13org

⤫ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐧 ⤬

Miya

^{Morning - The Rookery, New York City - [Everyone]}

---

The moment Lieutenant Hawthorne mentioned the Orthodoxy's recent interest in human testing, Dimitri couldn't help but find it a bit strange, raising an eyebrow as he listened. Human experimentation was honestly not something new or unheard in the last years. Hell... He knew the church itself was guilty of the very same thing... The only difference between the Orthodoxy and the Catholic church in that specific matter was that one was quicker to start human experimentation and had more success on it than the other...

Regardless of how guilty both sides were, the fact the catholic church had suddenly became interested in those experiments meant that the Orthodoxy likely had started to get close to a real result. The surprising part about all that was that the information Dimitri himself had about those tests didn't seem to be that significant. Definitely not enough for the church to dispatch a number and it's handler to investigate it... The possibility that the church had more information than Dimitri had about the Orthodoxy's experiments was very high.

"Not much, to be honest. Most of the information I've came to know point to the entire research to be quite early in development, with no significant progress being made so far." Dimitri replied, closely studying the reactions from Lieutenant Hawthorne and the Archbishop, before the latter returned to the war room.

But Dimitri's interest on the Lieutenant's reaction soon disappeared when she handed him a few documents. Written in them were the names and information of a few of the agents that had recently disappeared while doing field work in the Orthodoxy. Among them, one name drew his attention... Rhea Harkov. Rhea was one of Dimitri's contacts, occasionally exchanging information with him. Knowing that even the cloaking tech she was so proud of wasn't able to save her did ring an alarm on Dimitri's mind... If the Orthodoxy was getting rid of agents deeply infiltrated into their ranks like Rhea... Then it was highly possible that most information that he came to know about the experiments were baits either part of a disinformation operation and bait...

Dimitri's expression went from surprised to serious as he read the papers, looking up after a few minutes of silence with a serious expression.

"There is a high probability that the information we know about their experiments are either very outdated, calculated leaks to mask the real progress of their experiments, part of a disinformation operation to root out spies or both... It seems the Orthodoxy has played us for fools..." Dimitri said, finally putting the sheets of paper in the table again with a sigh.

"Understood. Our progress in investigating this matter will likely not be as quick as usual, given the Orthodoxy's control over any real information about their experiments and how effective they have been at rooting out spies recently but we will send periodic reports about this matter by the same means as usual." Dimitri said with a serious tone as Lieutenant Hawthorne informed of their next assignment once the crisis with the horsemen was resolved.

While Miya didn't show any external reaction, her eyes seemed to focus quite intensely on Lieutenant Hawthorne the moment she heard her words. During all the conversation, Miya stood silent, studying Dimitri and the Lieutenant's expressions and reactions. Unlike both of them, Miya had known about the Orthodoxy leaking false and outdated information about their experiments for a while now, but decided against reporting her findings so far. Even though she completely and fully trusted Dimitri, she knew that he would most definitely report their findings to his superiors due to how professional and disciplined he was regarding his job... Despite being far from being religious or fervently loyal to the Catholic church.

During quite some time while they were doing fieldwork in Russia, Miya delicately and discreetly suggested and manipulated Dimitri to believe that the experiments the Orthodoxy was performing were far from being a real threat. Sure, Miya did feel a bit guilty about using Dimitri's soft spot for her to manipulate him, but she saw what she did as akin to telling a few, harmless white lies instead of 'betraying his trust'.

Initially, Miya's goal was to let the Orthodoxy experiments to advance as long as they didn't become a threat to her or Dimitri, as they would be highly likely to give her an insight of what exactly she was and how she became a 'number'. In the end, due to how tightly and strictly the Orthodoxy was controlling any 'real' information about those experiments, Miya herself knew precious little about the true progress of the Orthodoxy's research... As such, while it wasn't in her plans having the Church turn their eyes to the Orthodoxy's human research so quickly, perhaps it wasn't all bad, as it would give her the perfect excuse to investigate the fruits of her small 'misdirection' personally.

As Lieutenant Hawthorne finished her briefing, notifying them of their next assignment once they had all dealt with the horsemen and recovered the Church's artifacts, Miya felt a bit relieved. While she had clearly noticed the exchange of stares between the Lieutenant and the Archbishop, indicating that they might be a bit suspicious of how much both of them knew, it didn't seem to be anything more than the usual paranoia and necessity to know and control everything the Church was so famous for. The very fact that Dimitri himself didn't seem to know what Miya was doing meant that it would be quite unlikely the military or the Church would figure out her plans as well...

