Chapter 16: Wings!... Kind of...

"Urgh," I groaned as my head hit the hard floor of Azazel's laboratory.

"E... Elij... Elijah!" I heard Azazel's voice, but I felt dizzy from the world jumping. The other time, I passed out, so I only felt the after-effects, but this time, I was fully conscious the whole trip.

"I'm... I'm fine, just slightly d-dizzy..." I managed to say, but shortly after, I passed out.

...

..

.

"I told you I'm fine..." I said once again after waking up, and Uncle Azazel ran tests on me to see if I was healthy after what happened. 

From what he told me, almost no time had passed since I got shocked by the cube the moment I hit the ground, but my clothes were different, and I quickly tested if I could still use Holy Fire.

So everything that happened was real.

I also asked him about the cube, but the reply was the same as the other Azazel.

So either it magically appeared in his stuff, or he somehow acquired it and then tossed it in a pile with junk before forgetting about it and not cataloging it anywhere.

But it found a new home in my storage rune. 

---

"I can easily take on a god," Vali said while pointing at me. 

"Vali..." I said, looking at him blankly, "You can barely defeat me... So how would you be able to defeat a god?" I asked.

Some time has passed since my return from the different timeline, and right now, I'm together with my small group, which consists of Vali, Kuroka, Akeno, and me. 

Also, if I include the other members part of the chatgroup we created a while ago, then the two members currently not present are Arthur and Le Fay. 

"No, but listen, if I divide his power enough, then I can easily take him on," Vali continued on with his delusions.

I deadpanned, "Didn't you listen to what I said... From all of our spars, I'm in the lead with over ten wins, and I'm not strong enough to take a god on, so how would you be able to?" 

"Oh really!? Then let's find a god to test it out, shall we?" 

"That's a stupid idea!" 

"No, it isn't!"

"Yes, it is!"

As we continued to banter with each other, Kuroka and Akeno looked at us with tired expressions. 

"They will fight each other, won't they?" Akeno asked Kuroka.

"Is that even a question we need to ask, nya?" Kuroka replied.

They both sighed as Akeno replied, "No, it isn't..." 

"Oh, it's on! I will bring down your win streak to zero by the end of this day!" Vali shouted and summoned his Sacred Gear.

The two white wings appeared on his back as he charged at me. 

"Not in the house!" Both Akeno and Kuroka shouted.

"You will destroy everything here!" Akeno added.

Hearing them, I augmented my fist and punched Vali with enough force to send him flying.

He flew across the room and through the window, Akeno just opened.

The whole place was warded, so even if we fought in the backyard, there wouldn't be any problem as long as we kept the destruction to a minimum.

Seconds later, I jumped out through the window myself. 

---

Akeno Himejima POV: 

As Elijah jumped out the windows to beat the shit out of Vali, I couldn't help but have a small smile at these two. The moment they are near each other, they start acting like two five-year-olds.

"Elijah is mine." I then heard Kuroka say.

I froze momentarily before turning around, my eyes closed and a smile on my face.

"What did you say?" I asked as lightning started crackling around my hands.

"You heard it. I want Elijah to give me a lot of kittens, so... Elijah. Is. Mine."

The aura around her changed as she started using Touki, "I've known him longer, and he spends more time with me, so he's mine... I won't let a little stray black cat take him. " I replied in a calm tone as the lightning intensified.

As if on signal, we both charged at each other.

I was at a disadvantage with this being a closed-of-space, but I had enough training over the years, thanks to Elijah on closed-quarter combat, to take on the little stray cat before me.

As I kicked her in the side, lightning surrounded my right leg. However, due to her Touki, she was only pushed back a meter. I quickly followed up with a punch, but we both knew that hitting each other's faces was not allowed, as per the unspoken rule.

I barely managed to dodge Kuroka's counterattack before jumping back a couple of meters, and with a surge of power, I unleashed a barrage of lightning bolts toward Kuroka. 

She moved with such agility and grace, dodging each attack with ease. 

Her laughter filled the room as the lightning struck, obliterating furniture and everything else it came into contact with, "You will destroy everything here, nya!" Kuroka mockingly said, imitating my voice.

"Tsk..." I clicked my tongue, having no way to rebuke it. I told El and Vali it and then moments later did it myself.

Seeing my slight pause, Kuroka didn't waste time before using Senjustsu to send aura bullets at me. 

As our small fight continued, the room was filled with the sound of breaking glass and crumbling furniture.

"Let's take it outside like they did," I said with a smirk before sending a bolt of lightning at Kuroka.

The lightning bolt struck her, sending her out of the window to the other side where El and Vali fought.

