Chapter Eight: A greater power

Part One.

(I thought he might help me but… Seems he is also afraid of her... Or what he thinks she is…)

Realized Terrance as he organized his thoughts. He noticed Engel’s expression seemed a bit desperate, as if he desperately needed that information.

(I’m sorry for you, but it won’t end well for me if I gave you this…)

Terrance made a completely serious expression and stared directly to Engel’s eyes.

“I won’t give you any information. I don’t have the willingness nor the leisure to. I suggest you both should just leave.”

Engel, frustrated, looked down to hide his apparent obvious expression and teleported away together with Lene, cancelling the [Time Magic].

*phew*

(That was frustrating…. And I almost shit my pants…) Said Terrance to himself as he unfastened his tie, while Silber looked at him bewildered, as he seemed to move from one spot to another in the blink of an eye.

“.... Oh shit…”

Just as he walked towards his desk, he noticed something really important gone.

Part Two.

“Can you tell me what was there?!” Asked Lene to Engel, back at the Triskelion.

Roughly 10 minutes have passed since they barged into Terrance’s office and they brought with them his personal computer and handed it to Yozora who was waiting for them at the airship. Engel then was taken to a private room by an angered Lene.

“What was what?” Asked Engel, not sure of what Lene was exactly asking for.

“You cowering in front of Terrance! Not only that! I know you’re a careful type person, but you were too timid this time! Hadn’t I suggested you to take away his pc, you’d have forgotten about it as well!.... *Sighs* Why were you overwhelmed by him?”

“........”

“Is it…. Because… You were concerned about us?” Asked Lene in a low voice.

“..................” This time, Engel also avoided her gaze gritting his teeth in exasperation.

“Silent, huh… Very well…”

*BANG*

“*BLEGH!*”

“Bitch! Who the fuck do you think you are and what the fuck you think you’re doing?!”

Yelled Lene just as he hit Engel in his solar plexus with all her strength and he fell to his knees. Her fist coated with layers of [Mana], [Spirit] and [Mind]. Not necessarily she needed to add the whole three layers, but it demonstrated how annoyed by Engel’s actions she is.

“You’ve never been concerned about us so much in the past, but because Shirayuki’s and Ashe’s incident, you’ve suddenly become a caretaker?! NO FUCKING WAY!

We can take care of ourselves you bitch! Just because one time we can’t handle our shit, it doesn’t mean it’s gonna happen always!!!”

“... But…”

“But what?! Tell me! Don’t just shut up your shit! Haven’t you learned to share your problems with all of us?! Fuck you!”

“.......”

Engel wanted to shout, yell, scream and retort to Lene’s words, but he couldn’t; she was right after all.

He had suffered years, day by day watching how slowly Shirayuki crept towards her imminent death. Day after day he blamed himself for not doing a thing to protect her, and seeing how she bit by bit she was breaking. He knew, the only thing holding her together was her faith in him- that he would surely do… But that was a pain in his heart.

His mind was filled with self depreciating thoughts, wondering why she still undoubtedly trusted in him even though he had failed her.

Of course, as he is, Engel preferred to overcome his nightmares and the reason he vehemently searched for the cure to Shirayuki’s poison.

Yet this thought lingered in his heart. It had deeply rooted itself in his mind- “I need to protect them, because you never know when things might go wrong”.

There is nothing wrong with the thought itself, but how to implement this idea is what caused this events. Engel turned into an overprotective person.

Even like this, though what annoyed Lene and what made Engel unable to fight back was that indeed, the people around him didn’t need his protection. No matter how desperate he seemed or how good his intentions are- There’s much he can do if the other party can protect them themselves.

“We can protect ourselves, so stop panicking and don’t be a worrywart cunt… That’s not the man that became my friend, nor the man I fell in love with.”

Unfazed, Lene kneeled and held Engel by his face with both her hands.

“It makes my heart race to know you deeply care about me, but it makes me back away from you the idea of you thinking I am not enough without you, or no good by myself… I want to be someone shining up high along with you rather than below you… I want to be your equal, Engel.”

Then, she passionately kissed Engel without a second thought.

Part Three.

“ ‘Escape by yourselves’ ?! what the heck with that kind of message?!” Complained Alba as he sat in the lotus posture in a massive, green prairie.

“Calm down Alba. There must have been a reason why they left us on our own. They are the [Lost Gods] after all. They don’t do things without thinking them thoroughly” Replied Adrianna, seated in the same lotus position.

Lene, before leaving to the private room with Engel, left a message for Adrianna and Alba who were still dealing with Terrance’s building security personnel.

“Ahahaha you were left by yourselves as ragdolls! Metraton sure is trash! Ahahahahahahaha!”

“Lower your voice Anya, or Ms. Krestin is going to hear us…”

“Shaddup!”

“Who’s next?”

Just as Kris tried to make Anya talk more silently, out of nowhere Krestin appeared, carrying a fainted Leonora in her shoulder.

“I am.” Replied Adrianna swiftly.

“No. She’s next.” Said Krestin with a slight smile, which hid dark emotions beneath as she pointed Anya.

“Oh sh-”

And both of them vanished as soon as Krestin gripped Anya’s shoulder.

Currently, they were sparring so the [New Blood] learned to control their abilities to a greater extent. The ones helping were Krestin and Izaak and the seven were inside the Triskelion. Engel and co. take turns of two and three to help their “pupils” in group, and each of them have been paired with a single individual for a more thorough teaching.

The group moved between a fake prairie and an arena made by Izaak. For the moment, Krestin decided to have a private fight without any [New Blood] witnessing the other’s strength.

“???”

Kresin, while eagle-grappling Anya’s head, felt a faint chill in her heart. She even released Anya’s head while she moved her gaze upwards- where the private rooms were located.

