“Fuck that angel. And fuck his childish games too. He thinks he can order me around forever, huh? We’ll see about that. One day, it’s gonna be your neck I wring the hell out of… I’m just counting down the days.”

  The sound of a tin can jangled throughout the alley’s exit as he kicked it over while leaving. It flew through the air, its contents splashing all across the concrete sidewalk ahead, coating it with its brown, mushy muck. The spillage seemed to fit right in with the other trails of food, trash and decomposed flesh littered in several locations across the street.

  The Ghost District. Formerly known as District-3.

  With a staggering population of zero, it was one of the three districts making up this deranged and cursed town. On paper, anyways. In reality it was teeming with those wrapped up in this town’s underground. It’s darkness.

  Criminals.

  Dropouts.

  Those crippled by debt and having to keep a constant eye over their shoulders for persistent collectors.

  As well as any victims of the accident 3 years ago who weren't accepted by the Migration Act.

  Just a handful of the kinds of people who had no other choice but to call the Ghost District their home, and subsequently, get themselves entangled with the underground of the town.

  Those middle school girls that Akuma had saved from Bomi and his crew could be considered exceptions to that.

  “Argh–!”

  Akuma shrieked and recoiled as soon as he stepped out of the dark alley.

  From the way he was shielding his eyes, you’d think he was a vampire being exposed to its biggest weakness. The reason was simple. Pure light had been concentrated directly into his eyes. It was similar to how a magnifying glass could concentrate light into a single point—even causing a substance to catch fire if done properly.

  His doing, no doubt.

  “Grrh–!”

  Akuma quickly grabbed the sides of his jacket’s hood and pulled it over his face. Then, he spent a few seconds adjusting the hood, angling it to best guard against the deadly rays. It did little to guard against them but little was still better than nothing.

  “Dammit. Dammit! Dammit! What the hell do you think you’re doing, asshole?!”

  Akuma wiped the tears that had built up from the burning sensation in his eyes before blinking once and then twice more.

  “Here I was trying to take it easy today! Yet for some reason you’re obsessed with these childish games! When are you gonna grow up?!”

  “...........................”

  Nothing.

  Not a single word was uttered in response to Akuma’s complaints. It was the natural outcome, considering the space before him was completely and totally empty.

  In spite of that, Akuma didn’t so much as stutter as he continued ranting on.

  “Y’know, I once read about some religious beliefs that claim the existence of gods who watch over their lands. Apparently, they stick around and bless them. In return they receive offerings… Guardian spirits, I think they were called… Don’t tell me you’re one of them? If so, you’re doing a pretty shitty job! I mean seriously. Dumping all these mindless errands on me?! Is that fun for you?! Huh?!”

  But by his choice of wording, one would be left wondering if he were talking to the source of his earlier predicament. The blinding light. However, as there was no one to speak of, they’d find themselves hard pressed to believe that.

  “Tell you what. How about you mind your own business and butt out of my life!? You should know I find that kind of thing to be the most annoying thing someone can do!”

  Strangely, Akuma’s body language suggested that he was conversing with someone directly in front of him. Given that his chin was slightly tilted upwards, and his eyes were piercing the air above him, they’d also have to be a bit taller than he was too. Last time he checked, Akuma was around 175 cm. So, any ordinary person would have to be at least a head higher.

  In simpler terms, an impossible figure to miss…

  “Hey, you better be listening, Angel!”

  …Except, there wasn’t anything “ordinary” about him.

  Two pure white wings protruded out of the being’s back and flapped against the air with the dignity of a divine creature, keeping it in a suspended animation above him. Golden light that rivaled the sun’s brilliance radiated above the entity’s hair—a delicate weave of fresh snow and power. It was an untouched white, a color that wasn’t influenced by the intense light produced by its halo.

  Its silhouette was akin to a swan, but its visage was most certainly that of a deity. A mischievous god, to say the least.

  Taking all that into account, there really was no denying the nature of the creature before him.

  An angel.

  “It’s rude to ignore someone when they’re talking to you, Angel. Didn’t anyone ever tell you that?”

  Even though Akuma had referred to it in such a derogatory way, the entity floating above him didn’t seem to find any offence, as it had offered no verbal response to Akuma’s lengthy rant.

  Instead, it cackled in that same mischievous manner that never failed to grind Akuma’s gears.

  If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  “...”

  Akuma realised that he was expecting a response from a brick wall. No, brick walls didn’t continuously mock you when you tried to converse with it. It was more like a leech. Or better yet, a blood-sucking vampire, but instead of blood, it feasted on negative emotions.

  With a rather distasteful click of his tongue, and his hands anchored in his pockets, Akuma Tiryns pushed past the angel floating above him.

  “Tch, I’ll take it that should’ve cleared everything up, right?” Akuma tossed the question to the angel behind him, knowing he’d get no response. It was more so his way of threatening the deity. “Great. Then that means I can go about my day now…”

  Despite having completed yet another mission given to him by the angel, Akuma felt no sense of relief whatsoever. The hard part was yet to come.

  Originally, Akuma was in another of the three districts making up this town. But shortly after his final class was dismissed, Akuma had received a vision from the angel. It was similar to how prophets would receive revelations. In that sense, perhaps it’d be more fitting to consider it a “divine message.”

  Whatever you chose to call it, the fact remained that a vision of what was to come suddenly flashed inside Akuma’s head.

  The fates of those middle school girls had no one arrived to save them.

  As much as he would’ve loved to ignore the mission and continue on about his day, Akuma was soul bound.

