Chapter 25: False Peace

“Her name is Fujiwara no Otsuya. We met on a stormy night, just like the one when I saved you, only that she collapsed in front of my small cottage, shielding a young boy from the constant rain. I could still remember that scene like it was yesterday. An unconscious woman acting as an umbrella for a small, but strong-willed boy, whose eyes didn’t burn out even in the hardest of situations.

‘Please... save my… mother…’ The boy uttered in his breath. I knew it was hard for him having an adult on his shoulder, but what surprised me the most was that he didn’t complain one bit even if his legs were nearly giving up on him already. Since there was no way to travel around in that kind of weather, I couldn’t bring her to an infirmary, and so I had to take matters into my own hand. Carrying the woman into my room, where the fireplace was, I told the boy:

‘There’s a towel over there. You can dry yourself with it.’

With the warmth of the flames, the woman’s and the boy’s complexion soon regain their life. The woman had stopped frowning in numbing cold, while the boy had stopped shivering altogether.

‘What were the two of you doing in this sort of heavy rain?’ I asked once the boy looked like he was able to talk again.

‘The two of us… ran into some bandit… they stole all our… possessions…’ The boy was desperately trying to come up with an excuse, but his first words were already shown to be an obvious lie to anyone with a bit of intuition. However, I’m not the type to pry into others’ lives, so I just chose to ignore it altogether. After all, who would have thought a woman and small child would be able to do anything that would cause any harm, right?

I was wrong, of course, but it’s not a bad thing that I was.

The woman recovered after a single good night’s sleep; a feat quite shocking for someone seemingly as frail as her. And the first thing she did as she woke up was to get on her knees and bowed to me:

‘Thank you, my benefactor, for saving the life of us two.’

‘No, no. Don’t mention it,’ I quickly refused the gesture and helped her stand up. ‘It’s just the right thing to do, uh…’

‘I’m Otsuya. And he’s my son, Nobukatsu,’ the woman bowed once more, but still standing this time, while lightly patting the boy hiding behind her, now that he had a figure to lean on. ‘We were robbed clean of our possession and was desperate for a place to stay when the dreaded storm hit. Had it not been for your kind gesture, both of us would have been dead for sure. If there’s anything that I could do, please, let me know. I’m willing to do anything to repay your kindness.’

‘Oh, please, I mean it,’ I waved and shook my head to refuse the gesture. ‘I don’t need any sort of repayment. In fact, you said you’ve been robbed clean, right? Then if you don’t mind, until you find a new home, you’re welcome to stay here in my place.’

The two of them refused at first, but after some persuasion, they finally accepted my offer. And afterwards… well, it’s what you would expect for a man and a woman to share their lives under the same roof. We fell in love and got married, and soon after, Otsuya gave birth to my second son, Petoro. Katsu, however, still refused to accept me as a father, saying that he didn’t deserve my love and affection. In the end, I couldn’t force him, so I just let him be as long as it makes him happy. As you can see now, he’s working as my butler, since according to him, it’s how he should repay my kindness.

Things went by normally for a long while, but never before could I think of something this drastic to change in my life.

It was six years ago when Petoro was six, and Katsu was ten. There was an urgent trip I had to make, so I was only able to return home late at night. However, what welcomed me home that day wasn’t the gentle smile of my wife, nor was the cheerful laughter of my sons.

Instead, on the floor was only a pool of blood, along with the corpse of a white-robed individual; their wings dyed crimson with a large hole penetrating through the root. It was unlike anything I’d seen, not only because an angel was found dead in my house, but also because the way they died was too much for my small mind to comprehend. I didn’t know what could possibly cause that kind of wound… until I divert my gaze to the corner of the room.

There she was, quivering, yet entirely determined, with her hands stained in blood. As our eyes meet, Otsuya stuttered:

‘D-darling… I can explain…’

‘I don’t need you to explain, dear.’ I can’t bear to see my wife in such a state. Before she could utter any more, I had already embraced her in my arms, as if trying to stop her shivering altogether. ‘No matter what you do, I’m willing to accept it. I’ll protect you, even if I had to give up my own life.’

‘N-no, Darling… You don’t understand…’ Otsuya answers with teary eyes. ‘They’re beyond anything you can imagine. Please, take Katsu and Petoro, and run away far from this place. They’re hiding in the storage. If you hurry now, you still have a chance.’

Before I could respond, however, voices had already sounded across the room. It only took a second, but everywhere I looked, there had been an angel already standing in wait. All of them were armed, and all of them looked like they were ready to kill.

