Himitsu – Kuro no Chikai

All around the pillars of flames that reached the heavens were a myriad of feathers that danced in the wind. Black and white, the bright red flames scorched and consumed that monochrome world. The holy land was completely burned to blackened ashes by “hellfire”, raising columns of smoke. Breaking through the gates, and without even glancing at the Celeste Garden, the demon troops headed straight for that place. Yes, the country that lay before my eyes presently, Alphine, and their destination that lay beyond it, the “Tree of Life.”

God cannot directly exercise His great powers. All must be carried out through the actions of another. The Tree of Life which exists in that land, also known as God’s Room of Creation; it encompasses all life, including ours. That was why the demons that were flooding in at that moment could not be removed with His power. We were the only ones who could overturn these overwhelming unfavorable tides of battle.

Willing strength into my trembling wings, I flew to where my brethren were fighting in the burning flames. The hellfire made by the demons was filled with heinous dark energy, and even though Heaven was filled with holy energy, their power showed no sign of weakening.

“Ahhhh!”

A bullet flew by me and grazed my left wing. It hurt terribly, bringing tears to my eyes. At this rate, I, along with everyone else, would be finished. It’s scary, I want to run, I don’t want to be here!

While I’d been unaware, fire was closing in on me from the front. I held my breath in fear. I was done for……!

I closed my eyes tight, bracing myself against the pain that was sure to come, but no matter how much time passed, I felt nothing. Very slowly, I opened my eyes.

“Are you alright, Kaito!?”

Giant, white wings covered me completely. And the moment that the huge, white axe was swung, as if drawing a circle in the air, the surrounding flames and demons were instantly purified.

“Caption Leon…. I-I’m…..”

“Get it together. It’s all over the moment you let your guard down.”

“But….. I can’t…..”

It was my first encounter with demons as an angel trainee. In comparison, my captain had accumulated much more experience than I, and was the leader of the Seventh Demon Subjugation Unit—which was said to the strongest unit. We differed greatly. In the first place, my personality wasn’t suited for fighting; I wasn’t strong. During training, I was always losing to my colleagues.

“Don’t back down!”

“But—!”

“Even if you flee now, we have no place to return to. If we are unable to defend this place, both angels and humans alike—all of us will perish.”

“…… But… I’m so weak…. I wouldn’t even still be here if you hadn’t saved me just now…. I’m just so weak, subpar; I can’t do anything!”

Wham—

My left check was struck, hard, causing me to stagger. I tasted the blood in my mouth. The tears that had had been building up out of fear immediately streamed down my left cheek from the shock of the blow.

“Try saying that again. Who’s a weakling that can’t do anything? And you still call yourself my disciple!”

“But it’s true…..! I’m always losing to the others… Even now, I’m scared and my wings can’t stop shaking….. I’ll never be able to fight!”

“You fool! Don’t just decide that on your own!”

“Nn…..!!”

“It’s true that you’re a weakling, a crybaby, and an idiot of a disciple….. However,”

The entire time we spoke, demons and hellfire continued to approach us. But, Leon easily wiped out the demons with a single clean swipe of his axe.

“You understand what the most important thing is. That’s why you are certain to become stronger than you are now.”

“The most… important thing…..?”

“Yes. Strength isn’t determined by things like a resolute heart, or the willingness to fight. What matters the most…. is kindness.”

“Eh…? Kindness…..”

“If you aren’t kind… then you won’t be able to protect anyone.”

“Oi, Leon! It’s starting soon. We’re already reached the limit. We have… to let Alphine Fall.”

An angel with beautiful wings and long, fluttering blonde hair suddenly flew over and issued that order. What could she mean by “Fall?”

“Let it…. Fall. Must we really resort to that?”

“The demons have invaded this far in, so it can’t be helped. Right now, they’ve concentrated all of their forces in Alphine. We’ll have them Fall along with it. …. I’ll be doing it, so you and the other archangels should provide back-up. All those ranked under archangel should evacuate immediately.”

“Understood.”

After the orders had been given, the gold-haired angel soon flew off again.

“Um, Captain Leon…..”

“You heard all of that, didn’t you? You should go find your partner and evacuate quickly, as well. Honestly, how’d you manage to fly right into the middle of this hellfire despite being an angel trainee?”

“Ah…. But, what about you, Captain? What will you do? Will you also be able to escape afterwards!?”

“Haa… Angels of your rank needn’t worry about such things. No matter what happens…. Kaito, watch out!!!”

All of a sudden, my view was dyed a pure white. It was the white of Leon’s feathers. Heavy gunfire was shot at an alarming speed. Angels didn’t die; they weren’t supposed to. Even if they were shot in the heart…. or lost their limbs…. And yet…..

“Cap… tain….?”

“It’s…. alright. If it’s you, then I believe… you can do it…. Have confidence…. in yourself…. Kai…. to…….” 𝑓𝔯𝑒e𝘸e𝘣𝓷𝘰ѵe𝚕.c૦𝙢

Captain, your wings… don’t have any feathers. Was it because those huge wings have been shielding my small body…? Was it because he had completely shielded me…..?

