The Crooked Silhouette

Chapter 20: The Return

It was surprisingly lucky that The Angels have evacuated everyone in the lobby. No one was available there, as if The Angels have train themselves from the upcoming attack, and they have probably predicted he would come in no time. Even kid fairies were not seen playing around on the grounds. Hebi hoisted Gabriel up to his eye level, drawing his face closer to the beaten Angel. He has been dragging Gabriel since he has defeated him and Uriel at the entrance. Believing Uriel might have passed away from the crummy circumstance, he marched gracefully and towed Gabriel along way.

"You guys are so well prepared, I must say," Hebi giggled at the landscape before his eyes. His sight landed on two Angels came to pass by there.

Barachiel and Michael were primarily surprised by the unexpected appearance of Hebi. All the higher ups Angels have been informed about Hebi's stunning attack which might begin anytime, but they never thought it would be this soon. They attached in their fighting stance, exploding a loud guffaw by Hebi.

"What are you guys doing? Protecting The Valley, I must say," Hebi extricated Gabriel from his grasp.

One of the infrequent sight to Barachiel and Michael was the strength-sapped Gabriel lying almost unconsciously due to a creature's assault. His defeat relatedly portrayed that their foe was not an ordinary enemy they were about to deal with. Hebi The Ophiuchus might have ameliorated his skill and strength, however it should still be as easy as pie for Gabriel to control him.

There was only one conclusion to his unreasonable brawn.

"The Demon granted you their power, huh?" Barachiel pasted a smirk.

Again, Hebi guffawed and nettled The Angels. "It shocked me that Gabriel could not figure out that I have gone to The Earth earlier, and now I witnessed another higher up guessing me right? Gabriel, shame on you!"

Hebi stepped on Gabriel's chest, gasping The Angel. Michael was about to dash over to snatch Gabriel away from Hebi, but Barachiel gently patted his shoulder to hinder him from acting recklessly.

"What do you want, Hebi?" Emplying the strictest tone he could, Barachiel asked.

The Ophiuchus shrugged. "Nothing in particular. I should be the one asking. What do you, The Angels, want?"

"We are not doing anything in particular too," Michael sounded provocative, but he was not really, "You, The Ophiuchus, are so full of vengeance that any of your deed bothers us too much."

"So I presume you guys want to tear me down then," Hebi chuckled at his own assumption.

The mimic probably attempted on rebuffing, but both Barachiel and Michael could not fake their distraught temper and tension. Frankly the whole mission should be nurtured as secret. They have already estimated Hebi would come to The Angels' Valley for another annual or decade war, but it should not be during Tsuya's trial.

Tsuya has not resolved everything yet. The case would be much simpler if Tsuya's mission finished first.

"Sending The Five Zodiacs to capture five Humans from The Earth? I must say you, The Angels, do something outrageous this time."

"We've ensured that plan is kept as confidential. How can you know about it?" Michael was precisely gaping in scepticism.

Hebi squinted at The Angels. This time, it was his turn to aggravate his opponent. Despite veiling the plan quite meticulously, it should remain disguised to the foe especially Hebi.

"Lucid. It was basically you. You, The Angels, told me, everything about the plan."

"We what?"

Barachiel and Michael exchanged looks. Was any one of them unearth the plan to Hebi? Was there a Judas among them, The Angels? They have sworn that they would not commit seven deadly sins for their whole life, or they would turn to ash once they did even for a short while.

"Oh, come on! You guys sent The Five Zodiacs to The Earth, right? It's plainly understandable. I live there, I must say."

Mouth gawking solely was inadequate to really depict their astonishment. Ogling eyes computed to emphasize the shock. The Ophiuchus was not obliged to leave The Dimension, yet Hebi asserted that he lived there? "You must be kidding me."

This devilish Zodiac really loved chortling. "I've been an Earthling for almost ten years already. Ops, not The Dimension's ten years. It's The Earth's."

For that long?! "How could you live there for ten years? One decade of The Earth's timeline? Your body could sustain that?"

"That's one of the difference between you, The Angels, and I, the dispelled Zodiac," Hebi squeaked in excitement, "You, and every one of The Dimension, rely alone on whatever the ancestors counselled you beforehand. You refuse to try something contemporarily and you never wish to restyle either. You're principally tools your ancestors invented to extend the prosperous life you obtained here."

"Don't ever mock our ancestors!"

The incensed Barachiel threw out his hand, leaking out lightning from his palm and striving to Hebi. It was equivocal whether Barachiel unprepared himself for such hasty attack, or Hebi has really progressed in order to cope with The Angels.

"How can I hold myself? Your ancestors are the one detaching my ancestor from The Zodiacs just because we are the minority!"

Hebi mirrored Barachiel by absorbing Barachiel's lightning, also with his palm. Barachiel and Michael have not made up their mind, inferring the potentiality to raid Hebi, when Hebi reflected the lightning back to Barachiel. Benefitting as the owner of the power alerted Barachiel of its tremendous upshot it might conduct to the receiver, hence he tugged Michael away from the aimed spot. Both Angels were able to dodge the counterattack by Hebi, causing Hebi to laugh cynically.

"It was because your ancestors collaborated with The Demon! The Angels castigated you by extracting Ophiuchus out from The Zodiacs! It's not something we did intentionally. It's wholly due to your own greediness!"

"But that doesn't mean we could be disregarded as a Zodiac!"

"Why should we keep a traitor like you? To tarnish our reputation later on? Oh, come on! You are just the same as your ancestors!"

