Magical Modern Earth

Hiroko was stunned at Harus' rejection, tears running down her face. "W-why? Why doesn't she like me? T-this isn't how it was supposed to go! She is supposed to love me! No this is wrong! This isn't how it is supposed to go! I am not supposed to be REJECTED! SHE IS SUPPOSED TO LOVE ME!!! I-I am going to MAKE he love me! She is MINE." Hiroko turned to face Haru, her faced twisted in rage, hatred, and a bit of sadness, but one thing stood out more than the others. Insanity... this girl has lost her sanity completely. She took out a gun from her small purse and took the safety off. "NO! I ISN"T SUPPOSED TO BE LIKE THIS!" she cried out as she stomped her foot on the concrete.

Haru was part way down the concrete walkway, her bag slung over her shoulder, when she heard Hiroko yell at her. Haru stopped in her tracks and let out a sigh, one of these girls it seemed. The basketball player got a few of these girls every once and awhile, ones who refuse to believe that she was straight. “But it is, I am not into girls Hiroko, I am sorry.” She said, looking up at the clouds for a moment before turning around to explain to the girl that it wasn't going to happen.

That WAS the plan. But the plan quickly changed. “Holy shit!” The sight of a gun pointed at the Haru made her drop her bag. There was no talking to Hiroko it seemed, the mousy girl looked like she flipped her lid. Only one thing to do then, and that was too run. With speed that was almost unreal Haru quickly turned around and dashed down the concrete pathway, tears welling up in her eyes. This couldn't be real! It had to be a nightmare! And...where did Hiroko get a gun? Haru didn't want to die. Not today, not on her sixteenth birthday.

Charmeine was not what most beings of Celestia would call typical. As a Throne Angel, her job was to do God's bidding, whether it be passing a message on to another Angel, or travelling to the Terran Plane to deliver a message there. Along with her other Thrones, she was also often tasked with the dispensing of justice and punishment, her ability to remain neutral and objective unmatched even by her counterparts. While Thrones were considered to be the exact embodiment of God's goodness, she personally would consider herself more of the perfect embodiment of Purgatory. Swaying neither one way nor the other, she always remained true to her neutrality, believing it was the most important part of justice, and the only way fairness could be achieved.

It was because this neutrality that Charmeine assumed she was being called to speak to the Seraphim. She was no stranger to their beckoning, and unlike many angels, never feared them. They may still make her uneasy, but she would never fear them. Charmeine may not have been the most powerful angel in Celestia, but her role as a Throne was to be respected among the hierarchy, and she knew her place in God's Choir was an important one. But when she was called to the very hand of God by the Seraphs themselves, she was surprised. The Seraphs spoke Gods will, and she dispensed it. But for them to call her into his very presence was a rare feat indeed.

That is how she came to stand in the Holy Place where God Himself chose to dwell, and stared unabashedly at the Seraphs. The "Holy Song" was flowing from their lips, as always, echoing through the open space and bouncing off of it's limitless walls. Their faces, always covered by their wings, seemed to stare right back at her regardless. Most angels would kneel before them, but Charmeine had long since been absolved of such an action. God had bestowed upon her the role that awarded her such power, but that did not mean the Seraphs had to like it, or her. They were the only beings alive, on any plane, that still succeeded in causing her some unease. She knew what was coming next, their chant of Invocation, to officially call into existence her newest mission. That's what this was: Charmeine was being summoned to a job.

"Throne Charmeine, Mirror of God, Bringer of Justice, Harbinger of Harmony. You have been summoned, to the Dwelling of God, the Throne of his Holiness, to witness His Divine Invocation." The Seraphs were one in their chant, using Telepathy to boom their words into her head. No being, save God Himself, was worthy of hearing the Seraphs speak true words, from their mouths and not their minds, and they seemed to take great pleasure in the unease that their combined speak always caused Charmeine. Her response, however, was strong and steady, befitting of her status. She had long since learned not to let the actions of others rattle her.

