And there it all began! As soon as the problems of Cockabiel and Dickhauser disappeared from the radar, a new pustule formed in the form of dissenting churchmen. And they had a clear leader, in the form of the Templar Order, which by all accounts has a lot of power!
Well, it was naive to assume that the alliance between angels and demons would go smoothly. Exorcists and other ministers of the church were taught from birth that they were the eternal enemy. You can't just "twist" internal priorities! Of course, there were probably preventive measures coming from Heaven as well, such as loosening the focus on demons, but.... This result was natural. The only question was how many dissenters would rise up and what to do with them. At the moment, the leader of Heaven was Archangel Michael, who appeared to be already sewn up because of the constant support of the Heavenly System.
In general, this problem had to be solved by the united forces.
«And Zenovia? The owner of Durandal, what about her? - Emeric asked the question. Not that he appreciated Zenovia, but she had proved to be a good ally and battle buddy. Despite the initial animosity, she had managed to become good friends with Ichika.
«The girls are alive... - Barakiel concluded. Still as steadfast and stern as ever. Had it not been for his moment of weakness in asking for his daughter, Emeric would never have thought that the fallen man across the hall could be such a sensitive father. - Nearly killed their friend, but the one was saved in time. They searched for the combined Excalibur, but that was gone. True, Durandal was also their target...
Emeric bit his lip, thinking hard. More information about the current enemy was needed.
«And what is the Templar Order? - Emeric stretched his neck, bringing himself back to his senses. The recent moment of weakness should not prevent him from perceiving the current situation. - Why couldn't Grigori and Heaven's forces suppress them? Had they really been preparing for this disturbance for so long?
«Not a word," Barakiel shook his head. - They pulled out some very unpleasant surprises... But it's best to start a bit from afar. They are structured more like a martial brotherhood, meaning that the voices of many are not an empty sound to them. Even so, the Templar Order has two so-called Grand Masters, Theodore Legrenzi and Ewald Cristaldi...
«Theodom Legrenzi... - Emeric muttered his name with a flash of recognition. - Wonder Child!
«That's right.
An extremely rare phenomenon, the purest union of a white-winged angel and a human, and the angel does not "blacken" after such a union. Apparently, a mixture of sincere love of an angel and "bugs" of the Heavenly System. It turns out half-human, half-angel with white wings. Naturally, if an ordinary angel tries to enter into coitus, most likely he will immediately "blacken". But there are, of course, very rare exceptions. So exceptional that such individuals are nicknamed "Miracle Child".
They carry such hybrids in the church on their hands. It was no wonder that even at such a young age, rumored to be no more than eighteen, Theodore had become a cardinal-bishop, one of the highest ranks in the church structure. A potential pope, but one who apparently had spoken his word against the union of the biblical factions.
«It was unlikely that he was able to fully manage such a powerful order at such an age... - Emeric raised an eyebrow. - And so it is Ewald Cristaldi who rules here....
«You're right," he admitted just as calmly. - Theodore is rumored to be quite a nice young man..... But Ewald... - Barakiel shook his head. - One of the main authorities in the entire church structure. It was he who revived the entire Templar Order, which was created from his many disciples and followers.
«Ideological exorcist... - He began to recall some facts about the famous figure. - One of the most conservative and radical performers in the church...
«They... - The fallen man could not immediately formulate his thought. - They are not like Valper Galileo. That is, they do have a strong devotion to Heaven, but the potential alliance has become their stumbling block....
To such an inference, Emeric could only shrug his shoulders.
He hadn't forgotten that those had ordered Izaya to kill her comrades, though it was sort of like Ewald had taught both Irina and Zenovia in his time. Though he could feel the difference. Valper Galileo covered himself with church dogmas to do atrocities, and Ewald did atrocities to please church dogmas, well, in his perverted view. Changing the sum of the parts is important. The result won't change, but the difference is fundamental. They confronted not some evil scum, but the ideological perpetrators.
«And what will you do? - Emeric finally broke the thoughtful pause.
«Grigori and I, along with Dulio Gesualdo and Vaska Strada, will join forces to capture them," Barachiel said, folding his arms across his chest. - I cannot reveal all of our plans, but believe me, they will not resist such an alliance....
Emeric believed. It sounds formidable, but in reality it should be a nightmare for all "renegades".
Barakiel himself was one of the highest ranking and most powerful of the fallen angels. His nickname would not lie, "God's Lightning", before the fall, of course. Akeno's father was far from an ordinary fallen angel, but a confident fighting unit in any battle. Somewhere on Cockabiel's level.
«We're not going to kill them. The overwhelming power should quiet them quickly," Barakiel continued. - They haven't killed anyone in their 'raids' either, not with their past allies. Mikhail and Azazel believe that they can still be persuaded....
What remains unspoken is that Ewald and the Templar Order, as a structure, will have to step back into the past. Such treachery will not go unpunished, although Heaven does not want to "gesture".
