Chapter 2 - The Raven-Haired Reaper

Hello ladies! Your sweet blue boy Raine

is here to narrate this chapter! When last we left our heroes, they

had just escaped the clutches of the evil Demon, Raki, with Gerram,

Sayel, and Aero in tow. Now it's time to go home... But, uh...

“Where's the damn portal, Sis?”

Gerram complained as we looked around for the portal back home, “I'm

grateful you saved our lives, I'd be more grateful if you had a damn

sense of direction!”

“Stuff it, Gear!” Athy snapped

back, “I lost track of it when you and Sayel were taking flight

lessons!”

“Why don't you ask your walking

super-computer over there, dumbass!”

“Hey! Don't call your savior a

dumbass! ...But you have a point. Let's hear it Daggy! Where's the

portal? ...Daggy?”

We all looked over at our mostly-metal

eye-candy, who seemed completely frozen.

“Not this again,” Athy said,

clearing her throat,”D-A-G Model 000-Prototype, run error check and

reboot.”

DAG is a strange girl. A robot far more

advanced than any ever seen. Her creator is unknown, and we found

very little information about her in the abandoned lab we found her

in. But thankfully, we know this little command if she freezes

suddenly, which does happen.

“Running error check...” DAG said,

“Error identified. Unknown being type detected. Logging as

'Newtype1'. Rebooting...”

“Unknown being?” Aero wondered out

loud, “Well, there's lotsa little animals in this forest.”

“DAG has never encountered a being

she couldn't identify...” Kiel told her, with a bit of worry in his

voice, “She even knows the names of creatures no one has ever

seen...”

“Reboot complete,” DAG said,

“Apologies everyone. My database glitched due to detecting a type

of being unknown to me, or any database.”

“Shouldn't we be worried about

that?!” I asked her, kinda freaked out now.

“No, but we should worry about the

fighting capabilities I measured. The Newtype is stronger than Lord

Gerram, and faster than Lady Solaphia.”

“You having a laugh DAG?!” Sayel

cried, “Tougher than senpai, and faster than Aphy?! No way!”

“I do not make jokes, and my sensors

never misread anyone. This Newtype can outfight every one of us

easily.”

An oppressive aura suddenly filled the

air and forced us all to our knees. And I could swear I heard a voice

say something. Then, as soon as it came, it disapppeared. Everyone

was breathing heavily, and poor Aero had passed out. Luckily, Gerram

managed to catch her.

“Find the portal NOW, DAG!” Athy

ordered.

“Understood,” DAG replied, unfazed

as always, “This way, everyone.”

“Pops, close it!” Athy yelled at

Lord Tyrus as soon as we returned through the portal. He closed it as

quickly as she yelled it.

“My goodness, you lot look a mess,”

he told us, “What in Heaven happened?”

We explained the entire situation to

him. Raki kicking Gear's rear. Aero getting possessed. And that

terrifying “Newtype”. And the whole time, Lord Tyrus was hugging

his “baby,” Gerram, much to the War God's embarrassment. Big Ty

REALLY loves his kids, as Ki has probably told you.

“That is worrying,” he said after

we finished the explanation, “Not only is Raki free, and stronger

than anticipated, but we have this mysterious 'Newtype' to worry

about.”

“Lord Tyrus, I would like to add one

detail to my analysis of the Newtype,” DAG interrupted, “During

the burst of energy we felt for a moment, the energy reading rose

very close to your own.”

I nearly hit the damn floor!

“Bullshit, metalhead!” Gerram

protested, “That's impossible! Only another King God can match

Dad!”

“Tell me, Lord Gerram, how close were

you, and every one of you, to fainting like Aero when you got his

with that energy burst?”

None of us said anything. She was

right, we were all close to dropping like flies during the burst.

“You did, however, say it was an

energy burst, correct DAG?” Tyrus asked her, “Surely this being

was merely flexing to frighten you, and the measurement is not

accurate of their actual power.”

