked around again and noticed that she wasn't in the world she knew as home. She stares out the window. Hachiro watches as he wonders what could be going on in her head. They both stood in silence. 

Danny finally catches up. He was about to speak but immediately saw the other five doctors on the ground. Hachiro noticed Danny behind her but didn't move a muscle. They both watched simultaneously, waiting for her next move.

"Where am I?" She asked. She looked back at Hachiro and stared into his eyes.

"You are on Earth. In an "earthly" infirmary. An infirmary that doesn't use magic because humans can't use magic." The girl dropped the pipe and fell to her knees. "They brought me to Earth realm. Why...why would they do such a thing." She sobs. "I'll never see my family again." she continued.

Danny walks over to the girl. "Hey, everything will be alright-" {Levitation} The girl mutters. Danny gets swept off his feet. "Hey! Hey! Put me down, you brat!" Danny demanded. {By the Gods, Flame in Light. Disperse.} A bright glow of purple energy forms above the palm of the girl. She stands up and points it towards Danny. 

"I don't recommend you do that," Hachiro suggested in a cocky tone. "Danny is like my family. You hurt him; I'll kill you." Hachiro threatens.

"I'm on Earth. I'm already dead."

The girl gasped. "How? How did you do that?" She asked as Hachiro held her arm up that was pointed at Danny. The energy she conjured up vanished seemingly. He puts her arm down but continues to hold her wrist. Hachiro stares at the girl. It was as if she lost all desire to live. She didn't even want to look up. She just stared at the infirmary floor. Danny slides down onto the floor and sighs. Hachiro asked her again.

"Who are you?" 

With her tears still flowing, she answered. "Juri. I'm...a deity. A resident of House Lavandula." She sniffs and looks up at Hachiro. Hachiro releases her wrist. "I'm Hachiro. I'm the one who saved you from the woods. " "Please accept my deepest gratitude." She muttered. "So formal." Hachiro chuckled. "We are on Earth, dummy. You don't have to say things like that." Hachiro tells Juri. "Are you ok, Danny?" Hachiro asked. "Yeah, I'm fine," Danny replied. "You sound like you just ran a mile." Hachiro joked. "Well, if you didn't notice. I THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO DIE!" Danny shouts as Hachiro laughs at him. "I'd never let someone kill you, Danny."

"Yeah, great, that doesn't change the fact. THAT I ALMOST DIED! I've never seen SO many memories of my life before. I- I think I'm going to go lay down." Danny says to Hachiro. "Hey, miss umm, Juri, was it?" "Yes." She looks up at Danny. "The boy sat and visited you every chance he could. Be nice to him, will ya." Danny begins to walk down the hall and stops. "You didn't kill the nurses, right?" He asked Juri. "No, they're just unconscious." She replies. "Cool. Well, they'll wake up soon. I'm not on duty, so I will be on my way." Danny continued to walk down the hall.

"Umm, he's just going to leave them here?" Juri asked Hachiro. "Danny doesn't like to overwork; plus, he's not too fond of the other doctors." He replies with a smile on his face. "Don't worry, he's the best doc here. If he says they're fine, then they're fine." Juri looks at Hachiro sideways. She rolls her eyes and says, "I'll cast healing on them. It's the least I could do."

These damn earthlings. 

After Juri healed and apologized to the nurses, Hachiro suggested going to his quarters to talk about the night he found her. Juri accepted, and the two walked out of the infirmary and headed to the housing side of the base. They reach Hachiro's room, and he walks in, but Juri stops at the door.

"Umm...You are coming in, right?" He asked. "Well, I've never been in a guy's room before, so it's a little embarrassing," Juri replied. "Geez, don't make it weird. The room is kind of spacious; just sit on the bed, and I'll sit at the desk." Hachiro suggested. "The bed? Why the bed? What are you trying to pull?" Juri says in distress. "What?! I'm not trying to pull anything, you weirdo. The bed is more comfortable." Hachiro argues back. "Let's just talk outside if it makes you feel any better." "It's ok." She replies. Juri walks into Hachiro's room and sits on his bed. Geez, she's so awkward.

Wow, this bed is much more comfortable than the one I have back at home. "You mind if I lay back?" Juri asked. "I don't care. Do what you want. Just explain to me what happened to you that night." Hachiro sits down in his chair, facing Juri. "It's mostly fuzzy. I can't pinpoint everything." Juri says, looking at the ceiling. "Just speak on everything you can remember." 

