Snow fell lightly onto the ground, creating a thin white blanket as far as the eye could see. For a region such as this, in a place so close to the ice hell known as Siberia, this amount of snow is considered to be negligible. Yet, for him, this blanket oddly reminded him of home. A light blanket of snow outside the house while he curled up in a blanket by the window with a hot cup of cocoa.

He shivered as a cool, light icy breeze blew through, ruffling his dark blonde hair.

He had missed such days. He missed the swing between hot summers and cold winters. He wondered how his family in Japan was doing.

Moving to Italy to become a Priest had thrust him into warmer weather. Something he and his sweat glands never came to terms with.

However, he never minded.

It was a calling from God and he was more than happy to answer it.

"Father!"

"Hello, Father Noah."

Noah Kamiyo waved as the mother and son duo passed by the Church as he swept the steps of snow and leaves. He had been sent here by the Church temporarily to manage a local church here.

Ukraine had a small Roman Catholic population and he just so happened to be sent to a small village where it was the majority. He smiled softly. He never particularly minded the specifics of other religions. Perhaps he could call himself a product of his time. However, he could clearly recall the more older, hawkish members of the Church—both Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox.

He chuckled to himself as he remembered the frustration some of the Cardinals expressed at some of the non-Catholic branches. Noah guessed that even within the same faith, people could never agree on things. It was just human nature.

The product of humanity's original sin of wisdom.

"What are you thinking about?"

A pair of arms wrapped around him, filling him with warmth. A voice as sweet as sugar filled his ears and his heart skipped a few beats.

"Nothing, dear." Noah reached up and placed his hand over her hands.

If the Church had discovered that he had broken his vow of celibacy, he couldn't imagine what would happen. Yet, even then, he wouldn't trade her for anything.

"Aren't you cold, Lailah?" Noah asked.

Lailah pulled away. He turned to face her.

She truly was beautiful in his eyes. Dark violet hair cascaded down her shoulders. Her blue eyes, which complimented her pale skin, gave her an ethereal presence that was complimented by her habit. Her hair blew slightly in the breeze as she linked arms with him. He gulped, feeling her soft body against his. Two years, they had been married. Two years of unadulterated happiness and bliss. And now, the two had their own little sanctuary away from prying eyes. A sanctuary where they could keep their little bundle of joy safe.

"No, Angels don't get cold… much." She nuzzled against him. "Still, it is a little chilly."

"Want to go inside then? I can think of a few ways we can get warm," he said.

"Oh? That's a rather raunchy thing to say for a priest," she giggled.

"Well, I don't think the supposed angel should be one to talk-"

"Father! Father Noah! Sister Lailah!"

The two were snapped out of their own world when they heard a panicked voice approaching them at rapid speeds. A ragged man ran up to the steps. He was covered in ash and blood. Lailah immediately ran up to the man and began helping him to the stairs.

Noah ran inside to grab a first aid kit. He returned quickly, taking out some gauze and bandages.

"Yuri! What's going on? Why do you look like that?" Noah asked, taking a look at his wounds.

"M- Monster… Monster in the town!" Yuri gasped.

"Monster?" Lailah asked.

"A shadow! A living shadow! It's-"

An explosion happened in the distance. Lailah immediately went on edge. Sparks of light began to gather at her fingertips. Noah similarly became anxious.

"It's gonna kill us all!" Yuri covered his ears and rocked back and forth.

"No. It's not. Stay here. Laila and I will-"

"No, Noah. Go make sure our baby is safe. I'll go check out whatever it is," Lailah said, cutting him off.

"But Lailah-"

"I'll be fine. I'm an Angel, remember?" she winked.

She had said this before multiple times. Stray monsters and low class devils were of no issue to them. He was a Priest trained in Miracles and she was an Angel. However, something about this situation made him uneasy. An uncharacteristic fear had gripped his heart yet, he couldn't say anything to dissuade his confident wife. It was as if her charisma had just washed it all away.

"Be careful," Noah said.

