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Guy can remember the day they met vividly.
Of course he can, he's a Primordial! They don't do such silly things as forget or grieve or pout. They are as eternal as their creator god is-
Was.
Had been.
Veldanava is gone now, no matter how strong and loving and curious he may had been. He is gone, and Lucia along with him. Rudra, as the centuries pass, loses himself too to the overwhelming weight of Michael. Even so, Guy remains, and he does not forget.
(He does, however, grieve.)
So, yes, Guy remembers perfectly the day they appeared, sailing down from the skies above on a True Dragon's wings, long locks melting into the backdrop as their golden eyes pierced and analyzed Guy's every move. And there was quite a lot of those as—embarrassingly—his first instinct was to attack this otherworldly being.
Once, in hindsight, it had been funny. They had laughed about it, had teased him about being trigger-happy and still too quick to falter under an onslaught. Rudra had cackled along when he was there, as Velzard scoffed about Guy's temper being as fiery as his hair, and Guy failed to defend himself against the jibes.
Now, in hindsight, Guy hates himself a little for that. He wasted time with that fight, with the arguing and fury; time that could've been spent laughing and joking and just existing with…
With Raphael. Who failed to show up to the last meeting, and the one before that, and the one before that. Who had been acting odd in the weeks beforehand, even as they shoveled Mizeri's snacks into their face and scolded Milim for trying to blow up the third mountain that month. Who can't be gone—who Guy refuses to accept as gone—but who is undeniably missing.
He never even got to find out where they live. He never even got to find out what they liked to eat. It had been centuries of being in each other's companies, of being draped across the same pieces of furniture as Ramiris babbled about her latest experiment, of soothing Milim's temper and Luminus' sharp tongue and Dino's everything, and Guy didn't even get the most basic of information out of Raphael, because they would always smile that cheeky little thing and lie through their teeth.
And now he'd never know.
No. That's not right. Guy would find out, one day, because Raphael isn't dead. They can't be. They had existed alongside Veldanava for eons, had the strength to back it up, had promised to watch over Milim and the squabbling species and supervise this stupid game between Guy and Rudra. Surely, surely, Raphael was out there somewhere, maybe too engrossed with a bug to have noticed decades had passed. Or something equally as stupid as that.
The wall of crystallized ice that he's been glaring at for the last twenty minutes does nothing to agree nor disagree.
The Walpurgis had been the same as any other. It had been called in the spur of the moment, when Raphael had quite literally thrown open Guy's door and demanded another silly get-together. Velzard hadn't flinched from where she was perched on the arm of Guy's chair, and had hummed about Raine being eager to try out a new recipe; never a good sign. Guy, for his part, had carefully traced his eyes over the not-angel, not a hair out of place, but who's anxieties were leaking alongside their magicules.
He had agreed, of course. He'd be stupid to deny Raphael anything, especially when they have proven to be stronger than Guy, strong enough to walk alongside their god. He'd be even stupider to do so when they were so evidently frazzled by something.
So, Milim comes running with sparkling eyes, and Ramiris opens a Labyrinth door right into a random second floor hallway, and Raine gets to bake her new concoction. Guy keeps a close eye on Raphael all the while, watching as they slowly settle with each friend's appearance, but keep that unmistakable sense of anxiety. As the night grew dim and the teasing bolder, Guy… well, to say he found the courage would be cowardly, but he weaseled it in between bouts of pillow fights.
"What has you in such a tizzy, Angel?" He had asked, throwing an arm over their lithe shoulders. Guy got an eye roll for his troubles, which had been as expected as the halfhearted attempt to dislodge his arm. Milim flopped to the ground with a breathless giggle. Ramiris, who had taken Guy's spot in wearing down the natural disaster, had her braids falling undone as she huffed, equally breathless.
"Still a dumb nickname," Raphael had muttered, always with the skewed priorities. Accepting the half-hug, they settled into Guy and allowed their eyes to flutter shut, for the third time that night slipping into an almost sleep. "..And tizzy isn't the right word either. That's for when you're throwing a party and can't find your good china."