"I was in my room sleeping until I heard a noise that jolted me awake."

(Three days ago)

'Boom! Boom! Crack!'

Juri suddenly wakes up in a state of panic. The glass of her window shatters as a figure wearing a hooded black cape and a mask crashes through it. Juri cautiously backs away towards her door while the figure stands motionless with their back turned. She reached for the doorknob that was inches away from her. "You know, I actually disliked this part of the plan." The hooded man says. Juri turns around and reaches for the knob but grabs the hand of the demon instead. She threw his hand down and jumped backward.

"Rude. I was trying to explain why I didn't want to do this. But you decided to what, run away?" The hooded demon questioned. "What do you want?" Juri asked the demon. " No...no...no, it's not about what I want. It's about what I need. You see, I need an instrument, a pawn, if you will. Something to help a little vessel of mine get a little bit of a…push. I feel you're the perfect thing to do just that." The demon states. "Thing? Are you serious? I'm unsure who you are, but I'm not playing your little game." Juri snaps.

The man laughs deliriously. 

"You think. Do you think you have options? Lovely, you are even more perfect than I thought. Clearly, you're delusional. Any stable being would have sensed my presence and knew that they could do absolutely nothing. They would have rolled over and begged for me to spare them from the atrocities that I'd do to them." The man vanished behind Juri in an instant. "Can't you see?" He whispered into Juri's ear. Juri turned around to see that the man was gone. "You never." She turned again, but he vanished behind her. "Had a choice." Juri Jumps up into the air. "I'll just blow this room into pieces!" She shouts. Fast or not, he'll get hit by this attack.

{By the Gods, Flame, and light-.} 

'Thud'

The man knocks Juri out with a single blow to the temple. "Magic enchantments take forever to finish. Don't you think that's a little bit of a setback? Juri Lavandula." Everything was a blur to her after the hooded demon knocked her out. The man met up with others and took her to an unknown location. The demon grabbed Juri and teleported to Earth after he and the others conversed. The man planned to drop her off at Twin Base undetected, but Juri woke up struggling. The man had no other choice but to knock her out again. But this struggle infuriated the man, leading him to strike her multiple times after she was unconscious. The beating cut her open. Then he heard grass crunching in the distance. It was Hachiro. That is when he decided to switch up his plan—expanding his Ki enough to catch Hachiro's attention, leading Hachiro into the woods, and having him discover her body. He concealed his Ki, dropping her off behind Hachiro and fleeing to an unknown destination. He then proceeds to teleport from Earth back to his realm.

(Back to present time)

"So, you only remember some hooded figure breaking into your room, and then you woke up with him holding you in the woods?" Hachiro asked. "Yeah. I was in and out of consciousness. So, when you had me, I thought you worked for the hooded guy and was taking me to some lair." Juri responded. Juri sits up and looks at Hachiro. "So. How'd you get trapped on Earth?" Juri asked. "Trapped? What do you mean trapped?" Hachiro says in confusion. "Well, once an angel is on Earth, they can't return to Utopia. That is where the term fallen angel comes from. Once you fall to Earth, there's no returning. You're a fallen angel, and you don't know this?" Fallen angel? This is the first time I've ever heard that term.

Hachiro paused. "I was born on Earth, so I've never fallen." He tells Juri. Juri's eyes widened in confusion as she looked at Hachiro and asked, "Wait, did you just say that you were born on Earth?" Her voice trembled with mixed emotions, leaving Hachiro wondering what was going through her mind. "Yeah, what about it?" Juri shakes in fear. "Are you ok?" Hachiro asked. "You look frightened."

Juri looks perplexed as she speaks, "It can't be. You can't be, right? There's no way." "You must have fallen as an infant. That's it." She relieves herself. "No. I was born on Earth. Yet I've never met my parents; Danny and the others cared for me. This base is my home, and these people are my family." Hachiro states. "Can you do something for me?" Juri asked. "Sure, what's up." 

Juri gets off the bed and faces away from Hachiro. "Lift my shirt," she says. "Why?" Hachiro asks. "I want you to see something," Juri replies. "I- Geez, man." Hachiro walks over to Juri and slides up her shirt. "Now put your hand on my back and force some ki onto my back." Hachiro concentrates his ki into his hands and applies some onto her back. He removes his hand, revealing a mark. "Woah. What is this?" Hachiro asked in amazement. A small tattoo-like engravement with a settled purple glow was on the middle of her back. "It's a house brand. Remember I told you I reside in the House of Lavandula. Every angel has one, and every angel has a house. You shouldn't have one if you were born on Earth." "Well, try it on me," Hachiro suggested. 

