Ah My Goddess Fan Fiction ❯ Valkyrie's Knight ❯ Act II ( Chapter 2 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

The passing day from Sol shone on the second since that troublesome night. The wind played calmly on this mostly cloudy day, the trees of dark green interspersed in manicured areas between houses, and the roads between them. The well structured, mostly prefabricated houses, melded well into the artificial concrete works of walls, roads, water runoff slant walls, and more. The trees trying to give credence where nature tries to exist, though beyond into the hills, nature seems to dominate view in this Prefecture.

Birds fly about, even a balloon in sight, some kid amongst the calm traffic below of bustling souls, crying within earshot.

The young boy was looking above as cars and a couple of teenagers passed by on bicycles, crying his eyes into a drench into his already dirty T-shirt. It seemed little avail there was to stay this torrent, as most people moved on, feeling they were helpless to do anything, or didn’t really care. Some even uncomfortable with a child crying like that. Some with thoughts not of good ilk towards the tike, all of too young to know about things not as important as believed. And still the boy cried, having lost the focus of his life and joy in that short span of moment.

One that suddenly returned to his hand, at the hand of a large stranger that suddenly appeared before him. One that was cloaked and everything. The boy was shocked and looked up, but that moment of time 'slowed' enough, as the stranger just gave the string of the same balloon to the tike, the boy looking up uncertainly.

“This should stay those tears.”

The boy looked and saw it was his balloon. A smile cracked just enough for him to reach out for it. In turn the stranger just quickly tied the balloon on the kid's wrist, in a sailor’s type knot. The boy looked blankly, and the stranger just remarked. “And the knot to keep them withheld.”

This all happened in a split second, no one around really seeing what just happened. The boy had however just started to smile, as the stranger then suddenly vanished as mysteriously as he came. The boy looked around confused, but then saw the balloon and became all happy as a peach.

One of the passersby that noticed that the boy suddenly held a balloon again, just blinked and quipped. “What the....?”

--------------------

Such was the sigh that was the lot of his daily patrol route on this second day after Caceroth had attacked the targets. Imladris just admonished himself for being too nice, and then looked around carefully and suspiciously, to ensure nothing ill was happening since this little stunt, (and also because of self-consciousness at heart.)

He sighed after he ensured to his thought, all was well. He whispered unto himself. “I’m too swell.” ...and then looked around and zipped to another tree top spot, about a kilometer off from where he jumped. This all such taking less than a second to accomplish. Still he thought, he couldn’t well let a child remain crying when something ‘could’ be done about it. He snickered to himself in all knowing. Such was his curse in the past day and a half alone, since he had arrived back unto the world of his original birth and death. He lost track of the number of ‘boy scout’ deeds he had done since he started his patrol route.

He suspected it might be all distraction at first by the Soulless, but after a good while of this, he noted it was apparently all a bunch of ill luck, not to mention kooky at that. Did other mortals have this much ill fated luck? The target alone had apparently been so until another Wish had been made, from what the holocron told him. Imladris remarked to himself how much fate was playing a hand around here in just the two days since he passed through Gate unto this world.

That, or he thought he saw too much of such, and was just being too much a good citizen on as much the spot as he came across. Still, it all made him feel good to help kids recover lost toys, kids on bikes avoid accidents, and cats in stuck trees. He even managed to save a dog from a water gutter ditch, and even phantom knock out a ‘too fresh’ teenager from advancing too much on a young school girl. Tis a busy soul he had becometh.

And despite all of this, he still managed to keep mind and senses on if Caceroth was anywhere near, of which was nay at present. He sure was kept busy for two sleepless nights so far. Still, knowing everyone was safe was worth it, even from a distance. Thankless and all. Endless till the Commandment was done.

It all just kept his mind off of thoughts better left alone for now. Keeping out of sight for the most part was necessary, so being tied down by mental weights was pointless. Even if something about the goddesses he watched from afar, along with the mortal target Keiichi, had something familiar about them, aside from the obvious from the holocron. A familiarity he quickly bade thought away from, once again.

He had leapt to an electrical pole, landing softly, when he thought of....

....and stopped, shaking his head to not allow himself that luxury. "Nay. Duty comes first in the end." His mental allusion unto all else was at cost. His good deeds were just in the end also, filler before the next battle. Imladris didn’t stop himself from thinking about the Wraith Lord, and knew the cost was ‘going’ to be mutual there. This as Imladris leapt again, towards a high-rise office roof towards Nekomi proper.

--------------------

“Are you sure? Yes? Very well. I see then. Thank you Your Eminence.”

The Norn of the Present laid down the phone receiver and sighed, not liking how that conversation had gone. Urd and Peorth behind her wait with folded arms, Skuld was out of sight with Keiichi, as he was still working on the BMW’s almost ruined engine block. Almost, but managed not so by expert hands, of which a continuously suspicious Megumi and Chihiro were managing to help clean out all of the ‘dust’ from the engine block. This as all four outside were working, as this little meeting was taking place. Bell looked solemn at the placed receiver and then looked, looking around.... “Lind?”

“Gone again on patrol. At least the other’s haven’t inquired too much about her.” Urd informs. Peorth just shrugs at this, as Bell shakes her head. “Everything has become so confusing once again.” Peorth gulps and asks. “What did Almighty tell you?”

“Little. But Almighty suspects we know already, but does not want to confirm. A 'need to know' of basis was most of what was told unto me.” Belldandy puts out, with a hug of her sides. Urd blinks. “Huh? You mean not even you have gotten any answers?” ....this makes Bell look pensive further somewhat, as she replies. “I fear not much.”

Peorth sighs... “Bonté divine. It’s not like we don’t know who attacked us. There’s only a few beings that can use attacks like the ones we saw. And not many that use ash as a medium beyond. Add that to who it was we ‘probably’ saw...”

Urd however interrupts. “Not to rain on such a parade, but are we sure in fact of ‘any’ of that either?”

Peorth just slit eyes back. “Je ne sais pas l'un ou l'autre, BUT....!” ...Urd however plain blurts in. “If we can’t be sure, what can we even try TO...”
“Lind knows.”

Peorth and Urd stop yelling at each other and look at Belldandy, as she looks with the concern of a friend once more. Urd cocks an eye at this and comments... “Maybe, but even so, she isn’t talking much about... well... anything.”

Bell just reacts by holding her hands up to her chin, as if in a prayer. “Her emotions are such a turmoil, they seem to be speaking unsaid to the same as well.”

“Of what?” ...Peorth and Urd quip in simult. Bell just holds her stance, and nothing is answered. A commonality in these passing days it seems.

(Peorth: "Faire le bien, will she stop being so deep?" ... Urd: "Does the sun ever stop shining?")

--------------------

Keiichi plopped to his butt, wiping his forehead once again as he gave his tired hands a rest. "Wow." ...with a further sigh. He had ‘no’ idea it would be all this much work to clean out essentially the ‘entire’ engine block. He looked as he saw to his continued surprise, Chihiro, Megumi and even Skuld, each taking good time to clean out small parts of the engine block, cams, pistons, injectors, and more. Sigel and Banpei actually wanted to help, but Skuld remembered on Keiichi’s insistence that the two were not quite ready to shown that openly. (Sigel along would have brought up questions from an already jaded Chihiro.)

Even Keiichi hoped that could change soon however. He didn’t like keeping secrets. Still the help was impressive nonetheless. Two days straight now ever since Keiichi called in to work and pulled an ‘excuse’ through his teeth of an accident with some mountain deer, and the bike getting all clogged up with dirt, the help had been nonstop, as Chihiro had come straight over literally thirty minutes later, and soon after Megumi as well. The thought there alone, made K1 smile.

It was a miracle they took the story outright, as the two long time friends were just happy Keiichi and Bell were alright. Whatever had really happened, what Keiichi wasn't sure of yet at all anyway, it hadn’t occurred again, so Keiichi didn’t worry about it. Not knowing the truth had its advantages sometimes.

Keiichi was looking up at the hazed over sky, thinking of this, when he gets a steel brush dinged off his head. "Eh?"

“Hey, no off duty time for you K1.” ...Chihiro just snapped at him. Keiichi just picked up the brush and looked around at all the parts, spread out on the ground in nice neat rows, both for said neatness, and for efficient fitting together eventually. The sheets they were on, on the ground, were finally not as dusty anymore, a sign all the work was nearly done. Kei just snickered and grabbed a nearby cam and commented. “I hear ya.”

Megumi looked up with a sister's light version of annoyance, light of flavor here, after blowing a now all but spotless valve. “Still can’t believe how much dirt got into this thing. Even places a bike shouldn’t have crud in, had crud.”

Chihiro slits her eyes at a separate cam, at the holes within, commenting. “The explanation feels like it too.” ...this Keiichi gulped a bit, almost dropping his cam. (Fumbling for it in fact.) Skuld however remarks in a huff. “I didn’t believe it either until I saw it. Hard to believe for once, from this dope.” ...said in a slight bit of surprise to Keiichi’s ears again. Every time Chihiro got inquisitive, Skuld quickly would reply back, saving Keiichi from having to keep explaining like an idiot. The cover story was still holding up well enough, thanks to such celestial assistance. Apparently whatever Bell told Skuld, the little goddess was obeying, or such. (And managing to hold back using Nobel Scarlet as well.) Keiichi kept thanking Skuld for this, but the goddess just kept calling him an idiot each time. (And thanking him each time under her breath. His ears work quite well.)

Chihiro just sighed and quipped... “Yea yeah. Musta been a big herd though.” ...she put, still not convinced, something as such she couldn’t shake off. Keiichi just focused that much more on the cam, even though it was pretty much clean. Soon the lubricating and reinstallation process would begin, and all this could be put behind them all.

'Whatever it all had been’, Keiichi thought. Something caught his eye looking at the steel polished finish. He looked up as a sunray managed to peek its way through the clouds a bit, glinting off the cam metal chrome-like finish, a standard brush in hand mind ye, the light making him squint. Doing that, he thought he saw something fly past, rather fast. He was blinking, just as Chihiro threw a rag at him in the face! "Get back ta work ya lazy bum!"

He gagged a bit at the oily rag, commenting... “Yes ma’am!”

--------------------

She landed at the top of another tree, causing birds to fly off in quite a few directions. Lind looked around starkly, having apparently missed her chance again. She growled and started all over again, her senses attuned to what she was all but treating, as her prey. The Valkyrie just wondered what he was doing here, and if what she had seen that night was in fact what it all ‘truly’ was. If both were correct, and she was all but certain, short of empirical evidence of any real kind, save for two days ago that passing night, then a lot of bad things were going to apparently happen.

The Commander looked round, her jumpsuit tendril like fabric, flowing around her in the wind with her hair. It did about the same as her emotions and memories kept doing as she kept up what ‘was’ supposed to be a patrol pattern. Her speed and stealth enough to keep mundanes below from noting much, though she 'did' see Keiichi noticing well enough, but all not enough to catch up to the form of ‘someone’ she could see, sense, and even smell out there.

She had seen ‘someone’ grab a flying away balloon, and all she begot from such, was seeing one happy child and a head scratching mortal nearby. She had just followed the closest trail she had of such, when it sped off again, and again...

...and ‘again’.

Lind was growing weary of this. She was about ready to try to head off whoever this was, hoping in fact it wasn’t what she thought ‘whom’ it was two days off a night ago. She was split in seeing what she wanted to, and something she ‘didn’t’.

She stopped however, and then realized... “I’m not patrolling.” ...as she realized her folly, and realized an enemy could get past her if she kept this foolishness up. She shook her head, and looked back towards the Temple. A few kilometers off to the north, a few degrees here or there. She gave up the chase, leaping off to head on back, the empty quest was pointless.

Whomever it was, wasn’t worth it anyway, in her mind.

--------------------

He seemed glad of this, seeing the goddess leap off, was good as far as he thought. "Too close." The last thing he wanted to happen, was for any of them to get involved in his appointed situation. 'Suffering alone in this case, is best.' Imladris thought, as he saw the Valkyrie fade off, and him in turn to head off towards a different bearing, towards the area the attack originally took place. Such he decided to investigate via another vector.

--------------------

-Temple, upon a spying tree of nominal note.-

“I’m bored.”

“And you’ll stay that way too.”

Mara winced and sighed after, as the two chibi-demon forms of Hild and Mara literally hang about in one of the trees in the Temple. Watching the goddesses argue about and the mortals do about likewise, as they all ran about in their scurried lives amused Hild, as much as seeing ants would to a child. (One with a magnifying glass in their back pocket.)

Hild was here to see if she could use something akin to such here, in her growing personal quest to rip the goddess-mortal family apart. Since that night of previous note, she and her lackey Mara had been hanging around, seeing if any sign could be had of what it all ‘probably’ was. If it was, Hild intended to turn it to her advantage.

She wasn’t that dimwitted to the patrol of one familiar goddess and another far more interesting looking mortal were doing, obviously trying their Sunday best to keep whatever was out there, from attacking again. Or at least the latter was, as Hild noted Lind trying to catch the proper mortal off guard, and failing miserably at it. Hild always did love to see goddesses look dim-witted, or at least seem to act as such. Hild noted however even despite the occluding trees, that Lind was returning, the goddess having been bested. She saw a high speed zip across the heads of the unsuspecting mortals below, (save for Keiichi, bare impressed Hild was that K1 was so observant,) as Lind returned into the residence from an unseen direction, and also with a contorted look to her face, even at ‘that’ soaring a speed, passing by. “Tch, poor little girl has issues.”

Mara just looked up from her bored posture, sitting at the trunk of their acquired tree perch, at the base of a large branch. “Don’t they always? The goddesses always were too damn emotional, after all.” This upon Hild just folded her chibi arms and quipped back. “And still they feathered you a lot, no?” ...this Mara just frazzled under. Mara just blurted out. “How long are we going to waste our time here? Nothing happening that....” ...this Hild just somehow puts a finger upon Mara’s chibi lips, having cross the span between them at opposite ends of the large tree branch in nothing flat, such to soothe back... “Now now, my poor little minion. Poor words, and you do not see. Our enemy is already amongst us. It’s will is so strategic and impressive. One should marvel at such craft, even if it intends to kill us as much as mortals and goddesses alike.” Mara reacts wide eyed at this and looks around in a panic. “What?! Where?! WH....” ...before she is gagged (literally) by a snap of Hild’s fingers. “Such noise and little brains. Must you have to wait and see of obvious as well? But such would be a sight indeed anyway.”

Mara just waves her arms around as she muffles out in a blabber. Hild just rolls her eyes and snaps another finger to bind the moronic demon with.

--------------------

Peorth and Urd were just gabbing at each other nonstop, when Lind came in from the rearward entrance. Urd just quipped out... “Anything out there?”

Lind just shook her head and kept even more silent than before. Peorth saw this and smirked... “Qu'en est-il de cela.......?” ...this Lind suddenly turned a rather steel eye upon, making Peorth silence quickly. Lind realizes this, and sighs, heading to find a private spot to sit down. Urd just looks at all of this and comments. “She must still have it bad.”

Peorth holds a hand to her head. “If only we, the goddesses of Amour could help stem such suffering.”

“You wana try to test that axe goddess?” Urd retorted with arms folded, sidelong a smirked glance at the rose goddess. “And what is this ‘we’ stuff?” This Peorth turns her own sidelong smirked glance unto. “Well it has been boring around here as of late. Persuader mon ce que l'on veut dire?”

Urd would have reminded Peorth that the lass hadn't been around as of late, nevermind other events hardly as 'boring', but instead she sighs to a pointed. “Normally yes, but not today.” ...she says, holding her hands to her hips. “Something feels off right now. I don’t like it.” Peorth sighs and nods. “Entendu en fait.” ...and then looks around. “Where’s our lil Bell?”

“Out to bring tea to the guys outside.”

Peorth smiles. “At least that part is traditionnelles.”

Urd just hoped it would stay that way.

--------------------

Lind meanwhile sat down in Keiichi’s vacant room, and folded her arms and chin into her knees, back into her nominal reserved sitting position. She closed her eyes, and tried to blot out the images she half-heartedly didn’t want to let go of, as much as shoving them out the same.

Her encoded heart was in such turmoil, she didn’t know how to feel and react. Without her previous training standard and goal in crutch unto now, the emotions were finding much more ease at defeating her mental barriers. It was made worse with each glimpse she obtained of the subject’s form, how it moved, the way it made expert use of all abilities, how it out thought her even, and still managed to be so giving and focused to duty all the same.

She blinked, and closed the eyes again. “Must stop doing that.” She turned her thoughts on that one moment, some near twenty years prior, when she heard that cold, blank voice replying back to her.

'I feel only what is needed. All other emotion is pointless to my duties.'

She had to wipe at her face reflexively, shaking her hair all about, fighting off the almost outright stab to her emotions. “No.... no I can’t.... he’s not....” ...just as Lind clutched at her knees doubly hard, and fought to retain utter control over her feelings. This regard she ‘couldn’t’ lose control over. "Not for ‘him’." She swore she wouldn’t.