Duplicitous Ruins in the Land of Twilight

Although Miwa had the suspicion Fia did not wholly understood the ongoing conflict with Arcan, she simply watched as Fia moved and spoke to Arcan in silence. For someone who claimed to have 'vast knowledge' Arcan acted like a spoiled child. Ignorant and arrogant. His little outburst made it quite clear to Miwa that he could NOT be fully trusted, under any circumstances. She could feel the apprehension from Fia and the others, but there was no such feeling coming from her. The very history of the Shirakawa temple was originated in their fight against tyrannical forces, even when they were outnumbered and outmatched.

"There will be no good will. Let Arcan deal with his own problems and we will deal with ours. I will offer no kindness to someone who was so eager to kill one of our own... Without even trying to save her." Miwa said with a harsh tone, looking to Arcan with a cold expression.

"I would strongly advise you all to not trust Arcan... Your dear host was quite ready to strike Jazdia down as soon as we left the gallery, despite his previous words." Miwa finished, still looking at Arcan.

As he once again spoke, Miwa listened to his words in silence. The previous mask he wore of a calm and polite host had been shattered far too easily for him to try and don it again. Regardless, Miwa offered no further words to Arcan, other than a cold, watchful stare.

With Arcan finally turning back to leave, Miwa's grasp on her weapon finally softened. She couldn't agree more with Verdant's words. Considering how untrustworthy the entire situation made Arcan look, she too was willing to leave the gallery as soon as possible.

Thanks to Arcan's outburst, the entire party had reunited in the room. Vesemir was, understandably, quite confused as he asked what exactly had happened. Before Miwa could reply though, Rezello arrived, handing her hairbands that she had left to be enchanted earlier.

"Thank you, Rezello. I shall protect you and anyone who wishes to investigate the room. But I refuse to help someone who was so eager to kill one of our own, even resorting to treachery. Let us take a similar approach to this situation as Arcan himself does.... The room was defiled by the necromancer due to his negligence. It is his problem to deal with, not ours." Miwa said.

"I am willing, at least to try and disrupt whatever curses and magics are in that room so they won't be able to be used by the necromancer. But I refuse to purify it. I have no good will to give to Arcan after what he did." Miwa completed.

"I am sorry for everything you saw and had to hear, Vesemir... But we have to leave the gallery as soon as possible." Miwa said, finally turning to the confused Vesemir, before glancing towards Verdant with a nod, agreeing with her previous words.

"It seems Arcan is not so good of a host as we previously thought..." Miwa said before briefly explaining exactly what had happened regarding Jazdia and how Arcan could not be trusted.

Kimetsu no Yaiba AU: Temen-ni-Guru (Arc 2)

Daikaku Shrike

---

It didn't take long until Kōshin arrived on the rooftop where the battle was happening. Although he had the support of his companions, Ryunosuke seemed to be already exhausted despite the overwhelming strength he had shown a few minutes earlier. With a single glance, Kōshin could clearly see that the Slayers were in quite the disadvantage in the battle of attrition that was fighting against a powerful demon.

While the situation was undoubtedly tense, Kōshin showed only calmness and tranquility on his steps as he gave a few steps forward. In one hand, he carried his still sheathed blade and in the other, one of the long prayer beads he often used. His silence as he approached was atypical for the situation they encountered themselves in, broken only by the eventual muttering of Buddhist mantras.

"The temple will not suffer your presence any longer. You have already caused enough damage and taken enough innocent lives. Leave, demon. This is your one and last warning." Kōshin said, the firmness in his eyes showing beyond any doubt that he was not bluffing.

"I know not what were you hoping to do with this surprise attack, but it has failed. Even if more demons arrive, your attack has only served to put the temple in full alert and ready to defend itself." he finished, carefully watching the demon's reaction.

⤫ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐧 ⤬

Miya

^{Morning - The Rookery, New York City - [Everyone]}

---

Dimitri had been careful on his choice of words as he asked about the artifacts. More than anyone, handlers knew well how little the church liked to disclose it's secrets. Fortunately, he didn't seem to be the only handler worried about exactly how much firepower those rebels had.
In particular, number Five's handler chose her own words incredibly well, adding to Dimitri's words and addressing another one of his worries... How could one effectively deal with the artifacts... Exactly one of the secrets he was sure the church wouldn't be overjoyed to share.

Number eight's handler, despite their rather... informal way of speaking, also stated important facts about the bow itself. Potentially hinting at one of it's possible characteristics as it mentioned how strange it was that Number Two was so easily stopped despite her speed and the fact that the horseman seemed to be very sure that it wouldn't be harmed.

