Pein In My Neck

Kiersa sat by the cliffside, her eyes closed as she let the gentle breeze blow against her face, her habit fluttering in the wind. The crashing waves served only to counterpoint the serenity of these distant cliffs, which in turn the blonde nun hoped would let its unspoken message sink into the person who was due to arrive any moment... assuming he got her message.

Raven had decided that it was time to test Mister Pein for his B-Rank, and had assigned the Paragon of Selflessness to undertake the task. She had only met the man once, and what she saw and learned of him that day made her... concerned. He claimed to be a former Demon Slayer, and was half-demon himself... and his new choice of magic was confusing to say the least.

He summoned machinery to fight and enhance himself, whilst serving as a detriment towards his enemies... this "magic" he used, didn't entirely sit well with the nun. Especially when combined with his bloodthirsty temperament and attitude. If it wasn't for the fact that he bore the Guild Mark of Sabertooth, then Kiersa would almost be forced to believe he was a Dark Mage, or at the very least a guildless one roaming the world seeking destruction and death.

The blonde nun sighed before she slowly began to stand up, brushing an errant lock of hair from her face. She could only hope that she was wrong about him, that somewhere there was a core of good within him... this exam, no, this trial would see if this was the case.

Pein was walking over the grass plains on the serence cliff. It was a gigantic drop into the ocean if you fell here. Not the best location to go carelessly walk. The cape hanging over his shoulder was pure white and was floating in the wind. He was here for a reason. A rather important reason. After all the more important stuf that happened recently like losing his arms and getting a complete new magic he was finally grown stronger and he felt better to. He had his magic more under control and he could feel like he could do more than this. That’s why he asked to test his skill for a higher rank and raven had given him the opportunity to do that. although it was not the guild master taken the exam but one of the aces of sabretooth.

On the cliff he saw a familiar face sitting on the edge of it. she was sitting a bit close to it. pein wondered if she wasn’t afraid to fall. But he shrugged and came closer. He did a job with this ace of sabretooth. She seemed very religious. To bad she worshipped the wrong god. Ah well he wasn’t here for his father he had to remind himself that. she also called him a demon last time seemed she had some sort of ability to see he was one. He wondered what power this more experienced mage had.

he came closer but kept a safe distance from her to show he was there as a friend and started to speak. “Hai Kiersa, I heard from Raven that you are here to take my exam. Good day to you by the way. Well it seems it’s a fine day for it”, pein said as a small breeze was calmly lowering the warmth of the hot sun.

When he finally arrived, she didn't immediately turn around to face him. Instead, she stood there, facing the sea, the wind caressing her gently. "Tell me Pein. Do not think, just say the first thing that comes to mind. Why?" she asked, remaining with her back turned to him, the Sabertooth crest stitched into her habit fluttering like a flag. "Why did you join Sabertooth?" the blonde nun asked. First would come her questions, gauging his reactions, his timing, the speed at which he answered, and more importantly, how and with what he answered.

Pein Heard the question. Why did he join sabretooth. He didn’t flinch for to long as he knew the awnser by heart. “I joined because the values sabretooth uphold are values I wish to pursue. Faith in my god, Selflessness by bringing judgement to all even friends if necessary, Conviction to go trough with what I have to do in any circumstance. I uphold the three virtues of sabertooth in my way and that’s why I joined. ”, pein said calmly but passionately as his eyes shined for a small but when he was speaking over the virtues. He became a more relaxed stance again after he answered her and waited to see what she would do.

The nun listened to the words he spoke, with the passion he said them with, and how little hesitation he had before he spoke. "Is God all you consider for faith?" she asked of him, slowly turning around to face him. "I know that sounds strange coming from a nun, but faith does not only pertain to the gods." she said, taking a slow step towards him.

"And selflessness, is it truly selfless to act as judge, jury and occasionally executioner to all around you, even friends?" she asked of him, her own mind trying to wrap around that particular concept and how warped it sounded to her. "And there are times when conviction is to not act." said the nun as she now stood about five metres from him.

"Is it only for the Three Virtues that you joined Sabertooth?" the blonde summoner asked of the cyborg half-demon. "Why do you wish to take this exam?" she asked of him.

