Edgerunner DxD: Chapter 1

Bishop 1

Back when Asia was young, the nuns always talked about how she needed to be good to enter heaven. She could still remember how terrified she was about the possibility that she could be denied entry into the kingdom of god and how she cried after that. It took the head abbess reassuring her that god would accept her so long as she loved him that she finally calmed down.

In hindsight, it was silly of her to cry, but she was young and innocent; She didn't know any better. All that there was to be saved was to believe in his words and so she did with all her heart. She loved everyone and helped anyone to the best of her abilities.

Even when things got bad, when doing good caused those she loved to turn against her, she never gave up. After all, didn't their savior experience that same suffering, so how could she complain if it was just a little while. Even when everything hurts and the lights start to dim, she never stopped believing.

As she laid there in the altar, she wondered if she did good enough. Has she been a good girl? She wasn't sure and it was getting hard to think as her body grew numb and cold. Was she dying? She couldn't remember as her memories felt slippery.

She was getting tired, her mind lulling her to sleep. As much as she wanted to fight it, it was a losing battle. She didn't want to go. There were still so many things she could do here, so many people to meet, and even love truly with all her heart. She wanted to see Issei one last time, but it seems it wasn't meant to be.

As she saw the light swallow her whole, all she could think at that moment was that sweet boy she met in this city. "I'm sorry Issei, I hope you could forgive me for being a bad girl," She apologized before there was nothing.

There were no heavenly pearls or saints to greet her, nor could she feel the fires of purgatory burning her sins in the place beyond. Instead, there was just nothing and it terrified her. She wanted to scream, to beg, and pray, but she couldn't even act as her body was without strength. There was no one here but her and her alone, but maybe this is what she deserved.
Not had she broken a promise, but she had broken that boy's heart. She had sinned and not even hell saw fit to take her. This was to be her end and this was where she shall remain and she was fine with that. "At least now, it's finally over. I'll no longer sin," She thought to herself as she closed her eyes and took solace in the darkness. Maybe if she just waited long enough, she'd even fade into nothingness as well.

However, it was in that darkness that she saw the light. "No, it's not yet over my child," She heard a motherly voice calling to her. It felt so warm and comforting that she found strength to open her eyes once more, but she saw nothing. Has she finally gone mad?

"Open your eyes" The voice urged her, but she already had opened her eyes. She wasn't sure how long had passed, or if time passed at all, but maybe this was the mercy of the lord; That her mind would fail long before her soul did. Despite her doubts however, a voice in the back of her whispered to her to listen.

As hard as she wanted to go back to the cold embrace of oblivion, she couldn't ignore their call. Who was this voice? Why did it sound so familiar, so warm, and comforting, like the voice of a long lost friend? What did they want from her? "Wake up," The voice answered and so she did.

With a gasp, she opened her eyes and stared at the heavens above. It was dark and cloudy with rain drops falling down all around. Taking in a deep breath, she felt her lungs fill with the scent of wet concrete and decay while the roar of rolling thunder and the sound of the city filled her ear. She could feel her body aching, her very soul screaming, and yet she had never felt so alive.

Forcing herself up with shaky feet, she found herself alone in a cold dark alley. Trash littered the floor while graffiti covered the crumbling remains of an abandoned building. The signs of a decay and once great city were littered all around and yet she could see towering skyscrapers in the distance and a pillar of light that reached to the heavens.

"Am I in purgatory?" She whispered as she reached for her rosary and clutched close to her chest. It was a strange land bathed in darkness, but it could merely just be any other city at night. Still, this wasn't Kuoh City.

Wherever she was however, she needed not fear for she would not be alone. Staring down at her hands, she called upon the light inside her. Dread filled her veins as the warm flickered like the failing lights of a candle. For a moment, she thought it was gone before it suddenly flared brightly.

Asia flinched, forcing her to close her eyes at the intensity, but thankfully it died down. Opening her eyes, she found the comforting presence of God's love. She was alive. If she was in purgatory, her Sacred Gear would have long been gone, having passed on to another.

