Well, the final chapter of the Changing Fates should've been in this update but as you can see, it is not. This is a chapter focusing on Xenovia. I figure this is a good time to explore her since she will become a central character in the future. Yes, in this fic, Xenovia will have a VERY significant part and she will not just be another heroine with minor combat ability. No, I have grand plans for her which will put her very high in the pedestal. What role will she play? How strong will she be? All I can say for now is that she will not be lacking and I can say that she will be a very feared force that won't be lacking even in the face of the top ten. I don't like my heroines only be a charging device for the protagonist after all. No, I want Xenovia and Haruka to push each other to the limit, a true equal in everything as how a real couple should be. Just wait until the time comes for Xenovia (and some other heroines) to become epic.

Disclaimer: I do not own DxD. If I did, Xenovia or maybe even Irina would be the main heroine.

Interlude: Xenovia Quarta

-Xenovia about Haruka, two years later, Xenovia pov-

My name is Xenovia Quarta, thirteen years old adopted sister of Griselda Quarta and I have just finished my training as an exorcist. I had hoped that Haruka could be there when I finally become an exorcist but he received an emergency mission along with Dulio Gesualdo-sama, the church's strongest exorcist.

It cannot be helped if he suddenly has to go on a mission but as expected I feel a little sad that he's not here.

As today is the day I start a new chapter in my life, I would like to use this moment to look back to the past for a while, specifically about the boy named Shidou Haruka, the adopted elder brother of my best friend, Shidou Irina, and one of the church's best exorcist.

Shidou Haruka, I first heard of him from sister Griselda, my guardian. He trained under sister Griselda in swordsmanship. When I asked sister Griselda about him back then, she has only one word to describe him.

Prodigious

He is a true prodigy, a genius that is very rare.

I hate prodigies.

I have met a few exorcists deemed as prodigies and they are arrogant most of the time. I thought that he might be the same. That is why I challenged him when I finally met him.

I was overwhelmingly outclassed. He defeated me so easily, much too easily despite me training almost every second of every day. It came as a shock to me. I had expected him to mock me and insult me at worst or just left at best but I never expect for him to tell me my flaws and even offered to help me train. I still remember the words he said to me then;

"You'll train with me?"

"Sure. Griselda also told me to increase my strength and stamina. I'll gladly help you anyway since you're cute. Let's get along, Xenovia."

That was my first meeting with Shidou Haruka.

As he had told me, he helped me with training. I learn my flaws and study little by little. I have been focusing too much on power to lift my sword.

I am the wielder of Durandal, the Holy Sword of Destruction. Due to its size, I must condition myself so I can even lift it. Haruka foregoes that. He teased me that I'm a power idiot and instead he makes me train my stamina and speed. Haruka, unlike me, is a technique-speed type and he made sure that I understand that pure strength is not everything. He gently guide me and train alongside me ever since. I took each of his words to heart.

My impression of Haruka rises with each time we spend together.

And then sister Griselda deemed his training finished.

Haruka is a true prodigy, being the youngest exorcist in history at the age of eight.

I was saddened that we can't train together anymore. It was then that Haruka's younger sister, Shidou Irina came to my life. She is a bundle of energy unlike her brother who is more of a cool and gentle type (with some laziness).

Thanks to Irina's cheerfulness, I quickly got over Haruka's absence. Haruka still make sure to visit us and help us train between missions though.

Haruka slowly made himself known by defeating powerful enemies of the church.

Two years since he became an exorcist was when he proved himself by defeating the peerage of an ultimate-class devil conducting an illegal ritual. He managed to struck down the whole peerage and the master single-handedly. True that the devil in question is not at the top tier of ultimate-class but it is still impressive for someone as young as him.

He did not escape without any wounds though. Haruka broke his left arm and he had a few fractured bones in both of his legs at the end and he suffered some nasty burns and a few lacerations. It was the first time I saw him suffer so many injuries.

It was at that time that I got closer to him as I took care of him in between my training.

I found out about his secret.

The only blood-related family he knew.

That day, I found out his greatest secret and his true form.

His sword [Sophia] is an irregular sacred gear and his real mother's soul is inside the sacred gear.

I have always believed that Haruka is really the son of the well-known exorcist Shidou Touji.

It was during one of my visits during his recuperation that he decided to tell me. He was resting in his room when I came in, looking out the window as if admiring the setting sun. He immediately noticed me and smiled. He asked me to sit down and told me that he wishes to tell me something.

He summons his sword and placed it facing down to the floor.

He introduced me to his mother, Shijou Momoka.