"When have I never been?" Lailah smiled. A violet halo appeared above her head and three pairs of snow white wings appeared on her back. With one powerful beat, Noah watched as his wife took to the skies, leaving a trail of white feathers behind.

"A- Angel…!?" Yuri gasped.

Noah sighed. He had forgotten all about Yuri. He quickly appeared behind the man and chopped his neck, knocking him out. "Sorry, Yuri. But I can't have you remembering what you just saw." He placed his hand above his forehead and a yellow magic circle appeared.

A black pillar of light shot down from the Heavens, slamming into the town square. Noah looked up. A worried look was etched all over his face. "Lailah is using Leliel already…?," he whispered. "I need to get over there and help her!"

Lailah had no idea what to make of this monstrosity.

It was as Yuri had described it.

A living shadow.

Or that's what her mind conceptualized it as. In truth, she had no idea what she was looking at. Every part of it was a violation of her senses. A true abhorrence that could not be put into words. The world around it seemed to revile and reject its existence. Yet, even the world's resistance against it was futile.

The shadowy wisp looked up at her. In place of eyes, there were only two pits of violet light glowing eerily at what she could only describe to be its face.

Its stare unnerved her completely. She had been privy to battle. The Great War was the most tragic period in her life, after all. Yet, even that could not compare to the amount of anxiety she felt staring at this thing.

And then it happened.

The shadow smiled.

An almost crippling chill snaked its way down her spine. Her body reacted almost subconsciously.

Her eyes were wide in fear. Blood trickled down her cheek as she narrowly avoided its outstretched tendril.

In an instant, its arm had crossed the distance between them. It had almost skewered her if not for her enhanced senses.

This thing was dangerous. She needed to eliminate it immediately. Black and red light gathered within her hands. "Oh Lord, Oh Heaven, grant me the power to deliver justice upon this demon." The black and red light came to a crescendo above and she threw her arm down.

A dark pillar of light representing Heaven's judgement slammed down on the shadow.

All physical matter was obliterated in an instant and the town square was leveled in a single attack. The ground shook violently and the shockwaves damaged every building in town as it traveled out.

"...!?" her eyes widened in shock when the entity stood there unscathed. Its unnatural mocking smile remained on its face.

"What are you? A Devil? Some sort of local monster?" she wondered. This was Slavic Territory and since the current leader of her pantheon and the God of the Nav were close, she was more than familiar with the creatures of Slavic Myth. But she had never seen anything remotely close to this.

"Lailah!"

Her eyes widened when she heard Noah's voice. "N- Noah!? What are you doing here!? Get back to her!" she yelled.

"She's safe. I cast Divine Armor around the Church." Particles of golden light gathered around Noah's hand. "I won't let you fight this thing alone."

Lailah bit the bottom of her lip. She looked down at the shadow entity below her and clenched her jaw.

"I used Leliel on that thing and it's still alive," she said.

"Well, I guess we just have to hit it even harder." Noah said before reciting a Bible verse. "Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the Earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword."

He made a movement across the air, similar to drawing a sword from its sheath. A sword of pure light manifested in his hand, giving off particles of light that resembled something similar to Hebrew Text. The air around it crackled with untold divinity as if Noah had pulled a piece of Heaven down to Earth and shaped it into a blade.

The entity turned its gaze to Noah. It tilted its head slightly before its arm instantly stretched out to shred him.

Noah moved out of the way, slicing through the entity's shadow tendrils.

Its eyes widened when it felt its shadows disperse momentarily.

"Lailah!" Noah yelled as he darted at surprising speed toward the entity.

"Right! Oh Lord… Oh Heaven…" Lightning and hail began to gather around her. Flames flickered in between her hands. She threw her hands forward, throwing a barrage of lightning, ice, and fire at the entity.

Noah swung his Sword of the Gospel, unleashing a powerful wave of light.

The two attacks hit their mark. A thunderous explosion destroyed what remained of the town square. The fleeing residents, who had made it out of the village, turned back to their town to see a large mushroom cloud, filled with lightning, fire, and golden light.