"Seraphim of God, Burning Effigy, Caretaker of the Holiest of Holy, Humanitarians of the Universe. I bow before thy light, and humbly imbibe in the words of thine Divine Accord."
It was at this point, formalities over with, that the Seraphs dropped all pretense. They did not like Charmeine, and Charmeine was not partial to them. The sooner this was over, the sooner they could get her tainted aura out of their presence.

“We assume that you know of the happenings on Terra?” The Seraphs did not stop for her reply. They didn’t care to hear it. “Your Holiness believes your duties as a Throne would be best suited on Terra. Your...’unique’ ability to transfer yourself to the mortal plane will prove useful in this instance. An Archangel should have approached you about preparing the Sanctuary for your transfer. While there, you will dispense the Justice of our Lord as you see fit. We expect you to stay true to His Will, Throne Charmeine, Mirror of God. Do not let your opinions affect this mission.”

Not skipping a beat, Charmeine primly replied “And what might that mission be?”

The Seraphs, ruffled by her forwardness, were terse in their words. “If we need to remind you of your position after so many centuries, then so be it. You were assigned the planet Terra upon your birth, and you will walk the Terran plane and dispense of the Lord’s Justice. Take this as your Judgement, Throne Charmeine. Failure is not an option.”

Charmeine did not miss the underlying meaning of the Seraphs words. They were telling her, once again, that they disapproved of her, and that if she didn’t succeed in whatever Justice they wanted done, she would be stripped. Judgement was not something to be taken lightly for Angels. Her reckoning was coming, and it all depended on pleasing the beings who could never be pleased.

Charmeine nodded. “If that is all, I will be on my way.”

The Seraphs gave a shiver which she assumed was acceptance, and Charmeine took that as her cue to leave. There was no love lost between her and God’s protectors, and she was glad to get out of Celestia and away from their watchful eye. But this was not a normal mission. Her “unique ability” as they put it to transfer back and for to Terra was not to be taken lightly. It made her a powerful and very useful asset in the fight against Demonia, yet they chose to make her a purveyor of peace and not a warrior on the front lines. She could only assume it was because they did not trust her.

Others might have been disheartened by the apparent lack of faith, but Charmeine was rather used to being underestimated. The real reason, that the Seraphs didn’t want to say aloud, was that they needed a neutral party on Celestia to protect the humans. Charmeine herself had seen the way the humans were being dragged into the battle between the two powerful entities, and thought it disruptive to the balance. Humans were not supposed to be privy to all the goings on of higher powers. It was not how things were supposed to happen. Demonia and Celestia were separate from Terra, and there were reasons why. They were implying that if she didn’t call order to the chaos, Armageddon would ensue, and she would pay for it.

When she arrived at her Sanctuary to finish the ritual, she knew that someone had been there. It was where she performed the ritual to traverse to Terra, and was really the only secret she had. While she assumed it was a power only she had, it was a power nonetheless, and it was one she did not want others to know about. So to have an Archangel tell her to prepare the Sanctuary, and now the realization that someone had been spying on her, was not a welcome event. Charmeine knew the Seraphs had done it to rattle her, something they enjoyed greatly, and to let her know that she would keep no secrets from them. But she had prepared nonetheless, and was now ready to begin the ritual .

The ritual was actually a rather simple one, to start out with. She began by meditating, collecting and storing the energies of the mikos and monks she had made a spiritual connection with. All Throne Angels were keepers of energy, but Charmeine was the keeper of spiritual energy. More specifically, the energy of the humans called priests and priestesses. This is how she connected with the spirits that had passed on. She would latch onto their mortal connections, usually grave sites or the temples where they served, and use the energy of the connection as her host.

She felt the holy energy of the deceased flowing through her, and just like that, she was on the Terran plane, somewhere in a old, but well-taken care of temple. As she was considered the Patron Saint of Priests and Priestesses, legends and stories of an angel appearing in holy places were well circulated. While she tried not to appear in densely-populated areas, it was good to have a truthful cover story anyway. The temple seemed to be deserted, however, which was unfortunate, seeing as she was in no condition to find her on way around Terra.

The problem with her traverses were two-fold. The first, she was currently dealing with. She had absolutely no idea where she was. It would take concentration, and perhaps a bit of watching the “television news” mortals were so fond of, but she would eventually be able to find her way to the action. That is, after she found out where she was now.