"Well something has gotten you into some kind of mood, and I'd like to know what it is." Guy didn't do much to hide his scoff, admittedly. Conversations with Raphael were always like this, anyway: Where do you live? Aw, you care! What species are you? You wouldn't have heard of me~ What do you like to eat? Huh, why? Because Guy cares; because he worries about all of the chaotic nuisances that wind up on his doorsteps, which has somehow escaped Raphael's notice for the last few centuries!! Honestly, Raphael would be on death's door before they had an honest conversation with Guy.
That day, unfortunately, continued to remain no different. Raphael had pried a golden eye open, meeting Guy's crimson ones unblinking. "Can't a guy be tired?" They asked rhetorically.
Milim shrieked for mercy.
"For the first time since the dawn of existence? Try again."
Ramiris did not let up her assault. The grin she bore was a bit too manic.
"Maybe you just aren't ever around to see me tired."
Mizeri had stepped into the room with a new tray of sweets, stared at the mess of plush pillows and childish laughter, and wisely chose to turn back around.
"That's bullshit and we both know it," Guy finally had snapped. He straightened, but did not lessen his hold on Raphael. In fact, he drew them closer, raising his other hand to turn them properly towards him, so he could try and convey his meaning into pools of gold. "Why don't you just tell me so we can help? I'm not sure if you noticed, but that's supposed to be the whole point of these get-togethers."
Raphael's blinks were quick, and for but a moment Guy swore he saw a hint of crimson there too. But as Ramiris ended up conceding to the dragon princess's whims, Raphael's shoulders slumped with the force of their sigh. They rose a hand to pat at Guy's chest, saying, "I'll tell you tomorrow, 'kay? Let's just enjoy the night." They smile then too, small but affectionate. It, like Milim's teary eyes, works wonders.
Guy had sighed and agreed, whispering back, "I'll hold you to that, Angel."
And Raphael had said, "Yeah… I know you will."
And yet… And yet, they didn't. Guy never found out, because over the following days, Raphael was awake less and less, and the few moments they were awake were spent occupying the other two, all the way up until-
Walpurgis came to a close. They scattered to the far corners of the world. Guy caught one final glance at Raphael, winking and waving, before they too were off.
Never to be seen again.
"Any luck?" Ramiris asks through the Demon Lord's ring. It's the fifth time she's asked today, and Guy can't blame her, but it's wearing his patience thin. He's already at his limit with this disappearance bringing up his memories of Veldanava and Lucia's deaths, he can't be comforting Ramiris and Milim all day.
…Is what he says. And still, eyes trailing over the Great Forest of Jura, Guy raises his hand to his mouth and speaks into the ring, "Not yet, but they have access to the entire universe. Raphael could be anywhere. What about you, Milim?"
Guy drops his hand and spins, continuing his lookout. The plan was to go to every location Raphael had so much as mentioned, which was a vast majority of the world, to be fair. They had looked in the Empire (despite the panic it caused, despite how it hurt Guy to be so near yet so far from Rudra), they had tried the Labyrinth (even though Ramiris would've noticed if Raphael was there), and Sylvia's lands (who had not seen Raphael either, but promises to keep a look out), and all of Luminus' cities ("How do you lose-" "Look; have you seen them or not?" "…No. But I will send someone out to help you look."), and then the human ones too, and even the dark elves' and dwarves' and Dagruel's and still, still Raphael appeared to have vanished without a trace. So yes, Guy was going to look under every tree, cave, odd patch of grass, and river if he had too; it just so happened that the Great Forest of Jura had a lot of all the above.
"…No," Milim finally answers, voice small. It makes Guy wince, and he can almost see Ramiris doing to same. Raphael's disappearance was hitting Milim hard, and that was an understatement. After her parents, after Gaia, twice…
"We'll find them," Guy says, with more certainty than he feels. Everyone who knew him had promised Veldanava they'd look after Milim, and even with Guy's non-existent heart in his throat, even with his waning patience, he refuses to break that promise. "They're small and don't sit still. We might've just missed them and they-"
"What if we don't?" Milim cuts in. It's no longer a whisper, but shrill with panic. It grows louder and louder as she continues on, "What if they were killed for being a demon lord? Or, or Dino said a bunch of the Archangels were angry with the world, so what if they hunted down Raphael? Maybe they got tired of us and decided to leave forever-*
"Milim…" Ramiris coaxes.