“That is a possibility. My initial

reading merely told me they were capable of defeating us in a fight,

but she was no match for a King God. However, there exists another

possibility. Perhaps, rather than flexing to scare us away, this

being was exposing their true power as a warning to us. The initial

readings were fluctuating quite a bit, suggesting that they were

holding in the bulk of their power.”

Well, I'm not sleeping tonight. Thanks,

Daggy.

“That is indeed worrying,” Lord

Tyrus said, in a still-regal, but worried tone, “Gerram, tell your

scouts to keep an eye out for Raki, and see if any of them can

identify the Newtype. Relax after that. You, Sayel, and Aero all need

it.”

“Understood!” Gerram said, before

walking off carrying a sleeping Aero, Sayel close behind him.

“Meanwhile,” Lord Tyrus continued,

“I believe you all earned some relaxing of a different kind. I just

transferred a large sum of money to each of your accounts for a job

well done! How about a nice mall day? I have no other missions for

you today.”

He opened a portal to our team's

favorite mall, The Lady Z Shopping District. Yes, Lady Z is a real

person, and yes, you'll meet her later. But not in this chapter.

...Don't tell the others I broke the fourth wall...

The LZSD (the full name of the mall is

a mouthful) is one Hell of a mall! Hundreds of shops divided into

four sections. Beauty Boulevard is the girls' favorite area. Clothes,

make-up, jewelry, and everything way more expensive than it should

be! Needs N' Wants is an area with just about everything you might

need (or want) for the house. From huge appliances and furniture to

cooking utensils and essential electronics. Cuisine Castle is

probably the biggest food court in Cielo, and has everything from the

typical mall junk food we love, to restaurants that require formal

wear and leave you looking rich but feeling hungry. And lastly, my

paradise, Otaku Oasis! Stores full of video games, anime, manga, and

thousands of lovely ecchi figures waiting to make their new home in

my room! ...What? Am I supposed to feel shame? Nonsense!

“Alright, so here's what's gonna

happen,” Athy said to us shortly after we arrived, “Me and the

girls are getting new clothes and jewelry. You guys head over to

Otaku Oasis. Raine , buy your creepy shit and shove it in one of the

lockers, because we're meeting in Cuisine Castle in two hours, and

then I'm going to Otaku Oasis because I need some new manga that just

came out. Everyone that's gonna get get it got it? Let's move out,

troops!”

“The nerve of that brat calling my

figures 'creepy!'” I complained to Ki as the girls walked off.

“Dude, the first place you hit up

every time we come here is called 'Imouto Stop,'” he argued back,

“I don't need to walk into that damn store (and I won't) to know

that place is full of figurines of barely dressed lolis. I think the

teasing is justified.”

“Hey, you have loli figures too!”

“I have a few. And they are fully

dressed. And they are from action animes and games.”

“Mine are from action animes too,

just a different kind of action...”

“Whatever, bro. You hit up Creep

Stop, I'm going to Game Changers to see if they got a few new games

I've been looking forward to.”

Just then, something hit us. Something

that we felt earlier that day. Something we hoped we'd never feel

again...

“Urgh! Damn it!” Ki groaned as both

of us struggle to stay on our feet, while the weight of that horrible

power began crushing us yet again. Looking around, everyone nearby

was passing out left and right. Just like last time, it stopped as

soon as it started. But this time, the Newtype wasn't done with us.

She emerged from the shadows and began walking toward us. Impossibly

tall. Long, black hair in a ponytail. A black trenchcoat that made

her look even taller and more intimidating. And a huge scythe even

bigger than she was. Even though she wasn't expelling huge amounts of

power anymore, the sight of her walking toward us was somehow even

heavier. She stopped just a few yards from us, and looked down at all

the people she'd made faint.

“Well, one of you is clearly who I'm

looking for,” she said in a tone that made me think of every

psychopath I'd ever seen in a true crime video, “That makes things

easier. Now, which of you is named Kiel?”

