The Lion's Wings (DXD)

Chapter 8: Healing Bird

Chapter 8

“Kono Shino.”

Elise steps off the carriage and walks over to the body of the wounded woman, her clothes magically changing into her armor, putting her head on, she picks up the woman whilst making her ethereal as well. She is brought into the carriage across from Xerxes, the woman has long brown hair that is disheveled and green eyes that are glassed with tears. She holds onto her ribs which gush with blood.

“Kono Shino…” Xerxes said slowly, fading off at the end.

Kono looks up to him and coughs out his name, “J-Jong…” Blood splatters on herself and him.

“It’s always been said, the good die young, the bad die old…” He kneels in front of her and cups her cheek in his hand, “Do you want to live?”

The pain that she feels slowly dissipates, but not healing her, just blocking the feeling of the nerves. “Please… Help me.”

“I cannot, it is against the code of law, it’ll destroy my soul to stop your death.” Xerxes hands her his pocket watch, that’s now going backwards into negative numbers very quickly.

Tears stream down her eyes, not in pain, but pure emotion. “Will I be an angel…?”

He sits back down and tells her, “I cannot say, there’s a chance, but few get the rank as angel. You can live again, but it will go against everything that you have ever believed.” She stays silent, paling more and her eyes starting to lose color. “You can be reincarnated under me as an immortal being, as a demon.”

She falls forward and leans onto him, her body cold with the blood in her ribs slowed. She’s passed, her soul now aloft in the world for years to come. Or is it? Conjuring up his piece of bishop, he sits her up and places it in her collar.

Xerxes forms a purple flaming magic circle under her, the flames too lively to make out the family crest that they follow. “Under the name of the Great Marquis —, I give you new life, rise from death and heal those with your gentle soul, come my bishop, Kono Shino.” He commands her soul back into her body, made purely from his own magical energy now. The piece on her chest is now black glass with a purple flame in the base.

He bows his head to her and kisses her hand, “Forgive me, Shino, but you deserve to live a fuller life.”

Elise brings them to the manor and carries Shino to the bedroom, meanwhile Xerxes stays in the carriage and looks at all the blood on the seat and floor, contemplating. He brought back his own coworker, a friend he knows as catholic, with a catholic family, and is close with a priest… as a demon. But, one day, maybe she could understand why she was brought back, and understand the secret of the world.

He gets out of the carriage and heads upstairs, his pocket watch is now empty without time to tell, he places it on his bed stand and takes off his gloves. His scarred hands shake, the flesh around them fading in and out of existence, leaving only bone. Taking a deep breath, he focuses on his magic consumption and his hands from back. Undressing, he goes to bed on a very early morning, not ready to deal with what is to come.

Awakening to horns being blown from outside, Xerxes storms across the second floor and pokes out the window above the front door, throwing a brick down. The brick hits a trumpet blower in the head, making all of the five others stop and hide their horns behind their back.

Lady Ravelen yells to him, “Good afternoon to you as well!”

“I have servants for a reason, don’t go announcing your arrival at my damn place!” Xerxes slams the window shut and traverses back to his room to get dressed in simply gray pants and a white button-up.