Noah jumped back, scanning the smoke cloud for any sign of it.

Lailah hovered in the air next to him. Her body was tense and filled with trepidation. She gathered divine power in her hands, forming several black spears of light.

"Noah, I-"

Her words were cut off as a tendril made of black void-like matter pierced Noah's stomach.

Noah stumbled forward a little, blood spurting out of his mouth and wound. It took all of his strength for him to raise his arm. The pain was absolutely horrendous and made him want to give into the sweet embrace of death, yet he needed to make sure they were safe. With a painful motion, he took a step forward, spilling blood onto the pristine snow.

"N- Noah!" Lailah screamed.

"Get back!" he yelled, grabbing the tendril.

He looked back toward the billowing smoke and saw the shadow walk out. It had an extremely malevolent grin on its face. The violet pits it had for eyes stared back at them mockingly. It was enjoying this. It derived some sort of sick twisted pleasure from their pain and despair.

His body was in complete agony. This thing had struck a lethal area. However, he needed to buy her time. It was all he could do in this moment.

"Lailah, go," Noah urged. He coughed up blood, sending it onto the thing's tendril and the snow below.

"N- No! I won't leave-" Her choked sobs were interrupted by Noah's words.

"Go! Go to our daughter! Go run!" Noah said as he tightened his grip around the tendril. He raised the Sword with his other hand and managed to slice through it. He jumped back, gripping his bleeding gut.

"No, Noah, please… don't leave me…," Lailah begged. Tears streamed down her face as her lover stood before her, barring the path of this unknowable being of shadow.

"Lailah, live. For our daughter. For me." Noah looked over his shoulder and gave his wife a bloody smile. "Now go!"

Noah swiped his arm, erecting a massive dome of light that encapsulated him and the shadow entity. Lailah slammed her fist against the light to no avail. She clenched her fists tightly until blood leaked from her palms.

She took one last look at her lover before spreading her wings and flying off in the direction of the church.

Her wings flapped strongly, increasing her speed. The harsh cold wind of Ukraine was nothing more than an afterthought as she landed at the church. She would not let Noah die in vain. She would live. She and their daughter both.

Lailah hastily made her way to their shared quarters. Luckily, they were the sole residents of the Church so no one was there to question their choices. As she ran toward it, her eyes briefly flickered to the crucifix on the walls.

The faces of the savior that they had sent to humanity was beginning to distort. An unholy grin filled with alien malice unbeknownst even to the most vile gods. Blood leaked from the crucifix's eyes.

She looked away as she focused on making her way to her and Noah's room. Lailah had abandoned all pretenses of etiquette and broke down the door. The sound of an infant crying could be heard from the crib next to their bed.

Lailah's face softened. She hastily made her way over and gently scooped her infant daughter up. Her daughter cried out. Lailah's heart broke a little at the sight. "Shhh, it's okay my lovely little star. Mommy's here…," she cooed. The ground shook violently beneath them and the church began to crumble.

The religious paraphernalia in their room ranging from the image of Mary the Mother and a portrait of Yeshua the Savior began to take on hideous twisted forms. Mocking twisted smiles and a distorted cacophony of laughter came from the portraits.

Lailah narrowed her eyes and shielded her daughter from their maddening stares. She raised her palm and blasted a hole through the wall.

However, as she was about to escape, a sharp pain stabbed through her. Her eyes widened as she nearly doubled over. Her eyes caught sight of blood trickling down her clothes and staining the floor. Lailah turned her head fearfully to see the world behind her being distorted by a spreading, dark atmosphere that had subsumed the entire church.

The world around her was dissolving, resembling a mixture of colors and textures as if someone had splashed water over a painting. The religious paintings around her had long since lost any semblance of what they once wore, being a horrific mix of colors that shouldn't exist in any way, shape, or form.

And the source of it all stood a little ways past the doorway. The shadowy entity. Its form was less of a wisp and more of a man now. Its build was similar to…

"Noah…," she whispered in horror.

