The door clicked softly shut behind them, and silence settled into the room for a few seconds.
Siegfried leaned back against the wall, arms crossed lazily as he muttered.
"Man… that was depressing as hell."
Jeanne shot him a glare and snapped.
"Sieg, shut up."
Siegfried held up his hands in surrender, unfazed.
"Hey, I'm just saying."
Arthur ignored them as he stood by the wall, staring blankly ahead before turning his eyes toward the others.
"The kid's clean. He doesn't know anything else."
He stepped away from the wall, posture tense, tone quiet but sharp.
"As I said before, from what I got from the ex-priest… he spilled a few things before he croaked. Said there's some kind of ritual planned for tonight. Something about 'bringing someone back.' Didn't say who. Right before I could press him, though, his eyes rolled up, mouth foamed, and he just… dropped dead."
"A cursed seal of sorts?"
Jeanne asked, brow furrowed.
"Most likely. One designed to prevent info leaks."
He sighed and turned to face them fully.
"So. Anybody else got something they want to share with the class, or is it just me?"
Jeanne folded her arms and nodded.
"Sieg and I questioned some locals. Nothing concrete, just rumors. Strange noises at night. People disappearing, mostly homeless or drifters. And one guy, completely out of it, kept muttering about hearing whispers. Said something about 'All hail' something. Couldn't make it out."
"Great. So we've got a creepy cult ritual happening tonight, people vanishing, and a location named Tory Island. But the question is, who are they trying to bring back? And more importantly… why?"
Siegfried muttered, rubbing the back of his neck.
Dulio has been leaning on the window frame this whole time, arms folded, looking more pensive than usual.
"I might have an idea."
He said quietly.
All eyes turned to him.
Dulio turned and walked toward the center of the room, boots thudding against the floor.
His usual carefree air was gone.
Arthur raised an eyebrow.
"You gonna share with the rest of the group or keep us in suspense?"
Dulio ignored the jab.
"Tell me something. Why do you think the priests and exorcists defected in the first place?"
Arthur gave a half-shrug.
"I dunno. It could be from committing sins or because they discovered something. Something bad."
Dulio nodded solemnly. "
Exactly. It's the latter. And it's bigger than any of us thought."
He then lifted his foot and stomped the floor once.
In an instant, the hotel room glowed with holy scripture symbols ignited across the walls and ceiling.
Arthur stepped back and looked around.
"Okay? You put up a strong containment seal… What, you gonna show us something mind-breaking?"
Dulio turned toward them, his expression grave.
"What I'm about to say… if it gets out, it could shatter the balance of the entire system. Heaven, the Church, all of it."
He then looked at Jeanne and Siegfried directly.
"As your senior and your friend above all else, can I trust you both to keep what I'm about to reveal between us?"
Siegfried blinked and glanced at Jeanne, who had a grim look on her face.
"…If this is serious enough for you to go this far, then yes. We won't say a word to another soul."
Jeanne said.
Siegfried shrugged, but his voice was more serious than usual.
"I've seen and been through plenty of crap in my life, Dulio. But if this is something you're not even joking about, I'll take it seriously."
Dulio nodded slowly, then turned his gaze toward Arthur.
"And you, Arthur?"
Arthur stared back at him for a moment before speaking.
"We've only known each other a couple of days, and in that time, you've been a bigger pain in my ass than anyone else I've met."
Jeanne and Siegfried exchanged small glances, unsure how to react.
"But... you're also strong, kind, and, most importantly, you treat people like that kid out there, the kind of people everyone else ignores, with actual decency. That earns my respect."
Arthur continued, voice steady.
He crossed his arms.
"So yeah. Whatever it is you're about to say, my lips are sealed. Now spit it out before I lose interest."
Dulio closed his eyes and smiled faintly, touched by the sentiment despite Arthur's usual bluntness.
"Thanks, Arthur. I'll try not to cry."
He said with a little sarcasm, before his expression turned cold again.
He looked at all three of them and began to speak.
But as his mouth moved, the words never reached the reader's ears.
Whatever he was saying, whatever secret he was unveiling, was being concealed for the next chapters.
Jeanne's eyes widened with disbelief, one hand coming up to cover her mouth.
Siegfried's jaw dropped slightly, brows furrowing as his brain tried to wrap around what he was hearing.
Arthur stood still, face unreadable, he only narrowed his eyes.
And when Dulio finished speaking, the room fell back into silence.
No one said anything for a moment.
"…You're serious?"
Jeanne finally whispered, almost breathless.
Dulio only nodded.
"Are you absolutely sure you're not fucking with us, Dulio?"
Siegfried asked, his voice low and unnerved.
"As sure as I've ever been."
Dulio said.
Arthur looked away slightly, processing, the gears in his mind clicking together.
