Chapter 6

The large gate-like doors of the abandoned church stood once more in Alex Mercer's way. It felt like a lifetime since he had last been here, though it had only been the night before. It was a little strange coming back here, Alex thought. He had not expected to see this place again after last night. But then, had things gone the way he planned, he and Asia would have already been halfway back to Manhattan, where she could have healed his sister, woken her from her coma, and put to rest one more terrible memory of the viral outbreak that had ravaged the island county one year ago. But these plans never seemed to go the way he wanted them to.

What was the saying again? Alex wondered. The best laid plans of mice and men?

A wind was blowing through the maze of trees and bushes. It gently blew against the doors, causing it to groan on rusty hinges, like the yawning maw of some great beast. Alex stepped inside, and where the blazing afternoon sun had managed to pierce the forest with scant thin ribbons of light, here inside the old building, no light could penetrate its depths. The boarded up windows blocked it all out. The darkness made the scent of death stand out all the more, contrasting deeply with the smell of nature just a few steps back.

Down the central aisle, where the pulpit had once been, the dried bloodstains of Freed Sellzen remained, that unfortunate minion of Raynare's that Alex had killed in his break-in. At some point between then and now, wild animals must have gotten into the building, because the corpse was missing, perhaps dragged away back to a den to be feasted on.

Alex glanced over his shoulder, looking back outside. A bat hung upside down from a tree branch, staring at him intently from a distance away. Alex curled his lips and let the familiar watch him for a minute longer before descending back into the cavernous basement to await the arrival of its master.

Asia's eyes were closed and her hands held out in front of her, as though she was trying to hold onto an invisible ball. A light breeze swept over her, stirring her dress, caressing her skin. Not too far in the distance, she could hear the sound of swords cutting through the air, and the grunts of effort it took to move them. She did her best to ignore all of them. They were all distractions.

She thought of the sudden spark of static shocking her skin. She imagined what a cut power line might look like, its tendrils of electricity dancing violently from ripped copper wires. And she envisioned the sight of a bolt of lightning coming down from the heavens, like the wrath of God himself.

She felt something move inside her. Something fluid yet solid, nebulous in form, forever changing, bound and limited only by her own imagination. It was the pool of energy she could draw from to cast magic, and she dipped into it now.

Little tines of electricity began circling her fingertips, jumping back and forth from one hand to the other until they created threaded lines, like a moving game of cat's cradle. She held it there for a minute before giving a shuddering sigh and letting the sparks die away, curling in on themselves like dying worms.

"Good job," Akeno said as Asia opened her eyes. The older girl sat across from her, smiling. "You're doing well."

"Thank you, Miss Akeno," Asia said. "It's difficult to maintain the image, though."

"It does take practice," Akeno agreed. "I suppose you're not the type of person who enjoys doing art or writing?"

"No, not really," Asia said. "I enjoy reading, though I used to mainly only read the Bible."

Akeno nodded. "The magic that we devils use is entirely based on imagination. If you can't properly envision what it is that you want to do, then you won't be able to do it. Those without active imaginations will have a harder time utilizing our species' brand of magic than the other forms."

"The Church always told me that all magic was paganism or heresy."

"We're using different definitions of the word," Akeno explained. "Magic is merely the catch-all term for any power that is outside the realm of nature. In that sense, the holy light that the angels use or even the miracles of God can be considered magic. The only difference is in the substance of our power, the methodology of its use, and the limits of what can be achieved."

"I see."

"Well, don't worry too much about all that right now," Akeno said. "Just focus on learning this type of magic."

"Yes, Miss Akeno," Asia said, blowing out a breath and trying to regain her concentration.

"Are you tired?" Akeno said, perhaps noticing the internal struggle.

"My brain is," Asia replied sheepishly. "This is rather taxing on the head."

"There's an easy way to fix that."

"How?"

"Physical exercise," Akeno said cheerfully. "It's a great way of refreshing your mind and refocusing yourself. In fact, why don't you go join Issei and Yuuto over there?" Her smile turned mischievous. "Getting in with two hot, sweaty boys playing with their swords is an excellent form of exercise."

"I've never actually exercised before," Asia admitted. "I think I would only slow them down."

"Oh, you don't need to worry about that," Akeno waved her hand. "I'm sure they'd be quite happy to let you join them." She leaned in and put a hand on Asia's knee. "Here's some advice. When it comes to swords, the most important thing is to choose one of an appropriate size, length, and hardness. You're a fairly small girl, Asia, so you'll want to avoid using any sword that's too big for you. In the worst case scenario, you could even hurt yourself. A normal sized one should be more than enough for you. Why don't you go ask Issei if you can see his sword? His looks like it'd be perfect match for you."

Asia hesitated. There was something about the tone of Akeno's voice that made her think that Akeno didn't mean what she said, or that there was something else she was trying to say that Asia simply wasn't getting. She wondered what that was.