There is no need to think that the Church will be the only center of discontent. Yes, this structure is multifaceted and not monolithic, but still it has not changed itself. Exorcists protest the violation of all their teachings. It's hard to come to terms with that.
But his race... Exorcists, with few exceptions, are dedicated to fighting evil. Demons, on the contrary, with few exceptions, must restrain their vile nature. Yes, the factions of the Great King and the New Lords were in agreement with this course of action, but Emeric would swallow his tongue if the Old Lords didn't join in the fun. They were probably pissing themselves right now at the prospect of an alliance with their worst enemies. And unlike the idea exorcists, they are guided only by their own vicious natures and desires.
All in all, it was complicated.
«That's why you wanted to... - Emeric scratched his chin in thought. - To make peace with Akeno. Because you won't have time anytime soon...
«Make up," Barakiel repeated after him thoughtfully and shook his head. - It would be ideal, but I am not that naive. Akeno's grievances are deep and not unfounded....
He sighed tiredly, gathering his thoughts. The topic had once again become heavy and unpleasant for the usually stern angel. Barakiel himself, for all his heavy thoughts, did not deny his lack of involvement. Though that too was debatable.
«Shuri, my wife and Akeno's mother, was a member of one of the five major omyoji clans. The Himejima clan is very influential in Japan and has a mature structure and a long history," he began to delve into his memories. - Once, after a heavy battle, a kind priestess of one of the temples took me out wounded. As you may have realized, it was Shuri Himejima. After a while, we fell in love with each other and got married..... - For a fraction of a second, an uncharacteristic smile lit up the fallen man's stern face. It was obvious that those memories would warm his soul for a long time. - You know, I won't hide it, Emeric, I've had many love interests in my long life, but Shuri stood out among them. And when she became pregnant, all past lovers were forgotten and put aside. My first child who was born after a year of marriage! Can you imagine the miracle? There was no limit to my happiness...
The fallen angels had similar problems to the demons. Technically, they had an advantage over their white-winged brethren, as they could reproduce, but in practice the increase was negligible. Especially after the losses from all the previous wars.
Akeno was indeed a miracle for Barakiel, who had been unable to conceive a child before. Akeno was a miracle for both her father and Emeric.
«But her clan was against it," he returned his stern expression again. - Japan is a very conservative country, and they despise the other supernatural world with great fervor. So Shuri had to leave the clan, taking Akeno with her..... - Barakiel's facial features became even rougher, so much he disliked the memories. - But it didn't matter much, Shuri quickly got used to her new life. True, she did not want to leave her native country. And that was a fatal mistake! You see, after Akeno was born, I could no longer resist the will of my beloved wife, I loved her too much. I thought I could combine my service and my family in another country.... - Barakiel's eyes glittered suspiciously. - The Himejima clan hadn't forgiven her 'betrayal', so the bad heads wanted her back, but she refused.... Then...
Barakiel froze abruptly and stared into nothing. The pain was still fresh in his mind. At that moment, Emeric realized that the loss of Shuri had hit this fallen man as hard as it had hit Akeno.
Emeric squeezed Barakiel's shoulder in encouragement. He couldn't imagine his pain, but apparently he was able to sober him up. Barakiel nodded and continued:
«I came too late... When I came and killed all the attackers, Akeno was already crying over her lifeless body... - Barakiel shook his head, holding back tears. - And Akeno never forgave me.... And I don't blame her! Do you have any idea what it's like to lose the wife you love?! - He couldn't take it anymore and cried. But in his own way, tears just streamed down his face and soaked into his beard. He didn't change his expression. - What if I had come a little earlier?! What if I'd insisted and taken Shuri and Akeno with me to Grigori?! Every damn day I stand in front of the mirror and ask myself these questions!...!
Barakiel wiped the tears from his face in one motion and looked him in the eyes with all seriousness.
«Emeric Gremory," he began to say. - I am indeed to blame for the death of my wife... And Akeno has every reason to blame me, but please!...!
Barakiel bent sharply at the waist.
«Please help me make peace with her! Akeno is my only daughter, and I can't just watch her from the sidelines! She looks so much like Shuri!..... - Suspicious sobs began to appear in his heated speech. - I beg you, Emeric, help me connect with my only family!...!
Emeric didn't need Wisdom to understand the pain and desperation of the individual before him. He wasn't a stern general now, just a desperate father.
He calmly placed his hands on his shoulders and unfolded them, handing over a handkerchief, which Barakiel gratefully accepted.
Emeric gave the only correct answer in such circumstances. At least he believed it with all his heart.
«I'll do it.
And looked up at the second floor of the building, where a window had closed suspiciously quickly.
For the first time, despite all the interruptions of his gift, Emeric had used Wisdom to send Akeno a message requesting her presence half an hour ago. Fate had been fine with his interference...
Which meant that Emeric had the job of family psychologist ahead of him.....
***
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