Back then, I could only question. Why us? What did we do to deserve this? O’ God high and above, why must you punish us with the crimes we didn’t make?

‘Well, well, looks like the lady found herself a man. Enjoy your new little life, Lady Otsuya?’ One of the angels cackled. ‘Or should I say… Usurper of the throne, His Highness’ caretaker, Lady Fujiwara no Otsuya?’

‘His Highness? You mean… the former Crowned Prince of Japan, Lord Oda Petoro?’ The news to me struck like lightning. ‘But isn’t he…’

‘Dead? For six years? Correct, old man!’ The angels all laughed like a pack of wild hyenas. ‘Your little wifey here slew the Prince, the one who she was supposed to treat like her son, with her own hands! How does it feel, old man, to be wed to a murderer blinded by greed?’

I didn’t answer. No, it was more like I couldn’t answer his question. Deep in my mind, I’m sure I was questioning it too, even though I said it myself that I would accept her for whoever she was. Otsuya, however, took my silence like a natural thing to do, and, after turning to me with a smile, an uncontrollable amount of bloodlust erupted from her, choking out the air in my lungs even if I’m not the intended target. Staring at the angels with eyes that could cut open one’s stomach, Otsuya let out a determined voice:

‘While it’s true that I’m a cold-blooded murderer, everything I do is for the sake of this nation. I, Fujiwara no Otsuya, feel no regret for what I have done. If you wish to stand in my way, then I have no choice but to show you hell!’

From the moment of her declaration to the end of the battle was only one second. Yet, in that split second, everything I’d known about the world fell apart.

I couldn’t even keep up with what happened. All I could tell was that as soon as her hand straightened as if preparing for a chop, around her was a gust of wind blowing so hard that it was like a miniature storm. Otsuya then disappeared from my sight altogether and returned in an instant, but this time her hand was already gripping tight with a plethora of still-beating hearts. All of the angels had a single hole on their bodies, in the same size, at the same position as the first one I saw, and all of them collapsed at once before they could even feel the pain that they had just felt. Otsuya, meanwhile, had already made a small tornado on her hand, and in no less than another second, all of the hearts had already been shredded to pieces, firing pieces of flesh everywhere in the room. Turning to me afterwards, she then tried to sound devoid of emotions, but I knew she was holding everything back to stop her tears from flowing out:

‘You’ve seen what kind of woman I am, Darling. Take the kids and leave this place now.’

It was at that moment, that I knew. If I couldn’t stand with her now, then I wouldn’t have any other chance. And so, the choice was obvious.

‘No, Otsuya. We both will live. If you can’t run with me, then I’ll stay here with you. And I’ll make sure that Katsu and Petoro will be able to see their parents…’

However, I couldn’t finish those last words of mine. For before I could, there was someone in front of us. I couldn’t feel his presence at all, and yet, at this moment, he’s bigger than anything else I’d ever seen in my life. For the first time, I felt like an ant in the presence of a human, unable to do anything except squirm for my pitiful fate as the deadly sole of their foot trample all over everything I’ve built in my life.

‘Lady Fujiwara no Otsuya, am I right?’ The man spoke. His voice was soft, but its weight was immense. Unconsciously, but willingly, I kneeled down on my feet. I didn’t know why I did such a thing. It was as if my body was acting on its own, a survival instinct I never knew I had until then.

‘M… Michael…’ Otsuya answered with a shaken voice.

Michael? The Archangel, Lord Michael of the East?

‘Well, Lady Otsuya. Not only have you murdered the Crown Prince, but now you’ve also murdered good-willed officers just trying to fulfill their duties. Do you have anything else to say?’

‘I’ll never… submit to you… Angel!’ Letting out a deafening scream, she charged forward. But I knew. I knew that it was just the act of a caged animal at its wit’s end, unable to see any other way for it to survive. And, as I cursed my intuition at the moment, Otsuya was stopped after just a single stare.

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He didn’t even need to say anything. His presence alone was enough to cause her to stop like that. Her body trembled again, but this time, it was genuine fear.

‘… At least… spare my family…’ Finally, the pressure was too much for her. Otsuya kneeled down beside me. But that didn’t make me feel happier at all.

After all that talk… after I’d said all of that… what did I do? What was I able to do?

Nothing!

I sat there, like a dog waiting for his punishment! While my wife was crushed in the cruelest way imagine!

The angel, however, didn’t shed a single emotion as he witnessed his opponent begging for mercy. Still letting out that soft, but cold, voice, he said:

‘Your cross for your family. And I’ll compensate for them too. Is that a good trade, Lady Otsuya?’