(So that's it… Evn though I already knew about it, it s still pretty shocking.)
He turned his head back toward Dulio.
"Then we don't have much time, do we?"
"No, you guys don't."
Dulio said.
DxD
A few quiet minutes had passed since the group entered the other room, but then the door opened, startling the boy.
Arthur stepped out first, the door clicking softly behind him. Jeanne followed, arms casually resting behind her back, and Siegfried strolled out last with another soda can in hand, lazily sipping from it.
The boy on the couch sat up straighter as they returned, eyes searching behind them.
"…Where's the other guy?"
He asked, his voice still weak, but no longer trembling.
Arthur slipped his hands into his hoodie pockets.
"Dulio? He had something else to do, very important stuff. He'll be gone for a while."
He said, voice casual.
"Oh…"
The boy muttered, lowering his gaze again.
Arthur stepped forward, eyeing him curiously.
"So, I'm just gonna ask you something. What do you wanna do now?"
The boy hesitated, and his hands gripped his knees.
"I… I don't know. But I know that once I walk out of this place, I'm a dead man. Those people I worked for, they don't let people go."
Jeanne walked over, leaning on the backrest of the couch with a warm smile.
"Then don't go, at least not yet. Why not stick with us for a bit? Just until we deal with this whole mess."
The boy blinked, visibly startled.
"Why? Why would you want me? I have nothing. Nothing to give. I don't even have a name."
Arthur smirked and crossed his arms.
"Well, for a guy who says he has nothing, you held your own back at the cathedral. That little shadow trick of yours? Pretty impressive."
The boy looked confused.
"You mean… the thing I do with the shadows?"
Arthur nodded.
"Yeah. That's your Sacred Gear, Night Reflection."
"…Sacred Gear?"
He was unfamiliar with the term.
Arthur began walking toward the door, motioning for the others to follow.
"I'll explain more on the way. But for now, I'll give it to you straight."
He turned and faced the boy directly.
"You've got two choices: keep doing what you've been doing, surviving without purpose, or try to make a difference. Start walking a new path."
The boy looked down at his hands, hands that had only ever stolen, grabbed scraps, or dragged people into their deaths.
His whole life had been about staying alive, nothing more, and yet, now… someone was giving him the option to live for something more than that.
"…I don't know how."
He whispered.
Arthur walked back to him and crouched down a little to meet his gaze.
"You don't have to know. Trust me. Most of us start clueless. I was the half-breed who lost someone important in my life. For a while, I had no reason to get up in the morning."
Arthur smiled gently.
"But I found one. And you can too. You've just gotta be willing to try."
The boy's eyes met his.
For the first time in a long while, there was no suspicion.
Just the faint glimmer of possibility.
Arthur extended a hand toward him.
"So… what do you say, buddy? Wanna give it a shot?"
He offered.
The boy stared at the offered hand. His fingers hovered for a moment, before slowly grasping it.
"…Yeah, I want to try."
He said, his voice quiet, but resolute.
Jeanne clapped her hands and smiled.
"Welcome to the team, mystery boy."
Siegfried leaned back on the wall and tapped his can.
"Alright then, I'm just gonna ask since nobody has. So… what the hell are we gonna call him? 'Kid' and 'guy' is getting old."
The boy blinked.
"I don't really know."
He turned to Arthur again.
"Could you give me one?"
Arthur scratched the back of his head, thinking.
"Hmm… a name, huh?"
He looked at the boy for a long moment, then smirked.
"How about… Connla?"
Jeanne raised an eyebrow.
"Connla? The son of Cú Chulainn? Why?"
Arthur shrugged.
"No reason. It just feels right for him."
The boy, Connla, repeated the name under his breath, testing how it felt on his tongue.
Arthur was right.
He felt in his very being that the name... felt right for him.
"Connla… Yeah. That's me. My name is Connla."
He gave a small nod to himself, as if sealing it within.
Arthur stood upright, rolling his shoulders and giving a smirk toward the others.
"Alrighty then. Let's move out, team. We've got a creepy cult to stop and a short deadline to catch up."
He said, voice sharpening into leading the team.
Jeanne grabbed her rapier and attached it to her belt.
"Next stop, Tory Island."
Siegfried finished the last of his soda and crushed the can in one hand.
"Hope they've got something interesting. I'm in the mood for wrecking something."
Arthur turned his gaze back to Connla, who now stood among them, unsure but determined.
"You ready, Connla?"
Connla nodded firmly.
"Yeah. I think so."
Together, they walked out the door, but Arthur looked at Connla's image and stopped.
"Hold on a minute. Connla, maybe we should start by getting you a hot shower first... and maybe shop for some new clothes."
Connla looked at him and looked down at his poor figure.
"... I guess you're right."
DxD
Hello readers!
I need more Stones pls...
Thank you everyone and see you later!