Off out of sight, a short, black form of furry hears the struggle of emotions, and turns, betraying an unseen tail of black fur.

--------------------

“Mmmmmm. Great as always Bell!” ...Megumi toned out in the most pleased manner. Chihiro nearby had just about the ‘same’ pleased smile smacked to her facade, as Keiichi smiled to Belldandy. Bell just looked happily to Megumi. “I’m pleased you like it.”

“Like it? You should open a tea shoppe Bell.” Chihiro put out, this Keiichi linked and quipped bluntly. “You said that about her backrub yesterday.” Megumi blinked this time and quipped ala brotherly tone... “Backrub?”

Chihiro just put out as Bell looked on beamingly. “Well since I get to keep the backrubs, the tea would be much more appealing to the masses.” ...this Bell put out helpfully. “Do you really think so? If you all think it would please everyone.” Keiichi however got worried again about the whole goddess thing at point, and remarked in a simple tone at Chihiro. “You do know companies would be all over us. Not sure if ‘that’ would be a good thing.”

Chihiro just sipped her cup and on an ‘ahh’ sound, replied back... “Gee kid, you have no business sense. With what that girl can do, you could be rich up to your arm pits in no time. You’d even get to keep the backrubs for yourself this time. Bosses can do such things you know.”

Just then Keiichi had some weird fantasy of being surrounded by tons of money, and a black satin dressed Bell behind him giving him one.... sensuous.... grateful.... endearing.......

Megumi waved a hand in front of his fact. “Yoo hoo, Oneesan-sempai? Anyone home?” Keiichi saw this and about FLIPED, WAVING his arms a kilometer a second. “WHAA.... hey! Ya, ya! I’m home! Home home!!” ...this as Bell laughed. Chihiro slits an eye. “Gee, didn’t think I’d make that much an impression.” ...this Keiichi just puts out. “Well what do you expect after all that?”

Megumi just sighs and falls back to where she sat, grabbing her tea mug. “Yeah, my brother sure can be a...”
“Hey.”

Megumi just looks coy for a split second. “What?” ...this Chihiro busts a gut at, as Keiichi just tries to hide his head in his shoulders, the worst blush he had to date in fact showing. Belldandy just laughs in tone, not at Kei in any way, and then puts out. “Well, I do appreciate your advice. But I only would do it to see people smile. Like everyone here. Money wouldn’t be my intentions for anything. Only to know everyone was happy. Other than to assist Keiichi further, this would be my only wish for such an endeavor.”

Chihiro looks up, after her laughing fit, with a more neutral eye this time. Chihiro puts out. “Dang girl. Don’t you know money makes the world go around, not only happiness?”

Keiichi sighs rather thickly at ‘that’. “Sometimes a bit too much so. I’d rather see happiness as currency more.”

Chihiro blinks, and then realizes her own words and slightly chides herself a bit. “Yeah. Actually I’d like to see more of that too.” This Megumi and Bell give a soft look to Keiichi to. Bell just smiles back with... “I agree.”

“But then, since you need money anyway, let’s GOUGE for it all, that’s MY motto!!”

Keiichi and Megumi each give the high raised fist Chihiro a bland, departed look of ‘good grief’, ladled on their melon minds. Chihiro just looks goofy doing this, not even close to being ashamed of herself, as Bell just giggles again. Keiichi and Megumi just then look down and sigh in anime simult and quip... “Yeah right.”

Unseen to them, a grain of ‘dust’, the last to fall off a piston rod. The wind then starts to make it dance about a bit, this as the wind starts to rise some.

--------------------

Hild notices this, and flicks her eyes open. This as Mara wriggles around like a chibi-dope, the CEO chibi version just quips. “It’s coming soon.”

Mara just wriggles enough to make the birds around take notice.

--------------------

A loud thunk on the currently deserted road, this as Imladris rises from his landing stance, and looks around in all directions. The mortal knight then sighs and then flares his angelic staff in hand, the gleaming length with angel feathered mini-wings rotating all around the apex, is then struck to the ground with a good thunk and crack of cement.

As silent as a certain Valkyrie on an ablution, he looks around and looks again for the fifth time at the remaining ash that was now mixed in with road dirt and debris. There was so little left, and he had examined it all in just about every nominal way he could, even tasting it. About barfed on that one...

As such, he tried to guess in any inclination, anything at all, to how the Wraith thought. After two days of this, he was starting to overanalyze the 'what ifs' too much, and not enough on the here and now, where his mind should be.

He looked over suddenly and heard a vehicle coming, and leapt off before he was seen. Looking back at a minivan full of screaming three year olds and one haggard young mother, Imladris blinked a bunch, and commented in whispers to himself... “Blimey this world hath changed a lot in just a hundred years. More than imagination could wrought." Such that he reviewed the marvels of a world his previous own could scarcely dream of. All these new fangled contraptions, air conditioning, wires on poles all over the place, strange devices that could carry music within them on belts. Heck, even the clothing styles were vastly different, not to mention skimpily less in layers, and a heck of a lot more leg and cleavage then what Imladris remembered of his old world.

What more, the women finally seemed to have more of a forward place amongst this world, even driving children every it seemed. Something there alone of such that made him pleased in fact, never the one for the ‘old ways’ at all. Something else that had ostracized him in his old life apparently. There was simply just so much he hadn’t realized he would not realize, having been unto two so vastly apart time periods of technology and mode, of other worlds and Planes that were so beyond his original own, that he never considered what a mere few decades on his own burg would be like.

The holocron could teach him about things like this. It was still a shock to the senses nonetheless. Moreover, this was Japan, not even Montana or Europe. He wondered what ‘those’ places was like in fact. Too bad he never would get the chance. He already knew that if he did this all proper, he wouldn’t get the chance for anything at all. He was ready for his sins to be paid in all aspects. Even at cost of getting his memories back, at cost of everything completely.

He was thinking this, when something ‘piqued’ his senses, off towards...

He stopped in mid swirling air, and shot towards... but then stopped, and didn’t sense.

'False alarm' he thought... he moved back to his original course.

--------------------

As such, it all was like this for the rest of the day, everything sauntering down by the light waning. As it all occurred however, the wind proved to be more troublesome eventually, and Keiichi and company decided to call it a day, covering the parts with blankets, tarps, and heavy planks with cinder blocks. As they were finishing, Keiichi wiped his head with the wind whipping around them some. “I think that does it.”

“Alright. We better get going before it gets too bad.” Chihiro says over the good din of the wind. Megumi was covering her eyes some from the wind, worried about flying twigs and such. Keiichi just asked. “You sure about that?” ...Bell in kind with Skuld watching. “We can make room if you want. This wind looks troubling.”

Chihiro just flicked a thumbs up. “Hah, like a wind can stop the likes of us. I’ll get Megumi home and get back myself easy.”

Bell and Keiichi didn’t look convinced, but Megumi just put. “Don’t worry bro. You just be sure to have Bell give ya a good backrub okay?” ...this Keiichi just gulped and hid a blush, before the wind made him hide his own eyes too for a second. Skuld nearby didn’t like the sound of that, and made ‘contingency’ plans just in case, in her own little warped mind.

At this, they all finished, and Keiichi was heading off, while Skuld helped Bell put a ‘weight’ spell on the planks to protect them from blowing away in the wind. As they did this, Keiichi quickly saw the two ladies off, the two continuously brushing off Keiichi’s concern.

After, the two drove off fast, as the sky looked rather gray and dire, even though the sun hadn’t set just yet. Keiichi, standing there for a second, just commented to himself. “Could be a nasty storm. Better buckle down tonight.” ...this as he turns back, to head on in, and to find the goddesses and indeed buckle down for the night.

Meanwhile the wind was whipping around much of the dust of the area. So much so it felt unnatural to endure.

--------------------

Imladris was hiding beneath a tree for the moment, the thought of lightning striking him not all too pleasant, but hardly a true danger to him, compared to what Thor liked to use in their old sparring sessions. At least the knight remembered that much. Still the brewing storm seemed off to him as well. "Feels like wind off the Crazies in wintertime."

He was sensing what the cause of the weather was, and was having not much success doing so. The atmosphere didn’t seem to be colluding enough energy to cause this much wind, though the weather was always its own interminable mistress. Imladris knew this much for certain. He still wasn’t sure however, and he couldn’t shake it.

At this as he noted several cats collecting beneath him. He just held his cloak out enough to keep them covered from the wind. As it all grew however, he decided to move them in a four numbered clump of fur, to a safer location. A warm building basement with easy access, a few kilometers away into the nearby Nekomi burgs.

--------------------

Keiichi and Bell were the last in, as Skuld was wiping dust away, and smoothing her long raven black hair down. Keiichi just chuckled as he brushed the same form his own short hair. “Well that was fun.”

Bell just collected herself as Skuld looked back. “If you call that kind of wind fun.” ...she put to Keiichi in a condescending tone. Keiichi just shrugged and took his shoes off in the front entryway, after Bell and Skuld had done so. Keiichi yells. “We’re back!”

Peorth pokes her head around the corner. “Bienvenue suzerain Keiichi.” ...this just made the bloke wonder what was said, with Bell just giggling. Skuld hopped on ahead to check on her little mecha toys, while the loving duo worked their way to the sitting room. Bell entered, as Keiichi looked around. He noticed and vocalized... “Where’s Lind? Did she leave?”

Urd and Peorth just looked at each other, as Urd was watching something on the lil ol telly, Urd just remarked. “Actually I think she went to be alone for awhile.” ...Keiichi just cocked an eye at that, a bit worried.

As Bell however passed through, her own thoughts on just this matter kept silent, heading to the small kitchen area, Keiichi felt a ‘nuzzle’ on his lower leg, and looked down to see... “Eh? Velsper?” Just then, the little cat flicked claws out, and Keiichi had to hop out of the way before his right foot was skewered. Peorth saw this and.... “Hé !” Keiichi also yelped down. “What are you....!?”

“At least you’re fast on your feet.” ....the little black cat 'said', the lil demon more than still present, as was ‘her’ despising of Keiichi. The ‘her’ that was still ‘him’ in fact. Keiichi just reacted by STOMPING at one of Velsper’s furry peds. Unfortunately as he did this, Peorth had one of her rose vines shoot out at literally the same spot, a split moment before Keiichi had moved to do the same.

Unfortunately, Velsper was well out of the way by then, but Keiichi’s foot wasn’t as Peorth saw to her anime shock.

--------------------

Lind opened her eyes a bit, as a rather LOUD yell of pain rang through the residence. She heard yelling and then sudden quick silence, with Bell’s voice in the background. Lind just chuckled a bit, but then fell back asleep in that same position as before.

--------------------

Keiichi was hopping around on pain of foot, as Peorth was pleading quick forgiveness, while Velsper just looked on nearby in self-furry proclaimed victory. Just then Belldandy’s voice chimed in. “What happened?” Keiichi just straightened up anime quickly, as Peorth shucked her vine back out of site within her arm (somewhere,) and replied. “Oh nothin. Hit my toe.”

Bell just blinked and then smiled and turned back to make more tea. As soon as she was out of sight however, Keiichi and Peorth, to Urd’s amusement, flicked their heads suddenly at where they saw Velsper, but instead, Keiichi didn’t see, and then ‘did’ of the black reincarnated cat, on his shoulder. “But not fast anywhere else.”

Keiichi however sees Peorth NAB Velsper and hold it at his neck like a cat normally is admonished, and seethes back. “Rapide assez pour vous?” Velsper just growls in cat like manner, which just makes everyone snicker at the cat-demon’s expense. Velsper just wriggles free, and back off Peorth’s hand, back onto Keiichi’s shoulder for a moment. “Perhaps you should check your hovel.”

Keiichi cocks an eye as Velsper hops off to tend to ‘her’ selfish needs, as he looks blankly at Peorth, whom only shrugs.

However thought of this is shunted, as a loud clank-crash from outside, despite the racing wind, makes him look towards the entrance, as does everyone in kind nearby. “Oh crud, the parts!” ...he yells, as he races suddenly to get his shoes on, and save his ‘very’ expensive BMW parts from the storm. Peorth and Urd see this and move just as fast, almost reading his mind in a fashion. Bell in the kitchen hears and sees as she follows out into the hallway. “Keiichi?”

--------------------

Lind feels it, just after the loud crash sounded, and snaps her eyes open.

--------------------

....and the (normal) cats left with their cream, as he suddenly feels it too, and....

--------------------

Keiichi bursts outside, looking for what he fears is his parts strewn all over the ground in unrecognizable positions, just as he senses ‘outright’. “Huh?”

The wind has stopped.... dead....

Keiichi notes this just as Peorth reaches outside first in a huffed float, before she notes the utter lack of wind as well. “Que est...?”

And then they note how gray and lifeless the sky is, frozen almost in a slice of time. In fact ‘everything’ has frozen in a slice of time, in a gray unmoving state, save for mortal and goddess seeing, as Peorth notes. “MON DIEU! A SPELL TRAP!!” ...she yells as she sees a ‘huge’ spell circle of burning gray energy all around them!

Keiichi looks up at shock of this, as he hears a screeching, hoarse wail of a breath, and sees ‘it’ dead in the burning gray eye. Keiichi is frozen in fear, as is Peorth, as behind them, Urd is frozen outside this time stasis bubble.

Outside Urd ‘is’ moving, but Keiichi and Peorth within are ‘not’! However all of them see the form of Soulless death moving quite easily within the spell dome. Bell shoots outside and screams... “Keiichi!!!"

Inside the trap of frozen time, all wind dead inside and outside the bubble, the two trapped souls see the Wraith itself, and Peorth gulps beyond her ability, whispering out.... “C.... Caceroth...............?” ...Keiichi hears, as if it was a word that did ‘not’ want to be said. The Wraith, knowing his patient trap of two days coming, after his regenerated powers returned, and enough ash was spread within the Temple grounds from all that ‘fine’ cleaning, looked at the Abomination with utter hatred. Nothing but hatred, it roiled it and fermented it, feeling it like maggots swarming all within his decaying mortal shell.

And one utilized. Keiichi and Peorth saw an arm of wrapped bone and rotted flesh aim at them. It spoke with a voice so hateful at the unprepared mortal, in a low, screeching tone of... “- Voluspa’s WILL is done!! -” ...and formed a spell bolt that ‘could’ kill both targets in the same blast this time around. The lesson was now their undeath!

Outside the bubble, time seemed to suddenly flare FAST, more than was even natural to Urd and Bell to witness. The energy blast formed in the undeath hand and Bell screamed again......

....as the word ‘Keiichi’ formed in Bell’s mouth, everything happened in such short spans of time, that it seemed all time was broken in those few short seconds. Bell screamed, as Lind suddenly shot past her at SEVERE speed, just as the Wraith began to fire the blast, when Lind entered the bubble and felt her body freeze in both super cold of undeath, as well as the suddenly severe time stream sheer itself! Suddenly Lind sees her chance to get to Keiichi and Peorth shattered, as she sees Caceroth’s flare ‘just’ at aperture of its discharge.

That was when one TITANIC sliver-blade of silver and white slams into the ground right where Caceroth stands, much to the split second ‘added’ shock of everyone, frozen by the split moment everything is assaulted with. Keiichi, knowing full well an angry bolt is about to hit him, suddenly sees the blade move despite all time seemingly frozen, and slam into the stranger, causing it, and the blade to burst in a cloud of split ash and sparkle, everywhere it seemed. Lind sees it all as well and is shocked, knowing what the attack is, the same kind from the previous attack, but also ‘where’ such came from.

As a result, an attack is stopped by an unseen second, and three shocked and terminated beings suddenly see the bubble and spell circle collapse, as the ash suddenly flows off with definite sentience of its own. Lind, Peorth and a butt fallen Keiichi see this, as Bell suddenly clutches fearfully unto him from behind! “KEIICHI, OH KEIICHI are you alright?!!”

“What was.... was....” ...ala a shaking all by rights mortal.

Lind drops next to him as Peorth tracks where the ash it going, just as a bright flare of something flies right at it, chasing the gray cloud of ash in all spinning directions for a good long moment! Keiichi next hears in a shocked, yet mixed tone voice of at least six or seven different emotions in a single word.... “Imladris....” ....he hears from Lind nearby to his rear-off left. Peorth then flies up a bit, but then a severely bright flare causes the First Class to shield her eyes completely with her arms. “Mon Dieu!” ...her tone alone professing endless shock!

