CHAPTER 25 S2

Niris pushed open the door to the room where Seiran was being kept. Shortly after being taken in, they had been repatriated to one of the organization's beacon ships. The huge craft was laid out like a flying city, with a hospital to care for its inhabitants. All this time, he hadn't been able to see the demon and knew only from the caretakers that it had woken up and was out of danger. 

Once he'd finished his treatment, he'd barely waited to be alone before going into the next room. When he entered, Seiran was lying with his eyes closed. He gently closed the door behind him and approached without making a sound. Once at bed level, the demon instantly opened his eyes. 

"Niris?" he called. 

The angel smiled at him and sat down on the edge of the matela. Gently, he took the demon's hand in his own. Seiran returned the smile. 

-You're hurt..." he said, running his fingers gently over the bandages his short sleeves didn't cover. 

Niris grabbed his hand to force him to stop his inspection. 

-It's nothing serious, it'll heal soon," he reassured him. 

But concern never left the demon's eyes. The angel frowned. 

-You're in worse shape than I am," he scolded him. 

The demon laughed lightly. 

-Ah, I can't say anything in my defense," he gave in willingly. 

Savoring each other's presence in silence, Niris brought her hand to her lips and placed her lips delicately on her fingers. 

-I was so scared when I saw you on the ground, surrounded by elves... you can't even imagine! 

-Niris...

-But at least you're free of Zorkiel now, he finished with a gentle look at the demon. 

Seiran sighed. 

-I'm sorry, the nurses told me you fought that elf and it was pretty close. I apologize for putting you in danger...

-Seiran it's not your fault! If anyone's to blame, blame Zorkiel or the President, but don't blame yourself for something you're not responsible for! 

The demon pursed his lips. Even though he knew Niris was telling the truth, he couldn't help feeling at fault for not being able to defend himself, or at least get to safety. The angel was about to add something when a few short knocks on the door stopped him. 

-Master?" he gasped. 

The door opened on Lou. Her hair down, she wore a simple outfit that made her look natural, almost vulnerable. 

Are you awake?" she asked the demon. 

He nodded. 

-I'm reassured," she said with a tender smile. 

Niris's eyes widened. He'd never seen her so compassionate and worried about him. 

-But what about me? Aren't you going to ask me? I'm awake too! 

Lou sighed. 

-You haven't lost consciousness as far as I know, and you seem to be doing very well! she retorted with a strict look. 

-Ah! I risked my life in a fight! While you were I don't know where...

-I had to get in touch with the informant sent by Mischien, the timing was very important I couldn't afford to be concentrating elsewhere, she replied coldly. 

Niris gave her a surprised look. He understood that she was busy elsewhere, but he thought she was being too hard on him under the circumstances. 

-Did you have an appointment with an informer? If you'd warned me in advance, I wouldn't have worried about your absence at least! 

-And you're supposed to be able to handle any opponent, whatever their level. I've already told you that you won't have the luxury of avoiding a fight, so from now on you should be able to take on anyone without my support! 

Niris was stunned. It was the first time the master of blades had spoken to him in this way. He couldn't think of anything to say, and since he felt the way she treated him was unfair, he fell silent and frowned. Lou turned to the demon and resumed a calmer tone. 

-I'm sorry to interrupt you like this, but the situation's changed quite a bit with all this," she began apologetically. 

-Ah, it's nothing. I'm sorry to have caused so much trouble," replied the demon with an apologetic smile. 

-You have nothing to reproach yourself for, Seiran, you've done nothing wrong. 

Seiran wanted to reply, but she stopped him. 

-Now that you've been released from the surveillance of Zorkiel's men, you and the spy assigned to you will come under the protection of the organization. We're still waiting for Zorkiel's official statement, but you'll have to make an announcement as soon as you're well enough to explain why you're here. As for the rest, your sister's still there and we'll do everything we can to get her back too, but I doubt he'll do anything to her since he needs her gift. 

Seiran lost his smile. He nodded seriously. 

-I understand, it's hard to do better in this situation anyway. 

Lou remained silent for a moment. Niris didn't say a word. 

-There's some good news in all this," continued the master of blades. We've traced your mother back to Komalt. 

-The demon's face lit up instantly. 

Lou nodded. 

-She's certainly with Holmyr. The angel traveler Jabiru is on their trail. He's also neutralized Zorkiel's team who were tracking them, so we're confident we'll find them soon. 

-Good news at last!" rejoiced the demon. 

Niris couldn't hold back a smile as his eyes sparkled with joy. He squeezed her hand comfortingly and the demon returned it. 

-That's all for now," she finished. I'll leave you to rest. 

She turned to leave the room. 

-Thank you," Seiran said simply. 

The master didn't look back. She merely nodded briefly before leaving. Niris watched her move towards the door, then with a decisive gesture, he leaned forward and placed a kiss on the demon's forehead. 

-Rest for now, I'll be back later. 

Seiran nodded and he caressed the back of her hand one last time before releasing her. 

-Don't be too hard on her, she seems preoccupied with something," he said before leaving. 