The entity tilted its head and that same twisted smile appeared on its face. Its violet glowing pits for eyes bore holes through her sole as it lifted its hand and pointed at her.

"Sophia…" The word escaped its mouthless face. Its voice was grating to the ear like nails on a chalkboard and had a sound texture resembling tv static.

Her wings spread as she held her hand up.

"Oh Lord, Oh Heaven, grant me the power…" she chanted. White light and lightning gathered into her palm. She pointed it at the shadow and fired.

A sonorous blast ripped through the winter air as the entire front of the Church along with several buildings were torn apart by the ensuing explosion.

In the midst of the chaos, Lailah took her chance and flew away from the Church. She needed to get somewhere so she could teleport away from this nightmare.

As she flew, however, something ripped through the air and tore two of her wings clean off her back. The cut was so instantaneous that it almost felt painless. She plummeted to the ground. "No…!" she cast a golden barrier around her arms as her body struck the hard earth violently.

A groan escaped her lips as Lailah shakily propped herself up. Her infant daughter bawled within the barrier. Her own tears dripped on the barrier and she placed her hand on it.

"Baby… Mommy loves you very much. You must live, my little star," she said, kissing the sphere. Moving quickly before the entity could arrive, Lailah noticed she had crashed into a barn. She hobbled over, wincing with each step, to a manger. She wanted to laugh at the irony of it all. Placing her infant down in it, Lailah telekinetically moved some hay and placed it over her daughter, covering her just enough to not be seen.

"I love you," she whispered. Tears poured freely down her face as she quickly turned to face it. She silently chanted a verse and several cuboids rotated around the child, concealing it in a multi-layered barrier of light.

As if on cue, the shadow burst through the barn door. Splinters flew everywhere as it walked in, bringing with it the blackness that was now consuming the Earth and the skies.

Despite her injuries, Lailah stood her ground. Her eyes filled with resolute determination. She had gladly accepted death if it meant her daughter would survive.

"It ends here," Lailah said.

"Sophia…" the entity rasped.

"There is no Sophia here. But I won't let you go. You killed my friends… my husband," she choked out. "I won't let you claim my child."

"Sophia…"

Its body twitched before it sprung from its spot and lunged at her.

Dark light gathered around Lailah and morphed into two lances made of light. She rushed to meet this horrific being head on.

However, like her lover before her, her efforts were for naught. For all her adrenaline, the gathering of holy power into her body, she had inflicted barely anything upon it.

Lailah coughed as she fell to one knee, glaring at the shadowy being. Its mocking violet eyes looked down at her without a shred of emotion. Its arm shifted into a massive blade and it raised its arm into the air.

"Not… yet…," Lailah rasped. She raised and closed her fist.

In an instant, black light gathered around the shadowy entity. Gravity increased and condensed to a singular point. Supergravity that tore apart space and time around it. The light within the room had been sucked into it as a black sphere expanded and consumed it.

"[Virtual Black Hole]!" Lailah chanted as she kept her grip on the entity tight.

The sphere began to eradicate and suck on all matter around it, devouring the space it occupied.

Lailah kept her grip tight. However, a wave of violet light sliced through the black hole. The dark sphere was sliced apart. Lailah gasped as the light wave sliced into her, severing her arm and the remaining wings on her left side.

The black hole was dispersed and the entity stood there unscathed. The space where the black hole once occupied was a swirling mass of iridescent colors. It walked up to her and raised its hand above her head.

"I won't die in vain," she growled.

The entity paused for a few seconds before ultimately bringing its bladed arm down upon her. Blood sprayed across the barn as Lailah's body slowly split in half down the middle. The wet sound of meat being torn was the only sound aside from the bawling of an infant that echoed through the barn.

"Sophia…," the entity muttered. It turned and walked toward the crying infant. It looked down at the infant. For the first time, an emotion flashed across its face. Hatred. Enmity. Loathing. All of them passed through its eyes simultaneously. "Sophia… do you feel like a hero yet?"

