1 Beginning of the Watchman of the Apocalypse
Arcane woke up. Or more specifically he was being shaken awake. Before him stood a beautiful woman with brown hair and brown eyes, clad in blue armor.
Considering they both had brown hair, it could have been believable that they were siblings.
He differed from her by having jade green eyes, a darker skin tone and a dull expression that didn't match hers.
"Good morning, Arcane," she smiled.
"Good morning," he mumbled on autopilot.
"I am Jeanne D'arc," she greeted, her French accent definitely waking him up. 'I've done this song and dance before.'
"Nope," he remarked and rolled over.
"But you must! It's your divine duty-" she protested.
"If God relied on one human to do that divine task you're asking for, I'd have some pretty important questions for how he handles things," he pointed out.
He checked the time on his phone then grumbled that she woke him up early.
Some people are born great. Others have greatness thrust upon them. Some seize their greatness... Some even make up their greatness as they go.
Arcangelo 'Arcane' Hemisphere had his greatness forced upon him starting last summer.
He refused his greatness of becoming the Watchman of the Apocalypse and his greatness refused his 'no'.
It was quite a situation.
Jeanne D'arc had appeared as a spirit incarnating a physical body and had requested him to honor the task given to him by God or some spiel he forgot. She stuck around insisting she could convince him to do it.
"Arcane!" Jeanne said more testily. "You can't run away from being the Watchman of the Apocalypse," she frowned.
"Oh yeah? Did he inscribe on my body a to do list the very minute I was born?" He asked.
'No? I think it can wait until high school is finished, thank you." He declined.
He scratched his head 'I have work the day after tomorrow,' he glanced at the yellow colored apple the tiny sticker claimed was a golden delicious.
He blinked 'why was it just one?'
He stopped just as he was about to bite into it and glanced at Jeanne staring at the TV.
It was about the boy Jeanne had used money (read: used Arcane's money) to help with his financial troubles. The news was saying he'd been shot in a police drug raid.
"Hey don't worry about that, you did what you could and he made his own choices," he tried to reassure.
"Even the best intentions have become stepping stones to hell," he relented biting into the fruit with an audible crunch.
"I'll pray for his soul -" she lamented ignoring the sound of the apple.
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It was officially the start of summer school for Arcane but several adults were also present preparing for getting their Equivalency Diplomas. If they passed the practice test they'd pass the real one. Or something to that logic.
Arcane himself was doing a makeup test for math. It wasn't looking too good for him.
Aside from suddenly every noise in the room being needlessly distracting he suddenly could barely spell his name correctly. The adults glaring at him judgementally didn't help either.
Arcane kept clicking his pen, unable to focus on the mock test but not wanting to be too blatant about it.
"Mr. Hemisphere...?" The instructor asked tiredly
"Uh-- yes?" He startled.
"Do you need a minute in the library?" She continued.
He averted his eyes in embarrassment, realizing that his current activity was distracting everyone else.
"No ma'am... I apologize," he said and turned his gaze to his paper.
He avoided looking at the man next to him.
The man however kept staring.
He got three questions in and could still feel
the staring. His eyebrow twitched in irritation and he scratched it.
He decided to humor him and made a show of looking confused.
"Say? You know the answer to number 3..? Also 4-27?" He whispered to him.
The man frowned and gave a scoff. "I'm taking a science test."
"Then stop staring at me as if you're willing me to fail my math!" he snapped. He'd already actually passed the important math test and was taking another to avoid his Social Studies, but that detail didn't matter.
The man snorted but didn't reply. Determined, he cracked down on writing.
'Question 5 what is the sum of...'
He stared at it. 'I don't know? Jupiter Oak Evolution?'
'This is karma for staying up and arguing with people online whether or not magical girls could solo shonen anime characters.'
"Wait I know the answer to this-" his eyes lit up as he actually understood the next few questions.
"Hemisphere..." She warned.
"I know I know! But at least this time I'm trying to do the test at least!" He whisper shouted.
'Question 12!' he thought more focused on getting the answers.
'What is .... Is that Jeanne D'arc standing outside that window after I told her to stay somewhere else while I took my classes?' his gaze slid to the window, seeing her standing there with a solemn expression, staring right at him. The intense stare almost took away from the tall spear she held at her side.
He bit back his initial wince for staring back with a blank expression.
".... Instructor Lewis... May I um be excused?" He asked nervously.
"Your test will be waiting for you to return," she said with a shrug.
He didn't need to be told twice and bolted.
"I wish to also be excused," the man next to him spoke with a pleasant smile.
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"What are you doing here? I still have two more classes - one more hour and a half!" He said.
Jeanne D'arc frowned. "You're in danger,"
"Huh-?" He blinked then briefly thought of the guy who kept staring at him. Had he seen him before?
