It was a pleasant Sunday morning, perhaps even worthy of the word “delightful”, yet Akuma found himself at the end of his rope. Even if this turned out to be nothing more than a ridiculous dream playing tricks on him, he was determined to seek closure. A wave of resolve surged through him as he decided to enlist his brother, Tenshi, to drive him to that damn church.

He fired up the web browser on his phone and typed in “Church of Michael”, discovering it was a mere fifteen-minute drive away. It felt almost too convenient, but he wasn’t about to question the lemons life threw his way. However, he couldn’t help but ponder his next steps. What was he even doing? Once he arrived at this church, what would he do then? These were pressing questions, yet he chose to silence his doubts and ask his brother for a ride anyway. Bursting through the front door -because who needs privacy?- he blurted out his request. An awkward silence followed, and with a bewildered expression, Tenshi finally asked, “…Why?”

If only he could explain without sounding insane.

In that moment, realization dawned on Tenshi, and laughter erupted at the thought of his brother turning to faith. “Have you finally decided to confess all your sins?” he teased, chuckling mockingly. “Convert after everything you’ve done?” Akuma stood frozen, feeling utterly defeated as his brother's laughter echoed around him, almost making him wish he could vanish and pretend he never brought it up. What could he possibly say? Admit that he was tormented by haunting words from a dream? Absolutely not. “I’m not going to waste my time on that nonsense.” he muttered, turning back to his phone. But then, a sudden change of heart struck him. “Wait, forget that, let’s go.”

Tenshi was notorious for his unpredictable mood swings, often flipping his emotions like a switch. Yet, this quirk only fueled Akuma's curiosity about the reasons behind such shifts. He was the type to inquire “how” rather than “why.” “What’s with the sudden change of heart...?” Akuma probed, genuinely intrigued.

“Well, if you’re set on converting, I suppose it’s my responsibility to assist you… But honestly, I’m just curious to see what happens.” Tenshi replied, a playful wink flying from his face. What a weirdo.

Although Akuma had no plans to convert, he had successfully extracted the answer he sought and wasn’t about to jeopardize that. “Whatever floats your boat.” he said, stepping out of his room to prepare for the drive.

Hoping to catch him before he left, Tenshi called out, “Send me the address!”

***

Arriving at the church, Akuma wasn’t surprised in the slightest to see Tenshi's car parked at an awkward angle. It was a scene he saw often, likely a result of Tenshi dedicating most of his free time to training rather than driving. Honestly, it was a miracle he had even managed to get his driver's license.

As they approached, the doors swung open automatically, as if inviting them into a warm embrace. Despite never having set foot in this church before, they instinctively turned right, entered the lobby, and settled into a sofa of sorts, waiting for a member of the clergy to greet them. Soon enough, a pastor by the name of "Pastor John" appeared to welcome them. He was a tall man with short black hair, appearing to be in his late thirties. Clad in the white clergy cassock of the Church of Michael, adorned with a prominent red cross, he exuded an air of authority. “Mr. Akuma and Mr. Tenshi?” he called out, his voice warm and his demeanor polished.

“Yeah... How did you know our names?” they asked in unison, their confusion evident.

“Why, the Priest has been expecting you all week, of course. Now, please, come right this way.” With that, the pastor turned and led them deeper into the church.

Exchanging wary glances, Akuma and Tenshi silently communicated their unease, their eyes conveying a shared thought:

“This feels a bit off.”

Nevertheless, they rose from their seats and followed the pastor down a long hallway, passing numerous doors until they reached a solitary door at the end. Too hesitant to voice their concerns, they resorted to their unique form of communication -exchanging blinks, a secret language they had crafted just for moments like this.

“(Hey, you didn’t lead me to some kind of sex dungeon, did you?!)” Tenshi inquired.

“(Negative. And I doubt anyone would want you.)"

“(The hell you tryna' say, bro? Don't even joke like that.)”

"(Who said anything about joking?)"

“Gah-! You little-!” he exclaimed, momentarily forgetting their silent pact.

Reaching the wooden door at the corridor's end, the pastor knocked twice, hoping to catch someone's attention. A shiver slid up Akuma’s spine at the sight of it.

“YES?!” an elderly voice bellowed from within.

“I’ve brought the boys here, Priest Finral!”

“PLEASE, LET THEM IN!!!” The voice resonated with the weight of ages, as if the speaker had traversed the world for centuries. It was astonishing that someone so ancient could project such a volume. As soon as those words echoed, the pastor swung the door open. Tenshi stepped inside first, with Akuma following closely behind, glaring at the door as he did. The pastor who had guided them there shut the door, standing guard like a bouncer at the most exclusive party in town.