Meanwhile the ash cloud being chased by the Knight Lord, suddenly stops, causing said knight to hold in place, now a few hundred meters above the Temple proper. The ash-cloud reforms into the Wraith, a manner that seems to defy what is left of the mortal shell Caceroth stole. Imladris keeps height off use of his winged accouterments upon his armored peds, the gift from his Generals coming in vast of use here and now. He needs it now, facing down his Nemesis, in the gray eye of undeath. Such then he spares no words and attacks on the spot, Imladris’s blade clashing with Caceroth’s Caceri Blade, causing the flare Peorth hid her eyes from. She wasn’t the only one to do so either, the power in that blow not meant for the mortal realm.

A few moments of this, and Imladris breaks away, knowing now this isn’t a mere avatar phantom or such. “So it was true after all.”

Caceroth however barely reacts to him, instead refocusing on two of the goddesses all of a sudden on severely fast approach. Imladris sees ‘this’, and reacts a split second later, as Caceroth shoots back down!

Bell below keeps a tight wrap on Keiichi, as Lind and Peorth had seen the flash, and then on their own volition, both shoot up to see what is going on. As a result, the two goddesses get about halfway up to where the Knight was, before they see to their shock anew, two forms ZIP by them on the downswing of their own upward approach! Lind for a terribly short split second, then sees Imladris in the ‘eye’, as he eyes, and chases down after Caceroth, the Wraith whom sees only ‘one’ target at that moment!

And Bell sees this of Caceroth heading dead for Keiichi! Urd sees it also, and spins and yells... “BELL GET....” Belldandy already reacted and pulled at Keiichi, who feels the world around him zip by to his rear incredibly fast. Caceroth therefore misses, and that split second of lost track, Imladris takes advantage and slams Caceroth in body of blow, far away, closing in on follow up, in snap quick pursuit. Lind and Peorth above, force double back as fast as they can, and try to head off where the two vicious participants are heading. Or at least (again) where they were, as when Caceroth suddenly doubles back himself a second time to actually try ‘again’.

Imladris however, dead in front enough of the Wraith, reorients his blade, and cuts down along the ground, near the main temple itself now where the blade sparks actually flare light off of, makes the cut that catches Caceroth dead in the center of rebound.

Which splits the body into ash again, to the shock of Lind and Peorth, now managing able to finally keep up. Imladris sees this and throws out a desperate hand to toss another wave of angel blades, two sets sent at as high speed he can muster, behind the two ash-cloud streams! By now Bell sees what is happening for sure and yells. “It’s trying to get Keiichi!!”

"What!?" Kei barely blurts out, as Urd sees and hears quite keenly, and forms with raised arms twisted around each other, to pull a large shot of electricity from the sky. “I GOT EM!” ...this as she sees the cloud approaching, with the silver ‘spray’ in nipping close pursuit! Both of which weren’t going to get even close as far as Caceroth was concerned.

The three bombs and blast of water energy however ‘did’.

Everyone saw Caceroth get hammered by Skuld’s fortunate in time attack, and then in succession, Urd’s massive bolt attack, and then the sliver spray, all three of which crash and stop the Wraith dead in tracks. The blast wave seems terminal, as Lind and Peorth don’t waste the moment either, and shoot in, with axe blade and rose vine whips present.

However Imladris isn’t fooled by this, and yells out. “STAY BACK!”

‘Just’ as the lot of them look at the harsh voice, the point of detonation suddenly has burning gray code energy suddenly lashing out from it, all over and at random in fact, unto EVERYWHERE in blind attempt! Imladris however is the first there using a power boost, and a ‘very’ hasty erected shield, blocking the attack in such a nick of time, it is both absorbed, but also blows them both, Wraith and Knight alike, completely apart, and also completely out of view! Everyone else covers their forms in sight of this effect!

Keiichi just can’t believe how fast everything went from some strange attack, to ‘this’, and then all of a sudden, it stops dead cold. "What the heck just happened?!" Peorth meanwhile floating above the right hand Temple grounds, yells to Lind. “No way that is it!”
Lind just looks back with such a blank stare, her words hang on her tongue. Below, Keiichi, still clutched so dearly by Bell, sees Skuld rush up with two bombs in hand and Nobel Scarlet in hand, this Urd sees and summons World of Elegance, seeing how Skuld managed that surprise attack of hers. Skuld yells out. “NOW will someone tell me what the Heaven is going on?!”

Urd is interrupted, as Bell speaks literally with the word on Urd’s tongue. “It’s Caceroth. There’s no more mistake anymore.”

“Then you know who ‘else’ is here.” Urd switches tone to instead. Skuld hearing this suddenly clutches hands, dropping her inert bombs to hold only Scarlet fearfully. Keiichi hearing, just blinks over and over, his mind blank from it all.

Peorth and Lind split apart for a second, but then are shocked to feel, as the Norns see to their own surprise, as the two goddesses bound off a huge rebound spell field of blue-gold. Lind wide eyed can’t believe what is happening. "Did he just...?!" Urd just yells out in further kind. “What the heck is a Rebound Shield spell doing up?!? He can’t have... I didn't hear any incantation!”

Belldandy looks with steel intent, as she comments... “He must be Titled by the Almighty, and it may explain why we are not being informed.” ...Keiichi hears, and plops out in query. “Should I be understanding that?” Bell just reacts by nestling her head fearfully into Keiichi’s melon. Keiichi somehow reacts with a rather bad blush, as she replies... “I think we all have only just ourselves.”

Lind and Peorth then meet back up, and just look at each other for a moment. Peorth remarks over... “The spell won’t last long, vous savior? We can...”

“No, we better stay in place.” Lind snaps quickly, trying to sense for, and then apparently not again for that split moment. Peorth just looks, and then realizes from before. “To protect Keiichi.”

“Yes. I think it ‘is’ targeting him.” Lind warbles out, losing sense of track in stutters.

Peorth just exclaims, looking around everywhere. “Mon dieu! Why would a Soulless target Keiichi!?”

--------------------

Hild saw it all, how viciously fast it all had happened, just as she sensed it had the last time three nights prior. It was apparent ‘what’ was going on, and that the Wraith was using such malevolent tricks from the demon play book to pull off such exacting attacks, and all seemingly to the complete flatfooted bunch of goddesses, beyond their ken to react to.

Mara saw it all, and was deathly afraid. “Seeing is not what I want to believe.”

Hild just retorts calmly. “Believing is not a matter to ‘that’ thing. But it still is a tool that can be used, if the right strings are pulled.” Mara yells for real this time. “I’m sorry Mistress Hild, but are out of your...”

“Enough that this may be our chance to utilize a loophole and end the meddling goddesses from this picture once and for all.” Hild seethes anyway. Mara wants to object, but the look of such pure evil on the CEO’s face, makes her silence, since such an objection this time, would come with such a terrible price. Hild however looks above, just as it all begins to form ‘again’. “Dear me that Wraith found a strong shell.”

Mara blinks, just as Belldandy, beneath the roof section below them, points up.

--------------------

“I feel him coming back!!” Bell yells, just as she points almost dead up, where everyone in the area is looking now. “Damn that thing won’t....” ...Urd yells, just as... “...and neither is HE!!” ...and looks away, as Bell covers her head over Keiichi’s suddenly, Skuld not quite so in time as another heavy flare blinds the open air above the Temple once again.

Caceroth had enough energy to reformat one last time this night, and did it with all the remaining ash, above the Temple grounds. The Wraith did it however, expecting the predictable response Imladris would bring, and the result was two locked blades once more.

“You don’t get the ‘hint’!”

Caceroth just glares back just as hatefully as he did nearly twenty years ago, and replies in a seething wail voice of a screech... “- Know that my target next time has ‘changed’. Feel where and ‘why’. -” ...this as Imladris’s head suddenly goes all static, frizzy, seeing something without actually seeing.

Imladris reacts by swinging his blade FURIOUSLY in a backspin, to the Wraith’s unguarded side, ending up striking nothing, Caceroth suddenly falls literally away in a rain of ash, the Soulless signature in his mind suddenly dropping out completely. Imladris is shocked how easily the Wraith had avoided, and then escaped his attack and senses.

Imladris growls and looks around in severe battle lust and extreme sensory extension, enough to give his brain an actual cramp. He clutches his head in pain at this, and  looking down doing so, seeing the Reflect spell he threw up to keep the goddesses from getting involved anymore, now decaying. Seeing one Valkyrie among them about see this occur, tells the knight all time is up. “Time’s up.” ...he then ZINGS off and heads in a random direction, knowing the attempt is over for now.

However the spell drops much faster than anticipated, as is Lind’s speed after the knight, who she knows utterly whom it is now. As a result, this time, Lind zings dead in front of him, at such rate and arrival, the knight suddenly has to flip over and tumble roll over the Valkyrie. Doing this, two faced lock gazes for a single unintended moment. Imladris ‘lands’ level behind to whence Lind twists around. To ‘this’, Imladris throws up his facial screen of obscuring halo like light aura, obscuring all detail of his face from her, which doesn’t fool her one bit. “You must think....”

Before he enacts the actual function of the halo screen, by suddenly smacking his right arm gauntlet with his free left hand, flaring a severe torrent of light precisely in both of their eyes! The celestial armor floods this light, even parting some of the overhead clouds doing it!

When Lind clears her vision by resetting it (literally by code,) alone she finds she is. She obviously does not care for that, demonstrated when she throws her held axe downwards, and levels about twenty trees below by ‘accident’ of passion! So much so, she can’t stutter out words, only float there, seething like the end of eternity was at hand.

--------------------

-a short time later-

“Almighty, please! This is the second time that...”

Keiichi was sitting at the center of three goddesses, Peorth, Skuld and Urd arrayed in one tight knit protective area, as Belldandy was literally pressing with a harder tone than she even dared before, even with the Eminence on the other end. Peorth alone was exasperated, as Bell sounded like no answers were forthcoming over the phone. Keiichi sat there as Bell tried pleading nigh almost severely for answers, and yet she kept looking shocked and sad with each pressing. Keiichi decided to look around and note... “Where’s Lind now?”

Just then, a hard landing outside answered ‘that’, as Keiichi sighed, Urd and Peorth just patting his melon, just as needless as the query now became.

“Please My Lord and Father, I Beg of Thee!” Urd even felt the floor shake as Bell’s final plea, ended with Bell then sighing so dearly, that Keiichi almost cried for her. She finally responded... “Yes. I understand. My apologies My Lord.” ...and then something else that she heard that made her eye cock, ever so slightly, and then she placed the receiver down softly. Belldandy then looks over helplessly. “There is a Commandment of Silence for us not to know details of this situation.”

Urd just yells out... “But that’s insane! Even after two attacks!?” Skuld just clutches onto Keiichi’s right sleeve. “Then how do we fight back? Two attacks means...”

“Adéquat, even without details, we know with certainty that Caceroth will attack again. That Wraith will ‘not’ give up.”

Keiichi looks at Skuld and Peorth in turn, and then notes Bell suddenly falls to her knees in front of him. To his serious surprise, she cries and holds his hands, speaking in sobs... “I’m.... I’m so sorry... Keiichi. We’ve all put you in danger.”

Keiichi blinks a whole bunch, as Lind outside hears this quite obviously, the other goddesses feeling some kind of equal part in this. Between confusion and this unexpected fit of self doubt the goddesses seem to be suffering with. He doesn’t understand why, and worse he feels self-suffocated by this concern all of a sudden.

'This isn’t like them. What the heck?' Keiichi thinks. Off that, he reacts to this by placing his hands in a good hold of Belldandy’s slender own, imparting. “Um, I don’t know what is going on here. Honestly. But please don’t worry too much over me. After all we’ve been through, it’s not like I can blame anyone for all of this. There is no need to apologize to me. In fact, this is probably more my fault, and had this coming sooner or later.” ...he puts in an open, honest smile that does a very good job of hiding his fear. So much so, it breaks the doldrums that had started to take hold over the goddesses.

Enough that Skuld suddenly says. “Actually he’s right.” ...said in a good admonishing tone. Peorth and Urd just both bonk Skuld on the head, snapping comically... “Crétin. / Idiot.”

Keiichi however is actually glad it snapped unto this way, knowing this is much more natural and healthy for them all. Bell though just looks up, and Keiichi reinforces... “We can get through this... um... whatever this is... together. We always do.”

That gives Bell the courage to smile again easily, and Bell just lets her upper body fall into Keiichi’s. Doing that however causes them both to lose balance, and both fall into, and causing ‘all’ of them, the goddesses aside and behind sitting variously, to lose balance, floating of the type as well, all ending up in a large pile of bodies!

“Ow.” ...Keiichi says, before he realizes he had a literal pile of goddesses all around him on the hallway floor beside the dining/TV area. He blushes... “Oh joy.” ...hardly put, in a put off tone, by ‘far’ in fact. Velsper watching nearby, growls in a low tone, under muttered breath... “Lucky bastard.”

“Having fun are we?”

Keiichi and the goddesses alike look up as Lind smirks, though not in an easy manner to do so with. Keiichi just flails around a bit. “I... I. I. I... I think we...”

“I can’t move with Keiichi’s big butt on my leg.” Skuld says. Peorth in turn. “Someone has their ‘own’ butt trapped on my waist!” Urd in complaint... “Keiichi has his back all over my chest! Dang it!”

Bell just shouts. “I’m sorry! Let me...” ...and she tries to get up, which causes Keiichi’s body to be pressed further onto the other three goddesses, which in turn ups the screaming tempo, to the point eventually Urd and Skuld overreact and smack out a bolt and bomb each, blowing all to a smoky heck! Somewhere in the chaos, all of them, Lind now included, are just yelling in various tones and intents, as the moment gets nice and comedic. Even Velsper is included, all frazzled somewhere in the smoke billowing out of the open residence slide door.

Hild and Mara see this and teardrop each as they finally let the moment go and vanish to whence they came, leaving a nice chaotic scene, unseen within from the pulling away panorama of the Temple grounds.

Another rough night done with it seems.

--------------------

Imladris ends up somewhere near Sakhalin, his choice of escape finally draining him enough to stop at a dock edge, before he falls into the ocean nearby. Standing on said same deserted dock edge, he finally drops to his knees, and feels his burned arm, where he took the brunt of the spell blast. "Damn him."

If not for that shield he used, the arm and the body all would be gone forever. He winces dearly as he applies an angelic healing pack, from his backpack gear. Having little magical power left, of immediate note, inherit or artifice in nature, the pack keeps him going by acting as a one use energy burst to accelerate his enhanced nanites to do the actual healing for him.

Still, he breathes hard, the pain still sharp and dear. However he manages to dump the pain off mentally, with thought of knowing he can’t die yet. “The next time, ‘I’ will emerge at your end you wretch.” ...said to nothing, knowing whom it was intended.

He couldn’t die without taking the Wraith with him, but he couldn’t live after that, to ensure the dark servant wouldn’t return. He wasn’t anywhere near done yet, and he pulled out a second pack, and applies it to his leg area, the pack a hazard of accelerated harm to his metabolism levels. As soon as he finished, he would head back, and find the Wraith. No sleep. No rest. No more acts of charity. All there was left was to find and kill the Wraith, ending the undeath, and to whit his own life would sacrifice unto. There was no turning from this course, and the knight ‘knew’ it. He had to finish this, before the goddesses learned too much, and got themselves killed, along with the target, in a fool's errand of attempting unto help him.

“No... never... never...” ...he never would allow such. His old somehow remembered oath to prevent this came of tantamount. That burden lives and would die with him. All focus was to end this and not involve others, by the Will of the Almighty, so such he would finish this.

At that, the Wish would be fulfilled. The end of the Wraith and him were tied now. No more turning back. 'All at utter cost. So be all BE done!!'

He felt the energy return in enough measure, and leapt back at furious speed to head back down to Chiba. There would be no sleep this night.

Death would allow such instead. He wouldn’t sleep alone either.

--------------------

Night came and went. No real celebration, and patrolling ended up doing no avail. Again that night passed without incident, similar to the previous attack. They agreed the Wraith had apparently used up his energy, and Imladris was the same at present. Keiichi wanted answers, but was promised some by the goddesses when he awoke.

As such, that night was slept with this unknowledge, and it was slept together. All of them in the same dining room. None of them, Lind most of all, took anything for granted now. None of them slept very well that night. Bell and Keiichi laying together however helped a good measure nonetheless.

The light of dawn broke the next morning with only uncertain dreams as the only harm done. That and a few cricked necks.

--------------------

-That next morning at break light-

Megumi settled her things and headed out to her KSR, brushing away debris that had accumulated in small areas over the bike cover she blanketed her joy with. The night’s storm had apparently been a bit rough it seemed. She flapped and brushed away the twigs, and folded up the cover and stowed it in her apartment door, before heading back and settling her backpack in place on her back, before double checking her jacket fixings and then looking up at the sky, the light breeze from the far off ocean feathering her short dark hair.

She did however squint an eye at the sky. She thought she saw something, but then just shrugged, commenting to herself... “That was one weird storm last night. Lots of flashing but no thunder or lightning. Weird.” ...at that she hopped on her bike and then revved the engine, and so the ‘queen’ of the campus riding circuit rode off again for morning classes.

