Chapter 11: Grandpa is...

Like every day since that day, I meditated in my inner world while absorbing the gray fog surrounding the place.

I still don't know what the fog represents, but I know what it could be. 

During a couple of months I been doing this, I noticed changes.

The changes are almost unnoticeable if I wasn't looking for anything different about myself. One was that my skin became paler every time I returned to the real world. 

I'm guessing that after I absorb all the fog, my skin will have a cream-white tone.

I also have noticed that I have become more attuned to my mana. Its usage has become smoother compared to before. However, at this point, it wouldn't significantly impact a battle. 

My mana also increased faster since I started absorbing it.

Looking at the large amount of fog left, what would happen if I absorbed all of it? What could I do when I absorbed all of it?

But what worried me the most was how my flames became stronger. 

Am I absorbing the demon's power? I gulped, thinking of the possible consequences of it.

Could the fog affect me somehow? 

I didn't know if the gains outweighed the consequences.

As of now, nothing has changed with me, so I continued. 

If I see any negative changes, I'll stop and ask for a health checkup from Uncle Raphael.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. Even after months, there weren't big changes to the fog, maybe a centimeter at most.

I still had the same questions I had since the first day. 

How long will it take me to absorb all of the fog, and what is under it?

I couldn't feel what the ground was made of, and it hadn't a feeling of anything. It's like I touched something and nothing at the same time.

It was a puzzling feeling, making me want to absorb the fog quicker to know what was under it.

I was bored lately. I wanted to fight. 

"Wait..." Since when did I want to fight?

Did the fog already influence me to want to fight?

No, I must have been bored due to only training for months and not doing anything else. It was normal for a hunter to want to enter a new gate after not entering for months.

...

..

.

The moment I opened my eyes to the real world again, I looked down to see a black cat sitting on my lap.

"Kuroka, what are you doing here?" I asked the black cat.

Kuroka, still in her cat form, jumped off my lap and onto the carpet before stretching, "Nyyyaaaaaa... You were so deep into your meditation that you wouldn't even wake up when I called you, or... Fufufu." 

My eyes twitched, "What did you do?" I asked.

"I was just joking, nya." 

Sighing, I asked, "So what do you want from me?"

"I didn't have anything to do, so I decided to drop by. Don't you want a beautiful kitten visiting you, nya?" Her body glowed and expanded. 

The next moment, instead of a black cat, was a black-haired woman with cat ears and cat tails. 

She came closer and sniffed me, "Your smell has changed again, nya." She said, and I looked at her with questioning eyes.

The last time she said my smell changed was after my training in the Land of Shadows, where I gained access to the Flames of Destruction and temporarily got rid of the demon. 

"How did it change this time?" I asked. 

She put a finger to her mouth and assumed a thinking pose, "Nyaaa... I don't know how to put it exactly, but the best words to describe it would be more refreshing."

"More refreshing?" I asked, not understanding what she meant by it.

She thought about how to describe it better, "It's like a wilting flower coming back to life, nya."

"So the changes are good?" I asked, assuming the changes were related to me absorbing the fog in my inner world.

"I like it, but I can't say if they are good or not. Most often, it's a good sign, nya."

That's reassuring, at least.

I stood up and went to the kitchen, "Since you are already here, do you want anything to eat?" I asked.

I opened the fridge and felt as Kuroka leaned against my shoulder to see what was inside, "What can you make, nya?" She asked.

"Eggs... Bacon... Toast..." 

"Sound good, nya." She purred and went to sit at the table.

Sighing at her usual behavior, I took out the eggs and bacon from the fridge and took out a pan. 

In a cold pan, I placed six strips of bacon and waited for the pan to heat up.

"So, anything new?" I asked.

"Still the same, but at least Vali isn't complaining about you ignoring his texts so much anymore. If I didn't know better, I would assume you two are together, nya nya nya." She chuckled. 

