Day 3: Silver and Gold

"Thank you for coming!" Amatsuka Uto's English was rapidly improving thanks to her livestreams. Work at heaven was nice, but boring. Livestreaming was one of her few hobbies, considering that she didn't have that much free time. She smiled as she turned off the stream. "Ah, that was fun!"

As she stood up to crack her back, her phone rang. It was odd, considering that people in Heaven barely called people on the phone, as they preferred to fly over there and meet people in person. She curiously picked up her phone, her smile only growing as she saw who was calling her.

"Ame-tan!" Uto answered the call, answering happily. "How have you been?"

"I've been good!" Amelia exclaimed through the phone. "How are things in Heaven?"

"Things have really started to look up since Mamatsuri gave me this job," Uto said. She was falling on hard times before Mamatsuri came along. She saw Uto's potential and hired her as a model to advertise things like pillows and plushies. Mamatsuri never made Uto do something she didn't want to do and all of the things she advertised were adorable, so it was a no-brainer for Uto to take.

"Do you have anything lined up for tomorrow?" Amelia asked.

"No, why?" Uto asked, putting a finger on her chin and tilting her head.

"Oh, nothing," Amelia giggled. "I just wanted to have some sister-on-sister bonding time."

-

"Fuck!" Ryan was jolted awake when Edhas screamed in his head, obviously sounding distressed.

'What happened?!' Ryan's eyes darted around his room wildly, his adrenaline pumping.

"Sorry. I didn't know it was possible for me to still have nightmares and flashbacks," Edhas said. "Someone opened a gate from Heaven not too far from here. I have rather… bad experiences with the place."

'Should I be worried?' Ryan asked, standing up.

"Not really. All the angels should be back to normal by now," Edhas said.

'What do you mean by 'back to normal?' Ryan asked.

"I'll tell you later," Edhas said. Ryan sighed. Edhas was obviously uncomfortable, and even though Edhas could be annoying sometimes, Ryan didn't hate him enough to push further.

'Alright, but I'm here if you need to talk. I'll even introduce you to a couple ladies,' Ryan joked in hopes of cheering his alternate personality up.

"Thanks. I'll take you up on that sometime," Edhas chuckled. Ryan wasn't sure whether or not he was referring about the talking or the ladies. He'd better gain favors from some of his previous customers, though Ryan wasn't responsible if Edhas gets smacked upside the head.

As Ryan put on his hoodie, the phone rang. "KIKKIRIKIII~!!!" Kiara exclaimed through the phone. "I placed a special order, so I'm going to be a little late. Can you open up for me?"

"I don't have a key," Ryan reminded her.

"Just use magic or something. I don't really care," Kiara said. "I have to go now. I'll see you in a few."

-

Ryan sighed as he appeared inside the KFP. "About time you actually teleported here," Edhas said.

'But what if an angel decided to show up on my walk there?' Ryan asked.

"Depends on the angel," Edhas said. "I'd either run or kill them."

'Jeez, what is your thing with angels?' Ryan asked.

-

"Man, I really thought he would be here," Amelia sighed.

"Who are you talking about?" Uto asked, her little wings flapping up and down.

"You remember the best man at my wedding?" Amelia asked. "I wanted to meet up with him on his way here."

"He seemed interesting," Uto gave Amelia a smile. "I would love to talk to him more."

"He doesn't seem to be here," Amelia sighed in defeat. "Let's go to the restaurant."

-

"You're thinking of… 9?" Edhas asked.

'Stop reading my mind, damn it!' Ryan snapped, sighing. He had opened up already and changed and was just waiting for something to happen.

"Where were you?" Ryan looked up as Amelia opened the door, followed by her stepsister. Ryan vaguely remembered Amatsuka Uto as the flower girl of Amelia's wedding. "We were waiting for you to walk down the alley way so we can meet you."

Told you! Ryan exclaimed in victory.

"Sorry, I had to open up today. Tenchou had something important to do or something," Ryan said. "It's nice to see you again, Amatsuka-san."

"Please, call me Uto," Uto's smile warmed the cold winter restaurant. "You've done so much for Ame-tan. Thank you."

"You know, this one's alright," Edhas said.

'Are you seriously perving on one of my best friend's sister?' Ryan asked.

"No, even I wouldn't perv on such a pure being," Edhas said matter-of-factly.

"Ame has been such a good friend to me," Ryan smiled. "I don't need thanks. She would have done the same for me."

"I don't know," Ame said. "Getting shot in the head twice might not be possible for me to do."

"You got shot?!" Uto gasped, her expression contorting into one of genuine worry. "Are you okay?!"

"Yeah, the first time that happened, time was reversed and the second time, I got a second personality who healed me," Ryan said.

"Alternate personality?" Uto put a finger on her chin and tilted her head sideways.

'Want to meet her?' Ryan asked.

"That might not be the best idea," Edhas said.

"He's kinda shy, I guess," Ryan replied.

"That's okay! If he ever wants to talk, I'm here!" Uto smiled brightly at Ryan.

-100 hp! Critical hit! Ryan heard the sounds of stumbling in his head.

"I'll be fine," Edhas groaned as if he fell over on something.

'You'll get used to it,' Ryan said.

"So how have things been?" Ryan asked.

"Things have been good," Amelia smiled at Ryan. "Gura said she wanted to visit her friend today, so I decided to have a little bit of a family reunion."

"I see," Ryan offered a smile of his own. "So, how are you liking Earth, Uto-san?"

