Veil of Mortality

Somewhere far from the perception of those of the living. Where blood lakes and vast bone-filled wastelands endlessly reach. In the center of the realm stood a fortress that could be seen from every direction. And atop of its highest point, sat a being on his throne, surrounded by three of his four generals. Generals who were once human, as every being here once was. 

The cries of the realm drifted through the air beyond the stone walls; not of torment, but of something more hollow. Death.

“Sire,” rasped an ominous voice, dry and cracked. “The little ones have reached the mortal realm.”

A second voice followed, voice pitched high almost like it was wailing. "The veil grows weaker. The angels have descended…” It's head held low. "However, they couldn't manifest themselves. It seems they have merged with the mortals."

A single hand rose from the throne, silencing the hall. Its claws were black and long, glistening like glass in the light.

The being after a moment, stood. The three generals immediately bowed lower, stepping aside to form a path. Black wings folded neatly behind a cloak of shadow. A crown of dull silver rested upon his head. Each step he took rippled through the fortress, shaking the depths of the realm itself.

The Demon Lord.

His voice carried no echo, yet filled every inch of the hall.
“Where is Abaddon?”

One general trembled, lifting a hand halfway and refusing to look up. “Abaddon went through the veil, my Lord.”

A pulse of power burst through the air. The Demon Lord curled his claws into a fist, his magic pressure suffocating the generals to their knees. The walls groaned and the winds shifted. 

Then a laugh erupted through the tension, cold, sharp, and almost human.

“Abaddon was always the greediest of the demons,” he said at last, turning toward one of the glassless windows. “No patience. No restraint.” 

The wasteland stretched before him below, red and lifeless. Once, this place had been eternal; the final stop after death. But now, the thing they commanded threated their lives. With bones and dust now littered along the plains, mortality had breached the Underworld.

“The Underworld is dying,” the Demon Lord murmured. “We must move faster. This realm can no longer sustain us. We need a new world.”

“Abaddon,” he whispered, voice low but carrying across the hall. “You are not allowed to die.”

He turned, cloak trailing behind him like spilled ink, and walked toward the great doors. Symbols etched into the stone walls glowed faintly as he passed them. Glyphs and markings ancient and divine in origin.

Lucifer.

__________

Ren awoke in a white-surrounded endless space. A familiar voice echoed faintly in the distance, "I knew you could do it, my Seraph." Then a blinding light filled his vision.

The world was still.

Only the faint hum of distant power lines filled the air, echoing across the empty street.

Ren stirred. His eyelids twitched before finally lifting, the soft warmth of something pressing against him.

A heartbeat pulsed steadily against his ears... But it was not his own.

“Sayaka…” he mumbled, blinking against the harsh streetlight. “You’re safe.”

Her arms gently lifted him off her chest, eyes scanning his face. “You idiot,” she exhaled, relief mixing with a laugh. “You scared me half to death.”

Ren anchored himself carefully, bracing for pain that never came. He blinked. His hand brushed his torso. His shirt was patterned with punctures and rips, however, the skin under it remained smooth, and clean.
“What the hell…?”

He checked again, patting down where pain should have been. “My injuries...I was bleeding..."

“You definitely were,” she interrupted softly. "But I guess you didn't know that Seraphs heal when they level up.”

Ren blinked, turning to her. His cheeks flushed at the realization.

“I told you never to lie to me Ren.” Her eyes sharpened. "I'm a Seraph too."

Ren froze. His face wrinkled at the declaration.

"Thankfully you leveled up before you bled out,” she said, checking her own body, where once was bruises, now had no blemishes. "Looks like I leveled up too. Honestly, if you didn't wake up, I wasn’t even sure how I was going to drag your unconscious body home. You’re heavier than you look."

"Well, sorry that your brother is heavier than he looks." He flexed his ab muscles, checking for any further pain. "Besides as you can see, I no longer have any fat. You could’ve leveled up your strength stat too."

Sayaka shot him a glare. “And ruin my figure? No thanks. I’ve seen what happens to the guys in Osaka who go all in on strength. They look like walking tanks. Who knows what would happen if a lady goes that route.”

"I guess you have a point." Ren replied, his fingers tracing the gashes along the slick fabric of his jacket. "I really liked this coat."

Sayaka watched him. "What's your level now?" She asked, thrill in her voice.

"I... Don't know."

"Oh!" Sayaka stumbled to her feet, her hand stretched toward him. "Rafael taught me that all you have to do is touch your Seraph mark. You can open up your stat interface without your angel doing it." 

"Rafael?"

Sayaka nodded. "My angel." Her hand reached for Ren's, helping him up to his feet. "Though I guess you can’t see him.”

"No, I can't."

"You're really not going to willingly tell me anything, huh?" Her arms rested on her hips, a piercing glare reached his soul.

“It’s not that,” Ren said evenly. “I just don’t understand how you trust this change so easily? You left for Osaka for work... You left us." 

Silence lingered between them.

"Now, when you decide to come back, it's after the world turned upside down."

“Of course I did!” Sayaka snapped, voice cracking with emotion. "I watched the news. Dad isn't here to protect us. Somebody has to protect this family. This system, as otherworldly it may be, is the quickest way to not just protect you and mom, but protect the world."

“You almost died, Sayaka.” Ren’s voice sharpened. Eyes peaked behind windows in the houses around them. "I would have lost you if I was one second too late, or if I wasn't somehow able to enter the same zone you were in. You would have made me a liar to mom." 

The sun caught on Sayaka's hair, tied back into a bun. Loose strands swayed to the light breeze.

"Those demons... were stronger than the ones In Osaka." Her gaze turned to the area that was once a battlefield, unchanged as if nothing happened. "It didn't help that there were more of them too. It wasn't a fair fight."

Ren sighed, gaze softening. “What am I going to do with you?” He faced the direction she was. "…So this is what you’ve been doing,” he said quietly. “These ‘zones.’ Fighting those things...”

“Getting stronger,” she said simply.

"It looks like I am now level 7." She continued, gaze focused on the emptiness in front of her. Her fingers moved in the air as she interacted with it. "There. All allocated."

Ren watched her in silence. There was no light, no sound, only the image of a person interacting with air. If the world were still normal, crazy would’ve been the only word to describe what he saw.

“Come on, hero,” Sayaka said, finally turning toward home. “Let’s get back before Mom kills us both.”

Ren hesitated, then followed behind her.