The Seeker | Volume 2

But what entity could Ian have worshiped? De-Taylel was definitely an option. "His" explanation stated that when Ian died "he" could openly enter his body without many repercussions. Perhaps De-Taylel made Ian lose control on purpose, and Mr. Debois was merely unaware of "his" existence. 

But the sheer coincidence of Ian and Mr. Debois being inside the same sewer at the same time of night was too potent to ignore. They had both lost control from what I had suspected. It was most likely the cards that made Mr. Debois lost control rather than De-Taylel's influence. The characteristics I read on the slate were all Order 9, and I could suspect that no Order 9 characteristics were enough to make a mid-order Seeker lose control. Perhaps it was De-Taylel's residual authority that made him lose control.

Perhaps "he" used a similar ability that Raymond used with aura transferring; or Binding. Even in "his" state "he" could use abilities that were transferred into the Card of Replication without knowing. Since Crodio was at least an Order 1 of the Apocalypse Routeway without the corresponding authority, Lords of Angels; which are one tier below of a True God, have a minimal or almost zero chance of being able to affect the real world.

But does The Underworld amplify "his" power? If my divine protection allows me to summon and reconstruct angels and almost gods from history, shouldn't a semi-alive Lord of Angels be able to affect the real world and reach "his" corresponding authority infused card?

De-Taylel was able to grow wings after fusing with his shadow and the blood figure, but what exactly was that? Was the angel switching to a different subject to throw me off and do some secret ritual to activate The Underworld as "his" Divine Kingdom? Was the blood infused shadow a characteristic of Destruction that he could utilize outside of "his" body?

I suddenly looked towards the doll with barely any golden hair. I noticed that it was shaking as I thought. It reminded me of the wooden skeleton that Raymond's avatar; Isaiah Walls was composed of, and it made me wonder if I could somehow infuse some of my Order 8 Apocalypse characteristics into the doll and make it into my own "puppet"?

...

Aizawa was late in thought as he roamed the streets alone. Earlier that day he had previously had suspicions and a little trepidation about that chill that he and the others had felt. 

After a little while the previously darkened streets had now lightened up due to him now entering the more vibrant parts of the kingdom even in the late hours. He noticed the small abundance of people still roaming around the streets, either drunk or tired.

He sighed softly as he pushed open the front door leading to the bar that me and Shinso would usually go to for our shooting practice. Sabestian, who was rubbing his eyes tiredly due to standing around all day, perked up at the sound of the tiny bell above the door ringing lightly amongst the tranquil ambience of the bar.

"You're one of those boy's friends! The last time you came in here he was pretty shaken up for some reason. In fact; we're still repairing the shooting range." He chuckled as he watched the slightly disbelieved man sit down on a bar stool.

Aizawa looked at Sebastian for a few seconds, noticing his gold tooth that stood out in his mouth. After a few moments he pulled out 2 copper Lumin from his pocket that he'd previously borrowed from Oboro onto the counter.

The bartender: Barlcay quickly filled up a glass of beer before handing it back to Aizawa, who brought it to his lips. In his reddened peripheral vision he spotted another figure a few stools down.

She had blonde hair that went down to about her chest, and blue eyes with a hint of green. She also sat on a stool, sipping her drink. Aizawa didn't mind her.

She suddenly turned to look towards Aizawa. Her gaze lingered on the man for a moment, and Aizawa felt a small inclination to look back at her, although he didn't feel it was necessary. 

"You look lost..." she said, her voice containing a tiny bit of curiosity and a tiny pinch of humor. Aizawa didn't look at her for a few moments, but eventually he did gain the courage to look back at her.

Small talk was never Aizawa's strong suit, and he felt the average interaction to be a chore. But at this time of night having a small conversation didn't seem like a bad idea.

"You could say that." He replied, stirring a small spoon in his beer, which had now foamed down. A small smile tugged at the corners of her lips at his reply.

She chuckled, looking back at her drink, watching the ice cubes of her malt slowly drift in the glass. "Being lost isn't an unnatural thing here. I come here often and see drunk a-holes stumble around like they got hit over the head."

Such a sense of humor couldn't help but make Aizawa smile a small amount. She turned back to look at Aizawa before taking a deep breath.