Clutching her hands close to her chest, she gazed up to the heavens, before praying, "Thank you, father." Her momentary solace however would be disturbed as gunshots started ringing out nearby causing her to jump in fright. She might be alive, but that doesn't mean she was safe.

She had just woken up in an alley that she does not recognize, her clothes were soaking wet, and scariest of all, she was all alone in the dark. She needed to get to safety else she might actually die this time around! Looking around frantically for a way out, she'd find the light at the end of the alley. It was harsh, almost blinding, but where there was light, there were people.

With her heart hammering away at her chest, she bolted out of the streets where she would find a crowd as well as an entirely alien city the likes of which she had never seen before. Slowing to a pause, she stared up in awe as a giant koi made of light swam overhead.

Looking around, she found herself in some plaza of some strange world. Cars flew overhead, tin men walked amongst the living, and neon's lights jumped from the wall and came to life, joining the koi in the air. She could list a dozen other wonders and she would still fail to describe the wonders and horrors she saw. And then, there were the people.

They wore the brightest of colors, sported the wildest of styles, and came in the weirdest of form. Long twisted metal arms, eyes replaced entirely by cameras, and so many more, yet as strange and outlandish as they looked, they were still clearly humans.

Their eyes still sparkled with the emotions of man as people gave her strange looks. Given her lack of mechanical prosthesis, perhaps she's the one that stood out of place, not them. She was so lost in her thoughts as she walked around aimlessly that she didn't notice the person in front of her.

Letting out a surprised yelp, she stumbled backwards as a woman wearing barely anything pushed past her. "Hey, watch it!" The woman shouted angrily as she gestured around them, "People are walking here!"

"I-I'm sorry!" She stammered out, averting her gaze as she felt her cheeks burn only to run into more people. "W-wait! H-hold on!" She begged them, but the irate crowd merely pushed her aside as if she was just a mere distraction.

She thought she'd get trampled by the crowd until she was pushed against someone broad. Leaning against them, she finally got some breathing room in the rush of the crowd. "Thank you kind sir…" She thanked the man as she pulled away, only to trail off as she stared at spider-like eyes. Feeling her mouth go dry, she flinched back in horror as they snarled at her.

"Watcha lookin' at?" The mouth shouted as he loomed over her. Muscle bound and more metal than man, his form easily thrice her size. "Got something to say about my face? Huh!" They screamed, making her scream back.

The man reared back in surprise, but she wouldn't notice much of it as she bolted away in fear. Surrounded by this strange and hostile crowd, she ran away, heading where the crowd was thinnest. She ran until her lungs burned and her legs turned to lead. She ran till she couldn't take another step.

Leaning against a lamp post, she breathed in heavily, taking in greedy lungfuls of air as she shook in the rain. As she stood there alone once more, tears started to fall down her cheeks. She sobbed openly, terrified at what she had just experienced. They were men and women, but why were they so cold and mean. Not even the Fallen treated her as such.

As she wiped away her tears and tried to figure out what she would do next, she'd hear the sound of a man in pain. Turning to a nearby lot, she found a prone form laying in the ground. Cautiously approaching, she called out, "Sir? Are you alright?" All thoughts of caution however would be thrown out the window as she saw blood on her form.

Running towards the man, she knelt down and turned him over. He didn't have any apparent wounds, but he was pale, deathly so, and she could feel life blood seeping down to the hands cradling his form. Feeling for his pulse, he found It was weak, but steady and his skin felt warm to the touch. He was injured, but he would live. "H-help," The man begged her as he stirred awake, clutching her hands weakly.

"Don't worry sir, it's going to be alright," She assured him as she held his hands back before she called upon her blessing. Feeling the light inside her, she prayed for his health as she let the lord's mercy work its wonders on this poor man.

She had to shield her eyes once more as the light all but leapt from her hands and healed the man, but by the end of it, she was sure she had cured whatever ailed him several times over. Feeling faint, she smiled weakly as she watched the man touch himself. "How? The pain, it's all gone…" he whispered in awe as he shakily sat up.

