Hello there any and all reading this. I would just like to state that this is the very first story I have ever made, so bear with any rookie mistakes I may make and feel free to give me criticism and any tips on how to improve.
I will try to replicate the canon characters' personalities to the best of my ability, but I can't promise that the characters will behave exactly like they do in the source material as I plan on tweaking some minor side characters a tad.
There are going to be numerous OC's in this story serving as both minor and major characters. So if you absolutely disdain OC stories, this is your warning. That aside, I hope I don't leave (too) much of a bad impression via this story.
To give a time frame for this story, it begins between Gasper's training and the Leaders' Summit.
I do not own High School DxD or its canonical characters. Those belong to Ichiei Ishibumi solely.
The Fallout.
After their defeat at the hands of the mercenaries, the Devils were forced to regroup at the ORC Club House. Rias, Asia, and Issei, having been rendered unconscious at the end of the conflict, were placed upon the couches in the main conference room of the ORC club house to rest. Everyone, after having lost their newfound friends to a fate unknown, have taken a sharp hit to their hearts: some more so than others.
Kuoh Academy ORC Club House, ?:? ?M
Issei awakens in an empty, lightless room devoid of anyone but himself. His attention draws to the couches that, unknown to him, harbored his friends. They lied empty without even a sign of disturbance or impressions from a lying body.
"Damn, I musta been out for a while. The Hell is everyone?" he remarks, deducing the vacant atmosphere to be just a product of him being left to rest by his friends. Stretching his arms and legs, he pulled himself from the couch before letting out a yawn and walking towards a door straight across from the couch he slept on.
"Welp, I don't know how in the Hell I'm gonna explain this to Motohama and Matsuda. Damn it all," Issei lamented, the memories of the fight creeping back into his mind and sinking his heart to depths he thought impossible. He tried to hold back his tears to appear strong as he reached for the door knob.
Something didn't feel right to the Devil. Not only did the coldness of the doorknob feel as if someone hadn't used it for months, there was not even a whisper coming from the other side of the door. This abnormal vacancy only worried Issei more when a grim thought flashed through his mind; a reminder of how Archmage explained that the young Devils would have to die for their mission to go smoothly. He tightly gripped the knob as a chill through his whole body replaced his sorrow.
"No no no no. Don't you fuckin' tell me," he thought, flinging open the door with panicked might.
There was nothing beyond the door, only a pitch-black space of pure emptiness the likes of which seemed unreal.
"What the Hell? Am I dreaming again? Ddraig, you there?" Issei questioned.
No voice was heard amongst the darkness. Though trapped in a stimulus deprived atmosphere, Issei couldn't help but feel a twinge of deja-vu. "Wait a seco-"
A sudden ringing gripped Issei's ears, forcing him to the ground. The deafening noise increased in intensity as if heralding something's approach before dying down almost immediately. Once he rose back up, a bright light of an impossible color stood in the darkness.
"Issei Hyoudou, we meet once more," the light spoke with a booming, physically overpowering voice.
"What the…you again? What are you?" Issei responded, losing his ground when faced by the light's words but still managing to find the courage to speak.
"I am you, and you are me. To put it simply, I am your creator," the light spoke cryptically.
"God?" Issei questioned with a tremble in his voice. To his surprise, there was not even a twinge of pain upon uttering the sanctified name.
"No, not that Apostle of The Genesis. I am something much more, something far more than the one you call God could ever comprehend," the light spoke, its mighty voice adding weight to its grandiose bragging.
"Then just what are you?" Issei asked in strained words with his brows raised and eyes narrowed in suspicion.
"Come to me. I shall explain everything to you… give immense power unto you… make you something more than those dolls you call gods," the light spoke as shards of colorful crystals rose from the darkness and compacted themselves into a prismatic bridge linking the room to the light, prompting Issei to step towards it as they twinkled with the refracted light of the impossibly colored being before him. The bridge stretched on for what looked like infinity, yet somehow seemed to end so close.
Issei placed his foot forward.
Suddenly, the crystalline bridge shattered violently, shocking Issei enough for him to lunge back and fall on his hind end. From the space between the light and the doorway, a malicious-looking red orb undulating with a vicious, all-consuming aura rose from the darkness below.
"You're here already? You are the most keen on defying me out of the Four, Terminus. It's bothersome," the light spoke, its voice sounding mildly aggravated. The power of its annoyed words alone tore apart the room like a violent hurricane, leaving Issei adrift in inky-blackness.
"Hey kiddo. I don't have much time, so I'll make this brief. But first, I'll go ahead and sever the link this being has made with you," the red orb spoke in a lax, echoing male voice. It gave off an eldritch force much like the light it confronted, but it did not feel nearly as powerful. The void around Issei began trembling and distorting as if the red orb willed it to, causing the light to vanish into the endless nothing despite its impossible brilliance.
"So, you Four are encroaching on my domain once again? Very well, take this one. It doesn't matter how many you wrest control from me in the end, for I will reclaim it all inevitably," the light sounded, weakened in volume and might, before it vanished into the inky-black beyond.
The red orb seemed to turn. "Don't listen to anything that being has told you or will ever tell you; it is not what you think it is. Beware The Enigma and beware The Blind Zealot. Find your fellow Empty One and stick together. Most importantly, protect yourself at all costs. This will sound like a lot of scattered nonsense to a lesser being such as you, but it's all I can give you at this point. I won't be able to chat with you for quite a while once this is over, so you're on your own in the meantime, kid."
Uncertain of whether to believe the words of the evil-looking orb or the more alluring light, Issei's mind raced. The orb, as malevolent as it looked, was much less malign and foreboding in its disposition than the light, yet Issei couldn't shake the greater unease and distrust he felt towards the undulating mass of red, malicious energy. Air filled his lungs as if he was about to say something.
The red hue of the orb waned along with its overwhelming presence. "Sorry kid, our time here is over. All you need do now is wake up. There are people needing you in your plane," the red orb added with a fading, echoed voice, having vanished by the time it completed its thought.
