chapter 11

"Here," Kouji set down a plate with a slice of lasagna on it and even a glass of chardenaye. "It's not much but I didn't have a lot of time to make anything fancy.

"

Karina raised an eyebrow. "You made this? I didn't know you could cook.

"

"Not really a point in cooking when all my meals were paid for," Kouji smiled. "Eat up.

I'm not sure if angels eat but it's my own recipe. "

Karina reluctantly took a bite of the lasagna.

"It's good!" Her face beamed. "Oh I have to share this with the girls next time they come by.

Winter loves pasta. "

Kouji smiled. "So? Why'd you come here? And why did you wait until Irina left?"

"You think she would just let me come in for a chat with you when she wasn't here?" asked Karina.

"Well…I guess you have a point," said Kouji. "But chat about what? Didn't we have a chat earlier?"

"This is a tad bit more…personal," said Karina. "We've come to a bit of a crossroads, if you'd like to call it.

There's a lot to fill you in on but for right now the biggest thing is that we have someone who can come talk to you. She's in charge of foreign affairs and she has knowledge on the House of Valak.

We're hopping she knows what happened in their final days and exactly what they did to you. "

"What? That's great!" Kouji cried. "When can I meet her?"

"That's where it gets kind of complicated," said Karina. "She's one of the Four Devil Kings, one of the strongest creatures on the planet.

One doesn't exactly get an appointment with her unless there is a legitimate reason for one, and we can't necessarily just outright tell her we need information on the House of Valak. "

"So what do we do?" asked Kouji.

"I'm having NingNing handle it," said Karina. "She knows her way around the political inner workings of the three factions.

"

Kouji was still trying to wrap his head around this entirely new world he had found himself in. Not only were there devils and angels, but Heaven and Hell were real too.

Entirely new political systems with their own leaders each with their own turmoils with others factions. It was like he was plopped onto an entirely different world.

"And what about you?" asked Kouji. "What's Karina's story?"

She furrowed an eyebrow as she finished her lasagna. "Oh? Don't you already know? I mean you are my number one fan, right?"

"Like any of that's real," said Kouji. "I'm guessing your entire backstory was fabricated? Speaking of which, if you guys are all angels…why be an idol group?"

"We like to sing and dance," said Karina. "And Lord Azazel said we're free to do what we please with our human lives as long as we don't forget about our mission.

"

"Your mission?" asked Kouji.

"The Grigori were the protectors of mankind long before the Church took up that title," said Karina. "We did everything from answering prayer calls to mass cullings of empires.

We created empires to keep the peace and toppled them when they became too influential. Eventually followers of the Church became too strong for us to simply topple so…we hid ourselves in mankind to continue our mission.

"

"So you and the Church protect humans?" asked Kouji. "Are humans really that special that they need that many guards?"

"You have no idea," said Karina. "Have you ever heard of a Sacred Gear?"

Kouji shook his head. "Sounds…cool, actually.

"

"I'm glad you think so," she smiled. "Sacred Gears are like tools that God granted specifically to humans, a way of innacting miracles on Earth.

If you'd like, you can think of them as an extension of God himself. Once he perished, there were no new Sacred Gears being created so each one was passed down through time via reincarnation.

When one human who possesses a Sacred Gear dies with their Sacred Gear intact, it's then transferred to a newborn soul seconds from being born. There hasn't been a new true Sacred Gear in quite some time.

"

Her explanation was solid, however Kouji got stuck up on one key phrase.

"What do you mean…perished?" asked Kouji. "Are you saying God…God's dead?"

"For a long time now," said Karina. "Best to not tell Irina.

Heck, I doubt even the Pope knows. That information is kept so closely guarded that only the Archangels, Fallen Angel Prime Ministers, and the Devil Kings know.

"

"But the world is still intact," said Kouji. "I don't know, I always thought if God died…wouldn't the universe shatter or something?"

"You would think," said Karina. "But the Archangels found a way to suppliment God's power through the Church and it's believers, they even created their own artificial angelic reincarnation system.

It's why I was able to be reincarnated into an angel despite being human. It's the only way they can increase their numbers now that the Creator is gone.

"

Kouji shook his head. "W-Why are you telling me this? Why would you tell me God is dead when my sister is a Catholic and an exorcist?"

"Because you possess a Sacred Gear, Koujiro," said Karina. "A powerful one.

I'm starting to think it was why you were chosen as House Valak's experiment. Did you think they would just pluck a random kid off the streets?"

"I…I have a Sacred Gear?" asked Kouji. "But how do you know?"

"Do you ever see them?" asked Karina. "The spirits.

They can sense when a human has the gift. "

"What gift?"

"The ability to see the dead," said Karina. "Sometimes…out your window, or under your bed.

Do you ever hear voices when no one else is in the room? See things that nobody else can see, not even your sister?"

Kouji collapsed into his seat. "That…That's because of my Sacred Gear?"

"The Mystic Eyes of Purgatory," said Karina. "From what we've gathered, it's an occular Sacred Gear that's been mostly used by shaman or priestesses in ancient times to commune with the deceased.