Greyashe chapter 282 is entitled 'Strict rules and regulations VI.'

Previous chapter 281: Strict rules and regulations. V

Next chapter 283: Strict rules and regulations. VII

Summaries page.

-Short summary-

Claire pleads her case to Dio, as another set of heroes begin to make their move. The votes have been cast for the first time, but that canidate is already...

-Long summary-

Guy groggily wakes up and immediately sees prison bars. As much as he appreciates the irony of being back behind bars after freeing himself just to help Van oh so long ago, this truly isn't funny to him. He glances around the room and notices Kani, Anna Rose, Anu and Reid are already awake and frowns. Why hadn't they woken him up? He asks Reid this, and with a shrug the swordman replies that they can't escape anyway, so they figured they'd all just take a much deserved break. Kani nods in agreement, stating that the bars are iron clad which is more than enough to keep those who don't use magic from leaving. She already contemplated using the same trick she had used way back when she and Van were being held captive in Auysdin, but there is a strange lack of any magic remnance in the room. Without it, they are stuck until someone comes from the outside to let them out. Guy curses their luck and then remembers the 'other' burnqueen. He asks where Candle is, and everyone uniformly points behind him. Guy glances in the direction indicated by the others to see Candle huddled up in a corner, her empty eyes focused on the ground. Anu informs Guy that Candle had been the first to awaken, but she has been occupying that corner the whole time they've been here. She had tried to go and talk to the sentient being, but she hadn't been able to get any sort of intelligible response. In fact, everyone had tried their hand at finding out what is wrong with their friend, but to no avail. Guy muses for moment and asks everyone how they'd feel if he were to just knock them out and walk away after being friends for so long. He's doubtful they'd take it well; which is what Candle isn't doing either. Despite her becoming a human sympathizer she isn't human, and still has bonds with the other sentinents. Now that her bond with them had been severed, she's caught in a limbo of humanity and her true nature. Needless to say it's hell. A self inflicted hell, but a hell nonetheless. He shrugs and simply comments that for now they shouldn't rely on her. Anna rose suddenly perks up and says she's got the feeling of a possibility of something momentous occurring. The others glance at her confused, as she stands up with a serious expression on her dainty face. She repeats herself, and then surprises the group by calling for a guard. Before they can stop her, a guard appears and asks what's the matter? She turns with her eyes glowing and with a mischievous smile asks if he knows just what kind of being she is.

Sipping a juice box provided by the woman in the house he occupies, Dio sits on a jungle gym in a nearby park. He, the goddesses and Claire had changed their locale to discuss their business, and now sit in a park that is strangely empty despite the time of day. After crushing the box and tossing it in a nearby trash can, Dio sits on a bench across from the ladies resting his arm on a bookbag he had brought with him. There is an awkward silence for a little while until Aimend blurts out her question, wondering if he truly is 'Deus' or not.

Dio waves this off and corrects her. He's the former Deus. In the grand scheme of things, hes no more powerful than a kid with the potential for some agape. Claire shakes her head and replies that he's still much stronger than that, which is why she has come for his help. Dio smirks and regales the group with tales of how 'the most precious one' was more like 'the most precocious one'. She was always the cause of or at least related to all kinds of trouble in the land of the angels. Although many admitted she was as clever as much as she is a handful, it was always some kind of complication when it came to dealing with her. Aine glances at Claire who despite keeping a poker face has begun to blush slightly. The summer goddess is not amused and tells the ex-goddess killer to get on with her plan. She's still in denial that this brat is anything more than well...a brat. How can she tell that he was Deus? More like, why is he here if he used to be Deus?

Claire begins to reprimand her, but Dio stops her. He grins and admits he likes people who are difficult, which is why he was never too hard on Claire. Difficult people are the ones who cause change in his opinion all because their different opinions causes others to rethink their stances. To answer her question, Deuses change posts after a certain amount of Milena sort of like how presidents in some countries are required to step down after a serving a tenure for a certain amount of years. Of course Deuses -or any other angel for that matter, have a difficult time dying, so when one steps down and another takes his place they don't just while away time till they pass. Due to that, it became customary for the incumbent Deus to offer some kind of recompense for the Deus who is stepping down. Pretty much 100 percent of the time, the incumbent offers a seat to the other, and the cycle continues until they decide they have tired of being on the 'Choir'. Dio however had bucked the trend, and asked for something truly crazy. Instead of taking a seat on the current 'Choir', he had instead asked to be sent down to earth, because he found humans to be infinitely more interesting than angels.  Such an unprecedented request came with certain ramifications, as it would be unheard of to have an angel; no, a God running about on earth with his powers unbridled. So he had been given two choices, to serve as an envoy with no memories of his time in the land of the angels, or to be reborn as a human with memories of his time above but only a mere angelic remnant.  Dio states the obvious that he had chosen the latter, and now lives happily with his 'mom' of sorts. Of course either option came with the stipulation that he be closely watched since the angels still think lowly of humanity.