Before Issei could even speak a word, he jolted forward and pulled himself out of his slumber. The memory of the dream quickly faded like it had last time, leaving him with no memory of the light nor the orb as his conscience awakened.
Kuoh Academy ORC Club House, 7:30 AM
He found himself sprawled out on a couch. His eyes adjusted to the light of his surroundings, decoding blurs until he found himself under the gazes of three figures: Yuuto Kiba, Koneko Toujou, and Genshirou Saji.
"You're awake. Thank goodness," Yuuto said. Various parts of his face and arms were bandaged to cover the gashes Ripper had given him. Parts of his clothes bore claw marks that revealed even further bandaging.
"Damn, that dog dude messed Kiba up bad," Issei thought.
He looked over to the neighboring couches where Asia Argento and Rias Gremory lied, still sound asleep. The sight of burn marks made by Archmage's lightning on Asia's body only served to further hurt his heart. Rias, to his relief, seemed unharmed.
"How long was I out?" Issei asked, letting out a yawn.
"Well, we found you all unconscious in the middle of the night… and the sun rose just an hour ago," Genshirou answered, his voice sounding sullen. A foul, rotting stench emanated from him as if he had been knee-deep in corpses.
Issei hung his head. "We lost pretty hard, didn't we?" he asked, his tone of voice dropping significantly. He had to once again hold back his tears to keep a strong front.
"It was like they were always one step ahead of us. Even when we had them on the ropes, they found a way to slink out," Genshirou lamented.
"How's Ryuu? I can't believe I'm askin' this, but is he alright at least?" Issei asked. Not once did he ever think he would care for that creep, but he did for this moment.
"Define alright," Koneko added, taking a seat by Issei on the couch. Though she seemed relatively unharmed, closer inspection led to the discovery of dirt and mud smudged into her hair and clothes.
"Is he alive?" Issei asked.
"Yes," Koneko answered. Though her tone didn't portray it, her shuttered golden eyes did. Issei figured something was wrong with the man.
"How is he?" Issei asked reluctantly. A sharp pain course through his midsection. He looked down to noticed himself shirtless and covered in bandages where Titan's mace had punctured his body. It took a little looking around for him to find his shirt and blazer resting on the far arm of the couch.
"He's been a lot quieter since he found where we assumed the battle ended. He's acting even colder than usual as well," Yuuto answered as he knelt beside the couch holding Rias.
"Didn't even think that was possible," Issei said under his breath. "Did we manage to reincarnate anyone?" he asked, a weak hope in his heart shining.
"No," Koneko answered blankly, shutting out Issei's hopes.
"Bastards are probably tormenting them. The Devil they worked for must have warned them of the Evil Pieces system and ordered for them to be brought back alive," Genshirou added, stacking onto Issei's grief.
"I'm sorry Ai, I didn't want this to happen," Issei thought. His will was no longer enough to hold back his tears.
Genshirou placed a hand on his fellow Pawn's shoulder. "Before you get too sullen, I will tell you that there is still a chance to get them back. I'll explain later. For now, let's look on the plus side; everyone else is alive."
"If not a little stricken by the ordeal," Yuuto added, piquing Issei's curiosity.
"And by a little stricken, ya mean…" Issei goaded.
"Akeno has hit a depression. Xenovia's full of self-loathing. Sona's pissed beyond all belief," Koneko listed off.
"I suppose I should go try talking to 'em…" Issei insisted, prying himself from the couch, stretching his arms out wide upon standing up.
"I would advise not going anywhere near President at the moment. When Toujou said she's pissed, she means it. I've never seen her act this way," Genshirou warned with a quake in his voice.
"How bad is it?" Issei asked, a twinge of dread flaring up in him.
"Well… she's at the point where she's chucking books out of rage," Genshirou answered as he rolled up his left sleeve, revealing a bruise covering a fair chunk of his arm.
"She did that to you?" Issei asked, shocked at the display of abuse from a person as respectable as Sona.
"Eh, just in the wrong place at the wrong time. She threw a huge encyclopedia without looking and nailed my arm. I could tell she didn't feel good about it either when she realized what she did. She stopped her rage just to make sure I was fine before she isolated herself in Council HQ," Genshirou explained, pulling back down his left sleeve with a solemn look on his face. "I can't say I blame her for being so angry though. Daisuke was the first person in a long time she felt so affectionate towards. I can only image her heartbreak when she realized she failed to save him. I'd probably act the same if I was in her shoes… after having lost someone I loved so dearly."
"Wait, Sona and him were a thing?" Issei questioned with wide eyes.
Genshirou hung his head low, a sharp needle of envy piercing him. He knew Sona would've been happy being with the human, but to hear those words spoken so bluntly made him feel bitter.
"Just leave President alone for now. She needs some time to get a hold of herself. You can go ahead and check on the others; I last saw them on their way to the Kasais' home," he spoke. The bitter feeling in him dyed down and turned into an inward anger directed at the mercenaries who took Sona's beloved away from her and caused her to suffer. "Bastards deserve a fate worse than death for this," he thought.
With that warning from his fellow Pawn from another Peerage, Issei gave a nod. He grabbed his red shirt and school-issued blazer from the arm of the couch and, while putting them back on, walked towards the door. Deja-vu struck him, but he couldn't understand why. He gripped the knob, turned it, pulled the door, and peeked into the next room.
He was met with a dimly lit hall ending with a turn to the left. Crouched over against the left wall was Ryuusuke, whose empty eyes seemed even more soulless than usual. The unnerving contrast of the darkness of the hallway and the whiteness of his skin and eyes made Issei's skin crawl.
"H-Hey, Ryuu," Issei said with an uncomfortable smile as he passed by the man.
Ryuusuke didn't say a thing. He only watched Issei with an unblinking gaze as the Devil walked by him.
"Oookay then… Imma head out for a bit," Issei dragged on, not breaking visual with Ryuusuke for any longer than three seconds as he went to exit the building.