"The lord's miracle works in mysterious ways," She replied as the ground suddenly leapt up to meet her. No, she had just fallen down. Why did she feel so weak?

"Come on!" The man shouted as he grabbed her. Shaking her, he yelled at her, "Don't die on me now!" Pushing at him weakly, she tried to speak only for a yawn to come out. Letting out a sigh of relief, the man then said as he helped her back to her feet, "You're just tired? Good. Thought you just died on me."
"I'm sorry sir, but I'm usually not like this," She replied weakly, her voice but a whisper. "I could usually heal more, but something feels off…" She excused herself as he tried to pull away, only to find the man's hands gripping her wrist tightly. Blinking in confusion, she stared up to see the man's manic eyes.

"Can you heal more people?" The man asked as his eyes lit up with greed. "You can do this again, right? Heal us?" They asked once again as they smiled at her and what a terrible smile it was. Staring into those cold black pits, she felt a shiver of fear run up her spine.

"I-I can," She answered, pulling harder as panic started to set in. "B-but you have to let me go!" She stammered, but the man only tightened his grip.

"Now, now, don't be afraid," The man chuckled darkly as eyes lit up in the shadows surrounding them. "I just want to make sure you're safe that's all. Would want you to run into someone that might hurt you, right?" he asked and Asia knew she was in trouble.

Calling upon the lessons of the mother superior of her convent, she performed the rite of escape. With one precise kick, she smashed the man's groin with her foot. No matter how strong they are, men all have one weakness.

Crumpling to the ground, the man's grip loosened, allowing her to pull away. Without a second to waste, she fled, running as fast as her legs could take her. She didn't know where she was, but she knew that she had to be anywhere, but here!

"Get her before she gets away!" The man shouted as Asia felt bullets grazed her legs. "Don't shoot her you gonks. Do you want to kill her? Grab her!" They commanded as Asia screamed for help.

"Help! Please!" She cried out in the night, begging for someone, anyone, but they would fall into deaf ears. Having run earlier, she was already exhausted, but she dared not stop. They weren't like Issie or even the Fallen, they reminded her more of that horrid priest.

As he sides started to hurt and her lungs ached, she cried, begging for the Lord to help her. She can't do this anymore. So blinded was she of her own fear that she didn't notice the wall in front of her. Crashing hard into its unyielding surface, she cried in pain before she was thrown down to the ground.

Crying, she scrambled to her feat, only to freeze as the wall slowly turned and stared down with those black eyes. She wanted to scream and ran, but her lungs struggled to breath, and her vision swam. She was going to die, she was going to die, she was going die-!

"Miss, are you alright?" The monster's warm voice cut through her panic as the world came back into focus. The monster in front of her shifted to that of a man who looked at her in concern. "Sorry about that," The man laughed as he reached out to her.

Exhausted and without any more options, she latched on to him as she begged him, "Help! Please, they're after me!" She held on to him tightly, sobbing openly in the man's arms. She was just so tired and so afraid. She just wanted help.

"I want you to cover your ears and close your eyes," The man commanded as his eyes hardened. With the sound of the men shouting coming closer, Asia nodded as she closed her eyes, covered her ears and prayed.

For a brief moment, she heard the most terrible of screams and the loudest of explosions as she was whipped around. Cradled in the man's arms, she held on for her dear life, hoping that she would get through, until finally, there was silence.

Slowly opening his eyes, he stared up to her savior. His form was bleeding and battered, yet his eyes remained warm and comforting. "It's ok now. You're safe," The man reassured her and she knew deep in heart that it was finally over.

With the worst finally over, she felt her body crash and her mind going dull. Desperately as she tried to fight it off, the darkness once more crept around her. The last thing she saw was the man's look of panic before she finally succumbed to sleep.

A/N:

2 out 3 done for this commission. There is more to this, but going to pause for now to do some much needed Seoul Kitchen.