When the Archbishop finally spoke to reply to some of the questions, his first words were most definitely worrying ones... The bow itself was already worrying enough, capable of not only easily subduing a combat-oriented Number merely by drawing it's bowstring, but also instantly eliminating it as well... Who knew exactly what the other three stolen artifacts could do...

Despite his stone-like expression, a single drop of sweat could be seen rolling down Dimitri's temple after hearing the Archbishop, unsure if he should ask about the other artifacts or not... Especially given the vague and brief answer the Archbishop gave towards Mary, number Five's handler.

Watching all that, Miya couldn't help but take a worried glance towards Dimitri. At first, she was still trying to understand exactly what happened in the video, but upon hearing the Archbishop's words, her expression went from confused to alarmed...

Did they expect them to fight against not only that bow but other similar artifacts?! They didn't even have any idea of what the other artifacts were capable of or even how could they prevent anyone holding that bow from simply pointing it towards then and making them kneel, before executing them with absolutely no resistance!

"Dimitri..." Miya whispered, glancing towards her handler with a clearly worried tone.

"I know, Miya..." Dimitri replied in a hushed tone. He already knew exactly why she was worried... Something that, unfortunately, he did not have a good answer to yet.

Dimitri's reply told Miya more than how worried he also was. His short reply was also a clear signal that it wouldn't be wise to dwell too much on the matter of the artifacts, something which Miya immediately caught. Especially after seeing the expression the Archbishop made towards number Five and Mary.

As the General began assigning roles towards each Number and their handler, Miya couldn't help but to wonder what exactly did they expect her to do. She wasn't exactly suited to direct combat... At least not normally. Most of her use would be in more... strategic operations that didn't involve heavy combat... With the exception of supporting other numbers in larger operations when it was required. The one use Miya thought they could have for her in situations where heavier combat was expected was one that did not make her happy...

Both of them waited in anxious silence as the General assigned the roles for each Number and their handler. Miya, with her anxious eyes going from the General and the Archbishop to each one of the handlers and numbers as they were addressed and Dimitri with an unflinching, serious expression focused solely on the General and the Archbishop. Interestingly enough, both of them seemed to be trying to gather any information they could from the small changes in the tone and expressions of those in the room.

Luckily, Both handler and number's focus were well rewarded, with both of them having noticed the tension between the General and the Archbishop when their turn finally arrived. Whether it was due to a disagreement to where they would assign both Miya and Dimitri or because they were worried about something, neither one of them could tell... The only thing they knew was there was definitely something worrying both of their higher ups as they silently communicated between themselves.

With their decision finally made, the Archbishop stood up, silently asking Miya and Dimitri to follow him as he exited the room. Exchanging a brief glance between themselves, both number and handler stood up as they followed the elder out of the room... Not before they heard the General's words, asking them to reunite at the Empty Vessel after they were done with the Archbishop and the Lieutenant they assumed he was taking them to.

As they exited the room, both Miya and Dimitri would notice the eccentric handler standing outside the reunion room. The frown in her face, combined with how the Archbishop seemed to completely ignore her made it look almost as if Valentine was a child being put in time-out after doing something it wasn't supposed to do.

Upon entering the smaller office the Archbishop was leading them to, Miya and Dimitri would find themselves in front of a quite young officer sitting at a small desk. Her age, coupled with her clean uniform were clear indications that she was put on her position quite recently.

"Greetings, Lieutenant Hawthorne." Dimitri said, with a respectful nod towards the officer as he gave a step forward, stopping for a brief moment to make a slight bow towards the Archbishop, both as a way to show respect to his superior and a silent thanks for him leading them.

Despite still being a bit anxious, Miya greeted the officer with a silent bow, mimicking Dimitri and stopping to briefly pay her respects to the Archbishop before doing so, before silently stopping before Lieutenant Hawthorne, waiting together with Dimitri for instructions regarding their next assignment.

Duplicitous Ruins in the Land of Twilight

The tension in the air was palpable as Miwa heard Arcan's acid words. Despite the Djinn freeing Jazdia from his grasp, the fact that Miwa herself, Jazdia and even Verdant were still ready to combat only made the tension even worse. Jazdia, despite still recovering from Arcan's sudden assault, already had her dagger in hands, similarly as Miwa herself, despite trying to mediate and defuse the situation, still held her weapon tightly. Even the adorable Verdant seemed ready to battle, transforming in a semi-serpentine form Miwa had never seen before.