The angel pouted but nodded against his will. He didn't want to upset him, and he could never really say no to the demon. After a quick good-bye, he hurried to the door and ran down the corridor to catch up with Lou. 

-Master! Do you have a minute? he called. 

She turned as he called behind her. 

-What's the matter?" she asked. 

-Don't you think you were too hard on me earlier? I didn't know what to do, and I thought things were going to get ugly! 

-I've told you before, you've got to be able to take on any opponent from now on if you want to survive! You're going to have all kinds of people with their eyes on you, you can't afford to let my guard down! 

-Even if I'm not trained enough? You know very well I don't have enough time to improve, I can't win every time! 

-Don't blame your failures on your lack of training, I've already explained that this will never be a valid excuse in real combat! 

-And if you trained me too, maybe I'd improve faster, wouldn't I? Since you took me with you, you've never taught me anything! 

Niris was starting to get carried away, and the tone was beginning to rise. Lou, who seemed strangely on edge, reacted directly to his remarks. 

-I can't teach you like that, there are rules governing the teaching of masters and I can't just break them because you're my pupil now! 

-So you can't train me and I can't rely on you when I'm not up to it, is that what you're telling me? I might as well go my own way then, so don't bother lugging me around with you! 

Niris was hurt. As the demon had said, he could see that something was bothering the master of blades, but the way she was stubbornly accusing him in this way irritated him. The last fight had upset him quite a bit, and the doctor's advice earlier had also made him realize just how double-edged the use of natural energy could be. He'd had a near-death experience, and he wanted her to at least acknowledge that fact. 

-Niris, you must learn to do without me! I won't always be there to help you, so you have to learn to get through things alone! 

This time, the angel plunged her gaze into the master's, who was looking straight into her pupils. All around them, people passed in silence. Their argument was making noise, and the ship's hospital was busy with the latest events. Lou took him by the arm and led him into an empty room. There she closed the door behind them and sighed deeply. 

-Let me know if you're going to disappear, so I can get ready!

Niris trembled. From rage, from despair, he wasn't sure. His master's last reply had been like a whiplash. 

-Niris, listen... began Lou. I'm sorry, but...

-You're criticizing me for not being up to scratch? But I do everything I can every day to improve! I put all my strength and energy into it, and when I tell myself I'm not going to make it, I motivate myself not to give up and keep on fighting! And you're telling me that I've got to learn to cope on my own? Then why did you take me under your wing? 

Lou ran a hand over his forehead and shook his head as if to chase away dark thoughts. 

-I know, I'm sorry, that's not what I meant. I was seized by doubt for a moment, realizing that under these conditions I wasn't eternal and certainly not as powerful as before. It made me fear for the future, in case I failed to beat Zorkiel, you'd be the only one who could face him. But as long as I'm here, I'll be by your side, I promise. 

Niris calmed down a little. He felt his muscles relax and the spasms diminish. His heart calmed too. He'd forgotten that Lou was a sentient being who had a right to be assailed by doubt and weakness. He'd been too hard on her, and yet Seiran had told him not to hold it against her...

-I know you're worried about me, and that you've got lots of other things to think about," he said with a slightly guilty smile. I'm sorry I got carried away. 

Lou returned his smile and shook his head. 

-You know, we're constantly under pressure, so it's normal for things to get complicated at times," she admits. I've only had one apprentice before you, and that was a long time ago... I've still got a lot to learn in this area. 

Niris pretended to inspect the room as she replied. 

-At least you've got something you don't know everything about. 

He punctuated his sentence with a throat-clearance and pretended to bend over backwards when he received Lou's vengeful punch. 

-Aaaaah that hurts! 

-I didn't put any strength into that punch! she said, rolling her eyes. 

Niris stood up, a playful smile on his lips. They joked for a while before getting serious again. 

-What did the informer tell you?" asked Niris. 

Lou sighed. 

-Nothing good. Zorkiel attacked Mishcien before he left with the intention of killing him. He almost succeeded and Mischien is still recovering. Esethea is cut off from the rest of the intergalaxy because of this and the informers who reach us are hunted down by Zorkiel. 

-He wanted to take control of Esethea? He's not shy," admitted the apprentice. 

Lou nodded thoughtfully. 

-As long as he was able to return to Esethea to pass on your information...

-He's dead," cut in Lou, looking grim. 

-He's dead? You...killed him? 

Lou breathed a negative laugh. 

-No, he was being stalked, and not by just anyone. I couldn't save him until I realized there was someone else out there. They had placed a high-level spy on his trail, they almost succeeded in recovering the information exchanged, and on top of that I had a lot of trouble eliminating him. 

She sighed. 

-Woah...someone managed to bluff you? teased Niris. 

-Someone died, Niris, this is no time for jokes, she frowned. 

-Master, with all due respect, all those who take part in our fight put their lives on the line, whatever their role. Even Seiran...

He didn't finish his sentence and looked down at his feet, trying to suppress the emotions that had taken hold of him. 