The second, and much more pressing problem, was the debilitating weakness that occurred because of the quick travel. While other angels occupied hosts, bodies that were used to the Terran plane, Charmeine was occupying her own body - a body that was not used to the sudden change. Her stay would be rather short, only 7 days or so before she would go back to Celestia for a report, but the first third of that stay would be spent practically human. No fighting, no powers, just a simple mortal body.

It wasn’t that she shouldn’t use her powers in this weak stage, it was that she couldn't. The power just wasn’t there. But everything was give and take in the Universe, and this was the price she would pay for convenience and undetection.

Charmeine stood on shaky legs, before catching her breath and stumbling out of the temple. She idly noticed the comforting feel of her swords on her back, and the familiar look of a school girl’s uniform. She would have to walk into the city, and hope that the Angels were careless enough to draw attention to themselves.

“The only way to complete a journey is to start it,” she said to herself. “Perhaps I will find out what or whom it is the Seraphs are unhappy with.” Charmeine could already feel the lingering effects of Angel powers, like electricity in the air, and headed in that direction. Despite the answers she would find there, she would lie low, regain her strength. If there was one thing Charmeine was not, it was foolhardy. “Whatever shall await me in this world on the brink?” She breathed in deeply, the sting of recent battle still soaring through the air. “Oh Terra... If you only knew...”

Serafina blinked as she saw something in the window start to grow. She saw what it was and looked at Atlus and Chijin. She had to do something! She looked for a weapon in the room and her eyes settled on a coat rack. She ran to it and picked it up, as she ran to the window and hit it with a thud! Not breaking the window but hoping to shake this demon off. “LEAVE MY FRIENDS ALONE!” she cried out to it as her necklace came out of her shirt.

Atlus looked over at the window Sarafina broke, 'what the?' he thought as he walked over to the window, "Atlus, there's a demon down there!" Ikaran yelped, "oh bloody hell!"Atlus said as he jumped out the window going into angel form to fight. Atlus landed next to the demon drawing his scythe to kill when he realized the demon is growing larger, Atlus raised his scythe to decapitate the thing as he got it to the top the demon booted him away into a building. He was stuck and helpless.

"Ayashi-kun! I am so sorry, if-if it wasn’t for me you wouldn’t be hurt!” What was the woman ranting about? It was obviously Kaika's own spur of the moment decisions that were ultimately responsible for his current condition. He should have, by all accounts, allowed the vehicle to pulverize Serafina's weak human body. “and… well I have something to ask you… but I’d like to ask you in private…”

Ah. Of course she wanted to ask about her rescue. Any creature with half a brain would do so. But before Kaika had the chance to contemplate what this might complicate, a bolt of alarm fired through his skull.

A shudder ran down Kaika's spine, sending jolts of pain through his injured shoulder. A hiss of pain escaped from between his clenched teeth. His every magical sense was straining towards his left. A demon. Just what he had predicted. No, this wasn't good at all. Kaika would win easily if he discarded the human body, but... his cover would be blown. Permanently, unless he was prepared to kill the witnesses. Not a problem, but... Kaika's thoughts flashed back to Serafina's wave. It would be a waste, after all he went through to save the human. Perhaps it wouldn't be necessary, after all, the demon wasn't so large...

Wait. Nevermind.

Out of the corner of his eye, Kaika watched as the creature grew many times it's original size. Serafina stood up, and seemingly without any hesitation, stormed over to the window and swung a coatrack at the glass, failing to break it. His reddened eyes widened. Is she attempting to engage the creature? That would be suicide!

But one surprise came after another, and in a shower of glory and glass, the other person in the room transformed. Kaika sucked in a breath. An angel. Right under his nose. The angel wasn't too strong, however. From what Kaika could see from his poor vantage point, he was punted out of the game seconds after attacking the monster.

Well. How anti-climatic.

Kaika turned his attention back to the human woman. How would she react to all of this? Would she continue to fight, even after witnessing the defeat of a soldier of God? Surely not.

Serafina would run, or die trying. Either way, Kaika would then be free to transform.