Pein was struck when the nun started to question his answers. Who was she to question what he believed. Was a fast tought that appeared in peins head. But pein pushed it away quickly. This was probably a test. A test of how harsh he believed in what he did. Pein scratched behind his cat ear and tought deep over the first question. “I guess not only god is something you can have faith in. I have also faith that my guild mates will help me when something is wrong. I have faith in hikari that she will stay by my side even in hard times.”, pein said and started to think about the next question. Pein was getting uncomfortable that she was stepping closer and closer with each question.

“it is selfness to be the executioner of evil. I am not judge. I follow the rules my faith laid out for me and I handle like there told. They have to be followed to the letter. Its how we will achieve peace for everyone.”, pein explained to the nun. Even she should understand how it works. If all evil would be rid of this world the world would be a very calm and peaceful world. It was the ultimate goal everyone would fight for. Even if you had to do things that some people would see as wrong. Sacrifices had to be given for a ideal.

“yes I do believe waiting Is a part of conviction but at the same time standing to long still can hurt yourself to. You have to find a balance in proceeding and resting to reach your goal.”, pein said calmly rehearsing the words he lived by and learned from his teachers. “I also joined sabertooth because I heard storys about strong and honoureble mages.”, pein said and he stepped one step back when she came close. “I wana do this exam to prove myself to the guild that I gained experience and knowledge trough the jobs I did”, pein exclaimed calmly to her.

The nun sighed and shook her head. "So, you follow the rules of your faith, and deem those that do not to be in the way of peace? Is this what you mean by selflessly killing them?" she asked of him, sighing. "I follow a different religion than yours, does that mean that you will in turn kill me as well?" asked the blonde nun, looking straight into his eyes. "Where is the selflessness in slaughtering all those that do not agree with your philosophy?" the Paragon of Selflessness asked of him before closing her eyes, awaiting his reply.

"You speak of finding balance, and yet seek to destroy all forms of evil, regardless of its source or situation. How can there be a balance when the scales are tipped too far in one direction?" asked Kiersa. "How far are you willing to go to find this peace where only light remains?" she asked of him, opening her eyes once more.

"And if you seek to destroy all evil... then does that include your own blood as well? You said it yourself that you are half-demon, and I can recall very few, if any, instances of a good demon. So, does that mean you will one day kill yourself as well in order to obtain your vision of this peaceful world, least your demonic heritage come to the fore?" the blonde nun asked.

Pein sighed as he knew these questions were to follow. Some people were a bit mistaken in when he said he would kill them if they break the rules. Mostly because they don’t know the rules. It’s a error the god has made and its to pein to correct it. although my father probably has to do something with that. that full-fledged demon doesn’t always do things the way the god have wanted it. he lost his path in his wrath to get revenge. “No I will not kill you because you have another faith. That is allowed. You don’t have to follow my philosophy. Nobody forces you to. I will however preach about it and I will try to make you see my side of the story. But no I won’t kill you as long as you remain in the light.”, pein said softly to the mage trying to take away her fear of death. People always did stupid things if they thought there was a chance they could die. Not that he would be able to beat her tough. She was a class higher then him. he listened to the next reasoning that was given. He did know that it didn’t sound like a balance.

“indeed if everything would be destroyed there would be no balance. Although ill toss the question back Is it even possible to destroy all evil. Will light ever make the balance tip to light alone. Even If we kill all criminals and demons of this age who is to say they won’t arrive on another place. While we make a paradise here there will be a hell made somewhere else. I am willing to go as far as I need to to get my people there peace. Although I would never give up hikari. She’s the only expetion.”, pein gave back in response and crossed his arms thinking of more to say. This was the first time he got questioned so hard. He was starting to feel a bit uneasy. The nun had good points in her defence.

“I will cleanse my sins once everything is done and my fight is over. If I am to tainted to be cleansed I shall sacrifice myself for my god so that the billions of people can live in peace without my tainted body. I am the tool nothing more.”, pein recited the words of the sacrefices. The order of Vertir the cat god who fight for him but are ready to die when they are asked to.