"Milim," Guy says louder. "You know that's not possible. None of that is. Besides, if Raphael hated us-"
Well, there's a lot of ways he could finish that sentence. He could point out that Raphael initiated the get-togethers the most, especially in the previous years, and they indulged everyone's chaos fondly. He could point out that Raphael has stuck with the same band of weirdos since the literal beginning of creation. He could point out that if Raphael really didn't want to be around the three of them anymore, they could have easily erased their existence; they've already won multiple fights against Guy after all, and proved their ability to fight against even a rampaging Milim.
Guy could point out that the last day they'd seen Raphael, the four of them had slept in a pile on the floor, without a care in the world.
Guy could point out the fact that Raphael's last words to them had been, "Don't forget about me before I'm back, okay?"
But he doesn't say any of that. Instead, voice softening in the way it does around very few people, Guy finishes, "If Raphael hated us, then I don't think the Voice of the World would exist."
Neither Milim nor Ramiris speak up at that, because they're all thinking it. The night Raphael left, sudden words rung in Guy's ear, just as they apparently had for many of the denizens of this world, and introduced itself as the will of the world. The Voice of the World. A new entity, who may or may not have any form of sentience, who's true goal is still uncertain, but who unmistakably has Raphael's voice.
Sorta.
See, Raphael was a bit weird in their own right, Guy was more than willing to admit. Sometimes they were bright and cheery, sometimes they were cold and calculative. Sometimes they were overly affectionate, and sometimes they perched up and away on a bookshelf or tree branch. It was during these usually sudden switch-ups that their voice would change, mellowing out or lighting up with musical inflection.
The Voice, devoid of emotion as it was, was akin to the part of Raphael that liked their space, the mood that pitched their voice into something lower and more mature. A clue, in other words, regarding their missing friend.
"…Guy's right," Ramiris says after that long stretch. Her tone, in turn, is more steady and sure, almost matching Guy's. "No matter what happened to Raphael, or where they went, they left us a hint! They don't hate us and want us to find them, so we will!"
"Even if it's half a corpse," Guy adds. Pauses, as he realizes that might be a bad thing to say. Opens his mouth to correct himself-
Only to get cut off as Milim bursts into laughter. Genuine laughter, almost like normal, and not those grief-ridden, half chuckles that have been going around recently. She laughs, and laughs, and goes until she has to suck it a huge breath, at which she says, "Yeah! This is a game, then! First to find Raphael gets a prize, and to beat them up for worrying us!"
Her connection to the Demon Lord's ring cuts off a second later. Ramiris, sputtering, follows suit. Guy is once again left to his thoughts, and sighs.
"If this really is a game, Angel," Guy mutters to the Great Forest of Jura, to the world, to the heavens, "then you best be ready to lose."
The day the news spread that Veldanava and Lucia were dead was the day something in Guy cracked.
…That's how Raphael worded it, anyway. Something about broken hearts and emotional bonds and a bunch of mushy nonsense. But the thing was, Guy is a demon—a mirror to the Original angels—he does not have a human heart, or human emotions, or human ties. He is not supposed to feel that grief that ate him whole when he realized, slowly, that his world was crumbling around him.
So, no, something in Guy didn't crack. It formed, like a parasite, and that was worse.
Even so, it was heartening to have had Raphael with him when it happened. Velzard had flown off, likely intent on hunting down her other two siblings, and Rudra… the less said about that fragmented friendship, the better. If Raphael hadn't been present, Guy was sure he would have gone to blow up another town. Or hunted down Noir to fight. Or screamed at the sky like someone losing his mind.
As is, he allowed Raphael's arms to wrap around his shoulders, and closed his eyes as their words broke the silence, so soft they were barely audible, "You know, there's always stories about people bring the dead back to life… Sometimes it's a miraculous heal—a gift from the gods above—and sometimes it brings the loved one back wrong, almost like a punishment for defying nature. And sometimes it's not bringing the dead back that's the issue, but how you go about it."
Guy's eyes had slid open, letting him bear witness to World, propped up against a pile of snow. The genesis-grade weapon, once a great gift from Veldanava, burned to look at, and so he forced his eyes skyward.
