Chapter 10: The Next Step

A.N.- Well I feel like I'm in the Riviera mood, which I certainly haven't felt in a loooooong while, so here's an update, mostly in thanks of the latest review from Guardian Mikey.

Malice awoke abruptly to very sore wings and muscle cramps- who knew that literally sleeping in the dirt wasn't healthy? Malice stood up and stretched her aching muscles and fluttered her sore wings, shaking some of the dirt out of them in the progress. While she was at it, Malice figured it would be best if she brushed some of the dirt off of her clothes. Try as she might, the dirt had stained her clothes, only hard scrubbing would get them out at this point, not a half-asleep shake-off.

"Damn it... I'll wory about that later." Malice sighed. The air had gotten noticibly cooler than when Malice had landed, probably on account that it was now night.

Huh... how long was I asleep? Malice wondered, at that moment she brushed the back of her forearm against herforehead to clear some of the dirt off of her face, only to be greeted with a wave of pain in doing so.

"OWOWOWOWOW! What the..?" Malice screamed, gently running her fingers over her forehead- it hurt. A lot. Apparently Malice's little dirt hole did't protect her against the elements too well...

SUNBURN!? UGH! I AM NEVER SLEEPING OUTSIDE EVER AGAIN! Malice mentally raged.

Having awakened sufficiently and invigorated herself thorugh rage, Malice gripped dirty Skadi, flared her wings and flew out of the hole just as the mass of dust kicked up from her large wings billowed out around her, covering her little hole in the ground in a dirt cloud.

Once back on solid ground, Malice looked ahead. Still nothing. Just flat plains and night.

So what now? That little dirt nap didn't help much, so what do I do now? Fly some more and hope the answer comes to me? Flying won't bring me the answer I seek... or rather, it's not any more likely to bring me any answers than sleeping in the sun... so what do I do?

Malice sat down in the grass and thought it over for a moment.

I guess the first thing I should do is think- what, exactly, am I seeking the answer for? What question is there that I'm trying to answer? What to do about Ein? Or Hector? Maybe my question should be 'what am I supposed to do?'...

Malice closed her eyes, but not to sleep this time. The sight of the depressing, empty prarie was a distraction at te moment, she needed to think. Or perhaps 'meditate' would have been more accurate.

The way Malice could figure it, there were 2 paths ahead of her- one leading to Riviera, and the other to Asgard. The path to Asgard was straight and clear- one familiar to Malice, a path strewn with straightforward duty, not exactly a thrilling life, but it was clear and straight, if a bit grey and boring. Straight and well-known was good in Malice's book, but boring certainly wasn't.

But by contrast, the path to Riviera was winding and foggy, unclear, but fraught with mystery and excitement- leaping into the unknown wasn't the best idea in Malice's book... at least not all the time, but excitement was certainly a plus.

Just seeing that, the clear choice is Asgard... it is a very basic test of temptation... I cannot forsake my duty as an angel for mere personal enjoyment. Malice thought, but she knew full well it was not that simple- because Ein was involved.

Ein stood a ways down the path to Riviera, just standing there, looking back at Malice. Just looking back, not glaring or smiling, just a flat stare before without any sort of emotion or recognition attached. With Ein involved things became significantly more complicated- it was no longer a test of temptation, now it was a choice between family and duty. As an angel, a strong sense of duty was instilled in Malice from a very young age, but she certainly couldn't just ignore her maternal instincts- those ingrained circuits that rebelled against any logic or authority or whatever else might be in the way... all for Ein.

"WHY? WHY DID HE TURN AGAINST? AGAINST THE GODS?" Malice screamed; to her, the failure was not entirely Ein's- she raised him, she instilled in him his values, an evidently he held women closer to his heart than his duty as an angel.

Ein... he's not like that... he knows better... no, he wouldn't do it just for women... though he is at that age... no, I trust him, he'd only do it if he had a good reason for it... but why? What reason is there that justifies turning against the will of the magi, the will of the gods?

Malice racked her brain, exploring every possibility she could think of that didn't involve those sprite women, at least not directly. Few ideas came that stood up to any sort of reasoning, and they all hinged on one thing- the spirit that separated Ein from Ledah and Rose in the first place.

That spirit... what manner of trickery did it weave over my son? Brainwashing seems likely- he could't even remember me! Yes, that must be it! The spirit erased his memories and forced him to do her bidding, like a filthy demon! Therein lies the crux of the issue- the spirit behind it all, not Ein. If I can destroy this spirit or else remove its hold upon my son, then all will be solved- Ein will return to me, and together we will activate the Retribution. Yes! It's perfect! First, I must find out more about this spirit... I should find Master Hector, if he can't tell me anything then I'll seek out Ledah, who can certainly tell me more...