Its arm morphed into fearsome serrated claws. It raised its arm and thrust it at the infant.

However, as if knowing it was in danger, the infant bawled even louder. And, in that instant, a flash of iridescent light consumed everything.

It was a disturbance that had shaken them all to their core. They hadn't felt a great unease like this since their Father died in the Great War. Her older brother had insisted on taking an army and marching on the town, yet she knew better than to provoke the Gods that ruled there. As powerful as they were, provoking a war would only expose their weakness. She sighed as the wind whipped against her face. It had been centuries since she felt this uneasy; she had almost forgotten how it felt like.

However, as she gazed upon a barren crater that spanned into the distance, a chill ran down her spine. The cold, biting air of the Ukrainian winter blew her golden blonde hair. Her blue eyes flicked across the desolate wasteland where there used to be a town, along with a dense forest. Her black dress billowed in the winter wind as she descended to the ground.

"If I recall, Michael said that there was a church in this town," she said to herself as she began to walk toward the crater's center.

[Uriel.] A magic circle appeared by her ear.

"Michael," Uriel said as she scanned the crater.

[Anything?] her brother asked.

"No. Just… a crater. It's about the size of New York City, I think," Uriel said, eyeing the edge of the crater.

She continued to walk. The only sounds that could be heard were the soft winter winds and the crunching of dirt beneath her boots. Uriel couldn't shake this feeling of impending danger. Scarlet red flames licked the earth as a greatsword formed in her hands. The sword's glowing red blade sent tongues of fire scattering everywhere, scorching what remained unburnt from the ensuing blast that created this massive hole in the Earth.

"Strange," Uriel mumbled. "What could have happened here?"

Her question was answered by the sound of an infant bawling. Her eyes widened as she rushed over to the source of the cries.

"What… is that?" she asked as she approached the source of the cries. At the center of the crater sat a golden barrier inscribed with faint Hebrew characters. Before the spherical barrier was a sludge-like shadowy entity that crawled toward the child.

Uriel slowly walked over to it. Her presence was preceded by the overwhelming divinity that flowed from her. Her aura had completely swallowed the crater and even the area beyond. If the entity had to guess, her divine power had swallowed the entire region where this country was located.

The entity appeared to have sensed her presence and it recoiled almost immediately at her presence. "Ascendant… you feel like… an Ascendant," it said. Its violet eyes gazed at her warily.

"I assume you were responsible for this," Uriel said as she leveled her blade at the monstrous creature.

"Ascendant… Sophia…," the entity said as it tried to reconstitute its form.

"Sophia?" Uriel raised an eyebrow. "Unfortunately, I don't know anyone by the name of Sophia. But… since you managed to massacre an entire town under the jurisdiction of Heaven, I'll ask you for a favor."

The entity stared at her warily.

"Please… die~!"

The entity sprung at her, intent on devouring her.

Uriel stood calmly as she raised her blade. Her feet spread slightly apart as flame swirled around her. The entity's shadowy form flickered as it came barreling toward her, as if whatever source her flames stemmed from was something abhorrent to the malevolent beast. She thrust her sword forward.

The entity was too late to avoid it. The sword's growing red blade pierced its skull, jutting out at the other end. The entity spasmed for a few seconds before its arms gripped the sword tightly in an attempt to pull it out.

"It's no use. These flames embody a fragment of the power that brought forth the world's Genesis. The fires of Creation that forged the world shall burn you apart here and now," Uriel said coldly. She twisted her grip on the handle of her sword slightly as a torrent of flames surged through the creature, incinerating it and the land behind it for miles. It created a searing line visible from space.

As the entity weakly reached out to her and faded, it spoke.

"This is… not the end… Sophia… this world will fall like all others…"

Uriel stood there, staring at the space where the entity once was. Its words. They were haunting to say the least but right now, it was the least of her worries. Uriel lowered her sword and turned to the spherical barrier that lay before her.