"But," Raphael continued, an odd edge to their voice that Guy didn't noticed until much later when his head was cleared, "death is natural. And all of these stories, be they true or false, are meant to be warnings: those you love will die one day, no matter what you do, so you must treasure the time you have with them, and accept when they move on."
"Veldanava shouldn't have died," Guy hissed back. His first words in… hours, by that point.
"He loved Lucia, he loved Milim. Guy, Veldanava didn't have any regrets losing his immortality because he—if you would listen to what I'm saying—treasured his time with them to the fullest. And like it does with all, death came for him."
"Too early."
Guy felt Raphael's shrug more than he saw it. He felt the way their hands clenched into fists against his collar, too, and rose one of his much larger one to cover them by instinct. "Lots of people die too early. I've lost plenty of people too early… nearly lost hundreds of them, actually. And now- ah, well. My point is, that happens, probably more than it should, because not everyone cares about how precious life can be. You're like that sometimes, Guy. But do you really think those we lose—do you think Veldanava, or Lucia, for that matter—would want to see you this upset? Don't you think they'd want you to be happy? For you to carry on, watching over Milim, keeping Velzard company, fulfilling the promises you made?"
Guy closed his eyes again. Raphael let out a sigh against his neck (And that, another thing to look back on in hindsight, is the only time Guy had ever heard Raphael breathe, isn't it? Or one of the few times, what with their tendencies to take in an exaggerated breath before shouting far louder than such a small package should be able).
"They would, for the record. Want you to be happy, that is," they finish. This, here, was almost back to their normal voice, with just a bit of a pout, as if they think Guy wasn't listening or paying attention. He felt the corners of his lips twitch upward, and had ended up butting his head against Raphael's in a manner Ramiris tended to do.
"I know, Raphael," Guy spoke. He squeezed their hands a little tighter, and Raphael curled their arms further around him in turn. It's the closest they'd ever gotten to a proper hug between the two of them. "I just can't say I'm handling having… emotions in general right now."
Raphael snorted. "You say that as if you don't normally experience them."
"I don't," he replied. Raphael seemed to freeze, only to begin drawing away a moment later with befuddlement in their golden eyes. Guy raised an eyebrow at the sight. "Did you not know? Angel, I'm a demon. We don't have hearts, we don't have feelings, we don't have any of the typical mortal things, actually. We are the mirrors of the Archangels, after all, and it isn't like they do human emotions either."
"Yeah, but—" they said. Stopped. Frowned. "Diablo, though—" And again. "You're so—" And finally, Raphael huffed and dropped themself back against Guy.
Guy, despite the circumstances, despite the day he had been having, tipped his head back and laughed.
The days stretch into weeks.
The weeks stretch into years.
The years, eventually, stretch into decades.
Ramiris and Milim, Velzard and her siblings, Guy himself—they are not eternal. Long lived, yes, and near impossible to kill by normal means, but as they all have learned time and time again, none of that matters. Soon enough, far too soon, a permanent death will come for them as well. So as the second decade ticks past since Raphael vanished and the Voice of the World appeared…
Guy is the only one still foolishly searching. He's been over most of the world at least six times. He checks in with Luminus during Walpurgis (no longer the friendly parties they used to be, but tense, political affairs) and sends spies out in the meantime. Dino regularly reports that no, Guy, there's been no sign of Raphael, or the other angels, and no, Guy, you're totally not visibly ready to snap someone's neck. Outwardly calm, Guy feels like he is going crazy.
And then.
And then, on the seventh (maybe eighth) lap around the world, Guy takes the time to go over his own territory, something he had yet to do. Why would he have done so? The demons who reside in the arctic are forbidden from harming Raphael, or any who Guy internally dubs his; there's no way anything would've happened to them in Guy's own territory.
The unease—the anxiety, which like the guilt and love, Guy should not be able to feel—tells him otherwise, and he follows his churning gut around the icy realm. He follows, and despairs, and follows, and hopes, and follows-
He ends up about halfway between the palace and the boarder, on a little shelf of ice floating peacefully in the water. Guy stares at it for a long moment, then squints, magic sense quickly activating and allowing him to see…
A large pool of magicules, steadily returning to the world. They are a soft, silvery-blue akin to Raphael's hair, and with the occasional sprinkle of brilliant gold mixed in there. Guy lands before them with a little more force than strictly necessary, and reaches a hand out to grasp them, letting the thick, magic infused air engulf his senses.