There it was. A chink in his armour. "You admire Miss Hikari don't you?" she asked of him, slowly walking towards his left. "What would you do if she were to fall from what your philosophy considers light?" the blonde nun asked him. "Would you keep to your faith, and follow through with its convictions to end her existence? Is this the selflessness you see as the words meaning?" she asked as she began to slowly circle him as the questions came forth.

"Would there be no second chance for her? For anyone? Or it would be a case of immediate execution? With no option for explanation?" asked Kiersa of the cybernetic half-demon. "We have had dark mages join our ranks before... Frederick is one such example. And he has proven himself worthy of trust time and again... he even saved my life before I joined Sabertooth." the blonde summoner said.

"But from what I understand from what you've said, your god would have slain him on the spot for his past deeds. And any other person like him as well." said Kiersa, coming around to face him once more. "And myself as well... Before I joined Sabertooth, I released a demon in my naiviety and it slaughtered my entire convent and the neighbouring village, leaving me as the sole survivor. Their blood and souls are on my hands..." the nun confessed to him, gauging his reaction.

"Tell me... in your gods eyes and the values you've said you would uphold to the letter... would I be permitted to live for this one act?" she asked of him.

He heard the question kiersa was asking him. he was very annoyed by it. he didn’t really wanted to answer it because he didn’t want to think about it. although he was supposed to do it since it was his exam. He thought deeply about how he would formulate it and once he was confident enough he replied to her. “I would make sure that wouldn’t happen but if it did happen I wouldn’t kill her. I am not able to do it. there is a rule however that a priest can give his life for a sinner to give them a second change. I would sacrifice myself for her to give her that chance.”, pein said calmly. He was trained to die in the end. But never before had he ever said that he wanted to give his live for someone else. His heart was beating faster and his mind was drawn to hiki as he saw her azure blue pony tails dangling behind her head and a playful look in her crimson eyes.

The second question was rather easy to explain. Some people didn’t know but the men he killed were being judged before he got to kill them. “Vertir judges your crimes before I get the order to kill. If the situations forced you into something not seen good to the laws you won’t be seen as evil. I may be extreme in our punishment but we are not seeing everybody as bad just because they did something. It is the truly bad that will be killed. Yes sometimes criminals could recover from it. but is that worth the risk. What if he relapse and kills everyone you care for. Will you take that risk for someone you don’t know.  He may stay good that is true. But do the lives of a few outweigh the life’s of many”, pein asked back into a response. He was not going to give up on his faith. Although he not always agreed to it he had to show loyalty.

“and no you are not marked so I won’t kill you. Whatever you did in your past it was not your fault. Otherwise you would have been marked. So don’t live in guilt you did not wrong the world child. Live your life full. ”, he said with a smile on his face. He waited for her response to what he said. This person was very intreseting conversation partner. He wondered how hard this exam would get.

"And would Hikari be alright with this?" asked Kiersa of him. "If she fell into what your faith considers darkness, and you sacrificed your life to force her back into the light... what would she think then? The life of someone she cared for, gone because of her, regardless if she was the one to take it or not..." the blonde nun asked him, testing him, pressuring him.

"Is your god so uncaring to the world that all is viewed in terms of death? That only through death can they be absolved?" the Paragon asked of him, partially out of theological curiosity and partially from an exam stand point. When he turned the question on her, she had a reply ready. "There is always a risk yes... but, the path of redemption is always a hard one. It is filled with many obstacles, many temptations... at the end of the day though, I would rather see one person successfully redeemed, than a thousand people executed. And every day that that person doesn't fall back, is a success." she said.

Kiersa tilted her head. "And how do you know who is marked or not? And if you were to see for example... a small child with this mark, playing in a school yard with their friends who are not marked... what would you do then? Or a pregnant woman... would you end the life of the mother to be then and there, with little to no regard to the innocent life within her womb that has yet to even taste the air or feel the sun?" she asked, posing these scenarios, just wondering how far his conviction took him.

"Or would you wait for her to give birth, and then snuff out her life, leaving the child without a mother for the rest of their life... which in turn could lead the child to grow up resenting the one responsible, and could in turn lead them to a life of darkness as they sought revenge, thereby creating a new evil... through your own actions." the blonde nun asked him, leading him down the road of possibility.

