Chapter 6: Prequel Chapter 5

                                    

                                          
Disclaimer.
                          
I don't own High School DxD, or any of the other copy right stuff that may be included in this story.
                          
I don't make any money off of it and only write this for my own enjoyment.
                          
If criticism of religion bothers you, please don't read this story. Also, why are you reading DxD, a story which makes heroes out of devils, if criticism of religion bothers you?
                          
Depending on the point of view, it was either very late at night or very early in the morning. Sona and Ambrose were all packed up for their extended journey out into the wasteland and were currently making their way outside the city wards. As they crossed the train tracks, Sona spent a moment to inspect the town's train. The main engine was only 12 feet long, and had she seen it in her time period it would have been considered a nice replica of a train from the early 19th century.
                          
Sona couldn't help but sigh to herself as she not only could tell the train's paint was water based latex, but that the latex most likely came from the rubber trees they had past recently.
                          
"All this new knowledge will take some time to get used to." She ruefully thought with a sigh. While the idea of absorbing knowledge via magic sounded appealing, the phrase 'Careful what you wish for' also applied.
                          
Since she had completed her 10 doses of Ambrose's 'Osmosis' potion her mind couldn't help but burst with facts and trivia that she could then cite by book, author, publisher, page number, paragraph and sentence line. Ambrose assured her that it would settle down and she'd get used to it. Apparently it took awhile for the mind to organize it all into what was and was not relevant. Still, while cumbersome, she was impressed that the potion worked as Ambrose described and quite honestly wanted to try it on her school books as well. "That, and for the next time my peerage and I go to Kuoh's trivia night at the coffee shop."
                          
Instead of heading directly to the town boarders, the pair were heading to the center of the town, where Ambrose said there was a park with a monument near the lake. He stated that the wards wouldn't let anything living in or out of the town, and there was a secret exit hidden there.
                          
As they silently made their way to the park and hidden exit, Sona took the time to look at the town she had only previously seen from Ambrose's hidden home. While Ambrose's house was ultra-modern and futuristic, these home were made out of brick and mortar, covered with plaster. There was very little wood in the architecture, as wood would naturally be a valuable commodity in this small post-apocalyptic community. As they moved close to the town center, she noticed the town seemed to be doing better than she had originally thought. They had stores, a library, a school, a community center, and ironically a church.
                          
"They have indoor plumbing and electricity.", Sona reminded herself. "A simple, but not overtly harsh existence."
                          
Ambrose broke the silence as they made their way to the secret exit. "Before I forget, you'll need this", he said while handing her a flower.
                          
At first, Sona thought that Ambrose was being romantic, but as she looked at the flower she thought it was the strangest romantic gesture ever. It had the shape of a daisy but its petals were midnight black; however, the most disturbing thing about it was that its central disc was in the shape of a skull's face. It was quite honestly the most disturbing flower she had ever seen, let alone received.