Ryuusuke, on the other hand, never got up from his post. All he did was watch the Devil as he left, only losing his focus on Issei once he disappeared around the corner.
"I'm going to go keep an eye on Ryuusuke," a light female voice spoke from within the room. The door was left ajar from where Issei had left, allowing Ryuusuke to hear every word.
From the doorway walked out a small, fragile-looking figure: Koneko. She sat against the wall straight across from Ryuusuke and stared him down in silence. She observed him closely, keeping note of the man's hands.
The two stared each other down in unblinking silence for what felt like an hour. The air was still and it became hard for Koneko to keep her breath in line with her stoicism.
"I'm sorry. We tried our hardest," Koneko broke the silence, her gaze traveling to the floor before Ryuusuke.
Ryuusuke didn't respond. He didn't even take a deep inhale that often precursed a response. He just stared at her blankly.
Koneko's facade crumbled despite her best attempts at remaining stoically indifferent. "Just promise me you won't hurt yourself."
Ryuusuke didn't emote anyway whatsoever. It was like he genuinely turned to stone.
"Please, you're one of few people here I feel I can really talk to," Koneko plead, a tear forming in each of her eyes.
Ryuusuke broke his motionlessness. He raised an arm and went to dig into one of his pockets.
Koneko lunged forward, grabbing a hold of Ryuusuke's arm. "Please stop!" she shouted in a panic.
The pale man dug into his other pocket with his other arm.
Koneko, despite her wishes, had to use force to apprehend the pale man.
Koneko's yell prompted Yuuto to fling himself out of the room to aid the small girl. "What's going on!?"
"Take his weapons," Koneko urged as she assumed control of Ryuusuke's arms, holding them high up against the wall.
Immediately, Yuuto went for and ran Ryuusuke's pockets. He confiscated Ryuusuke's Colt Python and Desert Eagle, but hurriedly drew back before he could relinquish his ammo.
Oddly enough, Ryuusuke just let it happen. This disturbed the two. It seemed as if his will to fight left along with his masters.
Then, he spoke.
"Why does it matter to you if I live or die? You can just resurrect me," Ryuusuke asked. His embittered, grim words froze their blood.
"What's stopping you from doing it again if you are reincarnated? If you die after being reincarnated, you're dead for good," Yuuto spoke with a hostile voice.
A sigh escaped the pale man. "Nice to know I can't even die on my own terms with you around…" Ryuusuke retorted with an eye roll.
"There's still a chance to save them. You don't have to give up," Koneko said, hoping to reencourage the man.
"What hope do you mean? They've been abducted and took to an isolated location. By the time we find them, they'll either be irreversibly scarred or massively decomposed," Ryuusuke refuted.
"Grayfia informed us shortly after the battle concluded that the Summit is coming up in a little less than a week. We can bring up the abduction at the meeting and issue a massive search party for them," Yuuto explained.
"Summit?" Ryuusuke spoke with a raised brow.
"A big meeting between the faction leaders of the Angels, Fallen Angels, and Devils. That's all you need to know," Yuuto answered sharply.
"It's not like you have anything else left to lose. Just give us one more chance to help," Koneko plead. Never before has Yuuto seen the girl as desperate as she is now.
"And if you fail?" Ryuusuke added.
Koneko knew what came next. As much as she hated to say it, this was the only way for him to go along. "If we fail, then you can end it."
"Do those terms bode well with you?" Ryuusuke asked, his gaze turning towards Yuuto.
Yuuto, as well, was hesitant to answer, but he swallowed his reluctance all the same. "Yes."
"Very well then, I'll oblige this agreement. I suppose I'll make myself useful and do what I can to help around the place in the meantime seeing as how I'm unemployed yet again," Ryuusuke answered, pulling himself up to stand tall above the two Devils. "If you need help with anything, don't be afraid to ask. I can provide a multitude of skills for your everyday use such as cleaning, pest control, advice, first-aid, combat training, and assassination."
Koneko went in to hug the pale man. Her tears dried up, but that looming "what if" kept her from feeling truly at ease.
"By the way, I was just trying to hand over my weapons. Felt that it would've made you feel a little more comfortable. Probably should've said so, now that I think about it," Ryuusuke clarified, not even reciprocating the Devil's hug.
Yuuto was tempted to hand back Ryuusuke's weapons with confidence in the man to keep his promise, seeing as how he has been bluntly honest to a fault thus far. He, instead, was stopped by a feminine groaning heard within the next room and turned to look. Within the room, Asia's head could be seen rising off of the couch. Yuuto immediately ran back in, guns still in his hands, to check on his ally.
"Just don't get too attached, child. I'm no more permanent than you or your accomplices," Ryuusuke warned to Koneko before returning to his silence and coldness.
Koneko pried herself from Ryuusuke. She steeled herself emotionally, returned to her deadpan state of indifference, and gave him a nod before following Yuuto back into the room.
Ryuusuke leaned himself against the wall as if waiting for an order of some kind.
Streets of Kuoh, 7:45 AM
Issei trekked his way over to the house which used to hold the Kasai family. As he did so, he noticed something off about the town. Despite the sun peering over the horizon, there was not a single soul walking along the sidewalks or driving down the road. Even the wildlife seemed absent: no birds chirping, no bugs buzzing, no dogs barking. It seemed as if the whole town was still under the sleep spell the Lich had placed upon it. The scars of the battle the night before had faded away as if the fight had never happened, which Issei chalked up to being the result of Grayfia's or another Devil's actions.
His thoughts were drawn back to his dream, which only came back to him in abstract fragments. While he was quick to draw it up to just merely a weird dream, it drew back in memories of the dream prior. This continuity made him ponder briefly. "An Enigma, some thing named Terminus, a Blind Zealot, and an Empty One? The Hell does all of that mean?" he thought.
"Hyoudou, are you holding well?" the voice of Ddraig chimed, shocking Issei out of his spell of inward contemplation.