---

Elijah Heart POV:

Our fists stopped just centimeters before they connected.

It was due to the sounds coming from the house.

"What the hell is happening in there?" I asked, looking in the direction of the house.

"I think they are fighting over something," Vali replied.

"But didn't they tell us not to fight in the house?" I asked.

"Women..." Vali muttered, and I gave a slight nod in agreement.

"Should we see what's happening and stop them before they destroy more of it?" I asked.

There was a small silence as we thought about it before concluding.

"It's Azazel's house, and besides, as long as they don't destroy his alcohol collection, he won't be mad," Vali said.

"That's true," I shrugged, and we looked at each other before continuing our fight as if we didn't hear anything.

Besides, most of the things they can break can be fixed with magic.

I got distracted in my thoughts and barely managed to see Vali throwing a punch at me, but I ducked and hit him in the side with a quick punch. It felt good to land a solid hit.

He grunted, but then he swung his fist at my head.

I used my arm to block his punch, and then came the voice from his wings, "Divide!"

I felt my strength leave my body.

"Well, if you want to use your Sacred Gear, then let me level the playing field," I said with a smirk before bringing forth my swords and using Alteration to change them into brass knuckles.

Swords aren't the best suited for this, so that's why I changed them into brass knuckles. 

With swords, I could stab or slash his face, but punching with the knuckles wasn't a problem.

So, for today's fight, the knuckles are the best way to go. Today is just an I want to punch him in the face type of fight.

Besides that, punching your friend in a 1v1 fight is the best!

I hit him twice, once on the jaw and then in the stomach. He stumbled back. If we were normal humans, this type of fight would leave us seriously injured or, even worse, killed, but our bodies are much stronger than natural humans.

Even if we got hurt during this fight, it isn't something a healing spell can't fix.

We kept trading punches, and it was tough due to his Sacred Gear. Its ability to divide the power of its opponents by half after coming into physical contact with them every 10 seconds is truly terrifying.

Especially when he enters his Balance Breaker, the ten-second wait time is removed.

Like I told him before, he may not be able to take down a god at his current strength, but in the future, and with this ability, it wouldn't be out of the question.

As long as he can touch the god and not be hit by their attack, then he can divide the god's power until he can take them out.

Vali's punch grazed my cheek, but I hit him with a strong uppercut, making him fly back a couple of meters towards the house.

At that exact moment, a massive lightning bolt struck the other side of the house, shattering every single window.

"What the hell is happening over there?!" I shouted, and even Vali turned to assess the damage.

"I don't like it, but we need to call it a draw and go stop them. If they keep this up, they'll take the fight outside the protective barrier around the house. The last time that happened, I got scolded by Azazel for days..." he said.

"Yeah, you're right," I replied with a nod before quickly making my way to the other side of the house, where I saw Akeno and Kuroka fighting. 

They looked like two cats trying to rip each other's eyes out. It's funny, considering one of them is a cat. 

"Eat this, you thieving cat!" Akeno shouted, sending lighting at Kuroka, who dodged it.

"Nya, is little Miss Crow getting angry?" She asked in a taunting voice while sending a Senjutsu attack at Akeno.

The attack Kuroka sent hit the house, destroying part of the wall.

"Both of you, stop it!" I shouted while also releasing my mana to get their attention.

Both of them stopped feeling the pressure coming from me. It wasn't big, considering it was just to get their attention.

"Look at the house! Didn't you two say not to destroy anything!?" I pointed at the damage, "Then you go and destroy everything yourself!" 

"She started it!" They both said at the same time while pointing at each other.

My eyebrows started twitching. What is it with women telling you not to do something and then doing it themselves?

"I don't care who started it... You two will fix it now before Azazel comes back." I said while trying to keep a calm tone.

I feel like an adult scolding his children right now...

"Fine..." They replied with their heads down and muttering something to each other.

...

..

.

About thirty minutes later, most of the house had been repaired. Even though I had instructed them to fix everything themselves, I felt guilty just sitting still while they were working, so I grabbed a broom to sweep up all the shards of glass and pieces of broken furniture in the living room.

What did they even begin to fight for? They aren't like Vali and I, who just start a fight for no reason, but I can't see any reason for them to start one.

Just like that, time quickly passed by, and the whole house looked like nothing had happened. 

The girls also went upstairs to talk about something, leaving me with a Vali. He was grumpy because we couldn't finish our fight.

"I would have won this time..." He grumbled.

"Yeah, yeah..." I replied with a sigh before looking at him seriously, "Do you also get a feeling something big will happen soon?" I asked.