Well, nice knowing you buddy.

“I-I am,” the dead-man-walking

boldly replied, “Who are you?”

“That's a silly question. You know me

quite well, dear Kiel. Or at least, you used to.”

“You got a thing for crazy chics,

buddy?” I asked him, “You work for Athy, Aphy is trying to put

hands on you, and now you've got history with an undiscovered

species.”

“I have no idea who the Hell you

are!” Kiel shouted at the girl, “So how about a bit of

backstory?!”

“Oh, sweet Kiel, there's no time fore

that,” she told him, “We have work to do. You'll remember exactly

who I am in due time. For now-”

She disappeared from where she was in

an instant! I turned toward Kiel. She was right behind him with her

scythe less than and inch from his throat. He was frozen. So was I!

How the Hell fast is this woman?!

“Hmmm, slightly disappointing,” she

said, “You didn't see a single step of that, did you?”

She disappeared from behind Kiel and

appeared where she was before. Once again, in an instant.

“You really are faster than Aphy...”

Kiel stated timidly, “Once again, who are you, and what are you?”

“For now, I need you to remember

three things Kiel,” the fastest woman in existence said, “One, my

name is Kila. Two, you're more than what you think you are. And

three, stay close to Solaphia. She'll keep you alive until you

realize what you really are.”

“Wait!” Kiel cried out as she

turned away, “I said wait, damn it!!!”

No good. Whatever reason Kiel had for

wanting her to wait, she disappeared, this time not to reappear

anywhere near us.

“Shit!” Kiel swore.

“What was that 'shit' for, bro?” I

asked him, “Miss Crazy is gone, you don't die, and I don't die a

second time today.”

“Why did she seem to know me, and

what the Hell is she implying that I am?”

“Dude, she's freaking psycho. We can

take anything she says as the ramblings of a crazy woman. The more

important thing right now is getting the Medical Corps down here to

help the people that are unconscious. Oh, but Aphy is sure to come

with them, so I suggest you flee the scene!”

“I certainly don't have the energy to

run from her right now...”

With Kiel a safe distance away, I

called up the Med Corps, and lucky me, guess who picked up...

“Raine!” Aphy screamed in my ear,

“Why are you calling me?! Is my Kiel okay?! I told you what happens

to all of you if anything happens to him!!!”

“Damn, girl, chill!” I yelled back,

“Kiel is fine! Look, we need a team of ten medics here at Otaku

Oasis in the LZSD.”

“What happened over there?”

“At least a dozen civilians rendered

unconscious by an overwhelming burst of energy. I'll explain more

when you get here, just get here!”

Five minutes later, Aphy arrived with

her medics. These boys wasted no time in healing people and checking

them over. Aphy may be a Kiel-phile, but she's damn good at her

actual job.

“I guess I'll hold off asking about

my Kiel at the moment,” she told me when she approached me, “I'll

ask instead about what in Cielo happened here?!”

So explained everything. Kila, her

abilities, and , most importantly, the things she said. Left out the

part about Kiel almost getting his head taken off... I don't need

that kinda drama...

“Hmmm...interesting...” Aphy

replied kinda plainly.

“Not the enthusiastic response I was

expecting,” I said, “It may all sound crazy, but I can't make

this crap up!”

“Not doubting, just thinking. The

thing about Kiel. Where is my precious prince anyway?”

“You think I was gonna call you to

the scene without having him evacuate the premises?”

“Meeeeeanie! Boo!”

“Come on, if you know what Kila was

talking about, spill it!”

“Well, dumbface, as you probably

know, I have the unique ability to feel anomalies within a person

just by touching them.”

“You do touch Kiel a lot...”

“Shut it! Anyway, a few times, when

I've been snuggling him against his will, I felt the slightest tinge

of something inside Kiel that...isn't quite Kiel...”

“What do you mean?”

“It's so faint that I don't know what

it is. And I'd rather you keep your mouth shut about this

conversation.”