She wondered if her brother had managed the night okay, though more worry was on the bike parts. She’d have to check later if she got the chance. The schedule was pretty full this day.

--------------------

Said Onee-chan had risen with a stiff neck, but still semi refreshed. He managed to slip away from the other sleeping goddesses, even managing (he thought) to slip by Lind, sleeping in her hunched position again, to make it outside. Quiet as a lamb, he hoped.

Standing outside in this fashion, stretching at the light of day, he didn’t consider that being there like that, made him a perfect target. His mind was on just getting the kinks out of his neck, and checking on those parts. The morning sun did feel good. "Hope Megumi and Chihiro got home safely last night." He put in open said train of thought.

He then looked behind him, half expecting to see at least Bell, and not so doing, he walks over calmly to the parts, and finds they haven’t been apparently disturbed whatsoever. Keiichi moved the planks and found everything in semi-neat order as had been last eve. Even despite the ruckus last night. Keiichi blinked and wondered then, what it was he heard that made that loud racket. He swore it had been the parts being hit by the plank or such bad ilk to his strewn pride and joy. He sat on the balls of his feet, socks only at note, and rubbed his head.

“Keiichi?” ...this said named soul turned and saw finally... “Bell.” ...he put in an equal tone of concern. The loving goddess of life just walked over as Keiichi gave the parts a quick once over, and then quipped. “Well, at least all that work didn’t get hosed.”

“You should be a bit careful dear.”

Keiichi blinked, and looked over. An admonishment? He hardly ever heard such out of her. Not towards him.... in fact was this the first time? He had to seriously think, as he replied... “Bell?”

Belldandy only could lightly sigh a bit, and stand. “I’m sorry. I’m worried for you right now. I truly am.” Keiichi just blinked, and then realized... “You mean last night? What ‘was’ that all about anyway?”

“We’re not sure.” ...this as Keiichi and Belldandy saw Lind standing, leaning on the residence wall nearby. Bell looked immediately pensive, wanting to spare the most probable truth from Keiichi, one she wasn’t even that certain of. Lind however was more blunt as usual, and added... “But we ‘are’ certain of the enemy now, and what he is targeting.”

Keiichi just looked bewildered, and commented. “He... which one? I saw two weirdoes last night, which one should I...”

“Caceroth, the Wraith Lord.” Bell suddenly put out. Lind was feeling a wince of ‘something defensive’ as Keiichi spoke in his confused manner, answered in part by Bell. Keiichi considered for a moment, and... “Was that the guy with the ugly gray thingy going about him? Doesn’t sound like that other guy, the flashy headlamp or whatever he was.” ...this actually makes the two goddesses giggle a bit despite, the descriptions the most amusing they had such put before of either individual.

Lind however felt pensive despite, and showed it on her face. Bell answered Kei’s intuitive descriptions with... “That will suffice. However to treat either of them lightly is a mistake we all here cannot make. I am not sure why, but if Caceroth is here...”

“...then the attacks are a serious portent. It all seems focused on you in fact.” ...Lind adds, which Keiichi all very well indeed gulps at, which to Bell the same steps near him fearfully. Keiichi stutters out... “M... me? Um... why?”

“I wish we knew.” Bell puts, thinking of her attempts to ‘get’ those answers from Almighty Itself, and failing, even her special authorizations not enough. Not even Lind could get answers. It all pointed to deliberate information blackout. It pointed to some form of protection. It only made them all that much more jittery.

Keiichi saw this, knowing his own confusion was probably the lesser of the goddesses near him, he instead decides to ask. “What exactly is this ‘Caceroth’? What is this all really about anyway?”

Bell and Lind heard and looked at each other. Bell decided on her own question first. “Was it truly Imladris you saw last night as well? As did we?” ...this Keiichi looked to Belldandy, and then saw Lind hold her chest and sides, a most unusual look on her facade Not truly happy, sad, or otherwise. What it was, almost dumbfounded him in a fashion, as Lind closed her eyes and softly whispered out, almost in a wanting tone, of... “Aye.”

Bell blinked, she ‘swore’ it was not her own word that was said. Still she nodded. “Then we must tell him everything we know. Including what we suspect what that original invasion was about.”

Lind looked, as Keiichi LOOKED at Bell, quipping in amazement. “Invasion? What..?”

Bell just turns and levels a simple smile back. “I believe some breakfast will help foment the story to be told. It will not be a short one.” Keiichi gulps, and then just shrugged. “Well, at least it sounds entertaining.”

Lind just smirked and turned to head on in, as Bell held Keiichi’s hand and led him back in herself. Inside he got a bit of an unexpected chiding from three other resident goddesses, before being settled in to begin the tale, near twenty years unsaid.

--------------------

He held his hands in a prayer stance, both of which were still seriously scarred and gray streaked. He did so to literally feed on the solar eminence of the rising sun. The mortal knight, on top of Fuji itself, easily within a Titled empowered leap of the Residence, took his chance to recover strength in the only way he dared attempt to do so. Doing so, his mind betrayed much of the events of last night. Of how long term in stratagem it all had been, allowing all the ash to be cleaned off, while the weather turned unstable in energy enough. Both apparently playing catalyst off of each other. Imladris, despite himself in enormous note, had to admire the mindful planning Caceroth had set many things in motion with. The initial arrival, and linking such somehow to last night’s attack. It was clear the knight had to try and think one step ahead himself this time to anticipate where the Wraith would strike next. Such was when he thought of the words the Wraith used.

'Know that my target next time has ‘changed’.'

He easily surmised that Caceroth would have to get past him to get to the target: Keiichi Morisato. Knowing that, Imladris could plan how to make the Wraith come to him. It was clear that time was drawing near already, to end their conflict, short each time or otherwise.

He felt enough warmth seep in his body and upon such though, clenched his gauntlet covered gloves of stiff Valkyrian white, the fabric making tightening sounds as he clenched them both furiously. He couldn’t allow them to be harmed, at the cost of his life!

“You want me to come to you Wraith? Fine, we can meet again, on ‘my’ terms!” ...he seethed out. The wind of the mountain seemed to flood around him in that moment, his supposedly clear though seeing only the Wraith, and how they ‘both’ would not see the light of any day afterward. This he clenched, anger pouring through, clouding his mind. He felt it feel confused, and he didn’t care. Caceroth would PAY.

His wounded arm seemed to grow a touch more gray upon this.

--------------------

Keiichi blinked greatly, and dropped his fork. “Heaven was invaded!?”

The goddesses having breakfast with him, Urd and Peorth floating above and between Skuld and Lind sat down, Bell to his left nodded, as did all the others. “Yes. Nidhog was as well. They called it the Soulless Invasion. While all the particulars are sealed away in the Archives, and only by authorization of Almighty Himself can it be accessed, we do know who it was that attacked us.”

Keiichi just echoed... “Soulless?”

Urd puts in... “Indeed. They are most unlike either goddesses or demons of either system. They are at best, an anomaly, at worst a far spread virus. Either way, we do know they use their own secret System, one that seems appropriated from both the Systems of Intracel and Nidhog alike. Essentially they stole the parts of the Systems of both to make their own.”
Keiichi looked surprised as well he should be, as Peorth continued. “Soulless are the souls of the dead, that never made a clear choice in life, spiritually or otherwise. For whatever reason, they led lives in utter contempt of any belief, or fooled themselves to the same end, essentially believing nothing and giving little compassion or hatred in vein of either idea. Rather, it was of a hatred that is alien to contemplate." ...this Peorth sighed, as she continued. "It is something not very easy to do, but there are types of souls, even human of mortal, that manage to ascribe to this idea. In any case, the price is much to their pain when they meet the afterlife. For most, their choices in life leads them to other places not knowable by the mortal mind. Nominally they lead to other Planes of existence, some where your mind can imagine, and others it cannot. For sake of the Soulless however, their forsaken knowing choice, not one of tricked mind, but ones that ‘did’ choose to be such, are taken by the plane of Voluspa. The Soulless Prison.”

Keiichi kept acting the ignorant mortal, and echoed... “Vo... Volu....” ...or tried. Urd picked up upon... “The goddess of the same name rules that plane, and commands all the Soulless that end up in her utter grip. It is such even goddesses fear to think of. There, all the Soulless collected through all time and space are trapped there. It is said that there, the Soulless think in both many, and one of mind, in the same vein.

They despise and believe, despite lack of ’all’ belief, that they were cheated in some way, and sent there, only to know there ‘are’ other Planes they could have ended up. Whether by design of Voluspa or their own mistaken minds, they end up always despising not only their mortal lives of the former, but also ‘all’ other Planes and Worlds they cannot ever escape to reach. It is said that such endless hatred is fermented by Voluspa, and from that, she gains her power.”

Keiichi looks with a gulp, at Bell. “Who is this... Volu.... Vo....”

Belldandy remarks, not easily said from her tone. “It is said she was the keeper of all knowledge once. A seer at the beginning of knowable time, even if it is limitless nonetheless. It was supposedly she that gave that knowledge, all of it to Almighty. From that, he knows all, and we do not question as a result. What it is he knows of all time incarnate as a result however, is of things we are most better off not knowing. Further yet, not all detail is explicitly given, of what and which no one knows, save His Eminence." Belldandy stops and wipes her locks uneasily. The other goddesses listening are uneasy in hearing as well.

The Present tale continues with... "It is said a price was made for this, or that in giving that knowledge, Voluspa demanded something unthinkable, but was refused. She was offered something else to satisfy Voluspa instead, but that she rejected that, and gave her anger to all creation, and from that, the same is passed to her enslaved Soulless... and...” ...Bell trails off, almost truly about to cry. She isn’t alone, all the goddesses, even Lind, look abject in this melancholy, Keiichi notes to his own guilty feelings. He suddenly wishes he had never asked of all this. However Urd braves out to complete.... “It is said that because of that, Soulless feel how they do, unto such a hate that neither side of Yggdrasil can easily approach. Cheated, and despite Heaven, Hell, and Mortals all alike, and everything else in between. They are the Bane of all existence.”

Keiichi gulps so hard, he has to grab his drink cup and relieve his throat of the dryness he felt. He gasps, and then blurts out... “You mean these things... Soulless... they invaded Heaven twenty years ago?”

Peorth took up in tone. “Not just Heaven. Again, Nidhog too. That day, based off an anomaly in both Systems, the Soulless attempted to storm both Systems and destroy all reality. Our true Ragnarok in all too real effect. They almost succeeded, having cut off Heaven and the System from the lower planes. Doing so cut us off from our life energy sources, and the Soulless spread enmasse through Heaven almost unchecked.”

Keiichi.... well you know... looked at Peorth, and her eyes full of reflection. Urd continued, as Lind looked inward, Skuld just holding herself in obvious discomfort. “Voluspa apparently had somehow managed to acquire a goddess form, and for ages worked her way up to Head Administrator, using that to gain access and acquire the codes to the Intracel System. Apparently the act also was part of her plan, one Voluspa used when infiltrating both Systems, before the Invasion itself."

At that, Keiichi notes Peorth clutch her shoulder, almost in dearly pained reflex. Peorth added, almost to tears truly. “Gaea was my mentor and best friend. For so many years she was, until that day came. I never felt so lost when Gaea was revealed to be Voluspa, and took the System Hub from us.”

Keiichi by now saw how hopeless the lot of them had become. He then prodded... “So how did you win? I mean, you are all still here, aren’t you?”

The goddesses looked at him almost in unison, (which freaked K1,)  and indeed found courage from the memory told next. Whether by over embellishment or just awe at the events that did transpire after, it was Lind that spoke the next part. Almost reverently at that, like a legend that ‘had’ to be told. Keiichi saw and heard to his amazement. “Heaven did rally, almost immediately as it turned out, even as the first Soulless attacked. They used stolen code to attack and down many goddesses and Valkyries alike, and we learned later, Demons too, which the Doublet System became an Achilles heel of sorts, one the Soulless took vicious advantage of. Amongst them, one emerged as the champion of Voluspa, the Lord Wraith Caceroth.

We are not certain ‘what’ he truly is. Except that he is special code of entity created by Voluspa, and that it can take over living souls that are destined to be Soulless anyway. It was through such a supplicant that he caused the Invasion, after a Wish went badly. He used that, and two Valkyries he killed, to open a portal through which the Soulless invaded. He used his own form as a code copy virus to circumvent the System firewalls, and through that, came himself as Voluspa took the Hub.

However the goddesses rallied as mentioned, almost immediately, as one other mortal amongst us rose to challenge Caceroth, while the goddesses managed to penetrate the supplicated System Hub. We found out that goddesses couldn’t stop Caceroth, using the form of the mortal and stolen code powers, to render us ineffective. But Imladris.... he wasn’t of us, and ‘could’ stop him. And he did.”

Keiichi blinked... “That Imladris name again? Who...?” Belldandy picked up there as Lind looked glossy eyed within her slit pair of lids. “He was a mortal that died during the period of this world, you called at the time the ‘Great War’.” ....Keiichi considered and... “You mean World War One? You’re kidding?” Bell shook her head. “No. He died during that War, and had reached the time when the System chose for that mortal to gain a Wish. Knowing he was dying from a mortal wound, he chose to serve Heaven as a knight, always.”

“I wish to be a Knight to help Heaven.” Lind put in, as if it was pure reflex of her mind. Keiichi, and in fact all the other goddesses looked with bewilderment. Lind realized she betrayed a part of her tightly locked feelings, and looked away. Keiichi didn’t press and looked back to Belldandy. “So... um... this Imladris.... he....?”

Urd put in, instead...  “That’s not his real name. No one knows it,  as much as we know of. It was even kept out of System archives at the will of the Almighty, why also unknown. The name of Imladris was chosen sometime long after he arrived in Heaven.” ...which just made Keiichi boggle a good bit at. Bell added again... “However he proved with time, with assistance of Heaven’s capabilities, to be true to his Wish. He for a time trained under the Valkyries themselves, but later was transferred to be trained by Lord Thor and his Generals themselves. The commanders of the War Section of Heaven in all entirety.”

“Whoa...” ...said present mortal imparted. Keiichi noted also... “So that gold blur was...”

“Aye, it was him.” ...Lind betrayed yet again, and was growing shocked how openly she found herself speaking of this, which to Peorth and Urd gave an ‘interested’ eye towards. Bell continued. “After a time, Imladris grew beloved in Heaven, admired as a mortal for all his capacities to overcome incredible trials. I suspect...” ...this Lind heard almost in reflexive coming and coughed hard at. Keiichi looked and started to consider what Urd and Peorth already were.

Skuld meanwhile was captivated by how Bell was telling this part of the story. Bell heard of such from Lind, the former whom imparted... “...well... it was him that stood up to Caceroth when the rest of us were rendered inert, both by Caceroth's powers, and the System being cut off from us. With the System down and all the goddesses weakening, unable to respond accordingly to such attacks, Imladris took over and managed to hold off Caceroth while the goddesses, led by Lord Thor in the end, regained access to the System. How it was done however is the one great mystery of that day, one everyone never investigated further, due to what happened at the end of the battle between Imladris and Caceroth.”

Keiichi by now was as engrossed as Skuld was. Such all of them were, as Belldandy deliberately embellished... “They dueled across much of Heaven, the Lord Knight getting the best of the Wraith at most turns, using all he learned from all of us to neutralize most of Caceroth’s attacks. The duel blazed across Heaven at that time, as we all watched. Soon after during, the System was rebooted, and we began to regain control. By then the battle somehow had removed the other Soulless from the conflict, apparently both in Intracel and Nidhog alike. Unknowingly later, after we discovered Caceroth had copy pasted his code form into Heaven to bring the Soulless army into both realms, it was realized the duel ended up saving both realms, when Caceroth was forced to use his power to combat Imladris fully.

Imladris had unknowingly saved both realms as a result, but he paid a terrible price at the end.” ...this Keiichi felt as cold as the other goddesses ‘did’ on hearing. Bell continued. “During the fight, Imladris was found to be unharmed by the code attacks that defeated so many of us goddesses. However the wraith then changed tactics, and used direct energy attacks against him. Caceroth eventually surprised Imladris and used his effective power to destroy Imladris’s mind, in a direct attack.” ...Keiichi gasped... “...and then Caceroth stabbed him through the heart.

But then Imladris somehow managed to land his own last blow, and stabbed Caceroth through in kind. The result was both ended up sacrificed on the field of white roses that day. In all intents of purposes, Imladris had given his life for Heaven. But it wasn’t the end of it all apparently.” Keiichi blinked, wondering just that in fact. Urd took over. “We never found what remained of Caceroth except some inert ash. His medium of powers. He had apparently disappeared, or so we thought until last night. As for Imladris, the price became dear indeed.”

