Mirai

The clock struck midnight and the air was tense as a hundred sisters crowded into the Cathedral the sisters moved with elegant poise their bodies draped in flowing white robes and their faces obscured behind thick black vales.

Mirai looked down upon them from a stage poised a few meters above the ground joining him with Lady Norn, Coco Argento and The Arch Bishop himself, Mirai had been stripped down to his pants and strange runes had been painted over his body in blood that had been freely given.

“Dear Sisters thank you for coming” Seijuro sliced through the silence.

“Are you prepared Mirai?”

“As I’ll ever be, thanks for asking Lady Norn.”

“Very well, Begin the spell Norn.”

“Right away!”

Norn stepped towards the edge of the platform extending her delicate arm outward and closing her eyes. “Curse Magic: Curse of the blind fool.” a fog descended upon the sisters causing them to fall motionless.

“Sleep Sweet Sisters!” Norn closed her hand.

The sisters fell to their knees and produced argent daggers from under their robes methodically they brought the blades edge to their throat and started cutting slitting their throats from ear to ear all without making a solitary noise.

No grunting, gasping, crying or screaming just the most eerie quite he’d ever heard the sound of steel cutting into flesh grew louder and louder as did the dull thud of their empty bodies striking the ground.

There was blood, so, much blood it churned his stomach.

“Argh” Mirai fell to his knees as a searing pain rippled through him the runes painted on his body began glowing a sinister carmine light, the pain grew worse by the moment prompting a torrent of vomit and blood to pour from his mouth.

“The pain is direful but it’s fleeting you must endure.” Seijuro comforted.

“Easy for you to say you bastard, my body feels like it’s burning from the inside out.”

“This is something that all those who came before have suffered, prove your will to live here and or die and crumble to ash.” Norn said.

Mirai wanted to yield he’d had done anything to bring this torture to an end but in his moment of weakness the smallest embers of a great fire stubbornness burned with rebellion, he heard the voices of Botan and his squad members, the smiling face of his Mistress and least expected of all.

“We’ll be a real family from now on Oevinca gidSatevfori”

“That voice...Mildine….” Mirai gasped.

His vision turned black as the pain dissolved he found himself standing on a beach with nothing stretching for as far as the eye could see, the sky above was scarlet and a full moon shined it’s light down upon him.

“Where am I?”

“Where indeed.” A saccharine voice hissed in his ear.

Surprised by the voice he turned around and fell down so shocking was the sight before his eyes, a noble looking young maiden with short curly violet hair and blue eyes stood before him. She was garbed in a frilly dark dress with snow white trimmings.

“Mildine...no that’s impossible.”

“Ah so that’s the name of this girl” The girl snickered.

“What the hell are you and why do you have her face?”

“Don’t chastise me for my current appearance you desired it thus.”

“ So that’s it, you’re the devil that was called for me right?’

“ Bingo! I do love a quick learner.”

“ I have some questions for but they can wait till after let’s do this.”

The devil skipped forth humming Mirai was taken aback by just how similar to Mildine this devil was right down to her cadence and mannerisms. “And what are we doing, frolicking, fornicating hmm.”

It felt good to have his arms back he starred down the devil summoning every ounce of courage and conviction he could muster as he dropped in a defensive stance.

“I need to beat you to tame you right? So let’s go.”

“Oh my such scrumptious naivety.” The devil licked it’s lips.

“Who said anything about fighting.” The devil turned it’s back

Mirai sighed as he took a step back refusing to lower his guard he wasn’t about to trust some devil he’d just met not until it was bound to him at least. “If we’re not fighting then what?” Mirai questioned.

“I’ll elaborate just as you humans are distinct individualsl so are we devils we’re not some mindless mass all cut from the same cloth, some devils will demand to be beat into submission while others will require a sacrifice some yet may desire an exchange.”

“And what do you want?"

“ I want to be acknowledged.”

“Excuse me?"

“In exchange for my power I want you acknowledge me as an equal as two beings sharing one body, I’ll ask that you let me have control from time to time and treat me as a partner not a tool, if those terms are agreeable then we have an accord.”

“You’re sure that’s all you want?”

“I’ve nothing to gain from deceit or falsehood.”

“Before I agree I want to know one thing.”

“Shoot!”

“You’re name?”

“My name huh?”

“ I want to know my partners name is it that strange?"

“ How cute, very well I'll bite."

“ I'm Milena, also known by some as The Icebound Devil”

“Milena….it must fate, Please help me, partner.”

“Yes we are as one now, My power is now our power.”

Mirai clutched Milena’s hand a smile plastered upon his face this had to be the work of the gods to think that of all the devils that must exist he’d get one with a name oh so similar to hers. He snapped back to reality within the space of a single blink.

It was morning and he was laying in a bed in what looked to be a medical ward, looking down he couldn’t believe his eyes his limbs had regrown like nothing had ever happened. A faint mumbling caught his attention.

His Mistress was fast asleep at the side of his bed she must have been watching over him, he felt such a rush of joy to gaze upon her face, she looked at peace as she snored away and it wasn’t to long before the Princess was roused from her deep slumber.

“Hmm I fell asleep.” Mei groaned rubbing her eyes.

“Good Morning, Mistress.”

“Huh...Mirai….” Mei shouted bolting upright.

“I’m back, Mistress.” He smiled gently.

“ Morning” Mei said wiping tears from her eyes.