12 Chapter 12: Sleeping Dragon

Chapter 12:

"___" - Speech

(___) - Thoughts

{___} - Internal Voice(s)

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"I guess that's that then, at least for now." Jin had just finished saying his goodbyes to the two Exorcists as he looked up with a drained expression. 

"What about the Excaliburs?" 

"Freed has them, I'm sure we're fated to cross paths eventually. Knowing him to the extent that I do." 

"I don't know if you need to hear this or not, but I think you did a good job. At least the best that you could do." 

Jin's features remained impassive as he turned to his assistant. 

"How's that?" 

"You were nothing more than a mere human not even a week ago, yet you've already stopped a war from breaking out. Surely that warrants some praise?" 

Though he appreciated the kindness, Jin didn't seem too keen on agreement. 

"The Leviathan did, not me. I just stood there like an idiot." 

"We." 

"Hm?" 

"You mean, we, stood there like idiots." 

Jin breathed a dry chuckle as he gave Oron an affirmative tap on the shoulder. 

"Haha, I guess you're right. Let's head on back shall we?" 

The duo were covered in an amber radiance as Oron returned them to the shop.

"Quite the adventure you've been on huh?" 

And as fate would have it, a certain someone was waiting for them at the storefront with a knowing grin on his face. 

"Welcome back, Azazel-sama." Oron's natural reaction was to greet the Governor with a bow, whilst Jin looked on blankly with a nervous sweat running down his face. 

"Ahaha…you're back." 

(I'm screwed.) 

"Oron, would you mind heading inside first whilst the two of us have a little talk?" 

Jin's fingers twitched, that sentence had made it crystal clear that the Governor wasn't exactly in the best of moods. 

"Of course, Azazel-sama." 

The door closed behind the two as Jin steeled himself for his inevitable demise. 

(It's been a good run, kind of.) 

"So, how was he?" 

"Oron? Honestly, I think he's more qualified for this job than I, both physically and mentally speaking." 

(Isn't he going to ask about the Excaliburs?) 

"Maybe, but I didn't choose him for the job, I chose you." 

"And look how that ended up." Jin chuckled in shame as his pupils met the pavement. 

"You're not satisfied?" 

"Why would I be?" He had failed to retrieve the church's property, that one thought was the only thing plaguing his mind at the moment. 

"Kokabiel is gone, is he not? I see that as a success." 

"But—" 

"The swords? I could care less, it's the church's fault for letting them get stolen by a lone man in the first place. Truth be told, I didn't expect you to get this far." 

"What?" He had fully prepared himself to be admonished, but contrary to his expectations Azazel seemed totally uninterested in the mission HE assigned in the first place. 

"I'm not an idiot, of course someone as inexperienced as yourself wouldn't be able to retrieve them. Especially considering the fact that I offered you little to no help and left you to your own devices. Not to mention the fact that you were only reincarnated a few days ago." 

All the tension in the atmosphere had died, Jin blinked repeatedly as he stared at Azazel in disbelief. 

"Then, why did you even give me the mission to begin with?" 

"I just wanted you to get a taste of how things worked, but somehow you went off and got yourself acquainted with Serafall. Color me impressed." 

Jin's expression blanked for a solid few seconds, all his stress really had been for nothing. 

"Oh that reminds me, did you end up using the bracelet I gave you?" 

He shook his head as he pulled out the device and handed it to the Governor. 

"Keep it, it might be of use to you somewhere down the line. As a matter of fact, I actually have something else I'd like to give to you, a reward if you will."

"Reward?" He repeated with a raised brow. 

"Don't worry, I had a feeling that you were the type to prefer simpler things, but I'm confident you'll enjoy this gift." 

He summed what looked to be a portrait of sorts and handed it to Jin. 

In an instant, his pupils lit up in shock as he looked at what Azazel had given him. It was a picture of an Impreza hovering mid-air above a dirt road, with an extremely familiar signature on the bottom right. 

"How is it?" 

Jin couldn't take his eyes off the signature, part of him could hardly believe it was even in his hands. 

"This…" 

Almost over a decade ago, an ambitious young man by the name of Hoshino Iwata had flown from the land of the rising sun all the way to England to compete in the British National Rally Championship. 

Though he struggled during his first stint, his lightning-fast adaptability led him to his first title two years following his debut. 

Thanks to his jaw-dropping performances on the road, he would go on to win two more during his career.

However, the brightest stars are the ones that burn the fastest, the amount of time you're given to appreciate them is limited.

Jin could hardly contain his smile as he rubbed his slowly reddening eyes. 

"Yeah, it's amazing." He murmured. 

"I'm glad you like it, shall we head inside?" 

"Sure." 

He held the picture close to his chest as they stepped inside. Oron observed Jin's expression with confusion as he had just been chewed out, but instead, he seemed more than content. 

"Jin has spoken highly of you Oron, good work." 

The assistant's face quickly became flustered as he hurriedly bowed his head. 

"Thank you, Azazel-sama." 

"As you can see I've already given him a little something, but I believe you deserve a reward for your hard work as well, no?" 

"Eh? That's unnecessary Azazel-sama, your praises are more than enough." 