“We do things in live sometimes other people wont like or they will be sad about. But chooses have to be made and it would still be for the better. She would hate me she would dislike me but I would know she was saved from death and is having a long or short good live. In the end we will meet up in walhalla.”, pein said with a straight face. He didn’t realy had much more to say about the topic his feelings were strong in it and he was convinced in what he was saying was right.

“what are we to a god then but nothing as ants one more or less would they even care. Don’t we also kill millions under out feet under our hands each year. It would be the same for a god they have bigger issues then just our mere wishes. Only vertir guides us and gives us the vision to see. Yes they can be redeemed and yes it is a hard and long path. But why would a god waste his time on something wish is unsure and could lead to even more deads then the ones being executed. I say again aren’t the many prevailing over the few.”, pein said in even more conviction. The girl was starting to realy pray on his patience. She kept asking questions in doubt of what he believed. Who was she to doubt what he believed. Why can’t he think what he thinks without being questioned about it. the world should just leave him alone.

“I am a priest of vertir I have the sight that shows his mark. I was privileged and cursed with this gift. the child would have to die it could make the other ones suffer. If a child is marked it means it did something very bad something unforgivable. For the mother shall die after birth. The baby will never know what happened. There many families who are unhappy because they cant receive a child. To stop doing them from bad things orphanges are laid to them. Besides you make it sound like I have to fight with someone everyday wich isn’t true marked ones are very rare to be found. ”, pein said and he made him more in a comfortable position to talk further with her. His legs were kinda getting tired of standing in the same position.

"If the gods did not wish to waste their time on something that is unsure, then why even help humanity at all?" replied the blonde nun. "Why bother teaching us they exist? Why share with us their magic and powers?" she asked of him, her own ire rising now from his words. "You claim that only your god cares for humanity, by telling us to slaughter all those that he deems too far in the darkness, even those who are but children?" the nun asked, taking a step towards the cybernetic mage.

"The Maker teaches us that all life is sacred and precious, and that taking a life is something that should only be done in the most dire of circumstances, or those who's lives we take are those whom seek the destruction of life." the blonde nun stated, battling his religion with her own. "All souls can be redeemed, and it is not the gods who redeem humanity, it is us here on this world who do so. By setting the examples, we lay forth the path for them to tread. They may stumble and yes they may fall, but that is when we help them back up, we get them back on their feet." she said, taking another step towards him.

"We do the work of the Gods, not the other way around." said the Paragon before closing her eyes. "Your claim that only Vertir allows you to see the darkness of the world, to end those that He judges to be guilty in His eyes..." the nun said, the edges of her eyes starting to glow with an ethereal light. "But, the Maker's Sight," she invoked, opening her eyes to reveal them completely aglow with light, "lets me see the true self of a being. Whether they be human, demonic or divine... Through His vision I can see where someone is hurt, even down to their very bone and sinew..." she said kneeling down before Pein, looking him straight in the eyes.

"Tell me again how the gods care nothing for humanity. Tell me that your god is the only one that dares to care..." she said before slapping him in the face. "And tell me then, with my Stigmata of Grace," she invoked, her hands awash with light... the bruise from Pein's cheek fading away along with the pain, and then appearing on Kiersa's own cheek, her face wincing from the pain she had caused him, and her eyes began to bleed, "tell me... how a god who desires only death, can be said to care for those who live?"

Spells Used:

Pein was being tormented by the questions what should he awnser what was right and what was wrong. Killing evil was all he knew. Should he not stick with what his parents had tought him. still since he saw hikari he did started to doubt on the truthfulness of his dads words. Could he truly kill himself and leave his love alone in this world. No he shouldn’t do that. Maybe the words of a arch demon couldn’t be trusted. Peins head was hurting with every second he thought further about the words of the nun. Was his god truly not more thinking about the world and the humans themselfes or is the cat god truly only a god for cats. Although he was half cat maybe he didn’t had a place in his religion.

NO, that was not true. Vertir was a loving god. He was not the one who asked for the killings. Before his dad turned into this demonic being his writings did say over a more forgiving and peaceful god. Since his god is still asleep should he truly worship vertir or should he go to some other god till he finds vertir and reawakens him. whatever may be truth is that his father chelvaric the cat arch demon is not to be trusted anymore. He lied to him. he put him on a path where he would have killed his soulmate for his dad. Was he even truly his dad. He didn’t know anymore. His chest was beating with pain his head was spinning around. Then he felt a harsh slap against his cheek. The nun had just hit his face and pein fell on his knees starting to cry tears. What had he done. Was he a monster.

