Aɳɠҽʅιƈ Hυɳƚɾҽʂʂ σϝ Bʅσσԃ αɳԃ Sƚҽҽʅ

Chapter 15: Fallen Leaf

All Maria has left is the ghosts... 

Blood and death surround her, condemned to an eternal thirst for vengeance under the mantle of Heaven's Huntress.

Gifted with power but forever alone, Maria has all but grown accustomed to the loneliness...

No one to talk to, laugh with, grow close to... 

An everlasting night to hunt like a bloodthirsty beast. Until a certain Exorcist wound its way into her life... 

Her only friend. The daughter of the First Man, Lute. 

Like a burning star in an otherwise empty sky, Lute became Maria's only light to guide her through the pitch-black darkness of the night. 

So it only makes things so much harder on her, when Maria has to push her friend away. Because no one, not even Lute will surely understand her role in this grande Hunt of hers.  

...

[Maria's Innate Domain | Huntress's Dream]

"What am I doing here?" Lute repeats, questioning the Archangel. "What are you doing here? What even is this place?!"

Maria only sighs at this, giving Lute an apologetic look from her place on the throne.

"You shouldn't have come here, Lute." Maria replies, before tilting her head in confusion. "But how did you even get into the Dream in the first place?"

To answer her question, a group of top hat-wearing messengers rise from the ground. They moan in response, almost sass-like judging by their tone of voice.

"You- You let her in?" Maria slowly says, blinking to process this. A moment later, her expression shifts into deadly anger, eyes flickering green. "You disobeyed me..."

"It's not their fault," Lute cuts in, quick to get in between the two. "In fact, they should've brought this to me sooner."

"You need to leave, Lute..." Maria practically orders, and the Exorcist's anxiety spikes when she feels that ominous gaze directed at her. "Now."

But the Exorcist shakes her head, refusing to leave. Even when every fiber in her body, every instinct is screaming at her to do so.

"No," Lute refuses, staring the Archangel down with a determined face. "I'm not leaving until you tell me what's exactly going on here."

"What does it look like," Maria says back, not holding back the annoyance in her voice. Damn Lute for being so stubborn... "I'm settling business, Lute."

"Your business is... torturing?" Lute clarifies, making the situation more insane when she puts it into words. "That's not very Heaven-like, Maria."

The Archangel scoffs at the comment, glaring at the Exorcist.

"Maybe you've forgotten, Lute." Maria points out, dully. "But I'm the Huntress..."

If there's something Maria hates in this world more than anything... It's hypocrisy and ignorance.

"Boogeyman of the supernatural world. My work is messy, but it's necessary."

"I'm not stupid, Maria." Lute retorts, the Archangel's attitude fueling her own anger. "I know that you kill people, that you have blood on your hands..."

Lute gestures to herself, laying a hand on her chest.

"I have too. But this..." Lute points over to the chained-up victims. "This isn't right! They've already died! You killed them! So whatever business you have with them should be over-!"