“Is there, something going on?...” She voiced while frowning. Krestin then asked Izaak to spar with Anya in her behalf, as she felt a bit uncomfortable. She decided to rest in her private room.

Part Four.

““Wha-?!””

After Engel’s thoughts cleared from that over-caringness, his mind entered a state of panic… Or so it seemed.

His head was hazy, his heart was racing at an unbelievable rate and he couldn’t focus in a shingle thing at all. His legs didn’t respond and his breathing became rough, while the only thing he could think about was Lene.

It definitely wasn’t the first time he kissed her, but for strange reason he could not think in anything else than her, her lips, her body and anything regarding her.

This could have been easily portrayed as a state of love, of undeniable attraction to the girl in front of him, but for some reason it seemed unnatural to him.

And not only him-

(Eh….? EH? EEHH?!)

Lene was in a similar state. She could only think of him and nothing else. Her body reacted the same way just after the kiss. She also noticed something strange with her strange state.

In that moment, Lene and Engel gazed to each other and-

“”!!!!!!!””

The both jumped to the other and kissed wildly, as if the next day was the last day they lived; as if everything else was for naught and just the other remained in the whole universe.

*CLAP!*

“Well well, it seems I came at the wrong time- The lovey-dovey couple are having fun time over here~”

At the moment they almost take their clothes away, a quiet, calm, yet powerful and deep voice interrupted them. In an instant they jumped away from the other, reorganizing their thoughts.

“?! Who are you?”

The first one to recover was Lene, as she stared to the person who interrupted them.

“That voice… Was it filled with [Mind]?”

Asked Engel, who noticed that the words that woke them up from that strange trance was a powered by [Mind].

“Seem you know your ways kiddo… Yes, it was a voice filled with [Mind]. It was necessary for me to use it, because if not- you wouldn’t have stopped until you were satisfied.”

Said the person in front of them- a long black haired beauty with golden ornaments and a long, red kimono with black borders and a pattern of yellow suns all over it. Hey eyes were of a deep golden red color as well.

([Mind]... That answers why she didn’t raise any alarm at her arrival…) Squinted his eyes Engel.

“And as for my name, please call me [Amaterasu].” The woman grinned as she said her name.

“But well, you kiddo sure are lucky and smart, to deduct a [Primordial Algorithm] by yourself.” Smiled Amaterasu as she floated in front of the two.

“Primord… You mean that chant?”

“Yeah~” To Amaterasu’s reply, Engel was stunned. She knowing the moment he advanced to 2nd quality, it meant that she was prying at them as far back as 4 months. Lene noticed the same as he did and raised her guard.

“Calm down, calm down. I’m not here as your enemy, but rather as an ally.”

“How can we be sure of that?” Asked Engel.

“Well, I’m going to explain everything that’s happened to you without any kind of lies- I establish a [Mindshape Oath]”

Just as Amaterasu said those last words, Engel and Lene could see flaming chains coiling around her neck.

“You saw it now- You have to be [Quality 2] to see a mindshape oath and [Quality 3] to establish one. This kind of oath binds your soul and if you break it, you die. Let me show you-

All these months, I was the culprit behind the attacks that impede you from coming back home.”

At the moment she said those words, the flaming chains started to tighten their grip on her neck.

“*Kugh*... I lied, I lied… I just saw all happening but didn’t intervene at all.” She quickly said as the flaming chains unfastened.

“Do you believe me now? *cough*” Asked Amaterasu.

“...... We do.”

“Engel?!”

Lene, shocked to hear his words moved her gaze from Amaterasu to Engel. She didn’t get why he would readily accept someone else’s explanation for a phenomenon like this. Lene could also see the chains, so it might as well al what she said a convenient lie. She could be the one controlling them, or the oath might be real but it could have another condition unseen yet.

“I know what you’re thinking… But look at those chains…”

“... Do… Do you see something with your [Demonic Eye]?”

“No… I haven’t tried that yet… but, just look at them.”

“..... Wha-?!!” With no other choice in her heart, Lene gave her full attention to the chains, and found something incredible. She noticed that those chains instilled fear in her, a deep, soul-stirring fear she had never expected to feel. After a long moment feeling it, she understood- She felt the kind of fear one would feel at watching a volcano erupt, a snowstorm arrive, a sandstorm slowly crept in the desert or a tsunami appear before you… A feat only nature could instill inside her very being.

“As expected of a Q2 who managed to deduct a primordial algorithm by himself.” Smiles Amaterasu, seemingly satisfied with something they couldn’t comprehend.

“You’ve already said that twice but I really don’t get it. Explain to us what you mean with [Primordial Algorithm], tell us who you are and also what has happened to us all this while!”

As they both were still kneeling, Lene stood up with a great impulse while claiming an explanation.

“Alright. First, to know the roots of all this, I’ve gotta tell you about the [Tournament] we organize… A [Tournament] against other god’s champions.”

“... Gods?”

Both Lene and Engel felt puzzled to the familiar yet now out of context words.

Part Five.

(The best moment to get out, is when the one looking around is out as well…) Said feminine, cold voice with an unusual feeling of cheerfulness.

“Who’s there?!” Yelled a familiar voice amidst the dark surroundings of the small room.

“Calm down my dear~ I’m no enemy, you could say, I am your best friend~” Said warmly the voice, whilst madly laughing in her mind.

(Wha-?! I can’t contact Engel! Lene?! Izaak?! Isold?! None of them?!) Said puzzled in her mind, Krestin, as she was unable to contact anyone else in the airship.

“Krestin Spiegel, let’s have a small chat~” Said the feminine, cheerful voice which intoxicated your own very soul.