“if if I was wrong. Am I then a monster. Did I kill all those people for nothing.”, pein said to the nun while he was on the brink of going crazy. Did he train all his life for nothing. Did he get tortured by a demon for years for nothing. Was nothing in his life good.

“STOP THIS INNOCENT. WHAT DO YOU THINK YOUR DOING PEIN. YOUR LOYALITY LAYS TO ME. IF YOUR THIS BROKEN YOUR NOTHING TO ME. DON’T LISTEN TO THIS NUN SHE IS ONLY A TOOL OF BETRAYAL. KILL KILL KILL KILL KILL KILL KILL KILL KILL KILL HER. DO AS YOUR DAD COMMANDS. “, the voice sounded in his head like somebody was screaming in a megaphone in his head. Pein screamed it out from pein as he saw imagines fly through his head of every evil guy he ever killed. Feeling the pain of evry single wound he had received. Till there was nothing left but emptiness. Pein was sitting on the ground with a empty stare. while the word kill kept being repeated in his head.

The nun could not see his tears, could not see the turmoil rolling across his face nor mind, but what she could see through the blood of the Stigmata, was the surge in demonic energy rolling through his mind. And so she did the only thing she could think of to do in this moment in time. The blonde nun fumbled around till she found him, and went to hold him close to her, placing his head upon her chest, like a mother would for their small child.

"You were deceived by another force... you believed you had been doing the will of your god... Just as you said your god would not find fault in me for my naivety in releasing the demon, nor do I think He would truly find fault in you for your own." she said reassuringly, running a hand through his hair in an attempt to soothe and calm him. "Consider... now you know the situation... now you are in control of your fate... your destiny... what will you shape it as? Will you let the past weigh you down so much that you are unable to think, to act? Or, will you use it to guide you on the road ahead? Will you be haunted by the past, or will you learn from it?" the nun asked of Pein, hoping her words could be heard by him through whatever was going on inside of his mind.

"What do you think Hikari would have you do?" she said finally, hoping that the name of the one he cared the most for would help him find his path.

Pein wasn’t in sirene cliff anymore. In front of him was the devasted wastelands of nekotamia. Or what once the city of the cats. He wondered what happened to it. normally loads of cat people should be running trough the streets. From cat angels to cat demons to normal cat spirits. But now the streets were empty and the houses were broken. Pein felt sad this was the best place he ever had gone to. Tears were rolling over his cheeks as he was walking through the streets. Who did this. Why had this to happen. As he crushed bones under his feet.

“why do you think this happened pein.”, the familiar voice of chelvaric was heard behind him. pein turned around and looked into the eyes filled with void and despair. That were decorating a rather pretty soft and boyish fate. The man had short black hair and black cat ears with a black tail. the face was the only human thing left of the man. The rest of his body was shaped by holy earth and holy water. The two magics used by demon slayers. The man had mastered both of them and was using them trough each other.
Something a normal human would have to be very talented to be. “I once was a human like you know. I fought the demon dogs army’s to find vertir and to restore him to godly power. But why should we do that. since I lost your grasp I shall show you the reason why I want the religion to thrive.”, chelvaric said as he took a step closer with his demonic cat leg made of earth shaking the ground. His mouth started to make a small smile.

“it is your time to feel the betrayal. Like how my demon master lied and made my complete live before she killed me. But what she didn’t know was that I already had remade a cult that worshipped vertir. Although he doesn’t exist their prayers fed my soul and made me a arch demon. Oh what happened with that demon?”, chelvaric snapped his hands and a demonic girl with long black hair and horns appeared chaned against the wall. Most parts of her body were life skinned up to her nerfes and little needles were hanging over them. With each movement of her body they would sting one of her nerves and the pain should be unbearable. “that’s what happens with people that defy me. But since I don’t have anyone preaching anymore for me my powers were whining as my dear followers left me. That’s why I made you. So I could fuel my power with your efforts. BUT NOW YOU WOULD THROW IT ALL AWAY. WIHTOUT ME THIS IS WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO NEKOTAMIA. THE DOGS WILL DESTROY IT TO THE GROUND.”, chelvaric screamed as he pushed pein right into a wall with his earth hand and was spewing into his face. Chelvarics eye’s became more crazy and maniac and a small red light was burning hard into the middle of his eyes as he was hovering millimeters from peins face.

