Silence, it was what woke him. There was too much silence, so much it crept up on him, slowly began to overwhelm him.
It was unnatural. He'd meditated in absolute silence, steadily for days without breaks for food or water.
This silence was nothing like that zen. There was no peace to it, no serenity. It was dark, he could feel it to his soul. It was trying to envelope him in stillness.
And that was what forced Haru awake. His very core being was against this silence, it was overwhelming—corrupting.
"As is only natural with the wake of the devil's aura."
Jumping up, Haru looked back. His eyes widened, wondering if this was a trick, but he immediately bowed nevertheless just in case it wasn't.
Standing before him was a humble rotund figure, a bald man anyone belonging to the spiritual community would recognize at first sight.
"Spiritual Supreme? What are you doing here, Master?"
The powerful man gestured at the top of the room. It was then Haru noticed he was in an oubliette, the trap door on the roof was what Master Sei pointed at.
"To get you out of here?"
Haru gasped. "Me?" He never thought he was so important.
"I will never leave one of my own to the machinations of Satan. Saving you, also, will help me save the boy from his father's trap."
Haru stared, completely dumbfounded. He could not understand what the Master was talking about. "Master, when you say Satan, do you perhaps refer to a devil? Like one of the Princes?"
The man gave him a fond but sad smile. "The devil is whom I speak of. HIM who is the boy's father." Haru felt like he was going to faint. His goddamn stepfather, the king of evil, the devil of devils, was here? "You have no reason to fear, though."
Haru gaped at the man wondering if probably this was just a weird dream featuring a Master Sei variant who was a bit nuts, because he could not understand how in one statement the man could claim he was in the same place with the Fallen Dragon and then go in to say he had no reason to worry.
Maybe the Master had a thousand reasons not to worry, but Haru had a billion to worry.
"HE is HIM," he said, now wondering if they were talking about the same person. This was someone who people didn't even speak his name for fear of waking him from his slumber in captivity.
Apparently, it was done now. For a moment he wondered if the Yōsei no joō had something to do with this? But she hadn't been aware that they'll be leaving Kurana had she?
No, she couldn't be. They had left Professor Ikira to take care of her spy. There was no way she could have known. But then…
She was a Fey, wasn't she? Wouldn't it be typical of her to manipulate her son's fate so he'd have an encounter with a father even history agreed was more evil than her?
Haru had no evidence of this, but he had a strong suspicion now.
"I wouldn't have implanted a simulation of my consciousness inside your head before you left if all I planned to do was give you empty reassurances," Master Sei said, stepping forward as he moved closer to him. "Lucifer has a weakness and with that weakness you shall overcome him long enough to find escape."
Haru breathed a sigh in relief. A cheat code, he always love cheat codes. "And what is this weakness, Master?"
The Master stepped close to him and leaned forward. Tilting his head just a bit, the Spiritual Supreme whispered a name into Haru's ear that had him shivering so bad he felt he might lose control of his bladder.
Stepping back and out of the monk's reach, Haru gave the man a dubious look."Master. You expect me to be able to do this?"
The man nodded resolutely. "You, and no one else. It is this reason why I implanted this model of myself in your psyche. That name can only be spoken spiritually. No other means is capable of even hearing it, only your spirit hears it, feels it, understands its meaning. You can't share that make with anyone, and without being currently present in your head I wouldn't have been able to share it with you."
Haru gasped and looked around. He felt like he was having an illuminating experience, like the truth of the universe had been opened to him, just upon the revelation of a single name.
"Knowing his name now makes you invincible to him and his powers. It is why the Supreme Spiritualists have passed that name down to their successors for centuries. It is a name that gives the devil pause, keeps him at bay, and provides a weakness for a man with the power of a god. But now you know not to fear that power, you know not to fear him for his might. After all, what is our legacy?"
"We serve no god."
"Indeed. Now it is up to you to save your friend from a path he was never meant to take but is about to come close to. Goodbye, Haru. And when you get to the river , jump last."
Before he could ask what the man meant by that last comment, he disappeared.
The room was plunged into complete darkness as Haru left his mental plane. He didn't need to use his kin, he just spread his spiritual senses about, something he'd learned from hours of meditation.
He soon noticed that he was indeed in an oubliette. Grinning, he got up.
There was a saying that no four walls could hold a monk. Well, it was true.
Closing his eyes upon standing, he sunk into his spirit. His flesh gave way for his spirit to take over. His body disappeared as he assumed an astral form.
Projecting himself forward, he phased up and out of the room but found himself gaping now in real life at the sight he was met with.
He wished it was Master Sei again.
It wasn't. In a hall that defied comprehension with a ridiculous height and clouded ceiling, was Erisa standing opposite a figure who could only be HIM.
It was neither Erisa nor the unnatural hall that got his attention, neither was it HIM. No, it was what HE was doing.
Lucifer held in his hand a blade of star light, and it was pointed at a third figure in the hall–
Kigana.
Haru watched, slowly landing on the floor and assuming a form of flesh again.
"You would dare to defy me?" Lucifer was asking Erisa, his voice as sweet as sin. "Even with her life at risk for your denial?"
Erisa glared at him. "You ask too much."
"I ask too little. I could have asked that you be made my subject, all I asked was that you stay here for just a moment."
"It's good habit, I think, to never accept anything the devil offers," Haru said, stepping forward to stand beside the pink haired girl. "It's even worse to offer him a listening ear. Hello, stepdad."
"You are Lilith spawn."
Haru grinned, seeing the pause his presence had given the being. "What? Didn't think you'll be meeting two of your children today?"
"I am only a father to you on your mortal sentiments, boy. But if you seek parenting from me, then I'm open to considering it."
Haru ignored the false sincerity in the absolutely beautiful voice. It was all lies. And who would want the devil for a father, anyway?
He shook his head. "And I bet it that consideration would require some concession from me. Say, staying here for a moment and forcing my friends to too?"
"Just as insolent as your mother." Haru grinned and made sure he avoided looking the being in the eye. "You are not…"
Shocking Haru, Erisa disappeared and appeared immediately next to Kigana.
It happened so fast. Haru only fully registered what had happened when both girls reappeared beside him, Erisa clutching her left wrist from where blood oozed, her hand sliced off and at the feet of Satan.
Erisa, groaning, began to whisper ancient spells to stop the flow of blood. Haru had eyes only for Lucifer who sighed.
"Youth. The arrogance of youth. I have lived billions of years. Indeed most of that had been spent in slumber. Still, I have seen eons come and go. There is nothing you are going to do, nothing you have done, and nothing you can do that I've never seen. The possibility of you surprising me is the same nothingness becoming reality. I. Am. Beyond. You. Now, kneel before I show you why many go so far as to call me a god."
Haru just stared, realising that he was indeed right. Billions of years of experience meant that everything they were doing could be by his manipulation and goading.
Every choice they make right now will be one he'd have seen coming and prepared for, or one he'd subtly guided them to either through subtle speech or kin.
So, what could he do? Against such a person it was best to act in a way even you will have no idea if and how you are going to act.
To surprise the devil, you must first be capable of surprising yourself.
As he opened his mouth to speak, Haru accepted the fact that life just got daring.
"I. Serve. No. God," he said, and deciding to just go with it before he could think about it, he continued.
"MEPHISTOPHEL."
Haru only saw Lucifer's eyes narrow in anger and hatred as he froze, a radiance falling down upon him.
He didn't get the time to see more as Erisa grabbed him and Kigana, immediately teleporting out.
The last expression he caught upon his face was one of pain, and it made him wonder.
How did a name become so powerful that it became the sword of damocles to its bearer?