"Don't be ridiculous, here." 

He reached into his coat and pulled out a sealed envelope, unsure as to what it contained, Oron retrieved with it an inquisitive expression. 

"Save it for later, I won't spoil, but it's probably something best kept private. At least for now." 

"Understood." Oron promptly stuffed it into his pocket, with only a hunch as to what the letter contained. 

"Now then, I have something rather important to tell the both of you." His expression stiffened as their attentiveness grew. 

"The thing is, the Satans, Heaven, and Grigori have been in talks as of late regarding an upcoming event. We haven't settled on a location, but we've already decided to have a sort of 'peace conference' soon." 

Although, it didn't come as too much of a shock to Jin, namely because of his lack of understanding. Oron's pupils quickly dilated as he understood how important it was that the three factions were even talking at all. 

Moreover, the fact that it had to do with peace. 

"The talking will be done between myself, Sirzechs, and Michael. However, Jin, I still want you to be in attendance, and naturally, that means Oron will be accompanying you." 

"But, shouldn't Shemhazai-sama be your attache?" 

"Normally that would be the case, but I need him to watch over Grigori whenever I'm not around, and having the meeting on another faction's grounds defeats the whole purpose." 

"And your next choice is me? I doubt I'd be good company for those bigwigs." 

"You've already met with one, haven't you? Surely two more couldn't hurt." 

Jin rolled his eyes upon realizing that Azazel's expression showed little intent on compromise. 

"All I have to do is stand there right? No talking?" 

"Of course." 

(I'm pretty sure that's a lie, but it looks like I'll be going whether I like it or not.) 

He shook his head helplessly as he resigned himself to fate. 

"Fine." 

The Governor's lips curled upwards as he clapped his hands together. 

"Great! It's settled then, I'll let you know immediately once we've decided on a venue. In the meantime, I believe both of you have earned some much-needed rest." 

(You won't be hearing any complaints from me, I can hear my futon calling to me from the other room.) 

"I don't mean to object but, are you sure it's safe? With all three present it's possible that someone might try something, whether it's from within or without." 

Oron's concern was evident by his tone, and truthfully Azazel shared in his worry. 

"It's possible, but I'll be there. So the two of you will be just fine." 

With a confident smile, he vanished into the night leaving Oron with a newfound sense of security, whilst Jin remained indifferent as ever. 

It wasn't as if he hated having Azazel's protection, but perhaps, he just didn't care. At least not as much as he used to. 

After all, how can a man truly appreciate a life he doesn't even fully believe belongs to him. 

------------

"This frost, it's beautiful." 

The valleys were covered in snow and the mountains were encompassed in a fine blanket of ice. 

The trees remained withered and the fauna was virtually nonexistent. 

"Hm, it looks like she's a Devil, what a shame. Had she been my wielder I could've molded something truly special out of her."

Snowfall was a constant, the thin air was more than enough to cause one's lungs to plead for mercy. 

"Truly unfortunate, anyhow, let's have a look at the power-obsessed fool possessing my husk this time." 

The only thing to break the silence of the landscape, save for the winds howling, was a deep feminine voice brimming with boredom. 

Some would argue that she, or rather it wasn't even human, not by a long shot. 

Her rough eyelids shut, and a singular voice continued to boom through her head as she shifted through hoards of information. 

"This won't do, there's not enough honesty in your voice. In that case, I'll have to dig at your conscience instead." 

I'm already tired, no, exhausted. It's hardly even been a week, and I'm more than ready to quit. 

But I can't, the breath I draw is no longer the product of my own labor. I mustn't waste what I've been given, hah, not that I really understand what that is. 

It should be fine for me to continue as is right? Everyone has their place and time, I'm sure mine will arrive soon. 

"Strange, but I suppose that much is expected with the position you're in." 

But, I can't help but shake the feeling that something's wrong with me. No, maybe I've already begun to accept it. 

I've never seen that place, but my heart continues to claw at me still, beckoning me with all its might to protect it. 

This war, has it really been stopped? Everyone keeps saying that. 

It's probably not my place, I can't seem to agree. 

History has proven that one man can start a war, but millions have always perished to stop it. 

Or is that what I'm doing? Stopping that "one man" from existing in the first place? 

Will there be more like him? What am I saying, of course, there will be, there always is. 

However, where does that leave me? 

I know what I want to protect, but I don't know why I'm doing it. Will I be alright if I'm left like this?

I don't understand any of you, even though I'm supposedly living amongst your kind, I don't get what drives you. 

I can't even call out to you two, whom I'm supposed to trust most, I simply don't have the words to. 

What should I do? Someone, please tell me. 

"That's enough." 

For the first time, in a long time, she had stopped herself. 

"I certainly wasn't expecting that, especially that word. How long has it been since I've last heard it? Oh, that's right, this is the first time it's come from the mouth of one of my hosts." 

Her focus tightened as she carefully pondered what to do with her bizarre possessor. 

"This is probably the first time I'm considering doing anything at all to begin with, what a pain." 

She mused to herself as the young man's heart seemed to resonate with a certain part of her own.

"Perhaps a simple conversation? Yes, that's a good place to start."