Juri lifts Hachiro's shirt and places her hand on his back. She releases some of her ki onto his back, revealing nothing. What is this feeling? Why do I feel so warm? "Did something show up?" Hachiro asked. Juri dropped his shirt and took a few steps back. "You're no angel," said Juri. Hachiro turned around in confusion. "I'm no angel?" Hachiro asked. "You're a Nephalem," Juri told Hachiro. "And I believe I just awakened your powers," says Juri. "Awaked my Powers?" Hachiro questioned. "Look in the mirror." Hachiro walks to the mirror hanging next to his desk. "Hoolyyy...shit." 

Hachiro's white hair, now partially black at the crown, shines in the light. A black horn manifested on the left side of his head. And his eyes glow a bright yellow. That's what I was feeling. My powers were awaking. Hachiro thinks to himself. His hair fades back to white, and his eyes dim. And the horn disperses. 

I was afraid of the possibility of Hachiro being a Nephalem because of what the last discovered Nephalem did, but Hachiro seems different and doesn't appear to be evil. He is the complete opposite. Instead of destroying the realms, he has the potential to help them. "What is a Nep-ha-thing?" Hachiro asked Juri. "It's Nephalem. And you're a being mixed of demon and angel blood. A being that shouldn't exist." Juri describes. "Stop calling me a "being" I'm just a person with some godly power."

"You don't understand your way past that. There have only been two before you in all of time. The first was the creator. Powerful doesn't describe it. The very being that created everything." Juri informs Hachiro. "The second caused The Fracture. He used his power to try to take over Utopia. But was killed by the combined strength of the humans, angels, and guardians." Hachiro sits down on his bed. Since the beginning of time, only two came before me. That's a lot to take in," Hachiro tells Juri, shaking nervously. "It is, but it's up to you to make the right choices. Don't let the power control you, control it." Hachiro smiles at Juri. "It's pretty late, and I have a mission tomorrow. Mind if we end our conversation here? I can walk you to a room of your own." 

Juri averts her gaze from Hachiro. Her face shows signs of distress, perhaps due to that night. "You can stay here if you want," Hachiro proposed. "Are you sure?" Juri asked. "Yeah, I'll just take this pillow and sleep on the floor." "You don't have to, Hachi-" "Too late, I'm already on the floor." Hachiro interrupts. "Goodnight." Hachiro rolls over and faces away from the bed. Juri stands awkwardly for a moment before climbing into bed and sighing. "Thank you. Goodnight, Hachiro."

Part 2

Hachiro wakes up in the morning and sees that Juri is still asleep. He freshened up and put on his gear for his mission. A black jacket with plated armor and a black and white cloaked hoodie over it. It was a dark and stormy morning, but the mission was so vital that it could not be postponed. Hachiro stares at himself in the mirror, contemplating what Juri had told him the previous night. He charges up his ki, looks at himself in the mirror, and mutters, "Nothing." I wonder how that horn appeared and how my eyes glowed, Hachiro thinks to himself. Juri mentioned something about awakening my powers, but why can't I use them now that they are awakened? Perhaps I need to learn how to tap into my true strength.

Hachiro walked out of the room and headed to the captain's office to meet the rest of the squad, casting a quick glance back at Juri before leaving. Frontline missions can last for several days, but on average, they usually last for up to seventeen hours. The team, which is carefully selected by the captain, begins and ends the mission in the captain's office. Members who are assigned frontline missions are not allowed to return to the base until at least five hours have passed, even if the objective has been completed. The members are expected to thoroughly investigate everything related to the task, including bodies and the surrounding areas.) Hachiro enters the office and sees the squad he will be operating with. Hachiro introduced himself. "Hey, I'm Hachiro. I'm excited to be your new comrade." 