Miwa herself was starting to slowly but surely lose her patience at Arcan's arrogance, refusing to believe he could be wrong or that there was something he didn't know. Despite her apparent calm, those who paid close attention to Miwa would notice her fist tightening around her weapon, a clear signal that the whole situation was starting to wear her patience thin. As Arcan, once again, reminded them how dangerous Lythiel was, Miwa couldn't help but let out an exhausted, frustrated sigh.

Whether it was mere arrogance or on purpose, Arcan seemed to be the only one who failed to recognize that his knowledge wasn't perfect, as both Jazdia herself and even Verdant pointed that fact. In the end, Miwa's frustration grew to a point that she couldn't bear it anymore. Arcan would not accept anything but his own words as truth and if things continued like that, there will be no progress at all to that negotiation...

With a frustrated, almost angry sigh Miwa took a step forward, putting herself between Jazdia and Arcan as she loudly hit the ground with the Ama Matoi, leaving only the faint noise of the metal rings clinking against the pole of the weapon before she spoke.

"Enough! Despite everything that you said, you have failed to reply to anything I said with arguments of significant substance other than outbursts of anger and arrogance! Even if you kill Jazdia, there is nothing preventing Lythiel to find another vessel. And when she finds it, it most certainly won't conveniently wander to your doorstep to let you know of it's existence!" Miwa said in an angry tone, looking directly at Arcan, almost too close to comfort.

"I believe there is not much else to be said, is there? We have reached an impasse, Arcan. What will you do? Will you simply try to kill Jazdia once we leave your precious gallery and forsake your duty by ignoring the fact that Lythiel remains a threat? Or will you uphold your duty both to Theriadore himself and to the Theriadore gallery by assisting us in finding a way to deal with Jazdia's curse in exchange of our help with dealing with the two threats you failed to contain, both Lythiel and the necromancer?" Miwa said, her grasp on her weapon becoming tighter as she gave Arcan an ultimatum.

"Think wisely about your choice and know that should you decide to face us, neither one of us will leave unscathed... And unlike you, we have no reason to wait for you to try to strike us down once we leave the gallery. After all... Wasn't you that said 'my problem is right in front of me. Why should I ponder about the wicked intricacies that the monster is plotting if I can end it now?'" Miwa finished, looking directly at Arcan as she used his own words against him.

One look at Miwa's eyes was enough to see she was not bluffing. While rooted in logic and reason, the threats she made were more than real.

Kimetsu no Yaiba AU: Temen-ni-Guru (Arc 2)

A small-ish post, but a post nonetheless lol

Kōshin will likely arrive on the skyscraper to help with the fight in the next round of posts!

Kimetsu no Yaiba AU: Temen-ni-Guru (Arc 2)

Daikaku Shrike

---

Kōshin watched for a moment as the demon slowly drank the few drops of blood that fell on it's mouth, before gently placing it down and getting up as he nodded towards Hinotora.

"Do not be sorry. Although the loss of some of these trees is undeniably painful due to their history, the garden can always be cleaned and the trees, replanted." Kōshin said with a gentle smile.

"Do not be reckless. The enemy is undoubtedly powerful. As soon as the temple is safe and secure, I shall assist you and your companions." Kōshin said just before Hinotora jumped to the walls of the shrine and dashed away.

While Kōshin couldn't exactly spare much of his own blood to the barrier demon, he hoped it would suffice as he ran back to the temple, stopping just before the steps to the main temple.

With a clear and loud tone, Kōshin told the monks about the barrier demons brought by the Slayer Corps, drawing their attention. Once the monks who were already in a defensive formation were looking at him, Kōshin started to explain.

"The demon will be busy for as long as the Slayers are fighting him. We shall use this time to defend the barrier demons so they can put their barrier up again. Further attacks to the barrier demons might happen. Keep your eyes open to arrows and be prepared to deflect them." he said with a serious expression.

Just as he said that, loud booming noises of explosions and bright flashes of fire came from the skyscraper nearby. The sound waves echoed through the temple grounds as Kōshin and the monks looked up.

"The fight still rages on. We need to protect the temple before anything else." Kōshin said with a determined expression.

It didn't take long until the monks were already ready and coordinated. A group of three monks was designated to each barrier demon. Two of them wielding Naginatas and one of them wielding a bō staff. Despite each group having only three monks, their formation was a strictly defensive one, aiming to drive away those approaching them and deflect attacks from range with their pole weapons.

The damage the previous attack caused in the temple's garden was undeniable and looking at it filled Kōshin's heart with sadness. Fortunately the oldest trees in the garden seemed to have avoided the fate of the other ones, the one tree his master chose as his final resting place included.