"Quiet!"

An amplified lightning exuded from Hebi's palm, striking Barachiel bluntly. Barachiel was shot with the tripled strength of pure Earth lightning. Michael froze on his feet in trepidation for impotently powerless to save Barachiel or even slightly push him aside so that the strike would miss.

Barachiel's debilitated body lied flat on the floor. Michael stooped on the floor by Barachiel, along with unstoppable tears and incontrollable shaking.

"Gabriel, see? Your stupidity leads the destruction of your own clan. Are you contented with this? Don't you want to experience all these?"

The view was then displaced to the talk-less Gabriel. Hebi shoved him to the fainted Barachiel. Both of them turned irresponsive after getting battered until they used up their energy. Michael ducked his head to avoid looking unswervingly into Hebi's wicked eyes.

Tsuya, where are you now? We really need you here.

Tsuya!

The Spirit and The Human resurfaced in a library. Pictured from the old book collections, spines, dusts, and nearly rotten shelves, it was indeed the oldest library in The Angels' Valley. Tsuya chose there since it was the furthest from the dismantled entrance, and he required the fullest attention on Tatsu.

Finally, he got Tatsu. This one Human he has adored since both of them were little. The friendship built between them were realistically impenetrable, yet it did not last long. He died during a medical therapy.

"Tatsu," his soft gaze landed on the countenance he has been longing for. He once lived together with Tatsu. He survived for Tatsu, but he was the one leaving first. The bond they shared were indescribably cherished yet they had to separate from each other because Tsuya's life was not that long.

Tatsu slowly opened his eyes. He was unable to digest the occurrence when Tsuya out of the blue kidnapped and brought him to a remote place. He even way warded the opening to inquire Uriel when Tsuya popped up and brought him away. From the application of space manipulation, they have transported in a blink of eye.

"What do you want from me?"

No need to struggle. No need to tie him up. Tsuya knew Tatsu would not bolt. He was aware that Tatsu, too, wanted to deal with him.

"I want to return what you have lost."

"What did I lose?"

Teeth gritting in fury but it was still a remedy that Tatsu still talked to him without cursing. He smiled in elation. The urge to sweep Tatsu into a hug arose, and the hands were itching to implement, yet he was so earnest that Tatsu would immediately repulse him.

"Memory. It's ours, and I would like to return it to you."

"I don't remember meeting you in person all these while. And," Tatsu skimmed over Tsuya's features from top to toe, "You must possess some magical ability to duplicate even my face."

The Spirit chuckled at Tatsu's blank accusation. It was not something he just recently heard of. In fact, he believed every Zodiacs which have encountered Tatsu would jaw at their undeniable similarity. He did not hate it though.

It was Tatsu giving him his entire characteristics.

"We are actually one, Tatsu," Tsuya stated with buoyance intertwined in his tone, "You created me when we were young. I was actually your imagination friend."

The puffed Tatsu halted Tsuya, but when Tatsu began to rant, his beam faded almost abruptly.

"You must be crazy," shrieked Tatsu while distancing himself further from Tsuya. "No, I must be crazy. I created you when we were young? Hey, you gotta be kidding me!"

Tsuya was about to reach Tatsu within an arm span but Tatsu never ceased his denial. As if The Spirit might kill him by one touch, he glared at Tsuya in fright. He did wish to see Tsuya to validate by himself the so-called enemy The Zodiacs insisted to be afraid of, but dying before Tsuya's eyes clearly was not comprised.

"None of us are mad. Both of us are sane, even after my departure. Moreover, you have much better life after my passing."

"Stop beating around the bush, will you?" Tatsu groaned, disliking the tense whelming them. There were only two of them in the room, and he did not devise on prolonging his stay on The Dimension.

The reason he desired to meet Tsuya – other than to witness the similarity between them – was to find Kei and Takeru, plus to look for the disappeared Koichi. He was positive Tsuya might have learnt any methods to find Koichi. Then, he would implore for Tsuya to send them back to The Earth. However, he could guess the action was easier said than done. Judging from the information those Zodiacs divulged to them, Tsuya believably would not let them go just easy.

"I'm not beating around the bushes. I'm telling you the truth. A fact that will never change even though you've forgotten me," undoubtedly Tsuya clenched on Tatsu's shoulders, shooting a very stern stare into the latter's view.

Tatsu shuddered a little, but he did not push Tsuya away. The tense was somehow loosening a little and replaced by indescribable nostalgic sensation.

"What-"

"Please listen to me first, Tatsu," paused by one inhalation, Tsuya disclosed. "You had some sort of mental disorder since you were five years old, but your parents were not alerted by it because they would just brush it off whenever you told them what you've been seeing. The actual thing was, everything that you saw was only your delusional, but since your parents never listened to you, you tended to get immersed into your own world."

Tsuya paused again to see how Tatsu reacted. As he ratified Tatsu would remain silent, he continued.

"You created me from your imagination. I existed because of you, Tatsu. I might be unreal to other people, but I was real to you. I was actually a silhouette of you, which explained our indifferent face and body. That was why I live here as a Spirit, not as any of those Dimensionals."

"I created you? Why?" Tatsu's frowning eyebrows entangled to each other. "Why did I create such devilish person like you?"

From Tatsu's point of view, Tsuya's sclera swiftly modified colours. Instantly he perceived something might occur due to his bluntness. Tsuya controllably breathed in. "The devilish was you, Tatsu."