Was it true. Was all his faith a lie to just feed his fathers power. Was he just a tool to make a demon as powerfull as a god. Pein had to puke just form realization and from the pein the other demon had to go trough. Chelvaric let pein fell and kicked him then right through the wall. In a second later he appeared above pein and kicked him into the earth. Pein felt the pain and shouted it out as his back broke. But he could still move. How was this possible.
On that moment in the real world the nun was putting pein’s head against her chest as a mother and was speaking trusting words to him. tough pein couldn’t hear the meaning of the words he could feel the warmth and the secure of the words. The pain flew out of his body and he stood up looking at his dad.

“so you lied for all our race. You lied to everyone including me that our god was returning. You led me tortured and pained just for your own egoistic ideas of revenge and dead because you were wronged in your life. Nekotamia will live forth even without you. Yes it will be hard and yes the demon dogs are lurking in evry corner to invade and kill us. But we survived all these eons wihtout your help to. Your just a egoistic bastard that wants to play a god.”, pein said as his body felt powered with new confidence he didn’t know were it came from but it felt warm and motherly.

The ground under pein started to crack and pieces of it fell down. The fake illusion was falling as pein was regaining power over his mind. Chelvaric made a tsk sound as he was seeing the lose of his power grip. This was his son after all and he was created from a long lost demon soul. Chelvaric was not scared ofcourse he was still stronger and since they were in peins mind he cound’t do anything against him. Time to activate the back up plan. Experiment A is failed and flunked well have to deal with it later. Chelvaric tought back to his home base where his demon slaves were working.

“Fine then go to your new life. But ill find you and ill destroy you as the little rebel kid you are. Don’t come whining to me son when your life is being bled out from some other false god. But first feel pain before I go.”, chelvaric said and he disappeared and appeared infront of pein again. Chelvaric did motions with his hands and lashes of water were holding peins arms and legs open like four people were pulling on him. at the same time a rock hammer was pouding in his stomach. “traitors get punished for a thousand years son.”, chelvaric laughed as he saw how much pain his son was suffering. This would break his soul.
Peins mind went blank for a while. He only could feel the pain of the hammering in each part of his body. Nothing was spared for it. he couldn’t think about anything the pain was just to much. As he slowly losing memories with each hit a single drop fell in his mind as it was whispered in his ear.


H – I – K – A - R- I

Were the letters that formed in his mind. With every beat of the hammer it came back. Hikari. Hikari. Hikari. It resounded through his arm and on the fourth time it lit a fire in peins mind. His arms started to glow and he broke free from the chains. THIS WAS HIS MIND. Nobody else’s. Even a archdemon could not steal it from him.

“I have a new goal in my life. One you didn’t lie or cheat around. I have my hikari and I will protect her till I die. That will be my new goal. I will bring her to nekotamia and I will start to live here. After I deal with you. NOW BEGONE DEMON THIS IS NOT YOUR PLACE ANY MORE”, pein shouted and with that shout the illusion/dream shattered in pieces.

He slowly started to open his eyes as a huge barden seemed to fell from his body. For some reason he never will know why he said the following words to the nun. “she would say I should do what I want when I want to be happy. She would say I have to blow some stuff up and my trouble would disappear. That’s how that azure haired crazy girl lives. But it’s my azure haired girl and now I know what I have to do.”, pein said and he started to explain what happened to the nun.

Kiersa sat and listened to what Pein had to say, taking in all of his story as he retold her what had just transpired for him. Once he had finished his tale, she sat there quietly ruminating on what had occured before slowly standing up. "Well then... you had better get to work then hadn't you Mister Pein? B-Rank alone won't be enough for an archdemon posing as a god." the nun said with a smile. "Although, I doubt you will be alone come that day. Now will you?" she asked rhetorically before she began to make the journey back for the Guild hall.