-I know, Niris, I know. That's why you need to be strong, to be able to protect all those like us who put their lives on the line to stop Zorkiel. And I'm going to train you from now on. With the Masters gone, there's no reason for me to follow their rules. 

-Is that so? Cool! Can't wait!

He gave her a big smile, to which she rebuffed him by telling him that master training wasn't a game and that they'd better take it seriously. 

-For the time being, we'll be staying on this ship for a while, resting and planning our next steps. 

Niris nodded, then lifted his head quickly, suddenly remembering something. 

-Besides, what do I do with what the supéfac gave me?" he asked, pointing to the little box in which the imitation of the don de Meiran was resting. 

Lou thought for a moment, then replied. 

-Keep it with you for now, it'll come in handy when we need it. We'll give it back to him when we come back to his station. 

With that, she opened the door and stepped back into the corridor. Niris stowed the box in his dematerialized keychain and followed her. They parted company and returned to their respective cabins. 

Once in the small space limited to what he needed to sleep, change and wash, the angel sat down on his matela. He rested his chin on his hands and reflected. The day had been far too full of events. He needed to take stock. 

Seiran had been attacked, but he was fine. And now he was with him. Lou looked worried, as Seiran had noticed, but she didn't want to talk to him about it, he could tell. At least she'd admitted she was stressed, and that was something. At least she'd be more careful about how she directed her emotions in his presence. 

Feeling a sudden surge of accumulated fatigue, he lay back and closed his eyes. He recalled the fight he'd had with the elf. It had been much more tense than he had expected. It had all come down to very little. And he'd won by very little too. And then there was Niyari...

The woman doctor's words came back to him. Niyari had barely helped him. It was absurd, and at the same time, now that he thought about it, what she had said made sense. He's the only living example of the mortal seal. Not much is known about this seal, and there's a good chance that what we thought we knew is fairly uncertain. 

But then, why help her? She had a golden opportunity, why didn't she use it? She was so quick to use the slightest opportunity to gain the upper hand, so why hadn't she let him die this time? 

He racked his brains for a while, then decided to go and find the answers himself. There was only one way to get them, and that was to ask the first person concerned. Concentrating on his breathing, he delved into his consciousness. Using the memory he had of the trace of the demon spirit's natural energy, he headed for the place where the seal had been placed in his consciousness. 

Suddenly, he found himself propelled into a dimension of his own which, like the last time he'd made contact with it, he didn't have complete control over. This time, he found himself in front of a padlocked door, ajar. He pulled the heavy door, which barely opened, and took a deep breath before entering the room. 

The change of seal had reshaped the shape of the space. It was now a wider room, and he could see its boundaries. In the middle, the purple smoke characteristic of the demonic spirit floated. The angel was on guard, spying the slightest movement. 

"No need to be so tense, I can't do anything to you here," the spirit's voice echoed. 

The angel turned his head but saw nothing but the purple smoke invading the space. As he searched, the smoke began to agglomerate in the center of the room and took shape. After a few seconds, a woman with dark purple skin stood straight in front of him, her hands crossed over her chest. She had all the hallmarks of the ancient tirith angels: long, angular body, almond-shaped eyes with reptilian pupils, long eyelashes and, above all, visible wings. 

-Are you...an angel?" asked Niris, stunned by what he saw before him. 

Niyari sighed. 

-How can you not know that? 

-Well...it's just that... I don't know much about you except that you're a super-powered demon spirit...But you're an angel? What the hell...

-Wait, you mean you don't know what a demonic spirit is?" she asked, frowning. 

-Of course I do! They're spirits with a desire for vengeance strong enough to influence the real world," he recited like a good little pupil. 

-What do you mean, vengeful spirits? Wait, is that really what they're teaching you today about demonic spirits? 

Niris nodded, a little impressed. He'd never thought he'd have a decent conversation with Niyari. So he was completely taken aback by the turn of events. 

-And I know you're over a thousand years old! 

he added, proud to have added another fact to his description. 

Niyari sighed and took her head in her hands. 

-Now I understand why you can't handle me, even though I've been sealed inside you since childhood! 

Niris disguised. The young woman's slitted gaze pierced him, throwing him off balance. 

-Demonic spirits were created by Mirthian angels, and are the cause of their demise! If I'm here today, it's because I existed over a thousand years ago as a Tirithe angel and was transformed into a demonic spirit by a Mirthian angel during my death! 

This time, Niris opened his mouth wide, completely stunned. 

-Huh? 

-I'm an angel, just like you Niris! An angel who died and was resurrected as a demon spirit through an occult energy use now banned! I'm the last demonic spirit in existence and, above all, the most accomplished! 

The angel didn't know what to say. His mind was racing. If Niyari was an angel, then why was she attacking him? And what had happened to him? Everything mixed up in his mind and he had to force himself to keep a clear head. 

Seeing the young angel's state of panic, Niyari paused to let him recover his senses. Then she fixed him with her piercing black eyes and said with determination. 

-I am Lycanthe d'Entra, the last dragoness. I was transformed into a demon spirit when I died over a thousand years ago. My demon spirit name is Niyari, and you are my bearer, Niris d'Egea.