"Names Olive, yours?" She asked, raising an eyebrow in curiosity. Aizawa sighed softly as he pushed his drink away from him before responding.

"Names Shouta. I'm used to being called Aizawa...I teach a class full of annoying students...or atleast I used to." His voice gradually lowered as he spoke. 

"What happened?" Olive asked. Aizawa's crimson eyes flickered with a tiny bit of regret upon her question. "Well, you could say I moved." He said.

"Moved? From where: the Indun Empire?" Aizawa fell silent for a few seconds, unaware of how to answer the question without sounding delusional or crazy. After a brief silence he spoke with a tiny rush of anxiety. "Well, let's say I'm not from here. One of my students accidentally opened a wormhole that brought us here."

There was another silence, yet Aizawa could feel like it was screaming at him. Olive's expression was unreadable for a few moments until she laughed quietly.

"A wormhole? Well, it's better than the other stories I've heard. In a world where we have angels, demons and existences that can kill you by knowing about them, it sounds like an everyday occurrence." She said, rolling her eyes.

Aizawa sighed in relief, a tiny bit happy that the woman hadn't taken him as crazy. "I thought you'd think I'm just as drunk as the other fools who'd enter here, huh." 

Aizawa couldn't help but chuckle with her. Olive suddenly pushed her drink away from her and looked back at Aizawa, her blueish-green eyes flickering with some inscrutable emotion Aizawa's perspective skills couldn't read."

"You're different from anyone else I've ever met. It's like you're able to speak your thoughts without hoping for the worst..."she rested her arm on her left hand as her eyes slightly drifted closed. 

"You seem tired." Aizawa said as he leaned in a little closer to her. Olive snapped awake, half conscious at this point. The now dimmed lights of the bar only seemed to enhance the atmosphere.

"I am. Sometimes I'd fall asleep here when I didn't feel like walking home. Although I feel like I could run a mile in my current state due to all the alcohol rush." Her voice was as if she was sleep-talking.

Aizawa sighed softly as the young woman suddenly stood up and stretched. This conversation made Aizawa unaware of the current time. He looked out the windows and realized that the street lights had dimmed to a point where the cobblestone streets below had become barely visible.

"Do you live far from here?" Aizawa asked. Olive fell silent for a few moments before responding. "I live in the western part of the kingdom near Crockchaw street. From here it's about a 30 minute walk." 

Aizawa nodded slightly as Olive began to walk towards the door. Brushing her golden locks from her eyes. Aizawa remained seated on his stool as he watched the young woman leave the bar and go back into the street.

Aizawa had a feeling that this young woman could handle herself, but from what he learned from his underground hero work: robberies, felonies and overall crime rose about 30 percent.

In this strange new world where supernatural abilities, sealed relics and enhanced firearms were such a new concept to him, he felt a strange sense of suspense as he watched the woman depart down the street.

He suddenly stood up and left the bar. He walked quickly before stopping next to Olive. The young woman looked at him, her breath slightly shaky in the frigid night air.

"I had a feeling to follow you. I'm unsure if you can handle yourself, but in this time of night where you can barely see at least 3 feet in front of you, you'll probably need someone to accompany you." He said in a low and hushed voice.

Olive seemed taken aback by the man's sudden actions, but she shrugged the proposed danger off and continued to walk further. In the dim light Aizawa could make out the faint outline of a handgun in her belt.

"You know how to defend yourself?" He asked, his voice ringing out in the night air. Olive turned back and nodded. "I do. It's a tiny bit weird for you to assume I don't in this crazy world." Aizawa didn't sense any malice or disdain in her voice. 

In fact, Aizawa felt like she took it as a compliment for him asking her this question. "That's good to hear..." he said, crossing his arms.

Olive shrugged softly as she turned back around and disappeared into the night. As she walked, the streetlights above them both suddenly lit up slightly. Something told Aizawa that the kingdom had enacted multiple acts regarding night safety, so he figured his intact sense of worry for the young woman was personal rather than logical.

"I enjoyed talking to you, Shouta." Olive called out as she turned back one more time, meeting Aizawa's tired gaze. Aizawa also met her gaze and smiled softly. "I...liked it too." He replied solemnly.

He then watched as the young woman disappeared into the night, and Aizawa's heart began to race a little. He felt a strange inclination to learn more about her...