"This was not the first time the Daikaku temple was attacked and it won't be the last. As long as I stand, the temple will not fall." Kōshin said to himself with a serious expression as his grip tightened around his sword and he began making his way to the skyscraper where the fight was happening.

Duplicitous Ruins in the Land of Twilight

Miwa still held her spear tightly, ready to act as Arcan finally dropped Jazdia. Without taking her eyes off the Djinn, Miwa moved to support Jazdia, offering her hand to help her, should she need it.

At the same time, Miwa carefully listened to Arcan's words. For some reason, Lythiel, the same woman that was the focus of the Djinn's fiery hatred was the one responsible for the curse that ailed Jazdia. Arcan seemed to want to prevent Lythiel from being free again at any cost... Even if that meant killing an innocent guest.

Arcan's final words to her as he mentioned that a small act of violence against one could save many made Miwa frown with a darker expression. It was cruel... But Miwa still saw the logic behind his words. But even if there was some logic to his words, she still believed that there were other choices than to sacrificing an innocent life, even if it was, supposedly for a 'good' reason.

"How much time do we have until the curse corrodes Jazdia's soul and Lythiel is finally released?" Miwa asked with a serious tone.

"No curse is unbreakable. Just because you don't know a way to break it, doesn't mean it's impossible. Even if we aren't successful in breaking it, there are other options. If we could find something powerful enough to cause an interference with the curse or with the link between the curse and Lythiel herself, it could be possible to more easily dispel the curse or to, perhaps, transfer it to another thing." Miwa said, thinking about different ways to deal with the situation.

"In the end, killing an innocent person, even if it seems justifiable for you... Wouldn't that make you closer to Lythiel? Whom, even in her twisted ways, thought it was justifiable to cruelly attack even her own childhood friends?" Miwa asked, looking at Arcan with a piercing stare.

"Your master, Theriadore, was a scholar. Where most people would see an impossible obstacle, he likely saw it as a challenge to surpass." Miwa said, looking at the crystal that Theriadore created to imprison Lythiel.

"Besides... If Lythiel was able to curse someone while being imprisoned, killing Jazdia wouldn't prevent her from doing it again, would it? The very fact you were able to meed Jazdia and detect this curse was extremely lucky. If you didn't, you would never have known Lythiel was plotting her escape." Miwa continued.

"In one way or another, we will find a way to deal with this problem once and for all. Will you aid us?" Miwa said, her expression softening a bit after chastising Arcan for his outburst while she extended her hand towards Arcan, waiting for his reply.

Duplicitous Ruins in the Land of Twilight

At first, Miwa smiled, satisfied as Jazdia steeled her resolve and let Arcan hold her hands. But as soon as the djinn started, Miwa's smile soon disappeared. After a moment, his expression hardened as he stared at Jazdia. Miwa had no idea what the curator had seen but the moment he took a step forward, finally speaking with an ominous tone, Miwa knew there was something wrong. Enough to make even Arcan lose his composure.

"Arcan...? What's wrong? What do you see?" Miwa asked, confused as Arcan gave another menacing step forward, asking Jazdia if she had any idea what kind of 'evil' she was playing with with a livid tone. But before anyone could say anything more, the situation took a much worse turn as he slammed Jazdia on the wall, pinning her by the neck.

Arcan's voice rumbled the halls as he snarled about whatever it was that Jazdia apparently made a deal with, that caused her curse. Jazdia's voice faltered as she spoke with difficulty, yet the curator didn't stop. His words were grim and ominous. Whatever thing Jazdia made a deal with was enough to make even Arcan enraged and afraid.

"CURATOR ARCAN! PLEASE CONTROL YOURSELF!!" Miwa shouted with a firm, commanding tone as she slammed the ground with the end of her weapon together with Verdant, who had approached Arcan from behind and tapped a vial with a strange liquid inside on his back.

"Neither one of us have any idea what is happening, Curator Arcan. It would be best to use words to explain instead of violence, wouldn't it? I urge you to calm down and explain what exactly made you act like this. Who exactly is this thing that is responsible for Jazdia's curse?" Miwa continued. Her voice, while polite still carried a clearly firm tone as she looked at Arcan with a serious stare.

Kimetsu no Yaiba AU: Temen-ni-Guru (Arc 2)

@Lewascan2

I did take some creative liberties writing the post, but my thought process was that, having an abundance of wisteria flowers, it shouldn't be that hard to use them to make an antidote to any BDA that 'infects' or 'poisons'. Direct wounds are another story though LOL