Immediately, she took off the necklace she had been wearing ever since we met. It was only for a moment, but I saw it: an emerald cross glimmering underneath the moonlight. After taking it from her hand, the angel nods, but no smile could be seen on his face:

‘Thank you for your cooperation. Now, I’ll be taking you away.’

‘W-wait…’ It was at this moment that my body sprang into action. However, even that attempt of mine was half-baked, as a single glance from the angel was enough for me to freeze in fear once again, helpless as my wife was taken away from me.”

“A few days later, Otsuya’s execution was shown to the public. Michael sent me a chest full of treasures and had people build me this huge manor. Now, whenever I look at my current home, I only see humiliation, and that pushes me to never let anything similar happen again.” Ushiwaka ends his story with a sigh, one filled with regret of a once cowardly man.

“… I’m sorry for your loss.” I could only let out such words in the face of a story like that. “But there’s still something that I don’t get.”

“Go on.”

“In your story, Otsuya never told you anything about the secrets of the crosses, right? Then how did you know?”

“Of course, I could vaguely tell from the conditions of the trade that night,” Ushiwaka answers with a nod. “As for the details of it…”

“I told him.” A voice answers my question for Ushiwaka. Turning around to face the source, I ask in surprise:

“You knew, Katsu?”

“…Mother told us - me and my brother – everything,” the boy answers with sadness filling his eyes. “It was as if she knew that the day would come. That’s why she entrusted us with the true nature of the crosses, believing that we would tell others about it when the time was right.”

“And that’s the gist of it,” Ushiwaka sighs once more. “Now you’ve appeared here, lass. If there’s anything that you need, then we’ll do our best to assist you, even if it costs us our lives.”

This is certainly helpful news to me. Now I don’t have to worry about a place to stay, nor about the angels getting in my way of continuing my journey. If I can just lay low until I get to England, then it’s perfect.

“Well, if that’s the case, then…”

Before the words could leave my mouth, however, a voice pops up in my head in the most inopportune time:

“Hold it right there. Before you decide on anything, how about listening to my advice first?”

“Asmodai? I thought you said you wouldn’t just show up like this?”

“I said I would only show up if it concerns my kin, remember?” The dragon grunts within my mind. “And this is exactly that, an emergency among emergencies.”

“What do you mean?”

“That cross… That emerald green cross houses the one we don’t want to wake up the most,” Asmodai answers with a worried voice, something I’ve only heard for the first time until this moment. “Within it is Byleth, the Demon that governs the wind… and the most wicked and bloodthirsty among us. If you don’t want to see another tragedy like the one you first experienced, then you will see it done.”

“A power that brings forth tragedy…” I mumble to myself. While it’s true that the way the woman disposed of those angels would be a gruesome scene for anyone to see, does this thing really pose that much of a threat? I know that my spears would be equally as bad, if not worse if I was serious about taking one’s life.

“I know what you’re thinking. Give up trying to compare among ourselves.” Asmodai speaks before I could say anything else. “In terms of power, all of us are mostly equal. There is no one stronger or weaker… Or at least, that’s how it should be. The problem lies in us, and our vessels’ will. If the vessel can achieve a high synchronization with their Demon, or if the Demon becomes so uncontrollable that they can take over the vessel’s will, then their power is unmatched. And I’ll tell you this as well: don’t mistake us and the angels as incompatible. If the desire is strong enough to entice us, then anyone could trigger our awakening, even if they’re supposed to be our enemies.”

“But back to the matter at hand,” the Demon digresses. “Think twice before telling those two about what you’re planning to do.”

“Fine, fine.” Shaking my head to clear myself of unnecessary thoughts, I answer, before turning to the two in question. Both of their faces look a bit weirded out as our eyes come into contact. Did I just say everything out loud? Damn it, that was embarrassing… I need to learn to keep the conversation with Asmodai in my head.

“Ehem,” clearing my throat in an attempt to hide the awkwardness, I continue. “So, where is her cross now?”

“Still in Michael’s possession, I assume,” Katsu, surprisingly, is the first to speak. “What about it?”

It’s time for me to make a decision. Am I going to fulfill my promise and reunite with the two waiting for me as fast as I could? Or am I going to stay here and prevent a tragedy that’s bound to happen again if left unattended?

Both of the choices are correct… No, wait, what am I thinking? The answer should be obvious to me.

Sorry, guys, but our promise will have to wait for a while.

“I’m sorry, but… that cross should never find its owner again. So, I’m staying here until I can get my hands on it, and seal it away forever.”

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