Opinions

The Nuisance

(Hello, lovelies~ Sorry I'm a bit late with this, I was really tired last night and lost all focus and motivation, I needed to sleep :/ But anyway, let's get to it! Misfit Together should still update as usual tomorrow)

He always did have mixed feelings towards Lucifer.

It was unheard of for a former angel, especially an archangel, to be welcomed amongst the demons but nevertheless, General Alciel had to accept his king's decision. He was Satan's right-hand man, his most trusted servant, and he wasn't about to risk falling out of his favour by resisting. So he reluctantly allowed the newcomer into his domain, trying to suppress his disgust. It was hard to hide, though.

It went against everything he stood for, everything he believed in, to accept one he naturally viewed as his enemy, but soon he began to adapt. It was clear that Lucifer was no longer of Heaven, from his blackened wings to his cynical and menacing demeanour. He was certainly a fallen angel, one who fully rejected his past life, but a demon...?

That took Alciel some time to recognise.

As time went on, Lucifer proved himself a true demon and a valuable asset to the demon army. His knowledge and understanding of the inner workings of Heaven and Ente Isla's church helped them plan strategies of attack, his hatred for his angel brethren made him ruthless, his skills and cunning drove them further forward. That was exactly the problem. Alciel could respect him, could respect his tactics, but this creature, this small, pathetic angel, had made him wary. Who was to say no other angel could rise to such a level? He had always viewed the angels as lower beings. They were revered by the humans as pure and perfect, gentle and accepting. He had not expected to meet one like this who felt no sympathy or remorse for those he harmed and who could derive so much joy from causing so much destruction. Lucifer was tearing apart everything Alciel believed in.

And King Satan praised him. He saw him as worthy. As one of them. Alciel agreed out of loyalty to his king and master, but inside he was constantly fuming. The fallen angel, while serious and dedicated when planning, training and fighting, could be thoughtless, reckless and downright disrespectful at any other time. When relaxed, General Lucifer was arrogant and far too much of a burden on Alciel's mind.

Then it ended. The news came that Lucifer had been killed by the Hero and at first Alciel only saw the loss of a battle and the threat of defeat. But before long he was overtaken by a wave of regret, of sorrow and of true mourning. It was brief but he couldn't simply ignore it; he was saddened by what had happened. Lucifer had left his mark on Alciel, having shown him that he didn't know everything there was to know. His expectations could always be challenged. He had taught him an important lesson.

For a short time after that, Lucifer was gone from Alciel's mind. He was living a different life now as Shiro Ashiya and had no time to dwell on the past. He had a home to run and although he wished Maou wasn't quite so invested in this human-dominated world, he did find himself enjoying life here. The battles they fought were smaller and much less stressful. He had time to himself. Of course, Yusa was an ongoing problem but her limited power was reassuring.

Then what seemed like just another day became a train wreck in Ashiya's life. Lucifer had survived, or otherwise somehow risen from the dead.

He was in shock. It was difficult to register what was going on at first and he got caught up in a meaningless argument with Maou. He dropped his guard.

Comatose, Ashiya could barely understand the situation he was in. All he knew was that Lucifer was back and he had betrayed them. The fear around him condensed into magical energy and soon he was able to close his wound and manifest his demonic form. But his mind was racing. How could Lucifer do this to them? Not only had he turned his back on them, his motivation was to buy his way back into Heaven?

He couldn't understand. Needing to recuperate and gather his thoughts, to try and make sense of things, he snuck away.

The cape was an excuse.

... Ok, it wasn't just an excuse, but really, he had to wear something respectable, how could he fight a battle in those human clothes?

He had been right to distrust Lucifer. If he won, he would surely take what he had learned of the demons back to his homeland. He was a threat. Even temporarily joining forces with the Hero was a better option than letting Lucifer get away with this.

He was angry. Rage drove him in that fight. He had come to respect Lucifer as his equal. He had accepted him as a fellow demon. He was only satisfied when he saw him, battered and bruised, drained of all magic before his king.

And then he had the nerve to becoming a leeching hermit in their home. Maou graciously welcomed him in with open arms, giving him a new name and taking the necessary precautions to keep him safe and protected, and he couldn't even pretend to be grateful? No matter how much Ashiya nagged at him he seemed completely incapable of expressing his thanks or taking responsibility for himself.

He was a child.

An entitled, self-absorbed, rude, ignorant, uncaring, shameless, repulsive child.

... A... demon...

He always did have mixed feelings towards Urushihara.