The interior resembled a lavish casino, designed for the elite. The first thing that caught the eye was the opulent white marble table, encircled by plush red chairs. In the back, exotic pool tables added to the extravagant atmosphere. Surprisingly, the pope did not conform to the stereotype of a short, frail old man draped in white and gold vestments. Nor was this the room you’d expect to find in a church. Instead, he towered over even Pastor John, his short gray hair complementing his immaculate white robe, though the wrinkles were indeed a testament to his age.

(Holy hell! This room costs more than my life!) Akuma thought, utterly astonished. (Who is this guy?!)

Tenshi, usually indifferent, found himself absorbing the lavish surroundings. “I knew the pope had money, but this?” he exclaimed, scanning the room from left to right.

“Good evening, boys!” the ancient figure greeted them with a wide smile, though it resembled more like the smug grin of the wealthy flaunting their riches. Normally, Akuma would have despised that expression, but his attention was drawn to the wooden cane resting beside the pope's chair.

(If you're this loaded, then why a wooden cane?! What a weirdo...)

Suddenly, the mood in the room shifted dramatically. The pope leaned forward, his demeanor transforming into one of grave seriousness. “Please, take a seat and listen closely, boys…” he urged. “…What I am about to share with you is of utmost importance.”

The two brothers exchanged glances, their feeling to get out of their evident by their faces. But with this all being Akuma’s idea he let out a mighty sigh and stepped forth. Conveniently there were two seats at the end of the table, facing Finral.

“Akuma. You have already met with Michael, correct?”

For a moment, Akuma’s face -previously dead and expressionless- jumped into that of pure confusion. How did he know about his dream? How did he know the angel’s name? Who even is this man? These are the questions that raced through Akuma’s mind. However, he ultimately dismissed all those thoughts and chalked it up as some wild guess. This gu must’ve been some prophet or somethin.

“Unfortunately, we do not have time to go over everything at this moment, but there is a tale I must tell you.” As Tenshi and Akuma sat there in complete silence, the pope went on. “Though you only see it in stories and legends, long ago this world that we live in was filled with people who held the power to do amazing things. They could harden their bodies to be as tough as steel, command strength that could level a city or even reach speeds impossible for the common man. During those days, every human had access to a power source known as Hoshi. At its core, Hoshi is the ability to interact with the energy produced by your soul. By itself it is quite simple but paired with a Tamashi, one could use ‘Empower’ and if the condition is right, they could even use ‘Devour’. One of the greatest wielders of Hoshi this world has ever born was one of my favorite students. Moses. Quite the genius of his time, he was able to use hoshi from outside sources and split the sea. Unfortunately, the ability to interact with this energy was sealed away from mortals. As a result, people lost all memory and belief of Hoshi as the centuries passed by. All that remains are legends and folklore of its existence."

"...............”

He grabbed the wooden cane he had resting to his side, rose out of his chair and pointed it’s tip at Tenshi’s direction. “I trust Micheal has already released your seals, Akuma! So, I shall release your seal, Tenshi! It would take quite a while to do it cleanly, so I shall have to rush a bit.”

Akuma had half a mind to walk out right there and then, but honestly, something akin to curiosity washed over him. Just what would this crackhead do next? So far, he was doing his best to hold in his laughter.

He continued to hold his wooden cane in Tenshi’s direction and began chanting some sort of poem:

“Through fire and despair, thou are ensnared.

Through chains and bondage, thou are poundage.

Through strain and pain, thou shall attain.

Now flow free for this I have claim.”

A heavy silence followed, broken by a burst of uncontrollable laughter. This entire time they listened carefully and attentively as the priest spat this fable out his ass, but they’d reach their end. Their dam had finally received more than it could hold and exploded.

“Yeah, it’s time to get the hell out of here.” Tenshi said, dabbing at the tears of laughter streaming down his cheeks. Akuma had also been wheezing, even still as they made their way to the door.

As if the priest was trying to convince them to listen to even more fables, he screamed out:

“WAIT!!! THERE IS MORE YOU NEED TO HEAR!!!...THEY ARE COMING FOR YOU!!” However, his cries were meaningless, as they’d already tuned him out. Another “PLEASE WAIT!!!” followed until he realized they weren’t turning around. Haven realized this, he hurried out of his chair to chase after them. And boy was he a quick one. How the hell is an old man so damn nimble and agile?

Of course, you can imagine that such a sight was almost horrifying. Thinking their lives were in danger, they did what any sane person would do in such a situation. They booked it. Darting past the pastor who was keeping a lookout, they sprinted down the hallway, past the lobby and out the door. They did so with one wish in mind:

“Please just let me reach the car”.

They didn’t spare a single glance behind them.