I scowled at the thought, making her laugh, "You should see your face, nya! Anyways, what have you been doing to change your smell so much?" She asked after a while.

"Just meditating and training my body," I replied and flipped the bacon. 

"Doing just that wouldn't change the smell of your spirit that much, nya."

I shrugged and replied with a smirk, "Maybe I'm just special."

Kuroka scoffed, "I can't imagine you were ever a pure angel with that attitude, nya."

I didn't reply and flipped the bacon again. We continued our small conversation while I was making the food.

When the bacon was ready, I took it out and placed it on some paper towels so they could absorb the extra oil. I didn't want soggy bacon for breakfast.

Next was the eggs. Quickly thinking over what type of eggs I wanted to eat, I went with sunny-side-up eggs.

Cracking two eggs into the pan, I seasoned them with salt and black pepper before putting on the lid of the pan.

Now I had time to slice the bread. I sliced two slices and returned to the eggs. 

Seeing as they were ready, I took off the lid, placed the eggs on the plates, and placed the pieces of bread into the pan with bacon fat. 

A few minutes later, everything was ready, so I took the plates and placed them on the dinner table.

"Eat up," I said, sitting on the opposite side of the table and looking at her, "It's not like I don't want you here, but you should be quick because people will be here soon, and you are still a wanted criminal."

I didn't get much information about the reason she became one of the most wanted criminals in the devil faction, but I got enough to judge her myself. 

Unfortunately, there isn't much I could do. While I'm in good relations with Rias and could get in contact with Sirzechs, there isn't much he could do with just my words.

In my opinion, the position of satan is taken as a joke in the underworld compared to the seraphs in Heaven. It's like they can't do anything on their own without the permission of the other pillars.

The devil society is split up into multiple different factions, and the other factions have more political power than the Satans themselves!

It's almost as if they were humans and not devils.

Sirzechs is the strongest devil! If I was in his place, I would have used the power to threaten them and show why I was the strongest of my race.

But hey, who am I to judge?

I'm not a leader and don't know how to lead a whole faction. Most likely, the way I think wouldn't work for a leader.

Well, I don't plan on becoming one now or any time in the future anyway. I thought, forgetting about what the Lady of the Lake said.

I started eating my breakfast while continuing to have a small talk with Kuroka.

The time flew by, and the moment we sensed Aunt Shuri and Akeno arrive, she turned into her cat form and jumped out from the back.

Quickly taking both of our plates, I went to the kitchen and started washing them. 

The moment I turned on the water, I heard the front door unlock, and they entered.

"El, we're here!" Akeno shouted the moment she stepped in. 

"I'm in the kitchen washing the dishes. I will be out soon." I said and continued washing the plates and the frying pan I used.

...

..

.

As I made my way down the quiet streets, I encountered a few people and a handful of passing cars. Every so often, I sensed the presence of my guardian angels lurking nearby.

It seemed that my ability to sense them had improved since I began absorbing the fog.

While I still struggled to detect them at times, I could sense their presence more easily now.

These angels had been tasked with protecting me from harm, especially since my mother couldn't do so from Heaven.

Pausing at a nearby vending machine, I purchased a bottle of green tea and continued on my way. I couldn't help but wonder if the angels had noticed Kuroka's recent visit.

Perhaps they had, but they didn't seem concerned since she posed no threat.

As long as they don't attack her without reason, I don't care if they know or not. Because if they do, I won't hesitate to attack them.

I promised myself that no matter who they were, devil, angel, or even god. If they purposely attack someone I care about with malicious intent, I will do everything in my power to kill them. Consequences be damned.

The rune on my back flared slightly in excitement, and I instantly blocked all my mana from escaping.

I thought I managed to stop the flames, but unfortunately, I was too late. Moments later, I heard a splash and felt something wet in my hand. 

Looking down, I saw that half of the bottle was gone as if it never existed.

"Fuck..." I muttered quietly enough so none would hear, not even my guards, and bought a new bottle when I saw another vending machine. 

