"I see you decided to follow me." Synthia said while learning against a building. Her demeanor was completely casual, but I could tell that she was ready for a fight as her sword was sheathed on her hip and her eyes never left me. My skin still felt raw and burned, a reminder of the slight she had done me only moments ago, and I had to use every ounce of my will power not to glare at her as I landed on the opposite side of the alley. There were blood stains on the walls, red ones and black, and the alley reeked of death, but that didn't bother me as I kept my eyes on Cynthia.
"So, what did you want to talk about?" I asked, keeping my tone casual, but I'm sure she could hear the fury in my voice, but she didn't react.
"Our current situation of course. It seems that you are willing to cooperate with me in order to keep the humans alive, but though my Sanctuary looks safe on the surface, it is not ready for what is to come. The Sanctuary, well the mansion, was created as a place for Angels to stay while they were on Earth, but as you can see, circumstances have changed, and we Angels have decided to use the mansion for a more practical purpose. And since you seem so keen to help us, I would like to formally ask your help in procuring resources to aid the cause. We have food and water but those will run out eventually so it wouldn't hurt to have some extra supplies. We also need weapons and medicine I guess, though I think we can do without human medicine, so weapons would be more important. But, what I'm really lacking are combatants, people who can actually fight undeads, so welcome to the fold." Synthia said with a smile and I just looked at her.
"Why do you think I would help you?" I asked, my voice rumbling with something that resembled a growl
"Your friends." She said with an amused look in her eyes
"I promised I'd get them to a safe place and as far as I'm concerned I've done just that. And they aren't my friends." I said in a matter of factly tone
"I see. So what exactly do you want?" Synthia asked with a cautious look on her face.
"I want information." I said, making her chuckle slightly
"Of course you do, what do you want to know?" She asked
"First of all, what the hell's going on? Why did demon miasma suddenly come out of nowhere and start turning everyone into undeads? And Demons?" I asked. This was something I was very curious about. It happened so suddenly with no prior warnings, nothing noticeable to humans at the very least, but maybe an Angel would have noticed something.
"I guess I can answer that. There is a dimensional barrier that separates Heaven, Earth and the Underworld from each other, keeping their energies from flowing into each other. The barrier separating Heaven from Earth is permeable, meaning that us Angels can travel between our realms pretty easily, and on rare occasions, humans can come to our realm as well. But the barrier that separates the Underworld from Earth is different, it is like a solid wall that separates them from each other, preventing interactions between the local residents and the energies from spilling into each other. But, that barrier cracked." Synthia replied but there was something in her explanation that caught my attention.
"You're telling me that all this is being caused by just a crack." I said in shock, a crack, a single crack in this barrier I didn't even know existed almost caused the human race to go completely extinct.
"Oh yeah and from what I've heard it's only going to get worse. The crack will widen and all types of demons from the Underworld will be able to come onto earth. And trust me, they are not as nice as you are." She said with a serious look on her face
"Isn't there a way to seal it?" I asked, hope in my voice, but then I wondered if I really wanted it to be sealed. I mean, the damage was already done, and what exactly would happen to me if the crack was sealed.
'No, we need to seal it to cause any more damage.....that's the right thing to do.' I thought half heartedly
"No, not that I know of." Synthia said, and I felt a bit relieved
"Next question, what is this interface? I've been seeing it ever since I became a Fiend?" I asked the second most important question.
"Oh that, it's called the Universal System. Only creatures that walk the paths of profanity or enlightenment can have it aka demons, angels and cultivators. Cultivators are humans that absorb either energy, holy or demonic, into their bodies in order to gain power. The system basically shows all of your abilities in a way you can understand it." Synthia replied and most of what she said I already knew but once again there was something that caught my attention.
"So does this mean you're going to help them cultivate? The humans I mean?" I asked, looking back at the mansion. There were quite a number of humans within the mansion, and if all of them suddenly became as powerful as me or this Angel, then in the likely event of a fight happening between us, then I will be at a disadvantage. A very serious disadvantage.
"Yes, but it's gonna take a while so that's why I'm going to need you to collect resources so that I have the time to teach them." She replied
'So she is building an army. And she needs my help, interesting.' I thought, a plan forming in my mind
"Last question, are there other Angels here, on Earth?" I asked
"Why do you ask?" Synthia asked, suspicion evident in her voice
"In the broadcast there were at least seven different Sanctuary locations, so if there are more Angels I will be more reassured that the people there are safe." I said but that wasn't my main concern. If there were more Angels then there is a chance they might try and kill me if they find me.
"Yes there are." She said and I sighed.
"Would they try and kill me even if I help you?" I asked curiously
"I thought you said that was your last question." Synthia said in an amused tone.
"Just answer the question." I said was a bit irritated.
"Yes a few of them will want to kill you but I'll put in a good word from you so don't worry too much." She said, but that didn't reassure me in the slightest. I needed to prepare somehow and get stronger quickly…or I could run as far away as possible but I wasn't sure what an angel was capable of, Synthia might be able to mark me or something so that the other angels will find me. Also, I was no coward, if it comes to it, I'll stand my ground and fight.