"Oh, hey. Yeah, I'm doin' alright… ish," Issei answered with uncertainty, putting the dream situation in the background for a moment.
"I… I want to apologize… apologize for not helping you as much as I should have until it was too late," the Red Dragon said with solemn words. Though prideful in every sense of the word, the Dragon could not help but feel that he was largely to blame.
Issei didn't speak; he didn't know how to respond to his partner's words.
"Those people… that clairvoyant Lich. They knew I would keep a hands-off approach in that fight and played me like a fiddle. If only I took it all more seriously, things would've been different," Ddraig lamented, hoping to lighten Issei's guilt.
"Ddraig, stop. The more we let it drag us down, the less likely we are to keep moving on. Saji said we might be able to save them, so I'm going to hold onto that for as long as I can," Issei refuted.
Ddraig entered a brief period of silence as if shocked by his partner's sudden spell of wisdom. When he did eventually speak, he spoke bluntly. "You're doubtful in that claim; I can tell by your heart. You can't shake the worry away, and it is poisoning your resolve as a result."
Another span of awkward silence filled the air. Both kept to their thoughts, waiting for the other to speak. Then, through impatience, Issei spoke.
"Ddraig, what happened when I blacked out? What did I do?" Issei asked, diverting the conversation. His body tensed up.
"Both for the better and for the worse in many aspects, the German somehow shut your conscience down, thus disabling Juggernaut Drive. While the form would've very well won us the fight, there would've been rampant devastation and the loss of many lives. They also managed to do so before my influence could take a complete hold of you, which means you were fortunate enough to not suffer the consequences of the awakening," Ddraig explained.
"Those consequences being?" Issei prodded.
"The consumption of your very life force and steadily degrading sanity."
Issei stopped his walking. Confusion took hold in him, shifting his face to accommodate its presence.
"Did I not make myself clear, Hyoudou?" Ddraig asked.
"No, no, I know what ya said," Issei answered. Despite this, he still held a puzzled expression.
"Then what is with that look?"
"If they knew how to counter the Juggernaut thing, then they must've known what would've happened if it took over my body," Issei mumbled to himself.
"What are you getting at?"
"Don't ya think it was their intention to stop the transformation before it fucked my shit up?" Issei proposed. He held a faint idea of what he believed to be the answer but couldn't say for sure he was on the right track. "I mean, if they wanted an easier time killin' me, they could've waited until after it was activated to shut me down."
Ddraig realized Issei's perspective. "That Lich… what is he up to?" he spoke, now just as puzzled as his partner.
"It wasn't just Skeletor either. Schwarzenegger fought me like he was trainin' me. It was as if he knew I'm gonna live on. Now, I'm not the sharpest knife in the kitchen, but I'm beginnin' to think there's more to this than what they're leadin' us to believe," Issei added, trying to come up with something that sounded at least somewhat sensible.
"It would be best to discuss this with the others when you regroup then. Perhaps someone like Grayfia or even Sona could come up with something," Ddraig spoke. Though not realizing it at first, he managed to get his partner's mind off of the loss.
"Why not you? You've been alive since people have been writin' on rocks, right?" Issei prodded before continuing his walk.
"As wise as I may be, I feel it would be better to discuss amongst others first then assume later. Remember, every one of your allies fought different members of the group. They could give vital information: weaknesses, triggers, motivations, slips of the tongue, and other such details," Ddraig refuted before going silent.
"I suppose you're right," Issei conceded, kneading his hands behind his head.
Then, the dream crept itself back into the foreground. The ominously foreign nature of it all just couldn't leave his mind "Ddraig, do ya know anything about a Terminus, or an Empty One, or anything like that?" Issei asked.
"Why do you ask?" Ddraig answered with an inquisitive timbre in his voice.
"Just a weird dream I had. Seemed very specific and wanted to know if there was any meaning behind it," Issei responded.
"Usually dreams are an abstract manifestation of your most inward thoughts. Sometimes they are interventions from Gods and the like. That being said, I've never heard anything about a Terminus or an Empty One in all my eons of living." Ddraig added.
"Well, if you of all people don't know anything about that stuff then it was probably that inward thought stuff," Issei conceded as he walked down the empty streets.
"Most likely," Ddraig concluded.
Kuoh Academy Student Council Headquarters, 8:15 AM
Slouched over a desk in a small, office-like room was Sona. Her usually sleek and well kept black hair was now a ruffled mess as result of a manic outburst shortly after she confined herself to the small room. Her head was hung low, staring down at the table with violet eyes now bloodshot and ringed with tears. Her breathing was frantic as she tried to keep herself under control.
Then, a knock at the door.
"Um… President… Is it fine if we come in?" Tomoe's voice spoke from the other side of the door, speaking on behalf of unstated others.
Sona was silent for a brief moment, swallowing down her rampant emotions with all of her will in a desperate attempt at staying stoic. "What do you need?" she asked with a fabricated coldness in her voice.
"We just want to make sure you're doing fine. Trying to work through these problems alone rarely end well," Tomoe spoke.
"I'm isolating myself not for my own benefit, but for yours," Sona refuted.
"You're getting too worked up over an accident. Saji's a pretty tough guy, a little book isn't going to cripple him. The real matter at hand is helping you cope with… well… his disappearance," Tsubasa's voice chimed in.
Though Tsubasa was obviously trying to be indirect as to not root up an emotional response from the Sitri heiress, the context still stirred her emotions enough for a faint and brief sob to escape her.
"Please let us come in. We only want to make this better for you," Momo's voice spoke.
Reluctant both to dismiss their aid or to accept it, Sona entered a span of silence once again. It was only until a sigh escaped her she had made up her mind. "The door should be unlocked," she conceded with a wavering voice. She quickly wiped her face with her hands to rid her visage of the wetness of her tears. That preparation failed to hide her still messy hair and bloodshot eyes.