This doesn't happen often, but it wasn't the first time I ever lost control and wasn't fast enough to stop my mana before the flames activated. 

Fortunately, nothing terrible happened besides the flames, removing a few items from existence. But what if I ever lost control of my emotions with something or someone important to me?

While I can block off my mana and even use the bracelet that serves as a mana cuff constantly on me, what if I'm too late? I can hurt the people I care about if I'm not careful enough, and while I could keep my emotions from showing, I can't suppress them, not entirely, at least.

Maybe that's the reason she told me to meditate every day.

While continuing to think about it, I walked around without any real destination in mind. 

It's just nice to go out for a walk and think things through sometimes, especially for someone who stays indoors most of the time, and the underground training room in the basement doesn't count, even if it looks like it.

Walking even further, I stopped by a convenience store and bought a quick snack. 

Another good thing about going out for a walk is that I could get to know the town I have been living in a little better. 

As I continued walking while also eating the onigiri I bought, I entered the park. 

While slowly walking through it, I saw children with their parents playing in the park's playground. I even saw an elderly man with long, grey hair, a matching beard, and a gold and white monocle telling some stories to a group of children. 

I didn't hear what he was telling them, and I wasn't interested, so I continued to walk.

Seeing that guy made me think of Uncle Azazel, and that made me remember something. I should ask him if he could teach me how to make artifacts and other devices. 

While I could ask him to make the things I would need, it's better to know how to do them myself.

During a couple of fights I have been through in this life, the outcome made it clear to me that I needed this specific thing. 

Unlike Vali, my Sacred Gear doesn't give me it, so I need to make my own.

The thing I need is armor and a durable one that can protect me against any supernatural opponent and not be destroyed by the flames of destruction. 

The biggest problem I see right now is how to make it resistant to the flames of destruction. While my blades seem to have no problem, I don't know the reason behind why they can. 

They are made out of my wings, using magic to transform them into blades, but the flames didn't have any problem when they touched my hands, reducing them down to the bones.

"Bones..." I muttered to myself.

Why didn't the flames erase my bones from existence like the rest of my arm, even after being in contact with the flames for so long? 

The flames never had any problem with anything else they came in contact with, so it wouldn't make sense that they couldn't work on bones. 

Maybe there is something special with my bones that prevents the flames?

Or maybe the curse has been changing the structure of my body, making it resistant to the flames, but only my bones had it at that time? 

At that thought, my mind went back to the gray fog in my inner world that I'd been absorbing. Could me absorbing the gray fog be changing my body? 

While my skin got paler, I didn't find any other difference, and I didn't think that was it. I used the flames for the first time before even absorbing the flames, but at the same time, the fog has always been a part of my inner mind, so maybe it could be true.

If I absorbed all that gray fog, would I have total control over the purple flames of destruction?

I would do some tests after absorbing more of the fog, but I don't have any healing abilities that would heal the damage made by the flames, and the only thing I could think of was the Phoenix Tears I heard so much about.

Phoenix Tears are a special potion of liquid that can instantly heal injuries, as a single drop can regenerate the user's injuries and restore their health. 

However, they do not restore blood loss and organ loss, though they may be used to reattach a severed limb, so I don't know if they would even work for something like that.

That made me think back to the idea of somehow reversing the effects of the flames in order to heal myself, but I still haven't made any progress on that front.

That would be the best way, but the possibility of that working is really small.

My current theory is that if I take the energy of the flames and multiply them by one other, I would get an energy that heals instead of destroying. Basically, the negatives cancel out and make a positive, with the negatives being destruction and the positive being the opposite of destruction is creation.

Healing Flames of Creation or something like that...

In theory, that should work, but it's easier said than done. 

During the whole time, I must have been so deep in thought that I didn't notice leaving the park and arriving back home.

Taking the key out of my storage rune, I unlocked the door before entering and taking off my shoes.