"I'm Enzo."(22 years of age). "My name is Millard. I'm a fallen angel."(32 years of age). "Sup Hachiro, the name is Xabier. Welcome."(25 years of age). "I'm Ivan, but call me Ace."(25 years of age). "I'm the leader of the squad, fallen angel Argus of House Crimson. I hear you're pretty strong. Let's see that strength in action."(37 years of age). "By the way, Hachiro, you're not a new comrade. You're a substitute. Don't get your hopes up, little guy," Enzo mocked. "Excuse me?" Hachiro walks up face to face with Enzo. "Are you deaf? Should I use my blade to carve it in ya?" Enzo threatens. "You're so confident despite your weak ki," Hachiro replies. "Hey, you too, settle down. We are a team here," says Milliard. "Yeah, teamed up with some wannabe prodigy. He isn't shit." "You watch your fu-" 

"HEYYY!" Argus shouted, "We're here for mission details. Keep your mouth shut until the captain is finished." The two stared at each other and listened intently as Argus spoke. They then stepped back and joined the rest of their squad in line. "Since you two are finally done bickering, I'll start. I understand that this is a search and eliminate mission. According to the reports, there are some demon stragglers holed up in Witcher's cave. It is unclear how they arrived on Earth, but that is irrelevant. Your mission is to eliminate all demons and destroy any gateway if discovered. Is everything clear to you all? The captain asked. "Sir!" The team shouted, except for Hachiro. Argus shouts to the team, "Let's head to Witcher's cave and slay some demons!" The squad follows Argus out of the office and heads towards the cave.

(Two hours later) 

The team arrived at the cave, drenched from the two-hour journey. "This is it, boys. Prepare yourselves," warned Argus. They began to prepare. Enzo and Xabier unsheathe their swords while Ace loads his weapons. The angles circulate their ki throughout their bodies to prepare for combat. Hachiro stands and watches the team with his arms crossed. "You might want to circulate your ki as well since you're an angel like us," Millerd recommended. "Yeah, it helps your abilities come out faster," Argus agrees. "I don't know how to do that," Hachiro tells the angels. "Just think of focusing your ki when you use an attack, but instead of focusing on one point, focus on distributing it around your body," Argus explained—that boy's ki. There's a calm darkness to it. Argus thinks. 

"I'll keep that in mind," Hachiro replies. "Behind me," Argus shouts. "In 1-3-2 formation. (This formation concludes with one person in the front leading the charge. Three people are behind the leader for support and attack, and two are in the back as anchors. Hachiro and Millerd will be at the two. The others at the three and I will be our light. {Radiant!} Argus calls out. (Radiant is an enforcement ability allowing Argus to take reduced damage from enemy attacks. This ability also radiates his body like a torch.) The team searches further, plunging into the cave with no signs of demons. 

"Hey Hachiro, you're not upset about what happened earlier with Enzo, are ya? Millerd asked. "Of course not. Someone like him could never faze me." Hachiro replies. "You're pretty quiet. Are you more of a to-yourself kind of guy?" "Yeah. I've got some things on my mind, that's all." Hachiro answers. "Like, why can't fallen angels return back to their homes?" Hachiro questioned. "It's not a matter of can't. We can return to Utopia; it's just nearly impossible." Millers explained. "But how is that possible? How can you come to Earth yet can't leave it? Just go back the way you came." Millerd gazes at Hachiro with a distant expression in his eyes. "Ever since my house banished me here fourteen years ago, I have longed to return to Utopia. However, creating a gateway to Utopia requires an unattainable amount of power. The only ones capable of such a feat reside in Utopia, leaving us with no escape. I had a family, a daughter I'd never seen since her birth, and a lover. Every day, I struggle with the reality that I will never see them again."

"I'm sorry, Millerd," Hachiro said apologetically. Millerd remained silent, and Hachiro didn't press for forgiveness, knowing that he had spoken on an unhealed wound. That's why Juri was so sad about being brought here. I must figure out why she was brought here and how to return her home. I bet she's thinking about that now. Hachiro thinks. "Ready yourselves! I sense them, and there are plenty for us!" Argus yelled. The team had stumbled upon a cavern, and as they peered down, they saw a horde of horned, goblin-sized demons with spiky, rock-like exteriors. "I understand that you might not comprehend even the simplest form of communication, but for those who do, I won't back down. I won't hold back. Instead, I will be the one to make you beg for mercy!" Argus leaps from the 30-foot entrance and lands amidst the crowd of demons, unleashing a shockwave that sends them flying. "Come at me!" he shouts, ready to face them head-on.

Enzo and Xabier rapidly descend the drop, drawing their swords and preparing for action. With swift and decisive strikes, the two members sliced off the heads of the demons and quickly gained the upper hand in the battle. "Behold the magnificent Millerd!" he spreads his wings and unleashes a shower of radiant arrows from above. Ace unleashes a barrage of weapon fire from afar with expert precision, obliterating a horde of demons in his path.