“Not cool, Aph! Doesn't Ki have the

right to know if there's something strange about him?”

“Look here Raine! It's most likely

nothing to worry about! And if it is nothing, I don't want my Kiel

getting stressed over nothing!”

“What's the worst case scenario?”

“...Well...”

Just as I was about to (maybe) get a

straight answer, enter Athy.

“Sooooooo, about this?” Athy said

to me after looking at the scene, “I was just coming over here

because I got a notification about a flash sale on mangas, and

everyone is passed out, my Demi-god is nowhere in sight, and the last

person I want to see on a daily basis is here.”

Before I had a chance to explain what

happened, Aphy had dashed over to Athy and punched her in the face.

It was at that point that I remembered what I was once told by Kiel

and Lord Tyrus. Never let these two females be in close proximity to

each other unless Lord Tyrus is there to mediate, or Kiel is there to

distract Aphy. I had neither...

“You got a problem, *****?!” Athy

yelled at her sister, “I wanna punch you every time I see you too,

but I don't!”

“What the actual Hell were you

thinking, Relathica?!” Aphy screamed back at her, “There's a

powerful Demon with a vendetta against Kiel, and an unidentified

being running around, and you 're not keeping an eye on my Kiel every

second?! He could be in danger at this very moment!”

“I'd say the fact that he isn't here

makes him safe from you at least! And before you ***** at me more,

how about you let Raine explain what the Hell happened?”

So, I did explain.

“Okay, NOW Aphy's nonsense bitching

makes sense!”

“Why do you never take protecting

YOUR Demi-god seriously?!” Aphy continued yelling, “You're his

Goddess! It's your duty!”

“Three things, my dear sister

Solaphia! One, Kiel is like a brother to me! The old Goddess and

Demi-god dynamic is not our thing! Two, even if I wanted to keep a

constant eye on Kiel, HE wouldn't want that! And three, I can trust

him to handle himself! He's already proven on multiple occasions that

he's tougher to kill than a Cielan Armored Beetle!”

Just as those two looked like they were

about to start throwing hands (around over a dozen recovering people)

my one true savior appeared.

“Chill Aphy,” Kiel said, “I'm

right here.”

“MY DARLING!!!” Aphy cried before

tackling him to the ground and cuddling him furiously.

“You sacrifice is appreciated, good

martyr,” I said to him.

“Shut the Hell up and go buy a damn

crowbar,” he groaned, resisting the unwanted love. Athy and I had a

good laugh. We called DAG and Eria to where we were, and we all

agreed it'd be best if we ended our mall trip early. But Kiel... Just

what are you, little brother?

Five-Planes 101, By Athy!

Athy: Okay, time for class! Everyone in

their seats! Hey, no flirting in my class, you two!

Aphy: In that case, Kiel and I would

like to be excused to the restroom!

Kiel: Heck no! I'd like to be excused

to the principal's office to file a sexual harassment complaint!

Raine: Princess boy...

Aphy: I'm teaching here! No one is

excused anywhere! Now, today I'd like to discuss Cielo's

infrastructure! On that subject, Cielo is much like Life. We have

hospitals, grocery stores, office buildings, schools, and, of course,

malls! However, we have no driving roads and not many bridges. The

stamina and speed of Gods, Demi-gods, and Angels make civilian

vehicles in Cielo unnecessary. Also, the King God portals teleport

officials and military wherever they're needed instantly. Thanks to

these factors, the lovely nature of Cielo is left alone to flourish.

Raine: You say Angels have more

stamina, but my feet always hurt. Kiel, you're carrying me from now

on!

Aphy: Hmmm... Kiel is mine, but there's

BL potential there...

Kiel: Raine, I'm not carrying you!

Aphy, stop fantasizing! Athy, end the segment!

Athy: Fiiiiine! You guys are drawing

attention from me anyway. Relathica, signing off! See ya next time!

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