Temperate, not as cold as the ice around them, but nowhere near hot. Sparking, like a dance of electric charge between strikes of lightning. All-consuming, like a void about to swallow you whole. Raphael. Without a shadow of a doubt, this is them.
…What remains, that is.
Guy isn't sure when his knees his the ground. He faintly heard the crunch of ice, but his attention was zeroed in on Raphael. Raphael, who had been around since the dawn of time. Raphael, who Velzard and her siblings all spoke of so fondly. Raphael, who babysat watched over Guy and Rudra for Veldanava. Raphael, who helped Milim master her powers, and tempered two of Valentine's children into people to respect, and who indulged Raine's love of painting.
Raphael, who showed Guy what it meant to love and want love in return. Who helped Guy grieve. Who…. Who knew they were dying.
A strangled wheeze escapes Guy as he makes the realization, and yes, it all begins to make sense. How frazzled Raphael was as they demanded to see everyone; how they struggled to stay awake- no, stay alive; how their last words were a plea to not forget them, which doesn't make sense for the short time between visits, but does if they're talking about the eternal stretch of death… Raphael knew they were dying, and had come to say goodbye, and—
"Why…" Guy forces out, the flood of emotions coming to a sudden, abrupt halt as he came to yet another realization, one he hated arguably more than the last two. One that, for the first time ever, made him aware of the cruel frost that coated his lands. "If you knew you were dying, Angel… why didn't you tell us?"
Why didn't you tell me?
More and more thoughts come, rapid fire with every impossible heartbeat, and with them, the emotions begin to rise once more: Did the dragons know? Velzard and Velgrynd were one thing, but Veldora, Guy knew, was all but raised by Raphael; did he even know his sibling was missing, let alone dead? And Milim, Ramiris… how was Guy going to break the news to them? Should he break the news, that Raphael had died in Guy's own lands?
…Had Guy searched his domain first to begin with, would he have been able to save Raphael from whatever killed them? Would he have been able to be there for their final moments?
……What had killed them? It must have been slow acting, for them to have known preemptively, but that just raises the question of why hadn't they fixed it before it got so bad? And if it was so bad they even they, who predates the existence of time, couldn't heal it, why did they not ask for advice?
It overwhelms Guy. All of it—the feelings no demon should have, the questions that never should've needed to be asked, the sight of the magicules that carry on as if yet another piece of Guy's world hadn't fallen away—and he does nothing to stop the surge of his power, a shockwave of the Mediator's desire to change the world.
But, of course, not even an ultimate skill like Pride can fix what had been done.
And Guy remains, alone, at the unmarked grave of one who had stood at his side for millennia.
The wedding of Star King Veldanava and Princess Lucia Nasca of the Kingdom of Nasca had been a relatively private affair. One would naturally think otherwise—their Creator, and the sister of a renowned Hero, celebrating a union unlike any other—but the couple in question had wanted it so. The only ones in attendance to this practical elopement were their respective siblings and the Mediators. Guy wasn't sure which of those categories Raphael fell into, but they had been present as well, and acted as what the humans called an officiant.
(Guy wasn't sure why they even needed one of those when it was Veldanava—who, again, was their literal god—getting married, and he could will whatever he wanted into existence, but it was important to Lucia and Rudra, and who was Guy to argue?)
Even with so few guests, however, the after party was wild. Perhaps too much alcohol had been drunk, perhaps it was the natural outcome of getting all the True Dragons in one spot, perhaps it was just the lively atmosphere, but as the day gave way to dusk and then night, boisterous laughter continued to ring out. Guy, who unfortunately found himself in a suit thanks to the will of Velzard, huffed to himself at the sight of Ramiris and Veldora fighting over a turkey, and threw back another glass of imperial whiskey.
