Nephilim Side Stories: Himejima

Nephilim Side Stories: Himejima

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Commissioned by Ichypa

Wordcount: 1000

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Thankfully, Nephilim didn’t tend to subscribe to the notion of hereditary social hierarchy. Amongst Fallen, especially within the Grigori, Fallen are simply Fallen. It is a meritocracy that has a firm foundation on personal talent, skill, and power. Of course, there are those who are born without as much power as others, but no true Grigori would quibble about such things.

Power is useful, but skill decides everything.

And I am very happy to say that I am quite skilled, even without my power.

So, I was able to establish myself at the top of the meritocracy of the Nephilim upon the Tokyo Arcology quite handily.

Being amongst them was quite calming, especially after being so solidly trounced in a field I considered myself rather adroit in.

How shameful it is to have been lifted up from failure by a strong, powerful, and handful superior… and I mean that with complete sincerity. Clumsiness can be made into a cherished, endearing trait, but only regarding burdens that were light and easily corrected.

Utterly failing against a conglomerate of gods, when part of a group setting out to secure the world from as many dangers as possible, is appalling.

Thankfully, CORE was very inclined towards recruiting Nephilim for its surveillance teams.

They were adequate in counterintelligence operations, but in direct combat they were lacking.

Lacking enough to warrant the need to endure shame, instead of simply being chastised and told what to change.

Oh, fine.

I shall admit that I was relieving stress and held the three of CORE’s operatives to too high of a threshold.

However, that didn’t mean I would relent.

Though, I did lessen the weight on Cassandra’s back just so… and offered them the means to not be defeated so handily in hand-to-hand next time.

Well, against the common master of martial arts.

I could make them no promises in regards to individuals such a myself, Bael, or Shirone.

“Sarah, you overextended yourself. Jana, it was clever of you to use a knife in an unarmed match, but if you’re lacking you must compensate with far more firepower than that.” I was having them take turns as footstools. It was hardly the worst of punishments, especially as I began to lecture them. “You have an excess of artificial firepower to make up for your dearth of natural power. None of you should be ashamed of using a little help. It does wonders for your experience.”

American pride and spirit was cultivated exceptionally well by CORE through their information campaigns, lending even the most common American, including their Nephilim a certain pride. A good pride. One that compelled one to be more earnest, work harder, and be skilled. However, pride is still pride, and all three seethed at being treated as thought they were impotent. They’ll work themselves to the bone to defeat me next time.

It was quite fun to bring them low, especially when I know they’ll simple get back up again.

Truly, only Soviets were more fun to tease, while Europeans were boorish at best.

Anyway, they were raised quite well, especially since their fathers and mothers were of CORE stock. CORE had employed veterans of the US military, which meant those looking over townships with Fallen and Nephilim were granted access to quite stunning male specimens of the time period, even if they were those who were phased out for easier duties due to CORE’s absurdly high standards even amongst its common soldiery.

Amongst regular Nephilim, born of normal men and women, they were a cut above due to where they were born and who they were born to.

By all means, they ought to be quite arrogant and prideful, as is the case with most Nephilim even within the Grigori… yet I haven’t heard the word “unfair” even begin to leave their lips.

My, my they were truly great individuals to tease.

They will take this loss, be driven instead of broken, and seek to overcome me.

As it always should be, really.

In fact, I felt so happy about their mere existence and gumption that I was willing to teach them practically once again!

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Aftercare was a very important affair. One cannot subsist completely off of firm, unyielding affection. It is contrast that heightens appeal to its utter limits.

So, after I had my fill, I pampered Sarah, Cassandra, and Jana.

It was tad difficult to placate individuals who were raised in America, but I would be a poor being  if I gave only the minimum after taking as much as I could.

Credits come and go, but companions can last forever.

And, I did want for those who looked after us in the dead of night and protected us against assassins and infiltrators to be in my good graces.

It helped very much that they were women of good taste.

“And, this journalist got this picture of Li Song while he was training. We allowed her to keep a private set of pictures, as long as she signed a contract to never share it for herself.”

“She was going to cry when she thought we’d take the pictures from her.”

“Wouldn’t you cry if you had shirtless pictures of Li Song, but had the government show up to take it from you?”

“No. Crying is for pussies. I’d fight and topple the system… but it’s better to be the system that gets to keep all the pics anyway.”

“I concur.”

“Yep.”

“It’s a great job.”

I was glad that they remained Nephilim. There were some who chose to do away with their heritage, choosing to only be human. Such poor persons were shadows of themselves because they yearned for love and acceptance from their human parents. It was good that they were still Nephilim, despite not being raised by the Grigori.

In America they had both their parents, strong humans and the Fallen who loved them, and they lived in communities that cherished them.

Sometimes, I felt envy for them, despite having a magnificent father.

In another place and another time, I could’ve been like them.