These guys are actually incredible. I can't let everyone else steal all the glory. I need to make a name for myself and prove I can hold my own in the frontline. Hachiro thinks. {Flash!} Hachiro shouts. Woah, I'm moving faster. Circulating my ki does really help, he thinks. Hachiro rushes toward a group of demons and engages in combat with his bare hands. He combines kicking and throwing techniques at a rapid pace, leaving the demons unable to keep up. His movements are so swift that the demons cannot comprehend them. When he strikes parts of their bodies, it appears as if they are evaporating due to the speed and force of his attacks. 

"Look at the rookie go. He really is impressive." Hahaha, Argus laughs. "I can't let you one up me, boy!" He shouts {Demolition Bomb!} Argus charges up a blast, jumps up, holds it up in his two hands, and throws it down, killing all the demons in the proximity! "Enzo, to your left!" Xabier communicates. Enzo turns to his left. His precise action sends the demon writhing in agony as his blade slices through it, splitting it in half. His mastery over his weapon is undeniable, making him a formidable force to be reckoned with. Hachiro wipes out his group and heads for the reinforcements alone. "I'll end it all here right now!" He cried out. 

Hachiro fights through the army, reaching the center where demons surround him. "Hachiro smirked and said, 'I have been waiting for this moment. I have been eager to show off my power. I'VE BEEN WAITING!'" The team watches as they have eliminated all of their demons. He mutters {Fury's Echo} as a misty black and red aura of ki surrounds his body. His eyes begin to glow red, and he starts to move incredibly fast, appearing to almost teleport around the area. With each flash, a demon drops to the ground. This version of {Flash} is used as an offensive attack rather than just for mobility. It almost seems like he has clones, as echoes of himself burn through the demons, and they fade away. 

The team watched as the demons' ashes floated into the air. They all looked shocked and intimidated except for Argus. Hachiro's eyes went back to normal before he turned around. Hachiro didn't even realize that his demon powers leaked out when he took out the rest of the demons. Argus is convinced. "There's no doubt about it," he thinks. "That dark presence, he's definitely part demon." "Good work, Hachiro!" Millerd shouts from the top of the cave. Hachiro smiles. "Thanks, Millerd!" Hachiro remembers what Millerd told him. It's not impossible but nearly impossible to return to Utopia. "I'll be the one, Millerd!" He shouts. "I'll be the one that takes you back to your family. I'll become the strongest and find a way to open a gateway to Utopia!" Millerd smiles back as a tear leaves his eye. "From what I just seen; I have no doubts-" 

...

Hachiro's eyes opened wide as he watched Millerd's head fall from the sky. His body flopped to the ground. "MILLERD!!" They shout. Hachiro, still in shock, stares at Millerd's motionless, decapitated body. A powerful and deadly energy suddenly fills the air, causing Enzo to feel as though a knife is being thrust into his chest. The intensity of the aura is so heavy that he can't move and struggles to breathe—Enzo wonders who or what could be causing this feeling.

Meanwhile, Argus is the only one who remains calm, staring in the direction of the energy. Hachiro, on the other hand, is in shock and begins to hyperventilate as he stares into Millerd's eyes. "Get a hold of yourself!" Xabier shouted as he shook Hachiro. Hachiro snapped out of shock and took cover with Enzo, Xabier, and Ace.

Argus remains standing, gazing in the direction of the aura. Suddenly, a hooded figure emerges from behind a rock, revealing himself. Hachiro turns to look at the figure - a person dressed entirely in black, with a hood and a mask. It's just like how Juri described it last night. Could it be? Could this be the same person? 

"Surprise!" the demon shouts. "How's that, angel?" The hooded figure laughs. "You basted!" Xabier screams as he charges towards the demon. "You're a brave one," the demon acknowledged. Suddenly, Xabier's body dropped in front of them with a thud. Standing in the same spot, the hooded man held Xabier's head up by his hair. "Stupidity," the demon remarked. "Knowing your place is braver than trying to be something you're not." Ace attempts to shoot the demon, but all his bullets miss their mark. The demon effortlessly dodges all of them and suddenly appears behind Ace, swiftly beheading him with one stroke. "Clearly, you Earthlings do not listen," the demon declares in disgust.

"You're the one I want," he says with a grin as he looks at Hachiro.

"Hachiro, come face me so we can test our strength. I want to see who is stronger. Your powers seem to be awakened. I see my little pawn did her job." The demon laughs. 

"You're facing me!" Argus shouts. "You killed my comrades, my friends! I am the Fallen Angel of House Crimson, and I'll end your entire existence for what you've done."