"I'm home," I said, hearing sounds from the kitchen.

"Dinner is almost ready. Can you prepare the table?" My mother's voice came out of the kitchen.

"Okay, Mom," I replied, went to the kitchen, and took a quick look at what she was making before taking out two plates.

It looked like a stew. It was actually one of three recipes my mother could do without anything in the kitchen catching on holy fire.

About ten minutes later, we sat down to eat.

We ate mostly in silence, and I decided to ask something when we were finished. I have wondered this since I found out my mother was an angel.

"Mom," I began and thought of how to ask this, "There is something I've been wondering for a while now." I paused and looked at her.

She looked at me with an expression that said to ask, so I did, "I've been wondering if I could go to Heaven and meet Grandpa." 

The moment I did, her expression changed to a panicked one, and she froze.

"Well... Um... Your grandfather isn't in Heaven right now and..." She trailed off, thinking of a way to tell it to me.

A child my age wouldn't have understood it, but I was a reincarnation and understood what that expression and the fact that she was trying to avoid the question meant.

It was hard to believe it, considering the person we were talking about, but that's the only option I could think of.

God was dead.

"He's dead, isn't he?" I asked, looking at her.

Her expression turned into a sorrowful one, and she didn't say anything for a while but nodded, keeping her head down.

"I see," I said after a while, not knowing what to think about it. 

He was God and also my grandfather, but I never knew the guy, so I didn't feel anything about learning about his death. 

While it would have been a bigger shock for other people, an example that came to my mind was the blue-haired girl who couldn't stop talking about anything holy and god-related during my last trip.

If it was anyone else and not my mother here, I would probably tell a stupid joke like; I guess I shouldn't be mad about not getting any birthday presents then, or something similar.

But this was my mother, "I'm sorry I asked Mom." I said, seeing her expression, so I went up to her and hugged her.

"No, it's okay," She said, giving me a sad smile to hide her emotions, "There would have been a time when you would need to know the truth anyway. I just didn't expect it to be so soon."

After that, she told me the truth about what happened during the Great War between the three factions. During that war, it wasn't only the original Satans that died but also my grandfather.

Returning to my room, I closed the door and turned off the lights.

While I felt bad for my mother due to his death, maybe it was a good thing that they all died. If they all were still alive, the mundane and supernatural world would have been completely different. 

For example, they could have still been at war with each other, and I wouldn't have met Akeno. Dying in that war could have been the best choice for the future, with new leaders taking place and giving a fresh start.

Right now, they are even talking about a peace treaty for the three factions, and I don't think it would happen if the original Satans and God were alive now.

Or maybe they would; who knows? People can change over time, but I don't know if the Satans would ever want peace. The Old Satan Faction is proof of that.

I shrugged; maybe Uncle Lucy would have a change of heart and agree to peace. I chuckled at calling him Uncle Lucy before slowly falling asleep.

---

Michael POV: 

"Lord Michael, another one of our angels that has been sent out to the Human World was found dead. The cause of death is the same as the others." 

I nodded before answering, "I see. You can return to your duties now."

This is the sixth time it has happened this past month.

An angel is found dead, but the most concerning part is how they were killed. It looked like something was injected into them, and it's like they were burned from the inside out.

Their bodies also have a large amount of pure demonic energy in them.

Were they injected with pure demonic energy? That's the most obvious conclusion, but is it really the cause? 

Maybe deep down, I just want to deny it due to how terrible the death by something like that is.

I should contact Sirzechs Lucifer, considering that this seems to be caused by devils or someone working with devils. 

Maybe it's the Old Satan Faction's work. It could be another experiment like the mutated stray devils they were creating or a weapon against pure angels.

I should also contact Gabriel and assign more powerful guards for Elijah while she is in Heaven. I can't even imagine the consequences if what happened to the killed angels would happen to Elijah.

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Author's Note:

Thank you for reading this chapter.

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