"Huh? What are you talking about?" He asked.

"No, never mind..." 

But my instincts are telling me something is going to happen soon, and I don't know if it's good or not. 

For some reason, I looked at where the girls left. 

---

Akeno Himejima POV:

"Okay, it's decided we'll ask him who he likes more," I said with a nod.

"Pfff," Kuroka snorted, "It's obviously me, so dream on, little crow, nya," Kuroka retorted.

"I told you not to call me that, you thieving cat!" I snapped at her retort.

"Then stop calling me a thieving cat!"

"Tsk!"

"Tsk!"

We glared at each other. If this was one of the mangas Rias read, then lightning would go between our eyes.

"But what if Elijah wants a harem, nya?" She asked.

"Huh?" I froze hearing that. I never thought about it, but I quickly shook my head, "No, he's the son of Lady Gabriel. He wouldn't even think about it."

"I don't know about it, nya... He isn't a fully pure angel anymore. Actually, he never was because he was a human and pure angel hybrid before... well, you know, nya. At this moment, he is a Human, Pure/Fallen Angel Trybrid. Considering the fallen and human part of him, a harem isn't out of the question, nya." She said, and it was hard to disagree. 

Two parts of him for a harem while one against one. But considering his personality over the years, it's hard to see him having a harem. Though since his return from what he told me was an alternative timeline, his attitude changed slightly, so maybe? 

"Fine, but if he gets a harem, I will get the main wife spot!" I declared.

"Even if he gets a harem, you can't be sure you will even be part of it, nya. You know, childhood friends often stay childhood friends, nya." 

"Well, I won't! Hmpf!" 

"We'll see, nya," She said flatly.

I shot her a glare, "And what makes you think you will be part of it, huh?"

"Nya?" She tilted her head with a confused expression, "Why wouldn't he want me, nya?" 

"Let's just go and ask him," I said because I didn't want to argue with her.

With that, we left the room and walked to the living room, where El and Vali watched the TV.

"El, we need you for a moment," Kuroka said, gaining their attention before picking up El and dragging him back like a ragdoll to the room we talked in.

"Wha-" He didn't fight back, only looked at us with question marks floating above his head. 

Vali, on the other hand, looked at us with an expression saying he didn't want to deal with this and continued watching the TV.

I quickly closed the door behind us while Kuroka plopped El on a chair and used some form of Senjutsu to bind him to it. 

"A-Akeno, Kuroka, what's going on?" He asked.

"Who do you like more, me or her?" I asked before a blush crept on my face due to embarrassment.

"Wha- Wha-" Elijah's face also gained a slight red tint to it. 

"So you want a harem then, nya? Then who do you want to be the main wife, nya?" Kuroka asked with a straight face.

My face turned red from embarrassment just hearing her! How can she say that without being embarrassed!?

"Huh!?" Elijah wasn't handling it better. Who could blame him after being asked something like that out of nowhere? 

"We won't let you leave before you answer, nya," Kuroka said.

Elijah looked like he was thinking over a million different things in just a few seconds.

"I've known Akeno for a long time now, and I must say that she is one of the most amazing people I have ever met. But Kuroka, you also have a unique personality that makes you stand out. Despite your differences, both of you hold a special place in my heart, and I am grateful for the time we spend together." He said and had a 'Did I answer right?' expression. 

"You didn't answer the question, nya! Though a unique personality seems more likable than just knowing someone for a long time, nya." Kuroka said.

I ignored her last comment, "Let's try again. Don't come up with a long reply. Just reply with 'Akeno' or 'Kuroka,' okay?" 

"Well, my other timeline mother approved of Akeno but also said to create a harem..." El muttered under his breath, but we both caught it.

"Ha!" I looked at Kuroka with the biggest grin I could.

Then our brains realized what he just said, and I couldn't even imagine any situation in which the archangel Gabriel would tell her son to make a harem.

---

Elijah Heart POV: 

Is this the reason I got that feeling a while ago?

Where did this come from? Did they fight about this? 

I can't deny I was thinking about them in that way a couple of times, mainly due to what I blame puberty for. While my mind is of an adult, my body is still of a teenager.

"Well, my other timeline mother approved of Akeno but also said to create a harem..." I muttered under my breath, but it seemed they both heard it.

I mentally cursed myself for saying that out loud.

"Ha!" Akeno let out a laugh while looking at Kuroka with the biggest shit-eating grin.

Okay, they both like me, I can see that.

I think I also like them... 

Kuroka has been open about it practically ever since the beginning.

It's hard for me to tell them I like one more than the other because both of them are special to me in their own way.