Keiichi suspected, and looked over to see Lind holding her knees, her face buried within. Urd saw as well, but continued for Keiichi’s sake. “When he was all but dead, we managed to recover his barely living form. With time, his body was recovered, but his mind had suffered a terrible trauma, and despite recovering the mind after the body, Imladris returned.... cold.... barren... completely different from what he was before hand. He was in fact a lot like you beforehand Keiichi, his compassion, the will to drive on, and so much more. But he lost all of it due to that battle. As a result, he became almost a automaton in mind, and none could truly approach him. He took the role of knight so literally, he intimidated all around him. For us goddesses to feel such, is a testament to how indelible he had become since his death. In real terms, almost a century ago now.”

Keiichi felt terribly insecure at hearing this. Someone resembling him died protecting Heaven, and only came back as a robot, maybe a vegetable of such in essence? He couldn’t imagine his own mind like that. All he could remotely think of in this, was if maybe a demon like Mara was emotionless. Thinking that made him think of Soulless for some reason. As he did, Peorth put out. “So our  noble admis dans l'ordre de chevalerie, is returned after the arrival of the Spectre Maître. Why does Almighty not want to tell us why they are here?”

Lind puts out. “Unknown. However I suspect Imladris ‘does’.”

Keiichi comments in confusion. “So were being protected by an amnesiac with a Soulless complex?” ...this Lind stuck her face dead into Keiichi’s. “Don’t ever call him that. He....”

Skuld speaks up ‘finally’, and imparts. “He could be right actually.” Bell looks over and actually chides... “Skuld, that isn’t fair to Imladris.” Skuld just speaks up anyway of her mind. “Think about it! The last time we saw that knight, he acted a heck of a lot ‘like’ a Soulless. What if he can’t help it? Who knows what that blast did to....”

Keiichi is only looking on and listening, when he feels and suddenly sees Lind shoot off out the front slide door. “Huh? Hey!?” ...this as he reflexively snap looks back to.... “Skuld. That wasn’t very....”

“Elle conditionnel de verbe bon.” ...this Keiichi looks up at Peorth, which Bell chides this time with... “Calling Imladris a Soulless is almost sacrilegious even for us to consider. The same of any one of present here. Such a thing is akin to a formal curse in Heaven's tongue.”

Keiichi starts putting enough together now and imparts. “Not that I mean it to sound bad like this, but one can be acting like another when they don’t mean to. I mean remember all those times Mara made me do all those weird things, and I never intended it? I mean even Urd did that too.” ...this Urd suddenly looks anime miffed at, as Keiichi adds in. “What if this...uh... gold guy can’t help it?”

Bell blinks and looks down. Somehow she can’t seem to fathom that, even past her normally cool and collected logic. Why that was so, she was having some trouble fathoming. However she did put out. “What if indeed.”

Keiichi just sighed and realized his breakfast had gone cold, and rubbed his face. It was not a banner day apparently, and the day had only started. He decided to change focus of the discussion. “What about this Wraith guy? Ca.... C.... dang I can’t say their names for a heck. What exactly is going on with ‘him’? If he returned, and this Imla... a.... errrr... ah dang, almost had it... does this mean we’re caught in the middle of their fight?”

Urd shook her head. ‘If it was that, we wouldn’t have been attacked. I get the feeling there’s much more to Caceroth’s arrival.”

“How so?” ...Keiichi asks, not done knowing what he shouldn’t. Urd puts in. “Well... you won’t like it.” ...Keiichi prods anyway, and Urd adds... “Wellllll... considering the first time Caceroth attacked, it was apparently at you and Belldandy.” ....Keiichi looked at Bell worriedly, but then Urd put in... “...but last night, he did it at you and Peorth instead....” ...this Keiichi blinked, not liking the sound of... “And when he attacked twice more, it wasn’t at either Peorth or Lind that chased him and Imladris up into the sky, and then again after he double backed, with no focus on Skuld, given Caceroth’s focus. I... um... hate to say it.... but....”

“I’m the target.”

Belldandy looked up, and grabbed Keiichi’s hands fearfully again, as Keiichi gulped, this essentially solidifying his ‘most’ unwanted suspicions. Urd and Peorth winced a good deal at this, and Skuld almost panicked. Skuld did in the next breath however put... “But why? Why would THAT thing attack Keiichi!? I mean he’s dumb and all, but why would he need to be killed!!?!”

Urd finally didn’t have answers. “I think that’s where we are all stuck at.”

Keiichi then realized. “Wait, if he can apparently harm goddesses...”

“Assassiner nous plat.” Peorth put. Keiichi just shook his head. “Um... if that Wraith can do that, why not go after you first?”

“It may have to do with trying to steal our code.” Keiichi looked at Belldandy again, as Urd put in. “If that’s so, the fact he got a goddess and Keiichi at the same time was possibly played by chance, otherwise he could have just attacked us first that first night, and we’d never have known.”

“Or that being on the mortal plane had limitations of some kind. Or that Keiichi is ‘that’ important a target, speculation or otherwise.” Peorth added. Keiichi put then... “So I’m mostly the target, but you all are targeted as well.” ...he realizes this and looks back where... “Wait! What about....”

“Lind is fine. I suspect we know why.” Bell amends.

Keiichi is about to ask, when Skuld suddenly jumps up. “Then what about Hild and Mara, or even Velsper!?”

Bell blinks. “Velsper? Our cat?” ...this causes Peorth and Urd to smack their hands over Skuld’s mouth, as Keiichi puts. “Um... what about Mara or Hild?” Bell blinks and imparts... “Actually, that is a strange quandary.”

Keiichi slits his eyes at that. “So they must have been behind all of this all along.”

“No.” Keiichi looks over at Urd suddenly, as she explains. “That would be nearly impossible. The Soulless hate Demons ‘just’ as much as Goddesses. So much that merely trying to talk to one will simply cause a Soulless to attack.” Peorth puts despite... “Même, even if so, do Hild and Mara know Caceroth and Imladris are here?”

Urd just replies with Skuld looking up. “How could they not by now? Hild would ‘never’ be that dense. In fact she may have felt them arriving.”

Just then, Keiichi sees all the goddesses have an ‘ah-HAH’ moment paste to their mutual serene faces. “THAT was what we felt that night!” Peorth puts. “What?” Keiichi looks around maniacally. Bell put forth. “Do you remember Gate?” Keiichi just blushed pensively in reaction. “How could we not?”

Belldandy nodded. “I believe what we felt as Imladris using Gate as a direct portal from Intracel to this world. It’s rare for such an action, and remember she said it wasn’t only goddesses that have used her to travel the planes. However in this case, it was too sudden an entry.”

“Like he was in a hurry.” Keiichi puts out. Peorth puts back ‘in’.... “Which explains how both fights ended up. I think we have a guardian in a Chevalier noble at hand.” Keiichi just sighs and rubs his temple fore. “Man this is a lot to digest.”

“No qualms there kid.” Urd puts, her own mind feeling abused by all this thinking. Skuld however growls, and suddenly puts. “So if we know why this is all happening, why won’t Father tell us!? What the heck is...” ...this as Bell holds up a hand to Skuld. “That is Almighty’s Will. We cannot question that. However...."

Peorth in turn... "Imladris knows why he is here. Almighty sent him here, that kind of power comes only from being Titled by His Eminence. And that power being used as it is, might as well tell us everything.”

“Except why we aren’t being told.” ...this Skuld replied to Peorth with, in kind. Bell sighs, and feels her own mind weary now. “Even I am curious to that myself. Almighty almost never withholds information without amicable reason. Imladris knows why, then we should ask ‘him’ instead.”

Keiichi nods. “So do it.”

“If we can catch up. He’s as fast as any of us while Titled.” Peorth puts. Skuld however interjects with... “While that ‘thing’ is out there, trying to kill Keiichi!? We can’t leave his side for a second if that is the case. No, I won’t have it!”

Keiichi blinks as Belldandy surprisingly replies to... “Skuld?”

Urd and Peorth look as well, as Skuld replies in high tone. “No. We can’t let that thing get near Keiichi, we CAN’T let Keiichi be killed! We.... we just....” ...this as sobs start sounding from her welling tears. Urd and Peorth exchange a glance, before both shift over and place both of each of their sets of hands on Skuld shoulders. Urd in initial kind... “You know what squirt? We won’t.”

“Vraiment.” ....Peorth added. Skuld looked up while wiping her tears away. Keiichi felt flustered as Bell put in. “Yes. We won’t let him get close again.” Keiichi however objects. “But we got surprised twice already. And we don’t know from where exactly.”

“The ash.” Keiichi blinks bewildered at Urd. “Huh?” ...Urd looks back at K1 plainly. “The ash is the medium of all Soulless, it reflects everything about their souls and spirit at the time of their death. It’s the one item that almost never gives in turn, and takes life so easily.”

Keiichi cocks an eye and doesn’t buy that. “Um... ash is used in crop fields all the time. It may be ash, but it ends up being good soil in the end. A little water and toil and....”

“That’s why Soulless hate living beings so. To be used to give life when they themselves cannot feel the same. This despite their own choices in the end. Such is the conundrum of their warped way.” Belldandy adds. However Skuld realizes... “And that could be our own weapon against Caceroth if he attacks again.”

Keiichi just looked off kilter, rubbing his head. “Um... kay, why exactly?”

Skuld... “I don’t know yet. But I think we can use that. Maybe...” ...Skuld’s mind suddenly goes into overdrive in thought, as Peorth and Urd suddenly look thoughtful as well. Kei blinks and quips... “What are....”

“Shh!” ...all three goddesses snip at Keiichi with, as the mortal teardrops, and looks at Bell just then. “Sorry about all that.” Bell blinks. “There’s nothing to apologize for.” Keiichi however put in. “Well I did ask.”

“You had a right to know. Even if it is... is...”

Keiichi senses and takes her hands over where she had originally lunged for his, he stroked them a touch as he puts. “This isn’t the first time I’ve been a target. Guess it’s a hazard of our lives together. Still, we’ll get through this. Right?”

Again, Belldandy finds courage from his confident smile, a bit of confidence lacking, but still hopeful. The goddess just smiles and refrains from blaming herself, and instead nods. “Yes, we will.”

The other three goddesses notice this and sigh. “Off in their own little world again.” Urd quips.

“Comme il faut.” Peorth croons in knowing. Skuld just steps on Peorth’s comment with... “I still don’t like it.” ...just before she has an idea. One serious one at that.

--------------------

Lind heard it all, she hadn’t gone very far at all. Just far enough to the top of the Temple to roof proper to avoid saying anything she didn’t mean. She couldn’t help it, and it drove her to feelings she never allowed to consume her unto before.

And she ‘thought’ she had locked them all away. That day, the response, all of it. Apparently the lock used was impotent to prevent this kind of soul driven response she was having trouble controlling. She would have lost control, but then remembered that she ‘did’ have one way to force her emotions back into check.

She did so, wrenched like a piece of metal tons heavy into place with a large bar of steel. Doing so, she opened back up her eyes, unrealizingly tear welled, and saw the world more calmly. She then chided herself for almost losing control of her emotions, at a time they dared not let their guard down. "This cannot be the time to be childish."

The light wind played her jumpsuit lengths about her, as she did. And then she then sensed someone was near, and remembered where of apparent, her method of in part, emotional control came from.

--------------------

- She remembered watching Imladris pick himself up over and over, and over and over again, each time Thor would put him down, and assault in weapon and words alike. Each time the Squire would rise and look Thor back in the eye, and had this steel that broke, but reformed each and every time. The words of the War God pressing him hard to not give in to the emotional abuse Thor relished in giving. So harsh at times it all was, to a point that netted such results, unto her memory.

And so each time she saw him rise and form his stance, that just a little bit more stronger than ever. It never made sense to her how he kept doing it.

But it was magnificent to her nonetheless. -

--------------------

She thought that, and ‘had’ to remiss in her own stead, that she’d forgotten by choice how much she was influenced, whether she wanted to ever realize it or not. How though, he could be here, and still seem to aloof and distant.

Was she crying again?

She shook her head and angrily broached her emotional defenses close in again. She remembered their enemy wouldn’t give them another chance if they all were caught flatfooted again. All she could do, was try and ‘not’ go after him. In the end....

“....that isn’t him.” ...she reminded herself of in such iron a regard. She then looked around at everywhere ‘but’ him. The task was clear at hand. Keiichi was the one that was important here, not ‘him’.

--------------------

Imladris noted from his far off position, now close to the NIT campus, making sure he wasn’t seen below. Even at this distance, he saw well enough. He wished he hadn’t. Seeing that particular goddess was such a distraction to him. As much as he wanted to remember, the static and incomplete memories were too much in the way of thinking properly. Why the goddess would even matter to him he just couldn’t remember unto.

If trying to remember memories was this troublesome, it ‘would’ be better if he died when he and Caceroth next met. For some reason it felt right to him. For some reason, he was better off with her not around anymore.

He turned and looked away, the wind shifting his robes about his armor, as unsettled as he was. "Blast it." He regretted his wish to remember. It just got in the way of his duty. The duty to protect the target and the goddesses. That ‘was’ all that was important. More important than life.

Thus he looked around and leapt to head off back to the west a distance.

--------------------

Mara yawned as they ‘finally’ got back to their hideout. For some reason Hild had taken Mara on a wild goose chase, and for it all, only was fatigue and bad words back and forth. She complained again. “Mistress, are you sure you have an idea what you were doing?”

Hild was growing.... no wait, WAS tired of all the griping, and now that they were back at their hideout, Mara’s decrepit cellar of poor choice, Hild raised an arm to put a spell to bind and shut up her minion of ill fated choice, when she stopped and froze. Mara, following behind, saw the raised arm and braced herself.

...and felt nothing. The Demoness looked up and... “Mistr....”

Hild snapped and shut Mara’s trap for her. After a moment, Hild replied simply... “We are not alone.”

Mara blinked, and gingerly followed, as Hild stopped at, and then calmly opened the door to the cellar hideout. And there they saw ‘it’. The flowing gray ash of robes and darkness, mixed now with pieces of warped and dented armor untold eons old. The head covered by a cloak that was flowing of soulless death and undeath, dynamic yet lucid of unlife. The saccloth ash flowed around the shadowed gray helm and head with burning gray, corneas-less lenses that looked rather patiently at Hild, and only Hild alone. Mara pop-shank to chibi form and hid behind Hild, though Hild partially felt doing likewise.

If only for an instant. Mara just jittered out... “Wh... wha... what the hell is.... is ‘that’....” Hild just smirked and put her child like version hands on her equally versioned hips. “Someone wants to chat it seems.”

The Wraith’s betrayed no response in kind.

--------------------

Keiichi blinked... “Are you sure? It sounds bad.” Bell was listening in, as Keiichi, having originally called Chihiro about work, found out instead Chihiro was the one not able to make it. Keiichi then asked... “How long till you can replace the head lamp?”

Belldandy heard ‘a couple of days’ come back across, at which Keiichi just put. “Um, you sure about not opening up the shop then?” What he got in return seemed to make his own guilt about skipping work this day, suddenly pale off completely. He just shrugged and said. “Okay. I’ll try to get in tomorrow instead.”

What he heard back in turn make him gulp and blush, as he just blurted out to Bell’s amusement. “Do you have to keep bringing up those back rubs? Jeeze.”

Eventually after much joshing and prodding, Keiichi just said goodbye and plopped the receiver down. “Man she’s a pain.” ...in a whine with no cheese. Bell just chippered up. “She’s just worried about you, that’s all.” Keiichi in turn actually put in. “I’m more worried about her instead. That storm last night must have did some damage before that thing showed up.” That however makes Belldandy consider with a hand on her chin. “If Caceroth managed to stir the very weather to enhance his attack, then he must have used a lot of energy in doing so. We are probably safe for the moment, while he recovers strength.”

Keiichi wasn’t comforted by that, as somewhere off in the residence, Skuld could be heard going mecha crazy again with some contraption, while Urd and Peorth discussed the matter in another room. At least breakfast had been eaten up, and Keiichi helping with the dishes, when he thought to give Chihiro the call.

Everything weird that could be happening seemed to be doing so now. And Keiichi once again, felt powerless to do much about it. Much more now that it seemed he was the actual and formal target of all of this. He seriously hated the feeling such gave. He changed thoughts and looked around. “Um... where’s Lind now?”

Bell started to look around, even apparently ‘through’ the walls, looking kind of off kilter looking as she looked far up and to the left of where she stood, her body towards the temple structure. “Still on top of the temple roof.”

Keiichi blinks. “Must be the favorite view for you girls.” ...this Bell just smiles and puts. “It is such a lovely view.” ...however Keiichi remarked. “By the way, how come Lind is acting so weird. I mean, about as weird as when she first got here originally, that first time around, but this is another level altogether.”