  Problem was, one couldn’t simply travel to the Ghost District on a whim. Legally speaking, he didn’t have the proper registrations to be standing in the Ghost District. If he were caught by authorities, it was likely that he’d be facing time in prison. If not that, then a hefty fine at the very least.

  To be frank, Akuma had no choice but to walk.

  It had taken him a whole 2 hours to walk all the way here from the previous District, so, it’d take an additional 2 hours just to get back. An annoying reality. But his reality.

  “...”

  Akuma turned his gaze to the sky, noting out loud that it was beginning to shift from a bright blue to a midnight navy.

  Beside him, the angel mimicked the action. Though, considering it had traced Akuma’s motion perfectly—down to the millisecond—one might be led to believe it had just so happened to look up at the sky at the same moment Akuma did. It wasn’t that uncommon for the two to find themselves in such a mirrored state. They had, after all, spent 3 years together.

  During those moments, it felt like watching twin brothers.

  Both of them were unnatural beings that shared the same eyes. Their identities were a mystery to those around them. And they possessed special abilities that could be considered supernatural.

  The only real difference he could think of was an ironic one…

  “From the looks of it, I’d say the sun has maybe 2 or 3 hours left before it sets. Sticking around the Ghost District any longer would be dangerous… Dumb too.”

  Without the sun, he’d have a hard time finding his way back.

  “Well, guess it’s time to head back.”

  Each step felt like dragging an anvil up a steep bump. His thighs burned and he realized that he was tripping more often.

  From the way the ground felt beneath his sneakers, Akuma could tell he was still in the rocky field area that acted as the border between the Active and Ghost districts. It was a vast and empty stretch of land. Large rocks scattered about and a collection of dust and trash floating by from the Ghost District.

  Sometimes the trash would collide with him. It’d be an easy task to dodge them, even with his limited vision, but the effort far outweighed the gains. Worst case scenario, he’d just have to wash his school uniform.

  “Dammit all. Why do I have to be the one to go through this? What happened to karma? Don’t people usually get rewarded after doing a good thing? So why am I stuck doing this kind of thing?”

  4 hours.

  If his perception of time was accurate, then that was about as much time he had wasted. Thugs aside, most of it was spent simply going and coming from the Ghost District.

  And for what? To save some damn girls?

  He wondered if it was worth it.

  Maybe he’d have been better off failing the angel’s mission. A punishment awaited him if he did, but at this point, who gave a damn…

  In the first place, what were they even doing in the Ghost District?

  They certainly didn’t have permission or else they would’ve been accompanied by bodyguards or special forces of some kind. And judging by their uniforms, they couldn’t have been residents of the Ghost District. Schools were a thing of the past in District-3. Has been for the last 3 years.

  Akuma could only think of one reason why a pair of innocent girls like them could’ve found themselves in this hellhole. It was just speculation, but they had most likely come to the District illegally to see a ghost with their own eyes. Maybe even try and take a picture of one and post it on social media for likes.

  Stories of ghosts and other supernatural entities were common headlines in the news. The kind of stuff that could easily get someone thousands of likes on social media.

  Akuma frequently kept up with the news, so by now, he had heard pretty much every story there was to tell. But there was one report that really stuck with him:

  One guy found that his newlywed wife had been murdered in a timestamp impossible for any ordinary criminal. The same night they had gotten married, the husband reported that when he woke up to use the bathroom, he came back to find that his wife had been murdered. There was no evidence of a break-in, a struggle, or anything to suggest a killer.

  Some believed the culprit was a lost soul of those who had died over the years and now seeking revenge. Naturally, there wasn’t any proof to back that claim. Thus, the masses settled with one name above the rest…

  Demons.

  If that’s what those girls really came for, then Akuma was curious on how they had gotten there. The idea of two young maidens walking for 2 hours there and back was ridiculous. A possibility that shouldn’t even be considered.

  Whatever their method, Akuma needed to get his hands on it. Especially if the angel planned on making these long travel missions a habit.

  “...”

  Akuma’s side eyed the angel beside him.

  Part of it was out of jealousy from its ability to fly. What he’d give for that right now. But it was mostly out of a curious nature.

  While the two had spent the past 3 years together, he didn’t know much about the angel. He knew it was a unique existence that cared about saving others more than anything, but nothing beyond that.

  Akuma didn’t know its name, where it was from, or its likes and dislikes. Or why it had attached itself to him for three whole years.

  Was it really a god?

  Had it not been for the entity's juvenile appearance, Akuma might’ve actually believed he was currently looking at a real god.

  The angel’s body resembled that of a 10 year old child. Its size was punctuated by the tattered prisoner's onesie it wore. The white and blue striped fabric was damaged by what looked like repeated beatings. Not at all to mention the fact that a singular heavy, metal shackle that reeked of labor and violent struggles was cuffed around the entity's left wrist.

  Sometimes, Akuma would wonder if the thing used to be a slave.

  From the looks of it, a worker slave that had spent more time doing manual labors such as ore mining or agriculture than playing outside like most kids should’ve been doing.

  “Hey, angel…”

  It’s not as if he enjoyed calling it that. Given the chance, he’d have loved to use a real name for it. But since the thing never spoke, doing so had proved an impossible hurdle.

  Naming it himself was risky, seeing as there was no way to know if the angel actually had a name but was just withholding it from Akuma so as to not get too close.

  If that was the case, then it was probably for the best to respect its wishes.

  The two should keep their distance.

  “...Never mind.”