"I think the scariest thing about you is the fact you don't even savor the taste," Raphael's voice rung out. Guy's quick blink had been the only indicator of his surprise as he turned to watch Raphael step out of the shadows. They, like Guy, had also been forced into some formal wear, and judging by the attire in question, theirs was something lent to them from Lucia. Soft pink and silky and very much unlike Raphael's usual outfits. "What's the point of drinking if you're not enjoying it?"
Guy raised an eyebrow and loosely waved his free hand towards Velgrynd, merrily flushed, failing (or maybe succeeding) to flirt with the bride's brother. "Removing the poison resistance and getting drunk," he answered. "I hear it's quite fun."
Endearingly, Raphael squinted their eyes and wrinkled their nose at Guy, as if he was the puzzle to figure out here. "Being drunk isn't usually the fun part. It's the socializing over good food that is," they replied.
"Velgrynd would like to argue with that."
"Nu-uh. She knows better."
Guy found himself snorting at that. It was probably true, after all—not even Veldanava or Velzard argue with Raphael, and Veldora definitely doesn't. There was something with Raphael's almost-but-not-quite True Dragon aura that had people quick to defer to them… Although, it could've just as well been that annoying pit in their chests that pulled them to Raphael; Guy could hardly be the only one that was so drawn to them in such a way.
"Well, maybe one day you can show me a food that's good enough to be enjoyed, Wisdom King," Guy drawled. His eyes had then flicked, from braided hair to sandaled feet. "Nice outfit, by the way. Lucia?"
"Velgrynd, actually. But the dress does belong to Lucia," Raphael sighed. It was their turn to look Guy up and down, from the crimson cape he wore to the undershirt he refused to button all the way, and their eyes begin to sparkle in an unmistakably amused way. "And what about you; where'd you get that? I know for sure neither Veldora or Veldanava even own something like that."
"Demon tailors."
"…I can't tell if you're joking or not."
"Of course not. When have you known me to make a joke?" Guy grinned, sharp and equally as amused. He had paused then, scanning over the tiny crowd quickly—the newlyweds had vanished, off to do something Guy didn't want to know; Velgrynd and Rudra were still present, but doing thing Guy definitely didn't want to see; Ramiris and Veldora were cowering from Velzard with food spilt down her front—before coming to a decision. Guy turned back to Raphael and held out a hand, "Walk with me?"
Their eyes, too, dart away, no doubt taking in the scene Guy had just watched. Raphael's eye roll probably hurts with how forceful it is, but they took his hand anyway, and began to lead the way. It's not what Guy had been expecting, admittedly, but well…
Raphael led them away from the forested clearing the wedding had taken place in, and towards a cliff overlooking the sea. It was pitch black and roared like thunder against the cliffs, with a few monsters adding their own piercing screams to the image, and yet it was beautiful, for above them was a clear view of the galaxies pulsing with life. Guy stared at it for a moment to savor the cloudless expanse of the sky, then glanced to Raphael in silent questioning.
Golden eyes refusing the stray, Raphael answers, "I like the stars. They remain unchanging, right? Even after thousands of years, their movement is so minuscule that they don't appear any different, and even if they burn out and die, we will still see their light, here, for millennia more…" Their tone, as they go on, becomes somber, and something in Guy tells him he's not going to like this conversation very much, especially not when Raphael finally turns to him, wind blowing their hair in such a way that it obscures their expression. "Have you heard? That Veldanava is giving up his immortality?"
Absolutely not going to like this. Guy nodded, the beginnings of a frown pulling at his lips. "I did. I think it's stupid, but—"
"The things we do for love often are," Raphael finished, dry, and Guy nodded again. Raphael sighed. "And see, that's the thing about stars. Even when Veldanava is long gone, you'll be able to look up and see the same stars he put in the sky eons ago, the same ones you had once looked at during happier times like this." They tipped their head, and the wind stopped, and their expression became clear: gentle, as if talking to a child; intrigued, as if curious to how Guy will react; pained, like the words were being forced out. "And should a day come when everyone you care for is gone, you'll still have the same sky they had once gazed upon."
Guy isn't dumb—he knows a warning when he hears one. But Raphael's words aren't a direct threat, more of an… oncoming destiny. He frowned down at them, and they stared back, and Guy, thoughts running hundred of miles a second-
"I'll keep that in mind," Guy had said.