"It's nice," Uto said. "I really like these video game things you have."

"They are fun," Ryan admitted.

"KIKKERIKIII~" Kiara burst through the doors carrying a box. "I'm here!"

"Morning, Tenchou," Ryan said, his smile growing. "What did you get?"

"Ah, Mamatsuri told me Uto-chan was coming today, so I decided to get some cloud puffs!" Kiara held up the bag she was holding, a triumphant expression on her face.

"Kiara-san, you didn't have to!" Uto exclaimed. "You could have told me to get some!"

"It's fine!" Kiara chirped, walking around to her the counter, placing the bag on the counter. "I had some business in heaven, so I decided to get some on the way out."

"So, you went all the way to heaven to get these?" Ryan asked.

"Essentially," Kiara said She took out a tray that was full of what looked like small, circular clouds.

"Oh, I love these!" Amelia took a cloud and took a bite, relishing the taste.

"Cloud Puffs are my favorite dessert in Heaven," Uto took her own cloud, taking a bite of it.

"You should try it, Ryan!" Kiara offered Ryan a cloud puff.

"Thank you," Ryan smiled. Not wanting to be disrespectful, he took a bite. The cloud puff was easily the sweetest thing Ryan ever tasted. Imagine cotton candy, but ten times sweeter while being a pastry instead of just sugared air. The texture was light and fluffy like cotton candy, but still full of substance like a cake.

"Is there a way to replicate these these?" Ryan asked, causing everyone to start laugh.

"Unfortunately not, which is why buying these was such a big deal," Kiara said.

"Damn, might as well enjoy this while it last," Ryan said, taking another bite.

"I sense you have magic now," Uto said. "Though I sense… something else as well."

"That's probably my other half," Ryan replied. "For some reason, we have different magic proficiencies and mana pools. He's much stronger than me."

"That's amazing. I could barely sense his power," Uto smiled. "You're really talented, Ryan."

"T-thanks," Ryan directed his eyes off of the angel, his cheeks tinting red in embarrassment.

"You're welcome," Uto said, covering a giggle with her hand.

-999 hp! Super effective! It took all of Ryan's willpower not to humiliate himself by passing out from the cuteness overload.

'You okay, buddy?' Ryan asked.

"You'll have… to go on… without me…" Edhas managed.

'You still hate angels?'

"I can make an exception," Edhas sighed.

'Do you want to talk to her now?' Ryan asked.

"Fine, give me control," Edhas grumbled. Ryan closed his eyes. When he opened them, there was a purple hue glowing in his eyes. When his eyes focused on Uto, she flinched.

"I see you recognize me," Edhas sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "Man, this is awkward."

"What's going on?" Amelia asked.

"I imagine Jack kept you hidden when this happened, but there was a war between the Masked Mages and Heaven," Edhas explained. (AN: Will definitely be covered in Volume 4. What you need to know is that The Masked Mages had to wage war on Heaven and that lead to a particularly heavy loss on Edhas's part)

"Yeah…" Uto looked down. "Look… I-,"

Edhas held up his hand, cutting off the angel. "Look, that's all in the past. The fact that you're willing to apologize for something you couldn't control means you're already better than the arrogant assholes that were in charge back then."

"Thank you," Uto heaved a sigh.

"You know, these cloud puffs are something else," Edhas said, desperately trying to change the subject. Unfortunately, the environment continued to stay tense.

'I knew this was a bad idea,' Edhas shot at Ryan.

"Fine, you win."

-

"Hey Ryan, can I borrow your body for a sec?" Edhas asked. "There's something I need to do."

'Sure, what's up?' Ryan said.

"Nothing dangerous, I promise," Edhas replied, his tone somber. "I just need to visit someone."

-

Edhas sighed as he crossed a portal into an unknown location in America. He looked at the setting sun before turning to a grave with an onyx knife placed before it. "I guess Calli beat me to it, huh?" He sat down by the grave.

Rest in Peace

Stoj Grimm

XXXX-201X

Brother, mentor, friend, protector

"Death is never the end."

"Why is the birth year crossed out?" Ryan asked.

'Because that's when he was born,' Edhas answered cryptically. Ryan let out a mental groan.

"Hey Stoj," Edhas smiled sadly, looking at the grave. "Sorry I'm late. I made a couple mistakes and got held up. Just ran into an angel today, can you believe that? I can't believe we're in a time of peace. I remember how much you used to bitch about work. I miss you, though. I just wanted to stop by to remind you that you're a hero, no matter what people think. Nothing will ever change that."

Edhas held out a hand and a mask formed itself with a small hue. It was a numbered mask, with a giant number 2 across the face. "I believe this is yours," he placed it on top of the onyx knife. "Get some rest. You deserve it."

With that, Edhas turned around and left, entering a portal.

-

As the clock struck twelve, a black fire started to burn in the graveyard. The fire started to grow in height until fire dissipated, revealing a tall man. His skin was pale and his short, black hair was combed back, which was probably the cleanest thing about him. His black robe was tattered and torn, his body and face were gashed and scarred, a gaping hole through his stomach, black fire burning in the inside instead of organs showing. His scythe was rusted and worn; the long end broken in half. His crimson eyes fixated on the grave with the mask and the onyx knife. He walked over and knelt down at the grave, reading it. "It never is the end, is it?" He muttered to himself, picking up the knife and the mask. As quickly as he arrived, he was gone with a flash of black fire, leaving only the wind and the moonlight.