With a smile still on his face, light emitted from his body, and he silently disappeared. All that remained were the countless, pure white feathers that had protected me from the gunfire.

“Kaito……! Kaito!!”

As my name was called, my consciousness emerged from my abyss of my soul’s memories. Although the distant memories of my past that should have been hard to forget, they had, for some reason, easily slipped away. A dream of my angel trainee days that I’d recently stopped thinking much about. I had only intended to meditate, but before I’d realized, I had fallen into a light slumber. The one that had pulled me out of my nostalgic dreams was an angel carrying a pair of large, red scissors. I made eye contact with Meiko, who was wearing a slightly confused expression.

“You seemed like you were having a nightmare.”

“…. I was dreaming about the past.”

“…. I see. It’s not such a bad thing once in a while. Looking back at the past.”

“…… I…..”

Four hundred years ago, when I had still been a trainee. Ever since that battle where I’d lost so many of my brethren, I had changed. I used to do nothing but cry and complain, and run away—but I felt that I had changed a lot since then. I had changed. And so had the world.

“The meeting will be starting soon. Sorry to have kept you waiting! Here’s the document you asked for.”

“Apologies for troubling you with this.”

“It’s nothing to worry about. Come on, let’s get going.”

The archangel meeting. Today, we would finally be dealing with the topic that could no longer be avoided.

The other archangels were already seated around the Round Table. As they looked up at Meiko and myself, who had arrived late, the chatter died down slightly.

“How unusual, for you to show up late,”

Luka, who would usually act defiant towards me, spoke with a look that resembled concern.

“Yes….. My apologies.”

I seated myself after simply saying this. Everyone else seemed surprised at the absence of the usual hostile exchange.

“Now that everyone’s here, let’s begin today’s archangel meeting. The two topics that we will cover today are… the angel that has disappeared recently, and the adjustment period of the Tree of Life.”

The day where Rin’s fate would be decided had finally come. The Great Archangel read aloud the record of proceedings in a matter-of-fact manner. I feigned calmness so that no one would detect what I was feeling on the inside. I was always calm, keeping a poker face, so it wasn’t something difficult to do. At least, it shouldn’t have been.

“Well…. First off, let’s hear the investigation report. Will the one that did the investigation—….”

“That would be my unit.”

“Archangel Kaito, so it was your unit, then? And, what did you find?”

The surrounding archangels all looked at me with anxious expressions, and not without reason. Ever since “he” had Fallen twenty years ago, everyone was nervous when it came to this subject.

“….. I have been searching this past year, using every resource I could, but I have yet to find her whereabouts. I also am unable to pinpoint the exact reason why she has not returned to Heaven.”

“…. I see. Hmm. Then, it would be too early to draw a conclusion…..?”

“….. Yes. She is still but a novice that had only recently been promoted from a trainee. There was a previous circumstance in which she stayed in the human world for a month, after being injured in a battle with a demon while investigating demon faith. This time, as well, she seems to have encountered someone from their side again…. In the worst case scenario, there is a possibility that she may have been abducted.”

“Abducted… hm? I see. There is a law that states that those who involve themselves with the power of darkness, no matter the reason, will be eliminated, without exception, but…. Next, let us hear what Archangel Meiko has to say on the matter.”

The Great Archangel called on Meiko, who sat three seats away from me.

“Concerning the management of the Tree of Life, have there been any traces of that angel’s soul circulating back to the Tree within this year?”

The Tree of Life. The souls of all humans and angels that died were returned to this tree. If it was the caretakers of the Tree, who managed the circulation of the holy souls, then they would know all details concerning the circulation.

“….. No, her soul has not returned to the Tree.”

“….. I see. In that case, there are two possibilities.”

The Great Archangel concluded with an expression tinged with sorrow,

“The first is…. She has remained in the human world for reasons unknown, unable to move. I expect you to act accordingly as soon as you should locate her, Archangel Kaito. It shall be a measure for your great accomplishments up until now. I leave it to you to make the judgment. The second possibility is… the slim chance that she has already Fallen…. In other words, in the case that she has succumbed to the power of darkness…. Archangel Kaito, you will need to make a decision.”

The archangels all quietly gasped. Perhaps they all felt pressured by the Great Archangel’s overwhelming diving power. After hearing his earlier words, my palms began to sweat underneath my gloves.

Decision—In other words, it meant that I would end her life with my own two hands. There was no exception for those that had become Fallen Angels, no matter the reason. Traitors against God would be punished in the name of absolute justice. That did not change, whether it was now or in the past.

“There are none who object, I assume…..? Then, let us proceed to the following topic. We will soon be entering the adjustment period for the Tree of Life….”

The discussion moved on, but the words only went in one ear and out the other. I would have to come to a decision.

For her….. and for my own resolve.