And Raphael laughed.
The decades pass in a crawl, no longer the swift speed that comes with enjoying oneself. Walpurgis, as it has officially come to be known, has come far from the days of sleepovers and obnoxious jokes. New Demon Lords rise and fall with the seasons. Tenma wars come and go, silly human Heroes hatch and then die, entire nations flourish and crumble. Veldora is sealed. Milim forgets her beginnings. Ramiris is reborn again and again. Fragments of Rudra's soul escapes the barriers of the world. And Guy watches it all, recording it in his memory that cannot forget, and waits for the day Raphael returns.
"Don't forget about me before I'm back, okay?"
Guy and Mizeri and Raine, and sometimes Velzard, try a plethora of human foods, and Guy notes which ones he liked, and which ones he think Raphael would enjoy. They liked their yolks runny, I think, he'd say, spinning a hard-boiled egg between his fingers, and Raine would let out a long suffering sigh, and Mizeri would smack her. Do you think they'd like the souffle, he'd ask, and this time Mizeri sighs too.
Guy, caring little himself, watches humans summon Otherworld children in an attempt to create weapons, and thinks Raphael would hate this. Leon Cromwell arrives a Hero, raised by elves but one who quickly falls, desperately summoning child after child with clear motive. When one day a young girl with dark eyes is summoned, Guy thinks Raphael would hate this, but they would love the children so.
Guy listens to the demon-spawn who loiter around the ice palace, plotting amongst themselves. Occasionally, he hears a joke, and he notes to tell it to Raphael later. More often, he hears them talk about the civilizations prospering and of which crazy councilor tried to summon them recently, and Guy wonders Raphael, if proper war were to break out between humans and monsters, which side would you choose?
Guy, something akin to grief taking the place of his non-existent heart, stares at the stars. With Velzard's arms around his waist and chin against his shoulder, together they look up at the sky and think of happier times, when their messy family entourage was whole and happy, when Milim was young and doted upon by six different aunts and uncles and her little dragon. And Guy says to Veldanava, and Raphael, and whatever pieces of Rudra's soul that dwell beyond the stars: We're still waiting, you know.
The Voice of the World, all the while, learns how to sass back, at least according to Blanche. Guy gets a headache just thinking about it. But life continues on around the inconveniences and tragedies and joys, as it always had, and Guy likewise carries on as the Lord of Darkness.
Until…
Milim is the one who reaches out first. She babbles about a new friend, which immediately has Guy on high alert; how fun they are, how great the food they have is, and how they feel familiar, somehow. Guy squints his eyes in thought and hums, low. Milim takes it in stride, as always, and pleasantly declares she going to try and get her new friend to become a Demon Lord.
And then Ramiris reaches out, somehow about the same friend. His name is Rimuru; he's weird; a definitely evil time spirit is obsessed with him; he gave her a new toy to play with; Ramiris would like to keep him. Guy raises an eyebrow at the letter and wonders, slightly baffled, what this Rimuru fellow is doing to have befriended two separate Demon Lords and, apparently, an army of monsters.
And then, almost like it was just lying in wait, the Voice announces to Guy that a Harvest Festival has begun, belonging to none other than Milim and Ramiris' Rimuru Tempest. Guy can feel his eyebrow twitch, and Velzard laughs at whatever face he is making.
…Looking back, Guy isn't so sure why he's surprised when Rimuru walks through the gates to Walpurgis. The clues were all there—familiar, likes food, great at befriending incredibly strong individuals, a time spirit wants him—but it still seemed impossible, like it was a disservice to have hoped. Yet now, as Guy looks into golden eyes framed by silvery-blue hair, he sees them. Sees Raphael.
He grins at them- him, now; Rimuru Tempest. Guy's magicules flare out around him, dancing with his excitement, and he feels more than sees a few odd looks directed at him. Rimuru, for his part, barely spares a glance at Guy before he turns to hiss at Leon with a vehement rage Raphael rarely used.
Guy has to fight every instinct and muscle not to laugh. He's not yet sure if it's reincarnation, or time travel, or memory loss, or what have you, but what he does know—
Welcome back, Angel...