He had no idea , the adults for the GED courses always changed since many were busy with jobs and kids. If the man recognized him from last week or the week before that he had no idea.
"Danger how exactly?" He asked.
She yanked him out of the way as a column of fire followed.
"A teleporter? So my informant was telling the truth. Absorbing you would prove most helpful in boosting my power,"
"That creepy guy who was staring at me!?" Arcane blurted.
Jeanne frowned sternly. "You'll not come any closer!" She warned twirling a spear like it was a baton.
Arcane doubted it would be helpful in fighting back, but certainly did stay just beyond spitting range.
The man in question did look wary. "A holy spear,"
"However for a named demon such as myself, Thibault, the typical use will not affect me." He looked proud of himself. As though giving out his name was supposed to increase his threat and make them scared of fighting.
"I was joking yesterday about wanting to say I told you so but you are doing this, aiming for your best life - which you believe to still be mundane- it's just unfair,"
"Sometimes a higher calling is like that," she said nodding to herself.
"Lumière de Noblesse!" She exclaimed calling forth a wall of light.
Thibault's expression looked shocked as his hands began to disentergrate
"Hey Jeanne, I think I get what you are saying,"
"So then you're finally giving up?!" Thibault roared.
"No I'm striving for normalcy, you being here interferes with that,"
Jeanne didn't need another cue and pushed forward causing the rays of light to begin disentergrating Thibault's hands. He took the threat seriously and vanished in a plume of smoke.
"Thank you " Jeanne turned to Arcane.
"For what?" Arcane asked.
"For believing me,"she said.
"Oh. Well. Thanks for saving my life," he said.
"He's not truly defeated. Weakened maybe." Jeanne remarked. Her face looked dismal, 'in today's world there are many souls he can prey upon.'
'But he's not the main problem...' Her glance slid to Arcane who was currently wondering how to explain away being absent for almost an hour.
'They must be aware Arcane is close to accepting his path. But how when he's spent all this time rejecting it?'
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Zadkiel spawned in his bedroom as if he lived there.
"What the fu--! Ahem what are you doing he-?" Arcane questioned.
In his hands, as he sat on the bed, was a pornographic magazine.
"Gah! Don't read those!" He yelped.
"Why do you buy these if you don't read them?" Zadkiel asked.
"Uh-- appearances? Nevermind! How do you know I haven't read them?!" He protested.
"Any book in a household without a spine that isn't bent up isn't a loved book," Zadkiel told him.
Arcane wanted to question that statement but Jeanne was nodding in agreement.
"Okay fair enough," Arcane sighed and relented.
"Also, I had to open them myself," Zadkiel informed.
"Conforming to the standard norm?" Zadkiel asked.
"Something like that," he mumbled.
"Oh I see, you're hoping that by feigning the typical behavior of a boy your age you can seek some sense of comradery among your peers."
"Wouldn't it be faster to say I'm trying to be a normal teenager?" He asked.
Zadkiel raised an eyebrow about to comment but Jeanne picked up the open book and turned bright red. "Oh-- that's so brazen!"
"Whoa there!" Zadkiel snatched the book out of her hands.
"No insecurities! You're your beautiful self and you don't need to change!" He assured head patting her.
"You're very kind Zadkiel," Jeanne smiled.
Followed by a less gentle tap on Arcane's head .
"Ow!? What did I get hit for??" He complained, rubbing at his head.
"You won't be able to run away forever," Zadkiel warned sadly. "I do pity you for your predicament, but the fact is you have a job to do. Avoiding it will just bring trouble,"
Arcane sighed. "Thanks for warning me,"
Zadkiel nodded and disappeared in a collection of twinkling lights.
Arcane frowned. "I'm a high school student. I don't know if I can handle the title of Watchman of the Apocalypse,"
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"You have dodged it long enough! But I'm putting my foot down!" Jeanne announced almost two hours after Zadkiel left. Her sudden shout caused Arcane to jump in his spot.
"I know I know, I'll take my Social Studies test at the end of the week. I've been avoiding it because it's my weakest subject, but I fully intend to do it," he responded.
"Really!?" Her eyes lit up with a strange sort of joy. She caught herself and cleared her throat. "I- I mean your Divine task! Being Watchman of the Apocalypse,"
He frowned slightly. "Well today was definitely a scare so maybe if I know how to defend myself against it, I'll be able to live a normal life"
His French was a little bit subpar, but he was pretty sure she'd told him that the wheel of fortune waits for no one, and that she was looking forward to saying 'I tried to help you ',
'Yeah, she's a real human alright,'he deadpanned.
"Good night Jeanne,"
The Bell tolls and a new day begins.