Malice was now emboldened with a new course of action that, upon light reflection, really didn't differ from what she would have done had Ein never appeared at Lacrima Castle.

But how do I find Master Hector? He usually comes to me when he wants to... maybe the letter with my orders will give me some answers..?

Malice took out he letter with her orders in it, she hadn't read it since she landed upon Riviera... after Rose left, that is. It simply stated what she was supposed to do, it didn't say anything about what happened when she finished, like she was... with one slight exception.

So I wait for him to come to me? Ugh, I hate seniorty rights, I really do... he can come to me whenever he damn well pleases, but when I need to talk to him, I gotta wait. Malice thought coldly. Well, I guess now I wait. Not much else I can do...

Malice opened her eyes, focusing on the world around her rather than just her thoughts. The first thing that met her gaze was, of course, Hector, who was standing hardly 5 feet away, greeting her with a tight smile.

Malice let out an ear-splitting shriek, she was MORE than startled by his sudden appearance, how could one with such a powerful, commanding aura make an approach as silent and invisible as a mouse?

"Greetings angel Malice, you got some color during my absence, huh?" Hector greeted smartly, referring to Malice's recent sunburn, which she had to fight the urge to turn away from him to hide it, but doing that would be a great sign of disrespect, also Malice's pride wouldn't allow him to get the better of her again.

"I suppose so, I finished the task you gave me early so I figured I could sunbathe a bit while I waited for you." Malice retorted. "Perhaps you should get some sun yourself, noble magi, you look as white as a sheet."

"Perhaps." Hector said, letting the warm greeting end at that, now it was business time. "So you gathered all the required souls, then?"

"If by that you mean everyone at Lacrima Castle, then yes." Malice replied, handing him the crimson-colored soul sphere from the inner folds of her robes.

"Excellent." Hector said after examining the sphere, then putting it into his own robes. "I sense you are troubled, is there something you wish to say to me?"

Shoot he's sharp... I guess one doesn't become a magi without being able to read people... Malice thought.

"Yes... it's about Ein..." Malice began uneasily, not sure where to go from there.

Should I tell him about Ein? No, I don't think that would be wise... I should just ask about the spirit...

"The spirit that took him away, is there anything you can tell me about it?" Malice asked sharply, without a moment's further hesitation.

"You should be careful, Malice, the path to revenge is a dark one, one that many angels have fallen from grace for following." Hector said.

So he thinks this is for revenge... well, I suppose that's not completely inaccurate... it serves my purposes for him to think that, I suppose...

"I was just thinking that perhaps a spirit with enough power to control an accursed and fell a Grim Angel would provide ample power for the Retribution... though I'd be lying if I said I wasn't suggesting it partly for personal satisfaction." Malice replied.

Hector paused for a moment, mulling over whether or not he should actually tell her what he knew of the spirit. She was right about it providing power for the Retribution, it would certainly provide much energy, but he risked losing Malice, who was quite the asset. He chose to risk it.

"The spirit... her name is Ursula, her physical body was destroyed long ago during Ragnarok, now she acts as the self-appointed 'Guardian of Riviera'. She is a powerful spirit, but at the same time her power is limited- she cannot fight as even the most junior Grim Angel can, but her magic could turn even the most powerful demons to her side, as you well know. Her ties to this land is a millenia strong, so erasing her won't be easy, but if you can manage it, we might not need too many more souls to power the Retribution." Hector explained.

"Is there any way I can find her that you know of? And when I do find her, do you know of a way for me to defeat her?" Malice asked. Hector again paused, but not because he wasn't sure if he should tell her, it was because he simply didn't know either answer.

"I'm not sure in either case... for contacting her, you may want to ask the people of Riviera- they might know a way to summon her. As for killing her... that may be significantly more difficult... I doubt that asking around will get you an answer... you may have to come up with something yourself. I will certainly look into it, but I can promise nothing."

"I understand, I may be able to find something if I ask magical scholars or look into some books. Thank you, master Hector." Malice bowed.

"Your work is appreciated. Your next task is to officially look into the spirit known as Ursula and find a way to defeat her. If this is not possible or too difficult to be practical, then you'll return to your soul-hunting as you were." Hector said.

"Of course."

Hector vanished, leaving Malice to check the map that she got with her assignment letter, finding the nearest town, she took a moment to get her bearings and then she set off towards the nearest town.