"Akeno," a voice said from behind her with a sigh, "stop teasing the poor girl."

Asia turned around and saw Rias standing there, rubbing her temple and shaking her head in exasperation. Koneko was standing with her too, though she was more attentive to Issei and Yuuto training further out in the yard than to their conversation.

"I wasn't teasing her," Akeno protested gleefully. "I was giving her advice, from senior to junior."

"Stick to giving advice in what you actually know," Rias shot back, glaring at the Queen. Then she turned kind eyes on Asia. "Is your training going well?"

"Yes, Miss Rias," Asia nodded, standing up to properly face her. "Miss Akeno is a good teacher."

"Really?" Rias arched an eye over at Akeno, who shrugged and looked away with mock shy innocence. "She hasn't been doing anything weird?"

"I'm not sure what you mean by weird," Asia said, "but she's been explaining how to do everything very clearly."

"Hmm... unexpected," Rias muttered to herself. Then she said, "Well, I suppose as long as your training is going smoothly, then that's good. It's important that you're able defend yourself."

Asia nodded in grim, silent agreement. Thinking back, had she been able to protect herself against Raynare, Issei wouldn't have nearly been killed and she could have escaped from the fallen angel under her own power. She had never fought before, and the idea of being in one was a frightening thought, but she knew now that running away or having others fight on her behalf was not something she could rely on to protect herself in the future.

"For the time being, continue your training alone," Rias said. "Akeno, you're coming with me."

"Ah, oh no," Akeno cried out dramatically, resting the back of her hand to her forehead as though she was about to faint. "Save me, Asia, from our King's cruel punishment."

"Um... please don't punish Miss Akeno," Asia said obediently.

Rias smiled wryly at her before looking at the black-haired devil. "This is no time for jokes. Koneko, go get Yuuto and Issei, please." The little Rook nodded and fetched the two as she was bidden. When they were all gathered, Rias continued without preamble. "We've found the shapeshifter."

In a flash, all the mirth vanished from Akeno's face. She faced Rias with eyes slightly narrowed, jaws locked, and lips pursed. "How did you find him?" she said.

"I didn't," Rias said. "He showed himself, right in front of one of my familiars." She ground her teeth together. "He was telling us to follow him."

"In other words," Yuuto said, "he wants us to follow him into a trap."

"Most likely," Rias agreed.

"But we're still going after him, aren't we?" Akeno licked her lips as a dangerous glint flashed in her eyes. "How exciting."

"T-this time..." Issei huffed. His breathing was still ragged from training. He wiped the sweat off his face with the back of his arm and took a deep breath to steady his words "This time I'm gonna beat him real good."

"No, Issei," Rias said. "You and Asia are staying here."

"What?" Issei said. "I can fight too, Buchou!"

But Rias shook her head. "Yuuto?"

The Knight turned thoughtful, drumming his fingers slowly on the pommel of his practice sword. "If he maintains the current rate at which he's learning, it's going to take him... hmm... four or five months, maybe, before he can adequately defend himself against a decent opponent."

"You told me earlier that I was doing really good," Issei said hotly. "Were you lying?"

"No," Yuuto said. "I meant what I said when I said it. But this is still just your first day of training. You didn't really think that you could beat anyone with a single day's worth of practice?"

"Well... no... but I can help!"

Yuuto shook his head. "It's hard saying this because I know how much this matters to you, Issei, but right now, you're of no help at all. You being there only makes it harder for the rest of us to fight."

Issei reeled backwards, as though struck by a physical blow. He looked at the other boy with an expression of utter shock and betrayal. "How could you say that, man?"

"It's not something I wanted to say, believe me," Yuuto said. "But it's the truth. Stay out of this one, Issei. We can't fight while protecting you the entire time."

"But–" Issei began, but Rias cut him off.

"It's as Yuuto says, Issei," she said. "You are to stay here with Asia. Understood?"

Issei clenched his fists tightly. Then he nodded and grunted out, "Fine. I got it."

Yuuto stared at Issei for a few seconds longer before looking back at Rias. "So, where is he anyway?"

"The church again," Rias replied. "I want you three to go get ready. We're leaving in ten minutes."

They were here.

Alex looked up at the ceiling of the basement, his eyes searching for the heat signatures of those above ground. There were four human-shaped figures with batlike wings protruding from their backs. They were hovering in the air above the church.

Alex readied himself, hands turning to claws, preparing for their descent and then their battle. But they did not come down. Instead, one of the taller female devils raised her hands above her head. Something searingly hot was gathering there, like a miniature sun being formed. And when Alex realized what it was that was being coalesced, the distant sound of static playing in the air, he knew it was already too late to escape.

"Fuck," Alex said as his skin and clothes turned into a faceless, black chitin armor.

And then the devil unleashed a thunderstorm, and the weight of the entire church collapsed down on him.