The knob of the door turned and the door promptly glided open. Standing before the doorway, serving as the face of a group of people standing before the entryway, was Reya untouched despite the rigorous fight everyone had just hours ago. After she walked in, a cascade of other individuals flooded into the room. First was Tomoe, who appeared as if she was hailed upon by birds as evidenced by her mangled clothes and various minor abrasions: next was Tsubasa, who bore prominent bruises on her cheek and chin: then Ruruko, who reeked of rot and decay with ancient blood on her clothes: then Tsubaki, who also seemed oddly unharmed: and lastly Momo, once again unscathed.
Their faces were all tainted with sympathized grief when gazing upon Sona's disorderly state. They knew the loss would weigh heavily on Sona's psyche, but never did they expect it to become this heavy for her.
"Where's Saji?" Sona asked, worried that her Pawn left her out of some strain of disdain.
"He went to go make sure the others down at the ORC Club House were fine. Before you ask, he explicitly told me to tell you he held no ill-will towards you," Tsubaki answered.
"Are you certain?" Sona tested. She expected her words to be just a cover-up for what she believed her Pawn had really said.
"President, you know I've always told you the truth and nothing but the truth. Why would I change that now?" Tsubaki reassured.
Sona sat herself down at the desk she had hunched over prior. "I'm sorry you have to see me like this."
"There's no need to feel bad about grieving. You lost someone dear to you, it would only be normal to behave the way you are now," Momo spoke, walking over to her King and putting a hand on Sona's shoulder.
"But it's not rational. Nothing I've done so far feels rational," Sona argued with quivering words.
"It's because you don't let your emotions out too much. They build up until they reach an explosive apex. It was the same way with him; he tried to make himself seem perfect while tucking away everything he felt was undesirable. That's why he was so violent that other day," Tsubasa spoke, once again dancing around a certain amber-eyed human's name as to not upset Sona any further.
"What are you trying to get at?" Sona prodded.
"Yura's trying to say that you need to learn from Daisuke's situation. His bottled emotions reached a point where his rages turned murderous at the drop of a dime. We don't want to see that happen to you, and I'm certain he wouldn't have either," Tsubaki elaborated, sparing no names and being as direct as she could be without becoming too harsh with her words.
"In a way, you're living through what he did. He lost a person he loved—albeit for different reasons—and he didn't try to reach closure or confide in anyone his problems. You're trying to lock yourself away to try and seem like an iron-hearted leader after having lost the one you loved, leaving yourself to suffer alone. If you keep this up, it wouldn't be too far-fetched to believe that you'll start tearing yourself apart the same way he did," Momo explained with care and wisdom.
"I… I suppose that makes sense. He would probably hate to see me go down the same road as him," Sona conceded. "I'm sorry. I'll try to be more open." She turned her head and managed to form a light smile.
A thought struck Reya's mind; a memory of what Typhoon had told her and her allies when they had confronted her. A light of glee illuminated her eyes.
Sona took note of Reya's sudden change of mood. "What is it, Kusaka?"
"Do you two remember what the Wani told us?" Reya asked, glancing at Momo then at Tsubaki.
Their eyes lit up as well, Tsubaki seeming a bit more skeptical of course.
"You do realize that thing is our enemy? Whatever it told you was probably a lie," Tsubasa retorted with pungent apprehension.
"Wanis tend to be truthful with their words. A side-effect of being such arrogant creatures is that they feel so sure of themselves they hardly see a need for deceit," Sona argued.
"Well, she didn't seem all too arrogant," Momo added.
"What do you mean by that?" Sona asked with an inquisitive timbre in her voice.
"First off, the Wani seemed to be easily manipulated by pressure and words. We managed to pry some interesting information out of her," Tsubaki said with uncertainty in her voice. "Some of the information doesn't quite add up, but she reacted in a way that seemed like she gave away something she shouldn't have. I feel that adds validity to what we learned."
"A meek Wani? That is very strange," Sona spoke under her breath. "What did she tell you?" she prodded. Her woe, at least for now, was blotted out by curiosity.
"She mentioned that their contract was made up and that they weren't hired by a Devil," Tsubaki answered.
Tomoe let out a gasp of disbelief. "That could explain why they left Hyoudou, Gremory, and Argento alive."
Ruruko's brows raised in surprise. "I was wonderin' how they even survived after those assholes made it clear that they needed us dead and gone."
Tsubasa, still reluctant to put trust in anything that came out of Typhoon's mouth, simply shrugged.
Sona stood up with plentiful energy, eyes wide with confusion. "Elaborate," she ordered.
"She went on about some kind of third party having some influence in their actions. She didn't give specifics on that, however," Reya responded with wavering conviction as she, too, found it all unbelievable.
"Why were they after the Kasais in specific then?" Tsubasa asked with a tang of doubt in her voice.
"Yeah, I'm kinda with Yura on this. It's kinda odd that they would target a human family for no reason," Ruruko added, slowly being pulled into Tsubasa's doubtful view of the scenario.
"I know how it sounds. I can't quite make a rational explanation for it either, but she did state that everything would make sense at the Summit," Tsubaki explained.
Sona let out an inquisitive hum. "I don't think some common mercenary band would be entangled in something as pivotal as the Summit. There has to be more to them than we thought. Did she state anything about their use for Daisuke and his family?"
"She didn't say anything about that, unfortunately. She did say that their intentions weren't to kill them though," Reya answered.
A twinkle of hope shined in Tomoe's eyes. "That means there's a chance," she muttered with a joyous voice.
"The problem is we don't quite have a lead on their location. The best we can do at this point is wait until the Summit. If her words are true, they'll likely make an appearance there," Tsubaki elaborated.
The ever so slight creaking of a door hinge crawled throughout the room. The group turned towards the noise and noticed someone peering into the room in a nervous manner.
The person retracted hastily back behind cover, but not before the Devils could identify the individual.
"Vladi? What are you doing here?" Tsubasa asked.