Inside of it, a child no older than at most several months to almost a year, bawled. She cried, seeking the comfort of her mother. A mother that Uriel deduced must have erected the barrier. She placed her hand against the barrier.

"A Miracle," she muttered. With a flick of her finger, the barrier broke apart. Without the muffling of the barrier, the infant's cries now came in full force, shattering the semi-silence of the deathly winter sky.

Uriel gently scooped the infant in her arms, swaddling it in its semi-tattered pink blanket. She cooed and rocked her slowly in her arms.

"Shh, it's okay. Hmmm, hmm, hmmm~," Uriel hummed.

As soon as she did, the baby's cries died down and now, Uriel found herself staring into a pair of violet-black eyes. The baby whimpered slightly, clearly not recognizing her. Uriel smiled warmly and brushed some ash off the baby's forehead.

"You're the sole survivor of this place, little one," Uriel said. "Let's see…"

Uriel held the baby gently in her arms until she felt something protruding at the back of the swaddle. "Eh?"

She gently supported the baby's head and felt around the back, slipping a finger inside the swaddle. She felt something soft and fuzzy. It felt almost like…

"Down? Wait… a human baby with down? No… wait, this isn't a…" And that's when she felt it. Divine power.

"A nephilim… but that's impossible. The System doesn't allow us to procreate as easily now that Father is gone, unless..." Uriel telekinetically held the baby in the air. The baby let out a joyful squeal as if she had experienced this before. Uriel turned her around. She undid the swaddle and was met with a small pair of wings, covered in snow white down.

"N- No way…," she said. "A Miracle Child?"

[Uriel, come in.] The magic circle reappeared. It was a different voice from Michael.

"I'm busy," Uriel replied, pulling the baby back into her arms.

[Well, did you find anything?] a male voice asked.

"No. Just a shadow being. But I need you to gather everyone. This sensation, it's similar to the Beast of Entropy from 500 years ago," Uriel said as she poked the baby's cheek, causing the child to laugh happily and grab her finger.

A feeling of warmth swelled within the Archangel's chest as she held the child close.

[Hah? You're giving me orders now?]

"Onii-sama…"

She heard the man sigh. [Fine. Only because of what you said. When are you coming back?]

"Not right now. There's something I need to take care of," she replied.

[What? Where are you-]

"I'm heading to a local store. There's something I need to do there," Uriel said.

[What? What could you possibly need at a general store?]

Uriel smiled fondly as the baby tugged on her hair. "Well, brother, children need lots of care, especially babies."

[What? Babies? What in Father's name are you talking about, Uriel?] the man said.

"Let's just say we have a surprise guest," Uriel said as she dangled a feather above the happily squealing child.

[Alright. I'll have Sandalphon gather the other Seraphs.] The man said before cutting off the connection.

Uriel sighed, however, the sound of the baby's curious yet cheerful babble calmed her. She smiled and poked the baby's squishy cheek delicately. "Come on, little star. Let's go see if we can find your mommy or daddy."

The crater was suddenly filled with a flash of brilliant red light. The light died down, leaving the crater completely devoid of any life. The only thing that remained of Uriel's presence was the sound of a calming, harmonious tune and a patch of white flowers, growing amidst a ruined landscape.

Ok. Ok. Yes. There is another RE:Wind but this is the real RE:Wind. I'll make that distinction really clear from here on out.

Before you ask, no Issei is not getting axed. Just because Issei isn't in the first chapter doesn't mean he won't show up. He won't show up for a while but I have to build the MC first. Second, concerning my other two DxD Fics, yes, they are still ongoing. I'm not taking a break from Red Sky so don't worry. This is just something I have on the side that I've been refining since the original RE:Wind came to a stop since I did't know how to convincingly progress the plot from the Raynare Arc and honestly, I'm tired of writing the Raynare arc so we'll skip that too.

And finally, well, I'll let this story speak for itself. Anyway, give it a try. The MC is a girl so I don't know how much that'll affect your opinions of her.