Even though my mother from the other timeline told me it was okay despite my age, I couldn't help but hesitate.

At that moment, I decided to take the first step forward.

"Why, instead of me telling you who I like more, let's go on a date," I looked at Akeno, "One with you, and," I then looked at Kuroka, "One with you."

They both looked at me with their mouths open as if they didn't expect me to say that despite practically kidnapping me here, and after a while, they both replied at the same time, "Umm... Okay!"

---

The next day, I was alone in the training ground under our house and was about to do something I had been pushing back for a long time now.

About what happened yesterday with Akeno and Kuroka, we decided that I would go on the dates with them during the weekend. I would go with Akeno on Saturday and with Kuroka on Sunday.

It still feels weird thinking about it.

I can count on one hand the number of dates I went on in my previous life, and most of them were before I became a hunter. The last date I went on was almost twenty years ago. 

"Haha..." I let out a chuckle, seeing how nervous I am over something like this.

But I have more time to plan the date later. Right now, I should focus on the task I want to accomplish.

While sitting in a meditative position, I took out my twin swords and placed them on my lap.

The thing I want to accomplish today is to get my wings back or some way to fly. Ever since leaving the Land of Shadows, I've been thinking about what she said to me. 

I'm sure she knows I need to keep my swords, and she still told me I can get my wings back. Since that time, I thought it over many times but couldn't find a way to do it, but since my return from the other timeline, I had an idea.

While my light weapons have progressed a lot since then, they still aren't at the same level of strength as my twin blades. That's what I'm about to test, and I hope it will work.

Taking a deep breath, I slowly let it out before focusing on my blades.

The blades are my wings, so what I'm trying to do right now is to channel my mana from my blades to my back before making a dynamic mana construct of my wings.

Will it work? I don't know.

Has anyone done something like this? Probably not.

Is it possible to make a dynamic mana construct? I don't know, but I hope so. 

The odds weren't in my favor, but I should at least try. If it doesn't work, then I will go back to the drawing board and try a new idea.

Starting by sending a constant stream of mana to my blades, I did the same thing as if trying to make a light blade but focused on my back.

At first, nothing was happening, so I started trying different methods until, just before I thought of giving up this idea, my blades vibrated. White and black particles began coming out of their respective swords and forming something on my back.

It didn't take long before I could see a total of six semi-translucent wings on my back. The white ones represent the pure side, while the black ones represent the fallen side.

I couldn't help but stare at the semi-translucent sets of wings.

After what felt like hours, I blinked a few times before looking at the two blades on my lap.

"While not real wings, it's a step forward before I can get them back for real," I muttered softly with a small smile.

I can't part with my blades until I find a replacement that is stronger or at least the same strength as these.

I stood up and gave one last glance to the wings on my back. There was something I had been wanting to do, something that I hadn't been able to do for the past couple of years.

My semi-translucent wings fluttered before lifting me off the ground. For the first time in so long, I was flying again.

"Hahaha!" I couldn't help but laugh joyfully, feeling like a little kid once more.

I spent hours flying around the training ground without a care in the world.

While the mana construct looked and acted similar to my old wings, they didn't have the same feeling to them. 

"One day..." I muttered softly, landing on the ground and looking at the blades in my hands, "One day, I will truly have them back." 

Not just as mana constructs I have now, but the real wings.

The semi-translucent wings slowly dispersed into particles, and I stored my blades on my back, where they disappeared.

With nothing more to do, I left the training ground and started to plan out my upcoming dates. 

I would also need to buy some new clothes.

Many would consider my clothing style very simple as I prefer wearing single-colored clothes. I never saw the point of spending a lot of time preparing outfits or spending thousands on designer clothes.

That was in my previous life, and it hasn't changed in this life. 

With nothing else to do, I went out to buy new clothes.

A few years ago, my mother started giving me a monthly allowance after reading a book about parenting and how parents should teach their kids how to handle money responsibly.

Unlike most of the kids my age who would spend their money on candy, snacks, games, or books, I mostly save them up. 

...

..

.

Arriving at the clothing store closest to our house, I started looking through the different clothes.

Eventually, I found the clothes I wanted to wear. The first outfit consisted of a white shirt and beige pants, while the other one consisted of black pants and a black shirt. 

Although these outfits were simple and not particularly unique, I felt that they looked good, and I was happy with my choices. 

After trying on the clothes, I headed to the checkout counter. After I paid for my purchases, although they might not be the most fashionable or trendy, I thought they looked good on me, and I liked them.

---

Author's Note:

Thank you for reading this chapter.

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