"Mr. Akahoshi is acting kind of scary. I didn't want to be in the same building as him, but I also didn't want to be alone," Gasper's voice responded. He walked out from behind cover, body huddled nervously with a frightened look on his face. Despite his obvious discomfort, he displayed no form of injury as a result of the battle.
Sona's eyes narrowed into a gaze of suspicion mixed with undertones of disdain. "What do you mean by 'acting kind of scary?'"
"He's acting a little meaner than usual," Gasper answered.
"Specifics?" Sona prodded with a mild rumble.
Gasper quivered a little. The Sitri heiress's angered glare made him feel as if he did something wrong. "He's hardly talking, staring a lot, and hasn't moved much."
"That… doesn't sound like anything new," Tomoe stated, scratching her head with a puzzled look in her eyes.
"He's doing it even more than usual. I think he might be mad at me," Gasper worried. His body started shaking out of fear.
"Now why would he be mad at you?" Momo asked, walking over from Sona to the feminine boy and attempting to comfort him.
"I couldn't hold the Werewolf," Gasper answered.
"I think he's just mad about the situation in general, buddy. You actually did a lot of work holding back that literal bitch, so don't feel like you underperformed," Tsubasa reassured.
Gasper stopped his shivering, feeling a fair bit more confident having heard Tsubasa's words. "Thank you, Mrs. Yura and Mrs. Hanakai." He peered back over to Sona, whose glare still displayed hostility. He once again shuddered.
Attention was shifted towards Sona, whose agitated expression garnered concern from everyone.
"Uh, President. Is there a problem?" Ruruko asked.
"I think there's a spy among us," Sona answered.
Gasper hid himself behind Momo, meekly peering around her to get a look at Sona. "I-I swear I didn't do anything."
"Not you Vladi. Ryuusuke Akahoshi," Sona explained.
Confusion swept through the room, plastering itself upon the faces of all but Sona.
"I have to dissent with this. He was there with me, Himejima, and Toujou when we fought against the Werewolf and the boxer. He even brought Gasper along with him and kicked their asses," Tsubasa argued.
"I'm sorry President, but I'll have to agree with Yura on this. What evidence do you have in support of your suspicion?" Tsubaki added, hands stationed sternly on her hips.
"During the battle, I found a memorial dedicated to a group of fallen soldiers known as Squad 7th. Ryuusuke Akahoshi's name was found amongst them," Sona elaborated.
Deafening silence fell upon the Devils. No one would've believed it had it not come from Sona's mouth, but Ryuusuke was supposedly dead the whole time. Gasper's fear escalated, paralyzing him.
"W-What?" Reya asked.
"Did it state whether or not his body was found? I feel that type of information is included on memorials," Tsubaki asked. Despite her resolved and sound nature, she could hardly believe what she was hearing.
"It said his body was never found. I, however, think that doesn't matter. He's pale, emaciated, emotionally empty, resilient to pain, excessively scarred according to what Yura and Kusaka have told me, and just generally gives off a feel of lifelessness whenever he is around," Sona elaborated.
"I always thought he looked a little like a corpse. I never thought he could actually be one," Tsubasa muttered with an airy voice. Though in favor of defending the extreme man, this information created some fluidity in her view of him. All his eccentricities formed links to the possibility that he was, indeed, dead from the start.
"But how does this tie into him being a snake? He even helped us fight the enemy. Maybe he's just another Revenant doomed to walk the earth for eternity," Ruruko argued. Though the evidence of him being a walking deadman was rather strong, she felt it did not explain his actions in the battle.
"I see," Tsubaki spoke, hand held up to her chin.
Attention turned to the heterochromic Devil followed by deafening silence.
"Maybe Archmage snuck Akahoshi into the Kasai family as a sort of sleeper agent? The Wani told us that the Lich was a clairvoyant. We were also told that the Lich, had he wanted to be more hands-on, could've took the Kasais before we even met them. This implies they have been watching them for a while, waiting for a good time to strike. Since Archmage has presented himself as the manipulative puppeteer of this conundrum, maybe Akahoshi was an agent of his sent with the intention to seem as much of an ally as possible and keep tabs on us. His clairvoyance may have well dictated that Ryuusuke had no chance of dealing a final blow to Archmage's allies, thus allowing the Lich to sort of direct him to fight alongside us without worry of casualties," Tsubaki went on.
"I had a feeling he beat their asses a little too easily," Tsubasa muttered.
"Then why was he so protective of the Kasais? If he was sent to spy on 'em, wouldn't he be uncaring towards whether or not they were harmed?" Ruruko asked, still uncertain of the whole conspiracy.
"Perhaps the Kasais really were needed alive? It could explain his extreme hostility towards anyone not of the family. His prime objective, for a time, was probably to keep them safe at all costs before capture," Tomoe suggested.
"We don't have enough information to draw an absolute conclusion," Sona announced in a commanding voice. "That being said, we know something is amiss with him. Haru even said that they knew nothing of Akahoshi's past, and they were perhaps the closest people to him. What we need to do now is investigate his behavior and take note of any inconsistencies."
"So just spy on the spy?" Tsubasa asked.
"Yes. From what we've seen of him, he has no supernatural powers and only displays roughly peak human performance. That said, there is a possibility that he's hiding a power or two from us. If he does happen to show signs of suspicion when a human logically shouldn't, then we know he has some ties to the supernatural world. If that situation arises, we apprehend him and extract as much information as we possibly can," Sona droned on.
"Wouldn't it be wiser to apprehend him now though? We have him right where we want him. Worst-case scenario: he happens to not be a spy and distrusts us a little," Tsubasa refuted.
"If he does happen to be a spy, he may very well have a sort of plan B should he be captured. The Lich has shown himself to be a meticulous individual, so he may have armed Ryuusuke with something should things go south for him. We need to identify that, if present, and counter it accordingly to ensure no casualties or issues on our end," Sona explained.
