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I was worried about Gabriel, and about what just happened. I'm sure killing one of the 72 Demons of Goetia is no small feat… So I decided to just call two friends to my house while I was thinking about it, and also told Mark about what happened, he quickly decided to come early, and arrived at the same time as my two other friends.
"I'm here… What just happened?" Mark wondered, worried, as I hugged him. "A-Are you alright?"
"I'm fine… I just need some time to process what just happened." I sighed. "Give me a hug for a while…"
"O-Okay." He nodded, sighing as he caressed my hair. "Oh wow, new Halo, huh?"
"Don't address it for now please…" I lamented.
"Alright…" He quickly nodded.
Aside from Mark, Rose and Albert stepped into my house, and quickly sat down with us around the table. I explained to them in more detail what had happened, and they seemed to know something too.
"S-So you were attacked by a Demon after you protected a wounded Angel?" Rose asked. "Oh my god, Elayne, you're so unlucky. I wonder if next time you're going to find a Vampire and a Werewolf or something- Wait I'm a vamp…"
"Y-You killed a Demon?" Albert was the only one that was incredibly shocked. "For most of us, it's only possible to seal them or send them back to Hell… But you… destroyed their soul? So you killed one for good?!"
"Yeah… Is it bad?" I wondered. "He was an asshole and wanted to eat a little child!"
"Angels are not children…" Albert sighed. "They're older than you by like thousands of years! You had no obligation to protect them… Dammit, you should had let them kill each other."
"Why is he angry?" I asked Rose.
"He just hates angels in general…" Said Rose. "Demons too, they're the reason his family was destroyed…"
"Eh?!" I was taken aback by this little revelation.
"Rose, don't go saying things without even asking me permission to." Albert said with a pissed off stare.
"Hey, I told you to not be so rude while being around Elayne, right?" Mark asked him angrily.
"Ah… Right, okay." Sighed Albert, calming himself down. "Anyways, I did sense something, but they were hiding their presences really well- Ah, where is the angel? Did it run away ungratefully after you helped it?"
"No? They're sleeping right there." I pointed at the couch. "You can't see them?"
"I- AH! I can see it now! What in the world?!" Albert was shocked. "That Aura… Hey Hellberos…!"
"Y-Yeah…" Hellberos appeared out of his Aura. "That bastard is without a doubt an Ancient Angel!"
"Ancient Angel?" I asked. "And do you have to be so rude, Hellberos? Do you want to get the same fate as Agares?"
"Eh?! You killed Agares? But that's impossible- Ah, well, if it's you…" Hellberos was surprised. "The other 71 Demons are not going to keep quiet after learning one of them died though…"
"First of all, Ancient Angels are Angels that have lived for at least ten thousand years." Rose explained. "And second, the Goetia are the biggest Congregation of Demons in Hell, they are the 72 strongest, and rule over Hell and the aligned territories within Earth. They're a dangerous bunch, but I don't see them all that brotherly to want to avenge one of their fallen ones, the rank will get filled again soon enough by a new recruit."
"Agares is a weakling that likes to pretend he's stronger though…" Hellberos laughed. "I was ranked 65 before I was sealed in that book back then! But he was always a sucker that stayed between 69 to 72, hahahaha!"
"I guess that's why he was so desperate to eat Gabriel." I sighed.
"Gabriel?!" Albert and Rose asked at the same time.
"Elayne, is that the Angel's name?!" Albert asked. "I never thought Gabriel would look like a child…"
"They're important?" I wondered. "I remember the cried and complained they were demoted until they looked like a child."
"Gabriel from all Angels was demoted…" Rose was confused as well. "Look, Gabriel is one of the strongest Angels, a Seraph Archangel that is said to be one of the right hands of God in the Bible…"
"They wield the power of the Heavenly Virtue of Chastity and are of equal if not higher power than the Seven Kings of Hell, the ones that wield the Infernal Sins." Albert info dumped me. "It is also said… That they're a Fragment of the Original Holy Spirit. Strange, why is someone so important here from all places? With a missing wing, and weakened to the sate of having reverted into a younger form?"
"They said they escaped from a battle…" I muttered. "I-Is he that strong? They look so little and innocent though…"
"Innocent? Hah…" Hellberos laughed at my words. "That bastard has killed millions of demons… In the last Battle that happened thousands of years ago between Heaven and Hell, Gabriel was one of the most ruthless monsters in the battlefield."
"You know? It doesn't sound so bad to me, so far, all of you demons have been quite the assholes for me to feel bad about you." I shrugged.
"Y-You…!" Hellberos was going to say something but quickly fell silent. "I guess you're not wrong…"
"So what is going to happen to her now?" Mark asked. "Should we tell them to go away? Or are you planning on making Elanyne adopt this Angel?"
"Mark, calm down, I wouldn't mind if they stayed if they really want to… I am also intrigued about them." I explained him.
"Hmm… I'm just worried, if you keep them around, then the other Goetia Demons might target you, wanting to have a nice and easy meal out of him." Mark explained. "Also what is their gender? I'm getting confused…"
"Angels have no gender, nor sex, they're agender beings that take the appearance of both a female and a male…" Albert explained us. "It doesn't matter if you refer to them as females, males, or something else, they don't care."
"O-Oh well… I guess I'll call him a boy, the name Gabriel does sound a bit masculine to me." I said. "Anyways, what should I do?" I asked Rose.
"Hmmm… We've never faced such a challenge before." Rose was thinking about it. "But… until they recover enough to get their second wing and go back to Heaven, it would be better to shelter them. Although what Mark said might be true, we won't easily let a Goetia Demon get inside this city."
"Yeah, I suppose…" Albert nodded. "It's better if you have a good relationship with someone like Gabriel, they will return the favor eventually, and having an angel owe you a favor is great, especially if it's the Right Hand of God."
"Hmm…" I sighed, feeling a bit exhausted with all these things. "I-I guess I'll keep him for a little while. Oh, can you guys see him? Let me allow you."
I waved my hands, Celestial Energy making Gabriel visible to all.
"Woah, it's really there…!" Rose said. "S-So cute…"
"So this is Gabriel…" Mark said. "It looks like a little girl. I was expecting a handsome and androgynous being…"
"Haha, everyone has their own projection of how an Angel really looks like I guess." I laughed a bit.
"Now…" Suddenly, Rose interrupted my laughter. "Are you going to address why you can see Angels to begin with?"
"And what with the Halo?" Albert followed.
"Uhh…"
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The source of this c𝐨ntent is fre𝒆w(e)bn(o)vel