Belldandy just sighed. “It is kind of a private affair between Lind and Imladris.” Keiichi got far more than he expected in that simple statement. “You mean there history between them?” ...this Belldandy holds her hands up to her chin to, and comments... “It’s like our shared souls, Keiichi dear. Only those that feel such can truly know of the feelings where words cannot describe. It is however a tragic affair, ever since Imladris gained his amnesia, such that it has prevented so many things.”
Keiichi sighs and garners enough. “Wish I could meet the guy. Or at least Lind and him get back together. You know?” Bell just smiled. “Yes I do.”

Somewhere a warrior goddess listening in, actually felt frazzled on hearing such.

--------------------

Hild thought she needed her encoded ears readjusted again. She replied... “You want ‘what’ from us?”

The voice seethed back ‘calmly’. “- A Contract, if you understood me proper. -”

Hild thought the Wraith had lost it, or worse, had an ulterior motive. Hild decided to press further. “Well if it is a Contract you want, tell us why we should give the avatar of a dire enemy access to such an agreement? Last we heard, you had little care for Demons.”

Caceroth however stood there, and started ‘soothing’ out in a tone that didn’t seem threatening. “- Come now. I have something you want. All I require is a simple Contract to use to my whims. After which, this mortal shell and soul is yours. It is, in the end, only a tool to me. -” ...the usual 'Her Will' left off, despite how scalding it was to Caceroth to impart.

Hild just floated where she stood, folding her arms all business like in manner. Mara behind her just kept as out of sight as possible, shivering. Hild just rubbed the back of her right hand from its folded position, and dryly remarked back. “Somehow We do not feel enough sincerity to trust you with this Contract. What kind of Contract could you possibly want anyway? Would it be so simple as to kill lil ol Keiichi?” ...the tone making Mara actually terrified for the mortal, for a rare once.

What Hild got in return, was not as straight forward, but worse than she thought. Something that made her shiver some. The Wraith seethed back in a screeching drawl. “- Nothing so inelegant. My designs were as simple as such, but given our mutual problems at hand, and ‘knowing’ your desire to emerge victorious over your enemies, my desire for Contract is to simply end the entire manner in an expedient manner. One that ends all of our problems in a single stroke. -”

Hild slits her eyes, and.... “What would that be?”

“- A Contract for Utter World Destruction. -”

Mara poked her gagged head out and muffled something like a scream. Hild just commented. “How true minion. While efficient and all, why would We allow such a Contract with a true enemy of all realms?”

The reverberating voice drew more horrid in tone. “- Because through me, you can gain more souls in one stroke, than you could in eons of pathetic work. Add to this, this shell and soul, of all it knows and believes, would be yours to have without contemplation. -” ...upon this, Caceroth was pointing a lucid finger within armor warped, at the CEO. Caceroth continued, a strange tone to it that seemed hypnotic to hear.
“- Think of it. The reason for your mutual war is for souls. Souls that all will die in the long term. Too many of which will fall to your enemy above, can such instead be shifted to your formal control through the Contract. Through me, your desires to obtain all that you stand to lose naturally, can then become circumvented in a stroke.

This mortal shell can be used for this purpose, and with such, you will become the more powerful over the likes of the Almighty Wretched. -” ...he kept screeching on, Hild seemingly unmoving as Mara disbelieved to her hearing. 'Does Hild believe this crud?!' ...Mara wondered. Caceroth just toned onward. “- Through me, you can even acquire victory over your enemies upon this plane, all of whom coexist with utter waste of existence, who’s morbid approach to their lives makes my own Milady disgusted. Through it all, all of them can be driven back to whence they came, and the mortal no longer a threat to your ambitions. -”

Hild twitched an eye.

The Wraith Lord continued worse fore... “- The risk of the discovery of the vessels of power of their coexistence with a mortal wretch, could tip the scales of the soul war, to the enemy we both despise equally. Can you take such a chance, and lose all of those souls to a chance of fate? Can you allow your enemy to become the victor here? Who here would then lose their power and voice? Is it I? Nay. My soul it a slave, your will is the tantamount here. As is the Will of my Milady. Both of whom can be satisfied in one simple, binding, eternal Contract.

What, dare I say, do you have to ‘lose’. -”

Hild comments simply. “A War with the Heavens itself. One that could ruin all of Hell in the longest term. Is this what you want Us to agree to?”

Caceroth halted for a moment, but then pressed further. “- And such deaths, is that ‘not’ what your realm was ‘made’ for? Such impulses have come to you before, such as your breach of Heaven for that ‘toy’ you used. When else will more come that will ascribe Armageddon of, that you haven’t risked for already.

Of War, you already are ‘in’ one with your eternal Foe, are not always already? -”

Hild struck back. “Please. You know full well our war is always been. Timeless and unending. The War of Souls is always to be such. What you propose however, is to risk the kind of War, only that wench of a deity would see as proper and profit. And in the end, you would still acquire Keiichi even if We agreed, you’d have some measure of doing so, and more...

...this is a cowards errand, fit to see a Nemesis dead without ever facing him again. Your depravity knows no bounds apparently. SO NO DEAL WRAITH!!!”

Caceroth saw the failure, "- FOOL!!! -" ...and acted on the instant, erupting deadly blasts of gray, decapitating energy at Hild and Mara, the former whom leapt with the latter holding on dearly tight!! This as the blast slams into the walls of the building with terminal effect!

--------------------

Lind looked up sharply, as she saw the form of the knight suddenly RIP across the sky from far, far right, dead off to the far fore right, towards Nekomi! She shouted down. “Something is happening!!”

Below Bell and Keiichi looked up, as did all the other deities, as Lind looked suddenly, at a sudden decent sized cloud of dust rising in the far distance. She swore from here, she saw a flare of black ‘bolts’ lancing into the sky for a split second.

She shivered knowing what probably just happened.

--------------------

Hild and Mara were both in chibi form now, sticking to the screen of debris of the building that they were in, that caved in from the basement up. The attack Caceroth used ending up decaying the entire first two bottom floors of the abandoned building, and collapsing it all into a vast heap of rubble. Much of the rubble which Hild observed, apparently ‘melted’ away in mounds of liquid ash that seethed evil wisps of lifeless energy all over as the rubble at the ground zero point, cleared off in a disturbingly smooth looking ‘crater’, that rose about a floor and a half of the once three stories of the abandoned building.

Within, Hild was careful not to alert presence untoward, was the Wraith within, hardly even dinged. A dark gray aura that burned and froze everything around it into mixtures of liquid and molten, frozen and burning, ash. All of it. The Wraith looked around all too calmly, as it tried to sense where it’s intended prey had left.

Caceroth was even ‘less’ emotion laden than ever now. He clenched, and Hild could hear the ancient metal screech and protest terribly, as the Soulless Champion kept looking around.

Mara just however was muffling out essentially.... “- That bastard ruined my game room!! -“

Hild just physically covers Mara’s mouth, just as the Wraith seems to hear her. However a moment split after,  something ‘else’ catches the Wraith’s attention, enough that the Wraith suddenly BURSTS into a cloud of ash, and shoots off at unnatural speed. In quick succession, a large glowing figure SLAMS into the same spot, looking all around as Imladris tries in vain to catch his prey. It’s the first chance Hild and a ‘further’ wide-eyed Mara have to see the Knight Lord up close in detail. Such was their spot on a nearby building wall, one that barely manages to hold up to the decaying damage it also received, (along with half the entire surrounding block.)

As sirens start to be heard in the distance, Imladris looks around more, then senses and starts to look up. Hild notes and smirks, before. “Not today.” ....and then takes them both at high speed away from the spot Imladris looks to.

The knight notes the prey is gone, and also now knows that demons are now in the picture. He silently wonders what went on here, as the sirens draw close. At this, the knight zips out of sight, just as the first police van rounds the bend.

--------------------

From afar, Lind, Bell and Urd look up on far, standing at the top of the Temple, as the dust and smoke rises into the air, carried by the winds of the area this day. Peorth risks further from a close in view of same near the Temple wall. The Forever goddess however does not dare leave now, not alone with the Wraith more than loose somewhere out there now. “Ca alors! This is getting out of hand!”

Lind looks over at Bell. “We need to erect a barrier.” This Belldandy considers, commenting... “For how long? We cannot leave a Sealing barrier in place, if we become drained in the process.”

“I can do it if we have enough sake.” ...Urd puts, a kooky way of being helpful, this Bell just ‘smiles’ as Lind sighs blandly to. Urd just rolls her eyes, with a shrug. “Well, it was a thought.”

“If Caceroth has such power, when will he attack again?” Belldandy wondered. Urd however quipped, suspecting. “I get the feeling ‘someone’ had a visitor out there. We might have the same in short order too here.” ...this Lind frowns at. “While Hild may have her own standards, allowing them here may cause more harm than good. If any good ‘at all’, in fact.” ...Urd just quips. “Seconded on that Valk.”

Bell in turn however. “Still, we have to consider the Doublet situation. If Caceroth tried to make contact and attacked Hild, he’ll try again. It’s a matter of time. We need to consider Mara at least, and whom of us she is connected to.” Lind and Urd sighed. “Put it that way, if we must.” Lind remarked.

Just then, Keiichi’s voice came up, as Skuld stood in front of him, looking up as well. “What’s going on? What do your goddess eyes see?”

Belldandy just looks down and responds... “Just smoke, we can’t tell what else is going on from here.” Urd just looked over, knowing Bell could see well enough ‘quite’ well at this distance. However she understood this partial refrain of information, it wasn’t quite untruth in the end.

Peorth suddenly however waves a hand off to the trailing towards a easterly direction. “Passer en revue là!!” The goddesses, including Skuld now, whom zips up, look as they see a streaking metallic form. Keiichi from his position just huffs and decries his lack of flying ability, "Now what?!" ...as the goddesses suddenly shout out to his annoyed question in coming... “I see Imladris! Dang he is fast.” Skuld says, her wide eyed look of bewilderment more than enough for Keiichi to note. Above, Urd then asks quickly. “Does anyone see or feel that Wraith bastard?”

“No.” Lind says, an edge in her voice that makes note of by Belldandy next to her. As a result, Keiichi looks wide eyed as Bell suddenly... “Huh? Bell!?” ...as the other goddesses note Bell suddenly SHOOT off out and away from the Temple proper. Urd sees and... “BELLDANDY!!” Peorth actually gets flipped end over end as Bell shoots by... “Mon dieu!?”

Urd shifts forward, just as Lind shouts. “I got her back.” ...and snaps off after the literal Present goddess. Keiichi just runs like heck towards the entryway arch and yells. “BELL WAIT!” ...this just as Peorth and Skuld drop and grab him. “Wait! Keiichi wait!” ...Skuld yells, before Peorth adds... “Lind will look after her, and Imladris is no fool. They’ll be fine.”

Keiichi however comments looking between the two... “I’m not so sure of ‘that’.”

Peorth and Skuld just look at each other with equally pensive looks. “Moi aussi.” ...which just makes Skuld look blandly on.

--------------------

Imladris was in a rage, blind at that, as he moved off towards the eastern coast to literally vent this anger at the empty water far away from prying eyes. He was getting fed up with getting so close and missing. He hated being toyed with. Worse knowing it was one of, if not ‘the’, worst of his enemies in the Multiverse.

By now it seemed he ‘never’ would finish this affair, and it clouded his mind beyond all reason. He found keeping a clear mind in fact more difficult, and his stomach reflected this with a growing ulcer in kind. He felt tired, but he couldn’t stop, not with the enemy this close and apparently yet this capable at any moment. Worse now if demons were involved. He was growing weary indeed of all of this, and it flooded all of his senses to the point his nasal passages hurt like all heck.

He was in the middle of this fit, when he suddenly felt a totally different aura approaching. Looking off to the temple area, and... "Oh CRUD!!"

Imladris saw one of the targets coming dead ‘at’ him, and he actually... “HOLY!!!” ...coming at such speed at him, he suddenly zipped himself downward a severe velocity, trying very dearly ‘not’ to make contact with the approaching personage!

He dropped down, and then  blasted off at hyper velocity, around about one hundred and seven suburb blocks, and three high hills, splitting his form in three ‘echoes’ to throw off the trail, as he reached a fourth hill where he would tunnel himself into the said hill and dump his aura signature like a bad batch of garbage! Reaching the top of the hill, just at the tree line there, he however had something ‘goddess’ like end up in his path. He had to stop so hard, he actually left black streak-like 'tire skids' in mid air! “YIPE!!”

Tis was how Belldandy simply hovering in midair, saw the mortal knight again, for the first time in two decades, and then out of sight for a split second after, as Imladris SHOT right back where he came! Belldandy saw this and blinked, and then simply... followed.

Lind in close general pursuit, saw the results as Imladris made good his escape, only to be stopped above a shopping mall, as Bell catches up ‘way’ too easily! Lind then sees this happen no less than six more times above both densely and deserted areas, the risk of being seen apparently not the point here.

Hence why a few people below blamed various eating or drinking habits for this, that day.

Lind was amazed how easily Bell caught up with the knight, but also how determined the mortal knight was in avoiding contact, being observed moving at higher speeds and more erratic patterns, as panic and unknown what else seemed to be taking over.

Closer in, the unknown part held hard and fast to his orders, as Imladris felt terrible panic that he was about to fail his mission! He was moving so fast, he was essentially risking severe thermal burns from the shock of speed!

Finally this ends as he looks to shake his pursuer and starts flaring bright flashes all over the sky to they and confuse all sight. (A LOT of people below thought they had ingestion issues that day,) this as the knight ‘does’ risk breaking the thermal barrier and the pain of fire. He looks everywhere, trying to think of several actions at once, when all of a sudden, he sees a cloud of white ahead of him.

“OH NO YOU...” ...he yells and ‘hops’ over it... and right into a feather web like trap! “EEK!” ...in a rather girly tone, as the feathers wrap and tickle him enough to break his concentration and speed. As a result he is then caught in the arms of a waiting angel, one he sees as...

“Ah CRIMENY!” ...as Holy Bell gently cradles him like some ridiculously sized baby in gaudy armor. He realizes and uses a directed burst of strength to break free of this simple trap, and realizes his follow all the same. All well done with no harm inflicted, but all attempt to intimidate, all the same. Such was the lack of the latter effect on the goddess First Class! (Like zilch man, really.)

He flips and turns to see in time the pursuer in Present fashion, floating in close to meet up with Holy Bell. Imladris sees and senses his attempts at escape had been foiled completely by both Belldandy's power and pure, simplistic nature. He ‘had’ to admit how easy such all was to consider when he thought in this vein.

Bell meanwhile looks at the defensively stance held knight and calmly imparts... “Lord Knight Imladris, I presume.” Imladris grits his teeth and imparts nothing, save for in an iron tone. “Back off goddess. For all sakes, ‘and’ the target of note.”

Belldandy in kind however. “Keiichi is not in danger at present. And you apparently are reaching your limits, even those you were trained to withstand.” ...this Belldandy clearly could see Imladris's uncertain condition. The lack of proper sleep, food, and clear mindset, taking their toll.

Imladris considered just escaping again, even ‘at’ the risk of his eventual collapse, but he realized this would be poor tactic in this unfinished battle. Certainly not of against one of unusual note before him, to be sure. Imladris however does mind his surroundings, and zips back some, at which Bell and Holy Bell follow at equal speed, way too equal as Imladris noted, as they reach a cloister of tall trees, ones that will obscure from mundane sight in enough.

At this Bell is mindful as the knight states of this. “I am mindful of my orders and this place. As such I am under ‘orders’ not to contact you or your kin. Please return home and do not pry!”

Belldandy however does not change her stance, as both goddess and angel watch with equally business like demeanor. “You have not changed much in the end, so it would seem.”

Imladris parries off this attempt at conversation with a retort of... “Almighty has Commanded me not to discuss! LEAVE NOW!”

“In what ways I have trouble seeing actually.”

Imladris blinks, his sharp voice apparently not even fazing the First Class goddess. He clenches severely within, and begs in his next tone. “Please... please leave me be.”

Bell and Holy Bell blink each, as Imladris feels his insides clench like a conniption upon a panic induced constipation assault. Bell ‘does’ see enough that there is more than just duty at heart of this closed minded plea in attempt. “You’re suffering.” ...she puts in a tone he can’t stand, and turns around, standing in his floating stare, the feathery accouterments doing their job all too well with reflexive foot ‘taps’ in midair. “Blast it please. I cannot disobey my duty. You cannot be involved. Not at the true end of all matters.”

“At least you’re talking.”

Imladris realizes he betraying himself, and clutches at his cloak. Bell presses a bit more, knowing someone ‘is’ in there crying for help way underneath. She can see it, as Imladris presses for it to vanish utterly, failing, with all emotion in turmoil. Such was Belldandy impressment... “We thank you for what you have done so far.”

The knight mortal tilts head over ‘ever’ so slightly, enough of an opening as far as Bell is concerned. She pries softly enough further.“But must you do your duty so alone? We realized just about everything already, as we are not as in the dark as you would wish.”