I didn't know what to think back then. Apparently, the whole Shidou family knew along with sister Griselda. Some other people also knew that [Sophia] is actually a sacred gear but only his family and sister Griselda knew of the soul residing inside his sacred gear. Neeedless to say, the revelation shocked me. It was his words that broke me out of my trance. He said to me;

"You are someone precious to me, I don't want to lie to someone I hold dear."

Perhaps it was at that time that my feelings for Haruka truly blossom for the first time.

Also, it was during that year that many powerful exorcists suddenly developed paranoia towards anything related to ritual. I had heard from Haruka that it was because a raid to stop a cthulhu ritual. He was there and he said that the ritual almost succeeded. When I asked about the details, his tone turn cold and his eyes become dead. After that, I learn to never ask about that mission to the exorcists who participated.

Time goes and Haruka finally got himself a rival in the form of Melia Sitri. It is not a known fact but people who are close to him knew about his encounter with the famous prodigy of the devils, Melia Sitri, daughter of Serafall Leviathan. Melia Sitri is famous for her nigh invulnerability to any kind of magic and her combat skill in using magic and swords. She is acknowledged as the strongest youth devil and the only member of her peerage is the Hakuryuukou, one of the two Heavenly Dragons. Haruka fought her to a stand-still. I heard the story from Momoka-san who was there herself.

I wonder… can I stand on the same height as him?

-At night-

I heard a knocking from the window of my room in the Exorcists dorm. It was already late at night and my room-mate, Irina, is already fast asleep. I groaned as I got up from bed. I don't like my sleep interrupted.

I opened the window and peeked out from the balcony.

"Xenovia."

I almost jumped out in surprise as I hear a familiar voice calling my name from right beside my ear. I turn my head to the source of the voice to find Haruka in his priestly garb leaning on the balcony railing.

"Ha-Ha-Haruka?! Why are you here?!"

I asked him, slightly flustered as I am wearing only my night gown while my crush is smiling like everything is normal. Of course only Haruka could somehow avoid detection and came to visit me…

"Wait, is that bloodstain on your uniform?"

I noticed that there are a few red stains on his white exorcist cloak.

"…Shouldn't have worn it when I slashed the target. This will be a pain to wash."

Haruka grumbles in a low voice as he looked at some of the stains.

"What are you doing here?"

I asked him. Haruka is not the type to just come visiting without any reason, especially after a mission. He also needs his rest.

"Isn't it obvious? I came to congratulate you."

"Congratulate me? Ohh… thanks."

I realize that he came because he missed the ceremony due to his mission. He could congratulate me tomorrow though and I won't mind even if he didn't. He is a busy man (or maybe boy?) being one of the best exorcist and usually paired with Dulio-sama.

"And as a present, I'm giving this to you."

He then placed a gift box on the windowsill.

"Go on, open it."

Following his suggestion, I unwraped the gift box and open it. Inside is a silver locket in the shape of a heart. I open the locket to see a picture. I recognized it. It is the picture we took on our last day off. It shows Haruka and me smiling at the camera (my smile looked so forced) while making a heart sign.

"Haruka…"

"I gotta go… I can't get caught hanging around in the female dorm, can I?"

Yes, that would be bad. I can say my thanks to him tomorrow. Haruka then jumped over the railing but not before looking back at me and say;

"Goodbye… Xenovia…"

At the time, I didn't notice the sad tone in his voice.

That was the last time I saw Shidou Haruka.

Probably the shortest chapter I have ever written. So, how is Xenovia? I try to portray her as... well, I don't know... as herself but with a little bit of love-struck maiden kind of personality. When I was planning this whole story, I can't decide between her and Irina or giving both to Haruka but in the end, I choose Xenovia. I like her. I also like Irina but giving her to Haruka at this point won't do any good although there are ways but I want a pure romance between Haruka and Xenovia, no harem. Issei and an OC is still open for harem though and I decided to put Irina in the other OC's harem. Issei's harem will definitely has Ophis as main and Tiamat is confirmed and I plan to add Akeno and Koneko and Ravel. I will only add those who will have a role in the story, not just to get girls. Damn, it would be annoying to write so many characters if their relevance in the story is minimum. As for the OC, he will appear in the next chapter, the real (I promise this time) final chapter of the Changing Fates arc. He already has a small harem and they are all from different series. Let's see, one is from To aru Kagaku no Railgun, one is from Infinite Stratos, and one is from Mahou Sensou. I might forget a few more but just look forward to it. Irina will represent his harem from the DxD world.

Next chapter will be a little longer since it will be the closing chapter of this arc. Now, what happened to Haruka? Stay tuned and find out. Don't forget to follow, favs, and review!