"There's still the matter of the Lich's clairvoyance. How are we to be sure anything we do isn't part of his plan?" Tsubasa questioned, reminding everyone of the Lich's hold over the situation even after his departure.
"As much as I hate to admit it, we don't have much of a way to know for sure whether or not his clairvoyance reached this far in time. Clairvoyance, as a magic, is extremely difficult to maintain for long periods of time even with the aid of magical catalysts; he might not have seen this far if we're lucky. If Ryuusuke does happen to have an ace up his sleeve, it could very well mean Archmage made precautionary measures to compensate for his clairvoyance reaching its limit. That said, it could also mean he foresaw our attempts and maybe even a success at cracking Ryuusuke and decided to go against fate. All we can really do is hope for the former," Tsubaki spoke hopefully, but with dire words.
"Well said, Shinra," Sona congratulated with an approving smile.
"Thank you, President," Tsubaki accepted with a bow.
Sona's face grew stern once again. She turned her whole body to face her underlings. "We will need to do this in secrecy, only being between us and us alone. Not even Rias needs to know of this, it is likely word of this would reach Hyoudou's ears through her; and he is far too much of a wildcard to allow a possibility of him knowing exist," Sona spoke with authority before turning a sharp glare towards Gasper.
Gasper tucked himself further behind Momo.
"Which brings me to you, Vladi. For your own sake, you best keep what you've heard here a secret," Sona ordered with a threatening tone. She didn't really intend on hurting the Dhampir, instead relying on fear alone to keep his mouth shut.
Gasper quivered and let out a meek yelp of terror. "I-I promise I won't tell anyone."
"If possible, try to stay close to Akahoshi. If he picks up on you being more scared of him than usual, he will likely start getting suspicious," Tsubaki added, speaking a bit softer than Sona.
"Y-You can't be serious," Gasper said weakly.
"I know it will be hard for you, but you have to at least try. If he is what we are speculating him to be, we want him to crack as soon as we possibly can. The sooner he does so, the sooner we can get some answers for what is going on," Reya reinforced. She knelt down to be be eye level with Gasper. "Besides, you have Balor View. If he does try to hurt you, you can use your Gear to get out of the situation with no problem."
"B-But what if he does have his own powers?" Gasper refuted fearfully.
"I doubt he has much of anything to counter your time-stopping capabilities. Time magic of any kind is something only learned by the most powerful of mages, and you've had such an ability gifted to you from the day of your birth. You have more power than you give yourself credit for," Reya spoke softly, hoping to put some courage into Gasper.
"When you put it that way, I guess I can try," Gasper spoke, a twinkle of resolve in his pink eyes.
Sona put a finger to her ear as if getting a transmission. A minute or so of silence fell upon the room before being broken.
"Very well, I will notify them," Sona spoke, lowering her hand and looking out towards her Peerage and Gasper. "Saji has informed me that Rias and Argento are finally awake and that Lucifuge wishes to hold a conference between all of us in the club house ASAP."
Upon hearing this abrupt news, they dropped the situation for the moment and prepared to set out. Sona's underlings all made sure to leave the place tidy while Sona fixed up her appearance via the use of magic to keep a professional look before the wife of Lucifer. With this, the made their way to the meeting.
Though knowing he would, once again, have to be in Ryuusuke's presence, the pep-talk given to him by Reya encouraged him enough for him to follow along with Sona's group to the ORC Club House. Soon enough, he would have to face his fear of the man on the spot. He didn't let this bother him too much as he was too preoccupied repeating Reya's words in his head in hopes of boosting his courage even more.
Kasai Residence, 8:25 AM
As Issei approached the now masterless abode, he traced through how he was going to comfort his despairing friends. The home, once brimming with a peaceful atmosphere, now felt derelict despite it still being in the same condition as it was when the Kasais lived there. Issei approached the door, reached out for the knob, and twisted it.
He entered the house, its yellow walls still assailing his eyes with their painfully bright hue. The orange-tinted floors seemed still well polished, which was a pleasant sight even if it were to be so for only a short time before disrepair and neglect fell upon it. It wasn't until now that he could inspect the place to see if anything was missing or destroyed. Upon a brief scan of the place, everything seemed untouched. Then, Issei heard some motion deeper into the building.
"Here goes nothing," Issei thought with an exasperated sigh, deducing the noise to be either Xenovia or Akeno. He headed deeper into the house, towards the noise.
He was brought to Daisuke's room, where he felt Akeno was most likely residing in. He twisted the knob of the door and the noise in the room silenced immediately. Opening the door, Issei was met with the sight of Akeno staring at him. Her face was drained of her typical colors, being drenched with an almost apathetic emptiness as she gripped a pair of black gloves. As if this images wasn't haunting enough to the brown-haired Devil, Akeno bore a large bruise on her face from her Swarmer had punched her.
"Hey… Akeno… you doin' alright?" Issei asked with hesitance.
"Why would you ask a girl that if she is obviously having a mental breakdown?" Ddraig scolded his partner for his ignorance.
"Hey dude, now's not the time to be barkin' at me," Issei thought in response to his partner.
To Issei's surprise, Akeno got up and walked over to him. That blank look in her eyes was quickly replaced with overbearing woe and, oddly enough, a twinge of joy. Once within arms reach, she hugged the Devil tightly and sobbed into his shoulder.
"At least you're okay," Akeno uttered tearfully.
"Huh?" Issei sounded.
"I don't know what I would've done had they taken both of you away," Akeno continued, pulling her head from Issei's shoulder.
"I've… I've got some good news… and some bad news," Issei began dodgily.
"I know," Akeno interrupted, clutching the black gloves even tighter. "We couldn't reincarnate anyone. The Devil in charge either reincarnated them himself or is torturing them."
"I'm sorry. I fought my hardest," Issei lamented.
"It's not your fault," Akeno refuted meekly.
"Then whose fault was it? I was the last line of defense and I failed everyone," Issei spoke, a mild quake and quiver in his voice being heard.