Imladris spins around and retorts. “Then you risk your damnation to Caceroth’s whims. Does not the danger at hand require ‘some’ ignorance on your celestial parts!?”

‘That’ makes Bell wince some, and Imladris sees it, suddenly admonishing himself within, the effect creasing his face that much more in anguish. Bell floats back a bit, giving him space to not feel so cornered. It is clear to her that his secrets are meant to be burdened to the point of absorbing all burden. She then sees too clearly how far ‘that’ could go, in solemn fact. History of memory of empirical evidence to be sure of there. She considers for a moment, and then imparts... “Lind misses you. I know she does.”

“That is irrelevant.”

Bell blinks, the retort all too swift. “Guarding us from all this, and also denying the obvious, will only bring...”

“I am ‘utterly’ enslaved to pain.” ...he says, suddenly not so pensive, but rather ‘too’ open in posture. He professes. “I realized this when I began regaining some of my memories. The ones that said I was a soldier and at Sin for the Wish I had made. There is nothing for me, but my duty, and through ‘it’, my End. This it shalt be when I find and annihilate my Nemesis.”

Bell was suddenly shaking enough that she was holding onto Holy Bell for dear life of her own stable emotions. She however couldn’t believe. “Your life is not such that, to be so easily tossed aside. What will such sacrifice bring to anyone else?”

"Life for one, aside from my own." Imladris suddenly spoke more openly, far too easily, and with too much level simplicity. “I was forgotten when I last left Heaven. I understand utterly why. I was then brought back to finish a task that had wrought me Second Death. I was focused upon by those that forgot me, and all the better they should." ...such that Imladris looks fully at the goddess that had the emotional tables turned unto her. The wind fluttered his cape about ominously, as he espoused. "I am the Sin of blood on hands in two lives, and to live with this further, is to bring wrought shame to all that know of me, and all you symbolize, Migoddess. My best course is to end this false life, and to take with it, the one that brings other death in the same vein I once brought.

I am a knight of the false. I even have no name to truly call my own. What else IS there but to finish my duty, and ensure its ignorance to all those at risk?”

Bell fought hard to hold her emotions, she never thought such despair could come from this mortal. She wasn’t the only one listening that was in this state of disbelief. Imladris however, was sounding more and more emotionless, almost sounding like he ‘was’ too ready for the self presumed End to come. At this, the knight sighed, and held his head, realizing he was being too melodramatic, standing more erect now in floating posture. Bell however was the one looking away now, but wasn’t finished in her pressing. “That is the false, not of you, but your belief.”

Imladris looked at her, and saw how remorseful she was, still looking at him when he did look back. The knight sighed, and began to remark back. “Neverthe....”

“No one in Heaven ever forgot you. You only believe what you do because of the...”

“Amnesia. Yes, I know.”

Bell just turned some and replied to such... “For someone that has been alone for so long, it is not a surprise you have ended up this way. If you believe your course makes you the better, I assure you, this is a mistake.”

Imladris clenched his hands, and sighed... “And as we talk, the Nemesis is still out there. I suspect I am the interceding target next. You all should conceal until it tis done. I suspect it will occur tonight, as per his previous actions. Such as I suspect his power is fermenting towards.”

Belldandy suddenly saw how far that sentence went. She chided most rightfully so. “Sacrificing yourself will not bring resolution to any of this. Is your thinking that flawed?”

Imladris however didn’t seem to hear, only quipping out... “I did not expect you to understand.” ...and then he started to move. Bell however threw her hand up with... “Wait! You do not need to carry this burden alone.” ...and moved to close in to embrace him. He however sensed this and summoned his staff in a single motion and threw up a light shield in a canister shape. As expected it rebuffs Bell to her surprise, Holy Bell catching her as she falls back a light distance.

He then tones out in form fit of iron. “This ‘is’ my burden. It shalt be all I have left, so that none of you have to suffer destroying Caceroth's very much mortal form, despite the powers. That curse is not meant for any of you!”

At this, Bell sees with no way to get through to him, save actions that would only ruin what trust could be possibly salvaged elsewise. He then turns his head and drops the shield. “Please do not come for, or do anything to assist me. And please take care of the mortal Lord Keiichi Morisato, for that is your fit of place, do this for me if there ‘is’ agreement to be given for my traded life.”

Bell did finally shed tears, and Imladris saw to his shame. His orders from the Almighty were absolute, and he ‘had’ to comply utterly, no matter what pain it wrought. Imladris thinks this, just as Belldandy then imparts more calmly. “Very well, this I will abide in my love for Keiichi, for your sake in this.” At that, Imladris sighs and then phases out of sight, leaving behind another burned bridge, he expects.

Far from. Bell just holds Holy Bell’s hand, and then whispers. “To create an equal half to be debited.”

She then turns and after regressing Holy Bell back within herself, she floats off, up and to the left some, where some four trees away, she finds Lind with her back upon, facing away from where the confrontation occurred. Bell knows Lind heard it all. “I’m sorry.” ...she professes, this Lind looks away with closed eyes, shut tight, her grimace almost chiseled in place. Lind just imparts. “And so I can close my heart for truth to this matter at last.”

Bell blinks and responds... “But you two were....”

“That is not ‘him’.”

The two goddesses float amongst the birds flying about them, the avians sensing to keep their distance. Bell just holds her hands to her chest. “Even so, I could tell the true soul was obscured. It may not be his fault in the end, and you should...”

Lind suddenly snaps her head at Bell, to the equal goddess license’s shock. “That is ‘not’ HIM! I dare not give my considerations to a false soul, especially when he professed himself as such, just as candidly. If he so wishes a solitude to his End, I dare not stand in such a way, in his path.”

Belldandy only sighed, and looked neutral. “Please don’t give up on him so easily.”

“He gave up on all of us. So such be it then.” ...Lind says, then imparts. “We should go before Caceroth strikes again.”

Bell however floats up aside Lind, and imparts. “Then you are not as strong as you should be.” ...this surprising Lind, as Bell shoots off to head back without incident. This leaves Lind to her thoughts for a moment. She then shakes them off, and heads back before she too is ambushed. Along the way she does wonder what indeed had begotten Imladris. She was certain that Imladris was not just simply suffering amnesia. Something about him seemed too distant than even was expected for the likes of this particular mortal. She thought of how Keiichi would act if the same things had happened to that cherished mortal, that had become of Imladris.

She couldn’t see it. Not with blind eyes, but with ones that simply couldn’t understand how Imladris changed ‘that’ much. She had just gotten back to about the Temple courtyard wall, when she remembered what Keiichi has said earlier. 'So were being protected by an amnesiac with a Soulless complex?'

“But that’s insane. It couldn’t be that...” Lind started, just as some high pitched squeal-cheer-yelling below garners her attention. “Eh?” ...in kind, and she floats down, noticing as she passes through a sensory shield the other goddesses apparently threw up.

She lands and saw some birds that apparently followed her, circle around and fly off in a small cluster, just as she notes manic yelling and incredulous voices inside. Bell can be seen as Keiichi holds her hand, Lind having her own spate of jealously bubbling up some. Such that it made her suddenly regret her own lack of trust in the one person she had given trust in, before essentially all others. How things had turned around, it all seemed, on that mental dime. This as Lind held her right hand to her chest, remembering when ‘he’ was who she trusted above all else.

“BUT I TELL YOU IT WORKS URD!!! JEEZE MON!!” ... "Jeeze, no need to yell." ....this Lind hears roaring from inside, as Skuld obviously vents at some objection of her mecha fetishes. Lind comes up and quips to Bell and K1. "What is the fuss now, pray tell?"

"Let's find out." Keiichi puts in a rather disarming tone, such Bell and Lind both giggle to, before the trio head into the residence once more.

--------------------

The concerns indeed could have been justified. Caceroth had seen it ‘all’, and such He only allowed the scene to progress uninterrupted, as the Wraith saw his Nemesis reject the two goddesses nearby, and was barely amused by it all. As the wretched knight sped off, blind to how observed he was, the Wraith knew the long term crop of undeath was ready to be harvested. Twenty years of waiting for this germination to be cut as chaff. So much so as the Will had Planned, all along.

Caceroth saw the knight as it leapt around, and heard it’s thoughts. So close yet never knowing. It fell so perfectly in place, far more than the nightmare itself ever dreamed of.

All according to plan.

--------------------

Keiichi just sighed and wrung his ears out from the noise. “Okay, okay. No one was questioning your device didn’t work Skuld.”

Urd/Peorth: “I did./ C'était couru d'avance.” ...both just quip back at Keiichi. This just makes Skuld want to hit them, but instead she just points to her new contraption, as Lind walks in last. Everyone looks at the device, a small boxy device with all sorts of knobs, about the size of a simple laptop, but more like some signal locator device meant for tracking tagged wild animals in the Serengeti. It even has a small rotating dish, imitating an antenna of primary note. Skuld just sighs. “Look, my Asher Master Tracker version 1.01 will ‘help’ us find where that Caceroth dope is. It’s made to locate large particles of ash that form together, using magical energy.”

Keiichi just blinks. “You do know this entire country is on a fault line, volcanoes and all that.” ...said to the fact about all of the Japanese nation was a volcanic island chain, inert or active enough otherwise. “Ash is everywhere here.” This just gets a cup thrown into his melon by Skuld. “I said ‘magical’ amounts. After the last battle, I decided to have Banpei and Sigel collect samples from all over the Temple, and I analyzed the data that was collected. I am all but positive that this will help us track that blow hard of a ghost.”

“Wraith.”

“Whatever.̶ 1; Skuld just quipped back, Keiichi just rubbing his head still.

Urd however leans over at the bulky looking device. “Uh huh, and how exactly are we supposed to use it? I don’t remember magical energy being in the remains that were left behind.” ...this Skuld sticks a finger ‘dead’ in Urd’s face, and laughs maniacally a bit, much to the other’s uncertain discomfort. (As usual.) “Oh ye of too much breath of booze, try this on for size smarty.” ...this as Skuld holds up a small ‘slide container’, one that she had somehow managed out of her blouse, the same way the bombs always seemed to appear out of. The device is essentially a flat container in a shimmering field of white-pink energy, almost like a piece of slide glass for a microscope. “This is what I found when I examined the ash. It’s almost a calling card even.”

Everyone gathers around, ‘quite’ curious now, as Skuld points at the tiny flakes of ash, ones that emit a gray ‘field’ around them. Enough that even Keiichi can notice it, but more, the goddesses can see much more than just that. Lind is surprised by this, as Peorth imparts... “How did Caceroth make his code strings ‘that’ minuscule?”

Skuld just shrugs. “Got me. But this is proof of how he can manipulate the ash on the mortal plane. He needed to force a medium ‘into’ the medium to make it all work. Knowing that, this is the signature we can track him by. If enough gathers, even less than a gram’s worth, then we got him.”

Saying such, Skuld then takes her device and slides the particle ‘slide glass’ into a port on the right side, and as soon as she does, the device registers this as blinking gray blots on the rather small blue screen. Keiichi comments as he looks over, four other interested goddess faces wedged in around him. (And Velsper on top of his melon in fact.) “Um, isn’t the screen kinda small?”

“Version 1.02 will have holographics. Stop complaining!” This Keiichi dryly rolls his eyes upon, as Skuld continues. “So, as you can see, with the parameters in place, we know how to track him. It all works like a compass in a sense, if you use it that way.”

Bell just chippers out. “Good job Skuld.” ...this as Skuld beams, just before her hair is mussed up by Peorth and Urd alike. “Good going squirt. You actually made something useful for the first time ever.” Peorth adds in... “Very fantastique. I applaudir thee for effective performance this time.”

Skuld just brushes them both off with a whine of... “Hey! All my inventions were useful in the past! Except for the ones you made me made that were totally useless!”

Urd remembers and snickers out. “And I still have them too. I can bring them out if you want.” ...this Skuld GASPS unto, with quirk of eye by Peorth all the same. “Est cela oui?” Skuld just grumbles. “Don’t you two even try it!” ...which Urd and Peorth put away as measure for later in fact.

Keiichi just sighs, as Velsper drops off his head, as he then looks and sees one head is missing again. Bell notes also as Lind has hopped off again. Kei just off kilter quips. “Does she ever stay still?” Bell just looks with uncertainty that her earlier words got to Lind. However just then, a loud 'breep' sound catches Skuld’s eye and ear, as she looks, unto Urd quips. “What?”

Skuld for a split second thought she saw a large blip, one that just caught the upper right edge of the smallish screen. It is gone before she can even blink, and in kind only responds. “Um... nothing I guess. Better do the upgrade now I suppose.”

Urd and Peorth exchange a glance, as Bell and Keiichi head outside for a moment.

--------------------

Imladris passes by a bit closer for some reason, taking a course just in close detail sight of the north east area of the Temple. He saw Lind back on top of the Temple again, that knee held position he knew so well.... or... what he thought....

....his mind went fuzzy again as he tried to remember, and was pulled back to thought of Caceroth instead, for some reason ‘knowing’ that the Nemesis was all he should be thinking of. He seemed to refocus on this, as he passed by, unknowing the effect on Skuld’s new contraption.

He wondered when the Wraith would finally reappear. This was all getting so terribly old to him.

--------------------

Keiichi and Bell looked up as Lind seemed in her own world, and in fact was falling further into it. Ancient memories kept flooding their way past her long since dropped emotional barriers. It was all no longer effective even, as it seemed Lind's own angels were pressing the memories upon her from within her mind. Keiichi noted and sighed. “Is she sad, or just introspective?”

Bell looks down and holds her hands, her normal confidence a ‘bit’ shaken at present. “I fear I may have been too harsh on her. But seeing Imladris and Lind like this is growing unbearable.”

Keiichi just asks the obvious next. “Were those two in love?” ...this Bell opens her eyes unto, and speaks. “Such is past tense, and that would be incorrect.” Keiichi keeps blinking at such and then feels a bit self admonished. “Wow. Now I feel sad for them.” Bell drew close, and imparted in a whisper. “This way.”

Keiichi obediently follows as they reach a secluded glade, Belldandy sensing that no apparent danger was present, before imparting to her own hazard of self-admonishing. “Imladris and Lind were knew of each other before I was fully aware of my existence. However as far as time goes, as Peorth said to you once, we are timeless and unending. We all are approximate in age to each other, yet exist as beginnings separate from each other. In such, Lind is my senior, yet we both are equal to age, where Imladris is actually similar in age to you,  Keiichi dear.” Keiichi blinks. “Huh?”

Belldandy professes further, her hair fluttering in the breeze. “When Imladris made his Wish, time for him in Heaven started for him, but it was always different from all other aspects of time, so he saw the world he grew up in, in Heaven, as his own span of 'third dimensional vectored' time, while never truly aging in that same span of time. In this, while we all are said same age, the history of us all is different. And their history was long indeed.”

Keiichi gulps, and just listens dutifully. Bell keeps offering like a giving tome of knowledge. “They met when Imladris began his training as a Valkyrie, they even fought and learned of each other before either was aware of the other. When Imladris began training as a formal knight under Lord Thor’s direct tutelage, Lind ended up attending many of his training sessions. They drew close despite their martial outlooks on life. More so despite never meeting in direct contact much, such Heaven was well aware of, and engendered, despite consternations Heaven at times, had unto Imladris. Such, it was he that gave Lind the clue to her having twins from the same angel egg. As time progressed as far as either of them accepted, they even saw each other aspire to their individual heights. I witnessed Imladris and Lind standing together on the same stage Lind was promoted to her license unto, as he congratulated her in person. They only seemed to grow closer, so how else could such be other than love?”

Keiichi smiled and put his hands in his jeans pockets. “Sounds nice. In their own way. Still can’t believe there ‘is’ a Thor out there.” ...this Bell smiled at him upon, but then her face changed with her tone. “It was, until after Imladris faced Caceroth. The aftermath all but broke Lind’s resolve, but somehow it made her stronger after, despite Imladris departing for other worlds. However she tries to hide her soul under her barriers, ones that she used as her excuse when training to release her other self true self.”

“Cool Mint.” ...Keiichi remarked immediately, remembering how it felt to have supported an angel. He couldn’t help but note at the time, how close Lind was, and how much trust he had engendered as a result. He then realized. “Does Lind trust that gold guy anymore?” Bell just shrugs, sighing rather flatly. “I fear the person Imladris became, is what Lind will not accept. However I do believe that if Imladris regains his true memories, Lind will be waiting. She won’t admit, but...”

Keiichi nods. “I think I see. Just wish there was a way to help them. After what Lind did for us, it seems fair to repay her back somehow. Especially if....” ....this Bell smiles lovingly at Keiichi upon. Nearby Velsper listening in, gags a bit in cat mode, at seeing this. Bell however replies... “It would be proper. If there was some way to reach him first.” Keiichi blinks. “Meaning?”

