Chapter 70 : The Fallen Angels
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But, due to the fact that it was a closed-casket funeral, Vanessa could guess that it wasn't pretty death by any stretch of the imagination.
It never was one in this line of work…
The only people in the group who had actually seen it happen were Vin, Xenovia, and Jafar. She tried to get the full story, but Vin was still in a coma recovering from overexertion, any time she was asked, Xenovia would grit her teeth and seize up, so unlike her… she was usually the blunt one, who knew that she could learn tact at the worst possible time?
...And that left Jafar; possibly the most concerning one of the group.
Despite waking up with just a minor head injury a few scant hours after the confrontation, he'd refused to speak the entire time. While Jafar was no stranger to remaining silent for long periods of time, this was different.
Usually, Jafar's silence was serene, peaceful…
This one was ominous, violent… like a pot just waiting to boil over at all times.
It was so unlike Jafar, and it unsettled Vanessa more than anything.
Beside Vanessa stood the rest of the team who could make it, all of them dressed up in black suits and dresses, their bodies covered in bandages or held in casts. The cuff of Ezekiel's left sleeve picking up in the wind, Irina's torso covered in bandages… Supposedly, thanks to advancements in their medical technology, everyone would recover in a matter of days. No doubt that was possible because of the synthesized potions made using the former holy maiden, Asia Argento's genetic material as a basis.
How like the church… To use someone until they had nothing left to give, and only after that person was thoroughly ruined would they miraculously find a replacement.
Vanessa stared blankly, her ears refusing to allow her to digest any of what was being said, as Ethan's coffin was lowered into the ground, before the three men with shovels began to bury him.
Now that they used Ethan… Who was going to step up to be the next in line to replace him?
Vanessa's mind couldn't quite shake the feeling that the very replacement had arrived nine months prior…
May 5th 2013
"We call this meeting in order to discuss our plan of action against Kokabiel," Harcreutz announced.
Everyone had met in a large board hall deep within the Supernatural Response Division of the Vatican. Sitting off to the side of the room was the group of exorcists-in-training, sans Vin; and at the middle of the room, was a large walnut round table.
"Lord Micheal," Harcreutz bowed at the blond angel, "I must humbly apologize for the unfortunate circumstances that have plagued your visit."
Micheal held up a hand, "That's not needed, Mr. Harcreutz. The blame for the actions of the enemy are not something you should have to apologize for. Let's focus on the matter at hand, and determine how we should respond."
"Of course, Lord Michael," Harcreutz bowed, before turning to the other two notable figures at the table, "Lint, Griselda, I must thank you for attending these matters on such short notice."
Although Griselda looked like she wanted to speak up, she held her tongue, while Lint, her usual exuberant smile gone from her face, nodded her head.
"Of course, I came back here as soon as I got the news," Lint nodded, "But is it really the best idea to bring the kids along?"
"Unfortunately," Harcreutz answered, "These are the only people who made any form of contact with Kokabiel that night."
Lint balked, "You're joking…"
Grimly, Harcreutz shook his head.
"C'mon! You had to have other exorcists that you could have sent up there to fight alongside them!"
"They are just simple exorcists, they wouldn't have stood a chance against Kokabiel."
"So you let children fend for their own lives."
"I made the choice that would preserve the most lives, Lint."
Lint slammed her fist on the table, a deep thud resounding throughout the room, "And what a whole lot of good that choice did! One kid crippled, another in a coma, and the last one we just buried yesterday!"
"You think I wanted that!?"
"Your lack of assistance certainly makes it seem like it!"
"Those men would have been slaughtered!"
"And congratulations, sir. You traded the life of an innocent child for the lives of a few men who already swore their lives to the cause."
"Are you two finished?" Michael interrupted, "I don't believe that we decided to meet up to throw stones at each other, but instead to find an adequate plan of response."
"Of course, Lord Michael," The two bowed, yet even the act of submission did nothing to quell the tension in the room.
"Harcreutz," Michael said once more, "May you give us the details of the incident?"
The portly man pulled out a remote, which turned on a projector, complete with a photo of the Fallen Angel in question.
"Two nights ago, a Leader-Class Fallen Angel attacked the Vatican as the group of our gifted exorcist-in-training were returning from a mission. In the exorcist's possession was the Excalibur Fragments Nightmare, Transparency, Rapidly, and Destruction. The exorcists engaged with the Fallen, but ended up being unsuccessful in their efforts to drive the perpetrator off. Ultimately, eyewitness reports from the exorcists you see before you led us to determine that the perpetrator was after the Excalibur Fragments themselves, and managed to steal Excalibur Nightmare and Transparency. There's no doubt that they would have stolen Excalibur Rapidly, if not for your timely interference. In the end, there were six injured, one grievous injury, and one casualty.
Griselda bit her lip at the casual dismissal of her student's fates as a mere statistic.
"The perpetrator identified himself as the fallen angel leader known as Kokabiel. Currently, his objective is unknown, but any reason for a fallen desiring the fragments of Excalibur mustn't be good. I only have theories so far…"
Michael glanced over, "Theories?"
"Yes, although there's nothing to prove it definitely, I believe that this is most defiantly a power play by the Fallen Angels," Harcreutz explained, "Gathering the Excalibur's can only mean two things: they want to cripple us, and they want to utilize Excalibur for some nefarious purpose."
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