"The battle was a hopeless one to begin with," Xenovia's voice chimed from behind the two. Her hair was ragged and her clothes were torn as if a flock of ravenous ravens had descended upon her. Her body bore cuts and punctures, but none of them major enough to warrant much worry.
Akeno and Issei turned to look towards the voice, seeing Xenovia standing by the door with a journal clutched in her hand. The front cover read "Ren's Book of Neat Animals" scrawled childishly on the front. Her eyes were vacant to all but fury.
"We slouched on our training too much. It made us weak, dooming us to fail," Xenovia said coldly.
Akeno buried her head back into Issei's shoulder.
"Xenovia…" Issei muttered, not quite knowing what to say. The words were truthful, but he wanted to at least lighten the blue-haired Knight's viewpoint.
"It was not so much about weakness as it was being strung along. The Lich was a clairvoyant. He foresaw everything," Ddraig chimed in on his own volition.
Xenovia grunted through grit teeth. "So it was even more hopeless than I thought," she muttered angrily.
"Listen, I know things seem bleak, but maybe there's a chance we can fix things," Issei suggested, trying to keep Akeno's spirits up while hoping to chip the cold emotional shell Xenovia encapsulated herself in.
"As much as I want to share your positivity, I find that any good outcome has a slim probability of happening," Xenovia refuted.
"That's still better than zero," Issei remarked with a strong voice.
Xenovia's eyes shuttered. She gripped the journal just a little tighter. "I can't say you're wrong," she conceded reluctantly. "But what do you think we should do? We don't know the Devil's name nor do we know where those bastards took them." She put a finger to her ear as if receiving a transmission.
"I suggest we search for traces around town. Everything leaves some sort of trail, whether it be documents or footprints," Ddraig suggested.
Xenovia dropped her finger from her ear. "We may need to put that on hold. Rias wants us to regroup and discuss the battle and the upcoming Summit."
"Very well. We can use that time to bring up the plan and issue an investigation," Ddraig responded.
"Does that sound alright to you, Akeno?" Issei asked, looking down at Akeno, who promptly pried her face from his shoulder once again.
"If there's a chance, I think we should take it no matter how small," Akeno answered with a faint confidence in her voice.
"I still think it is pointless. No matter how many clues we get, there's still no guarantee we will find the culprit," Xenovia refuted with a cold voice.
"Xenovia, listen to yourself," Issei spoke with surprising authority. "You're usin' odds as an excuse as to why you can't do somethin'. I remember you being a strong-willed person who wouldn't back down from anything. You fuckin' went into a stalemate with that dog guy even after he turned you into a cat's scratching post. Now you're turnin' away because the numbers aren't in our favor."
"It's because of that 'strong-will' of mine that Ren is gone!" Xenovia snapped, holding the journal close to her chest. "It's because of me that innocent child had his life taken away from him! I promised to protect him and Ran and I failed!" Tears began forming in her eyes as she went off.
"And I made a promise to Ai that I would protect her and her family," Issei barked back. "We can sit here sulking over our loss or we can try everything we can to save them. If we just sit here and do nothing, there is no way we can keep our promises. Believe it or not, your will is exactly what can bring them back. Fight against the numbers you think are unbeatable."
Xenovia grit her teeth. She couldn't refute Issei's words, but something inside just wouldn't let her agree. "I can't forgive myself for letting that Devil hurt them. I know whoever's behind this is subjecting them to unspeakable cruelty and I can't get that thought out of my head. I don't want to see their agonized faces wondering why this all had to happen to them," Xenovia spoke softly, gradually growing sadder in tone as she spoke.
Issei signaled Akeno to left him go for a moment, to which she complied and continued clinging onto the black gloves she seemed so invested in. He approached Xenovia and put a hand on her shoulder.
"Wouldn't ya want to make the cruelty end as soon as ya possibly could? Yeah, they might be shaken at first; but imagine how happy they'll be knowin' they've been saved. Wouldn't ya want to see Ren's happiness in knowing that he and his family is safe again?" Issei questioned with a warm smile.
The image of that child's innocent smile flashed in Xenovia's mind. It warmed her heart enough to pull herself out of the cold grip of hopelessness just enough to meet eyes with Issei again. She gave the brown-haired Devil a nod of agreeance. "Fine. I'll go along. Anything to keep them safe."
With that said, Issei pulled himself away from his ally. "Now, let's meet back up with Prez. We'll tell her about the plan and, with a little luck and a little bit of Ryuu's crazy bullshit, we should find something," he spoke with brimming positivity that seemed a descendant of Ai's infectious emotions.
Like so, the three Devils went on to meet up with their King. Though their woes were significantly lightened by Issei's encouragement and Ddraig's wisdom, a hollow void lingered in their hearts tucked away in the deepest recesses.
Hey everyone, I'm back after yet another multi-month content drought. I had to cut some of this chapter when writing it as I felt it would be better used as the next chapter, so I do have a headstart on the next chapter. But knowing me and my shoddy schedule, it'll probably be 2047 when the next chapter comes out.
Concerning the rapidly increasing number of extensive "breaks" I've been taking from writing, I can't express in words how sorry I am for those. I've been undergoing a fair bit of writer's block. That being said, a majority of it is just unprecedented laziness and some personal issues. What I'm planning to do, to address this all and come at you all as real as I can, is devote a document to explain my circumstances. I don't plan on it being used as an excuse for my inactivity, as that is something solely my bad. I'm not too sure when I'm going to post it, as it is overtly personal and touches up on some things I'd rather not think about. I have managed to convince myself that I will post it, at the latest, when the third volume ends. Until then, I'll have to refine the draft and recall as much as I can as my memory of it all is rather foggy.
All that aside, thank you all for reading and sticking with my lazy self for this long. I hope this chapter wasn't a disappointment and that the site's document uploader didn't meddle with it by deleting letters and whatnot like it sometimes does. Once again, I apologize for my inactivity. I'll be trying to get myself back into a proper schedule.