Belldandy turns his face a good bit darker, enough that Keiichi grows worried. “He said he would end this by taking Caceroth with him. His tone was so severe and self-destructive, it seemed another person was speaking for him. I suspect his duty has become so strong, he is using that as a crutch to keep everyone else away. Almighty's silence upon the matter, helps little there, I fear.”

Keiichi tilts his head. “A bit hard on himself it sounds like.”

“It’s worse than that.” ...this as the two turn to look at Peorth. “Eh?”

Peorth comments as she floats above Velsper... “Thought I better check on you two at a time like this. As for the Chevalier, it seems he learned his duty too well from Master Thor. He tends to obey his duties a bit too much. But I believe the format his mind started over with, after his sacrifice, the mind that is his amnesia now, is still stuck where his duty overrides all other concerns. It may even be preventing him from considering whatever else Almighty told him.”

Keiichi comments as Bell looks on. “What does that mean?” Peorth put next... “When I was sent by Almighty personally, I was told that I should ‘look’ to our eventual savior for assistance. Despite the lack of information, I suspect it may be in fact, we ‘are’ supposed to get the details we seek from the mortal knight. What’s preventing that, is the knight’s own overextended sense of duty. If he was told certain things...”

Belldandy at this point looks introspective, and speaks of it as... “....that he was told to keep us out of the fighting, or simply.”

“That he should protect us at all costs.” Keiichi adds in. Peorth on the round... “And so what may be in Imladris’s mind. I suspect if anything, of what Almighty informed me to be mindful for, he should have been looking to us for more help.”

“Isn’t that actually...  selfish?” Keiichi surmises, which Bell and Peorth put in each. “That ‘would’ be along the lines of Thor’s mindset.” ... “Trop. Or of another's.” Keiichi then puts. “Then we ‘have’ to get involved. How can we be ‘guarded’ with ‘that’ kind of mindset?”

Peorth however puts in, enough that makes Velsper shiver nearby. “We cannot forget that our enemy is in part, a mortal shell. A goddess killing a mortal is a difficult thing to allow, even Almighty avoids it at all costs. Worse, the Wraith is a Champion of Voluspa, and has the power to outright kill a First Class goddess, and has done so many times in the past. Imladris is probably here to alleviate us from such a burden, and to take the burden all to himself. You see, he was a solider as mentioned in his previous life, so he already has killed other mortals. He's done further the same in his time amongst us in Heaven, via many of his missions we sent him to accomplish. He knows this as his Sin, and probably is reacting accordingly.”

Keiichi blinks, and puts in remarks... “Boy, you goddesses sure are smart. Even without having the Big Guy tell you much at all.” Peorth and Bell just smile and take the compliment as intended. “Thank you. / Merci.” ...in own respective voices. Hearing Bell sound French just gives Kei a good blush. Meanwhile however Velsper is rather concerned for himself and Belldandy’s safety. Unfortunately the neko-reincarnation sees that having to do that means keeping an eye on that dammed Keiichi.

As such, she/he made up her/his own mind up. "(This will go damn swell.)"

Keiichi then puts. “Is there any way to get Imladris to talk to us? Hey, I said the name right!” Bell just giggles, but then imparts. “If only we can make him listen. I tried and was rebuffed. Unless something happens to shake him, we can’t get through to him.”

“Oui. He stubborn that one.”

“Could Lind do it?”

The two goddesses look at Kei, and blink. Peorth puts... “If ‘she’ll’ accept such. She closed her mind off to him for so long we might as well ask Hild instead.” Keiichi dryly looks and retorts just as dry toned, as a martini in the Dead Sea... “Forget that.”

Belldandy does consider with hand on chin again, as she imparts. “Still, I wonder if what we saw earlier was in fact Hild and Mara attacked by Caceroth. I wonder what happened.” Peorth just quips out. “Nothing good either way, that is for sûr.”

As they consider this bit, the sky suddenly lets loose a small rumble. Keiichi looks up and notes. “Is it me? Or did the sky look clear a short time ago?” The two goddesses look up, and in fact Lind as well. “Oh no.” Belldandy fearfully remarks, as Peorth puts. “We don’t have long.”

At this, they all, including Velsper, high tail it back to the residence, as the sensory shield is reinforced by both Bell and Lind present. Unbeknownst to them, two chibi forms manage to squirm their way inside before the shield is reinforced.

Within an hour, the sky darkens considerably, and the rains start to fall.

--------------------

Within an hour after that, the sky is all but a monsoon, the dreary gray light of the fading sun, obscured by the clouds most thick and lifeless in feel, has few points in this morbid drenching that beheld light of below. Even the lights of the Temple seem drowned out by the downtrodden downpour. Keiichi can tell as even the lights of the entryway seem inundated by the rain. It’s like this for the start of the evening, as the rains come. All the goddesses within with, not to mention three demons unseen, try to keep themselves mentally going, boredom a bad thing in this time of unease.

Meanwhile a single glowing aura manages to puncture through, not too far off from the Temple, as Imladris waits for Caceroth to finish forming for his coming attack. Not even he, muddled headed and all, cannot but notice this storm is too artificial, the use of power more expedient, yet just as patient in the short span of time.

Apparently the power was greatest at  sunset, though why not at midnight was uncertain. Dawn was obvious if thought of. Still, this was the time Caceroth would indeed strike. He waited, huddled, with his robes and cape wrapped around him as he stood on a high telephone pole. Electrocution obviously not a concern either. (Again all that Thor induced training.)

Nothing seemed of concern, Imladris felt. He tried to think of her again, but was rebuffed into thinking of Caceroth again, as was proper. As was not noticing the ground beneath him becoming more than just merely ‘muddy’.

--------------------

Skuld thunked her head on the living room table. Her chin getting a good wince, but otherwise her emotions spent at the moment. She felt sleepy, even as she looked at Banpei and Sigel, even they looking low in energy. "Blech." ...was all she managed.

Keiichi and Bell were sitting on the floor near each other, as Lind sat again at the entryway, Urd and Peorth dipping down towards the floor more and more, as they too started to feel sleepy. Apparently the humidity in the air getting to the lot of them. Keiichi surmised it had all been a pretty long day, much had been discussed. Things kept happening all around them, though nothing this day so far did.

He just felt so sleepy. It seemed his vision was growing a touch cloudy, as Bell slid a bit into him. Apparently boredom was as much an effect on a goddess as a mortal. He even found his breath feeling dry and slowed.

--------------------

Something was wrong. Imladris could help but feel it. The air was more than just not right. The humid air was more thick, almost syrupy in fact. In fact, as something his mind kept echoing a deadened sense, a thick palpitation of emotionless effect.

He thought he could feel something fading, as if breath was slowly... very slowly...

--------------------

He couldn’t keep them open anymore. He swore he wanted to, but some attempt of an alert was dying off from the lack of oxygen in his lungs. He just wanted to sleep, with Bell by his side forever. After that he felt that....

...that slowly...

--------------------

...that slowly...

-eye snap!-

He realized, to his horror, in so not realizing behind him.

--------------------

Keiichi felt some voice rising within him. It kept rising, and shouting, and clawing, and demanding, and warning and....

“- !!!!Wake!!!! -"

Keiichi shouted so loud, all of the goddesses and demons in the Temple rose as one shocked bunch! In so doing as well, Keiichi suddenly started coughing severely for a few moments, as Bell looked over and gasped. “It’s ash!” ...as Urd and Peorth see first, dribbles of liquid ash coming out of Keiichi’s lips.

Just in time in fact he coughed. Lind sees and immediately shouts. “SKULD! CACEROTH!!”

Skuld literally zips in, having her strange detector in hand! “Gimme a sec!!”

Urd just looks as Keiichi begins to recover. “Were we just attacked?” Bell looks around and senses it. “The ash is in the humidity.”

Elsewhere, Hild and Mara hearing, are actually surprised in hearing this, as Hild realizes. “What ‘else’ does that Wraith have in store for us?” ...this as Mara coughs out a good cloud of ash. Velsper, near the goddesses, hacks a hairball that betrays ash within as well!

Meanwhile Bell casts a quick spell. “Of the Four Winds that blow as one, I some your each of fraction to strength, clear thy chamber of contamination, and allow your freshness to flow unimpeded. Go forth Winds of the Four!”

Suddenly, the air in the residence flows blaringly, and drives out the ash that had been literally choking them all to death! Keiichi feels breath rush into his bruised lungs and breathes like bursting out of water. The others meanwhile note as Skuld suddenly shouts. "THERE! I got em! Or... huh?!"

The others save Keiichi, and Bell ‘very’ close to him, gather around Skuld, as her 1.02 upgrade works better with a holographic globe-screen to project. One that shows a 360 degree view of the area, shown as the blip.... “Eh? There’s two blips. One of them is getting...” Urd says, as they note one small gray blip, already present, has another forming next to it, one that grows ever the larger. Lind notes. “Huh? Didn’t you say this could track Caceroth?”

Skuld just remarks back as she fiddles with the controls. “Um... I said it could track his signature, if it formed.” ... “The use of his powers.” Peorth put. Skuld nods. “Yeah. If it is used to any effect at all.”

Lind wonders, and then runs out to a sight of considerably less downpour, and begins to look where the signals were located. She then sees, but then gets confused. “But isn’t that...?”

--------------------

Imladris heard the yell, or he thought he did. He however had trouble moving suddenly however. His mind felt as if it was seeing things it most definitely should ‘not’. Images in the falling rain, of gray ash and brimstone left over from the waste of Hell. The wavering forms of untold numbers of souls that clamored to decry their fates, the feel of numbness hatred, emotionless eternity. The voice of Her endless wisdom, yet the blind viciousness that lacked compassion whatsoever.

He never realized he was holding his own head, his eyes looked so gray.

“- Do you feel it? The End that has been long wished for? -”

Imladris felt the voice, it was behind, in front, all around him. His mind echoed of him. “No... no you...”

“- I have ‘always’ won. You were just a pawn to allay my time in coming. -” The voice of Caceroth grew louder in his mind. “- Everything was foreseen by my Mistress, her Voice ‘IS” the All and End. Your foolish Master never understood how far behind in thinking, you all were before Her mind. -”

Imladris started flailing, trying to gain semblance of control. He started to panic, and flood anger in his soul. His arms were burning with gray undeath all over them, tattoos of a horrid plotter. And yet in utter persistence to insult further by. “- You never stood a chance before me. I have more plans than you could know. All of them, one after another, waiting for possibilities that now are come to reality. Each of which will suffocate you all, and annihilate ‘you’ my Nemesis. Each of them now begin the End you have long ‘wished’ for. -”

Imladris shook violently at his head, hitting on it, trying to shut it up! “No! I won’t let you...!”

“- As if you have a choice, my pawn and new body. -”

Imladris suddenly shot around and yelled. “THAT IS NOT TRUE!”

And then Imladris saw him, somehow in the mixed gray, rainy haze of sight, what such that was presented unto the knight. Caceroth was floating there, mixed in with the rain, the ash pouring off him endlessly like some ash choked series of waterfalls after a volcanic eruption. Otherwise looking as mind numbing to sight as ever and always. As was the voice that screeched back in tone, dire and wretched in point. “- Listen to your soul. So long it has been doubting, lost, confused, alone. Never to feel the warmth of company, always sworn to duty, burdened to the life where death is your only salvation. Of me, and through me is all this pain possible to be removed. It is what you want to do, it is all ‘not’. -”

Imladris started clawing back in his own mind, the voice blaring severely in his head. He had to fight back there first. “Not... without.. taking...”
Caceroth began seething out. “- I ‘am’ Undeath. Taking me with you in an act of sacrifice. How shortsighted and foolish a goal! Even if you manage to do so, I would only then take your shell, and ‘still’ destroy the targets. Their presence is such an abomination! No mortal should be the junction of such wretched vessels of both sides, it threatens the totality that Ragnarok stands for! Her Will detests this very notion, and sight unto her Crime against existence!! -”

Imladris manages to gain ‘grip’ over his mind, as Caceroth continues in a growing tone of murder. “- I ‘will’ have their souls and code, and through them Ragnarok will finally be forged, back in temporal wake, to the moment you foiled my plans. Only THIS time, your shell will be my vessel to destroy all you cared for and cherished. -”

Imladris fights back, as he gains further control... “I thought you said...” Caceroth leans his horrid form close. “- I know your memories. I was the one that locked them. It was so pleasing to do so, knowing how time would end up at this very moment. Just as the Will of Voluspa promised me. Even before we ever ‘met’. -”

Imladris gained that bit much more tic of control.... “To be ‘pleased’ is an abomination to you as well. You are the flawed one here if...”

Caceroth seethed back, much more heinously. “- My emotions are only pined for, when I feel a desire to mock you! How one such as you could be the worst of abominations to impede me. To think someone as ‘limited’ as you would become my sworn Nemesis. And you were never even a ‘true’ threat to me. The fates have insulted me for the last time, and now I will repay that insult back with the mortal Abomination's own blood.

ALL TO HER INFINITE WILL!!! -”

Imladris finally gains enough mental control, and breaks out of his huddled stance. “LIKE THAT WILL EVER..”

-HUM-SLASH-

Suddenly his body felt severely cold. His chest felt of burnt, freezing, numbing, agony. His vision suddenly snapped so clearly, yet it was fading just as swiftly. He saw in the vision that was dying away, the Wraith holding some form of a glowing... gray... blade...? It looked like it was... it hummed of energy like a... it had cut him like butter to a heated knife.

Such was how Caceroth held his own morphemic version of his Caceri Blade now, after slashing with a gray burning energy blade version, dead across Imladris’s chest and abdomen, from lower left to upper right! The cauterized wound was deep, yet burned of gray burning energy that sucked at Imladris as a poison to all life. Imladris realized he was defeated without ever....

“- As I said... I hath ‘always’ won. -”

The last thing he thought he would feel, was his failure, as he started to feel the seeping undeath begin to hook within his soul. The voice that defeated him, now taking over. There was nothing he could do to save anyone now.

And then in his fading vision, he saw flashes and powers suddenly slash and punch at the Wraith, striking him in several places ‘most’ tellingly’, as Caceroth reeled under the sudden assault from point unknown. Vines, wind, ice, lighting, stabbing water. Even a lance of light of a strange color. All of it driving the Wraith away in voiced agony. This the last thing Imladris saw was Caceroth letting go of his seeping tendrils, as Imladris started to fall away.

He then fell. A fallen paladin’s worst feel come to reality, at the point of Third Death. Of total failure......

...just as he felt arms around... the last thing he felt before he blacked out.

The last thing he thought to ‘feel’. The arms of white, and the face of steel hair...

...into his End.

(End Act Two)

==========================

More notes, not many this time.

- I was noted that Lind was pointed to as older than Belldandy and the others. Somehow this felt natural to put as such, in also trying to push the part Peorth was talking to Keiichi about, in “Volume 21 Chapter 132 - The Thing Goddesses Do Not Forget” the part that goddesses are essentially timeless. To me it seemed then that aging doesn’t go to conventional forms in the higher planes, and that the 10th dimensional plane that Intracel and Nidhog exist as, therefore have time run so differently, that it can be easily manipulated, not only by morphemic will, but down to how history and age as well. As such, Imladris experiences his own ‘world’ of this string of time, such that not only runs with only one time stream even. If this makes any sense, this was what my approach was. If Belldandy and the other Norns were supposed to be the elders here, it is as much probably my bad, as it probably can the easily be explained in this half baked idea of mine. In the end, we exist in time, but we certainly fully don’t understand it.

All that Grandfather stuff could be easily wrong, or just another plot line in the end as far as pure Theory is. It is all period in the end, Theory. (Unless there is real time travel going on that we don’t know about. Who knows what reality is.)

Still, I look at a clock to make sure. I don’t use a tea kettle oft here.

- I modeled in my own ‘borrowed’ way, that Caceroth was like a time domain ‘Agnmar’ of sorts, a Lich King that rules as a creation of a part of Voluspa’s will. Hence his control over ash, the medium of his powers, is accented by his knowledge given in some part by the creating Mistress. Still, the being has his limitations, as you may have noticed. Still, he ‘is’ essentially equal to capability of a high class goddess or demon, though he is still pinned down by his mortal shell. Just voice him as a more (barely) alive sounding Lich King of LotR infamy, and you should be able to tone his voice in mind.

- Lastly, a quote about the use of captions. I’d rather save that for others to translate on their own, using a simple online translator. Using subtitles kinda feels to me not how it was intended in the manga. I get the feeling that if it all wanted to be translated so easily, captions would have already been present as well. My intent was to keep the Peorth quips in French, also ambiguous, but probably somewhat guessable. (Obviously not perfect to be sure.) I kept the translations straight forward, and hardly a real linguist myself, so I just went with simple bits, and where it is more than that, even the other characters sometimes gets confused. In the end, I felt this was the spirit of the manga in play, for this fiction work. Apologies in advance if anything is off, or I put people off.
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