With that, Dio turns and opens the backpack to reveal a head. The girls gasp in horror, but Dio tells them to calm down, as the person who owns the noggin isn't dead, and is in fact the current Deus. With a slight tinge of reverence, Dio admits that he owes the current Deus for making this happen...even going as far as being the monitor by offering his head. He could still rule over the angels without it, but.....

Claire then asks Dio to follow them to Aerhaart to support the humans in the election of a new Kaiser mage. To them, a position like that has to be filled by someone who has the will to save the world from the end scenario. As another deity who feels for humans he's the only person she can turn to. Yes she knows he's only human now, but he still has a bit of the angel remnant around his body which brings good luck to those around the angel who possesses it. She understands now why no matter how many battles Van and the others got into with her around, they never got seriously hurt. With Dio's much more refined remnant, perhaps the right person would be chosen, not to mention they can help vote too. She bows before Dio and makes a heart felt plea for him to follow them, asking him to save her friends and their friends.

Dio glances at the goddesses and notes that they are much stronger and more mentally balanced than before, and she's gone and gotten cute on him. He warmly remembers how boyish she was back during his rule as Deus and marvels at the passage of time. Aine cuts in and asks about 'before', and how he'd know how strong they've become, but Dio stops her and explains that now is not the time to answer that question. He does promise to answer everything when the time comes, which for reasons unknown to even Aine satisfies her. Dio shrugs and begins to walk back home, as Claire stands up. She begins to ask for his answer, but Dio beats her to the punch and replies that he has to ask his mom if he can go to Aerhaart tonight since he's a good boy after all. Claire nods and turns to the goddesses asking them to please be patient.

Meanwhile Anna Rose, Candle, Reid, Kani and Guy zoom along in a buggy which seems to use some type of wind magic to move. Guy and Reid are at the helm, using Anna Rose's directions to get to the destination of something 'momentous'. Kani immediately recognizes this place as Aerhaart, which admit ably is only a day or two from Rexcist which is where they were originally. Though the question is, WHY are they here? Anna Rose surmises that Baker must be in cahoots with someone here, and not knowing what to do with them left the group imprisoned until he got further orders. Reid asks if that 'someone' is Butcher, to which the farseer replies with a shrug. She doesn't know and it really isn't important. Anu then asks her if it was really okay to reveal her heritage so wantonly, since the guard had let her out to take her to his superiors only to be immediately defeated by Guy and Reid. She grins and replies that the 'ends justify the means'. She's the sort of woman who has to be where all the action is, so upon finding out such a heavy magic concentration is in one area she would obviously have to head there too. She's not too sure what's going on however, so everyone would have to be on their guard. She then asks her 'daughter in law' if she feels it too? Kani nods noting that she had been curious about why so many magicians would be in one place, even though she wouldn't have done something so reckless to escape. In any case, they should go investigate, because there's a good chance whatever the magicians had gathered for may be related to the sentients or at least as Anna Rose had put it, 'something monumental'.

Hydon has collected all the votes of the preliminary election, and finds many ballots have been cast in favor of the current successor. He then reveals the breakdown as follows;

Libitina Moors: 40%

Current successor 30%

Inman 10%

Skye 10%

Undecided 10%

Hydon points out that they're still looking for the successor, and the undecided vote would have to be decided if they hope to end the election. They would redo the votes after more election speeches, unless someone drops out which would require another vote immediately.

Suddenly a sound like thunder clapping shakes the room and everyone ducks as a wave of light whirls into the room and stops dead center between Inman and Skye, and right behind Hydon who doesn't move. The light fades and reveals Aithne and Willard, although the jacket that Aithne was wearing has been fried by electricity. She glares at Willard who bows apologetically and out of apparently thin air produces another jacket for his half sister. She puts it on and glances around the room. Magicians gasp and quietly murmur about the sudden appearance of the triad, to which Hydon silences them with a glare and then turns to the two. His eyes menacingly dart between the two as he asks if they're here to cause trouble, because he won't allow it. A voice behind him responds to the contrary, that they're here to help. Everyone looks up at the stairway leading down to the room they're in to see Delaney sitting on the stairs with a piece of paper in his hands. He then informs Hydon that he and his siblings are only here to help speed up the election, and with his trademark slasher smile holds up the paper for all to see. Hydon grimaces as he reads it, and then turns to the magicians again revealing that things have changed and they will need to take another vote. Even without investigating further he can tell that the note Delaney has is the real deal, and the current successor has abdicated her right to run.