Life. 12: Poem of Endless Green Sea.
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The aerial tramway gently rocked from side to side as they traveled along with the clouds, their ride rode through the sky as if it were on sleek and perfect tracks.
With a turn to the head and she could get a perfect view from the window, the clouds moved constantly, flowing as sheets hundreds of feet apart, yet giving the appearance of one dense layer from the land below.
Tourists were always frightened once they reached this height—the majority when they stepped inside the ride. They refused to steal a glance out the window—to be far away from the ground was a nightmare to them… regardless if they had wings to save themselves from any rough landing.
The fawning and camera flash only commenced when the clouds dispersed to reveal their point of destination—all signs of fears vanished in the wind.
A gigantic, floating land carrying a city.
City of Skies.
The Floating City.
Agreas.
Tiamat always found their reactions predictable and boring. When they'd understand that it's never about the destination, but the journey, was beyond her.
If only they knew how much they were missing out. However, one thing she despised about the methods of transportation to reach Agreas was how she was placed in a situation in which she didn't have any control. It made her feel powerless.
It was better if she could just shapeshift in her dragon form and soar the skies as the wind nibbled her scales.
"You ever wonder if someone could survive a fall from this altitude?" Tiamat's eyes landed at the conversation between the two figures accompanying her on the ride—the ones she was tasked to lead around Agreas.
Danhauser Belial and the blonde girl by the name of Valerie Tepes.
Her job wasn't to tour guide them all over the various venues of tourist attraction resorts in Agreas. Instead, she was told by Satan Beelzebub to bring them over to his place to proceed onto the next phase of Ingvild Leviathan's case.
According to the gray-haired devil, the only one who had the antidote of the supposedly incurable disease was the Dhampir to his right.
The rest of the peerage didn't come—mostly because it would attract unwarranted attention and the Super Devil wasn't fond of having his place full of people.
She wished Bova could tag along, though.
Siegfried… she didn't care about his existence. He stank of dragon's blood—Fafnir's corpse. How Bova wasn't affected by the smell was beyond her.
Jeanne and Tobio were fine.
"The majority of supernatural races can probably shrug it off," Danhauser replied to his servant, "it'd be like falling off the bed to them. But a human? Unlikely. Unless they use magic or a Sacred Gear."
"But if someone fell off, and has an awful landing, would we hear how their bones get crushed by the impact?"
"That's like the experiment of the tree falling in a forest and no one being around to hear it, but less messy."
Her eyes trailed over Danhauser who was gazing over the window together with the blonde—neither of them showing any significant signs of fear or discomfort to the situation at hand.
She did not know much about the gray-haired devil aside from remarks she'd heard about him from multiple sources. Tiamat didn't know him inside and out as Danhauser's Rook did.
Nonetheless, she didn't take to heart the comments of everyone, only from a small number of people she found trustworthy and had a certain connection to the gray-haired devil.
Bova Tannin was the ideal person.
Or so she thought—but she felt somewhat dissatisfied with his comments. He made exaggerated claims about his master—overhyping him.
She needed to witness it with her owns eyes and make sure if any of Bova's statements had any validity within them. The Son of Tannin was still somewhere in his fifties—a hatchling still gathering knowledge of the world itself.
But credit where credit was due, the fact that Danhauser recruited Bova in his peerage was an amazing feat that only a small number of Devils could achieve without facing any consequences. A dragon's loyalty was always a priceless gift—age be damned.
He had something that piqued her interest, but she couldn't put a finger on it. Was it because he shared characteristics similar to that brutal dragon? Or what was within him?
The Chaos Dragon shook her head and saved those thoughts for another occasion. She decided to join the conversation by tackling a different topic, "Danhauser. Any hint of who will be your first opponent in the tournament?"
He withdrew his gaze from his servant, "No clue, but Lord Bael said he had it under control. They're the ones managing the show behind the scenes after all," he replied, "The tourney has already started, though."
Just because the Dragon King lived inside a cave didn't mean that she lacked basic knowledge of current events. "Then shouldn't you be studying them instead?" she inquired, "Any of them can be your future opponent."
"Most of them don't train. They only know the basics of their powers," he brought a hand up, wrapping it in a gray aura—Worthlessness, "They're fools. They waste their time obsessing and showing off their abilities. Clan Traits can only get you so far in a fight without the skillsets to back them up."
Tiamat watched silently as Danhauser lowered his hand, dispersing his powers, "Only ones I'm wary of are three people—Latia, Ruval, and Sairaorg."
The Chaos Dragon raised an eyebrow, "Latia?"
"I know next to nothing about her and her peerage. I just met her during the banquet and that's about it," Danhauser clicked his tongue, "Knowing is half the battle after all."
He knew about Sairaorg's servants and abilities. Ruval was a cat out of the bag, too.
Latia—on the other hand—was an enigma to him.
Valerie's brow dropped into a full scowl, "Help me jog my memory. Why is Ruval even participating in the championship?"
"Because he's an heir," Danhauser shrugged, "all heirs have the green light to compete regardless of the age gap."
"You are aware the tournament becomes unfair this way, yes?"
"I am. And even without Ruval on it, it'd be pretty much unbalanced with Sairaorg and us," Danhauser slipped a chuckle, "Look at the bright side of things, Ruval only has one servant in his peerage—giving us some high ground in numbers."
"Sounds suspicious," Valerie placed a finger between her lips in thought, "to reach the Top Ten with one reincarnated devil? His servant must be a powerful one. Any names?"
"Unknown. But he's been nicknamed the 'Mad Dictator' by his victims," Danhauser wiggled his eyebrows at the quiet dragon, "But maybe the Honorary President of the Rating Game Committee could tell us more?"
"No."
"Fair enough," he grunted, "I'll just watch any preceding games he had with the other Top Ten then."
"Whatever it is, we will find out soon," Valerie flashed him a gentle smile, "I'll repeat Tobio's words. We will win no matter who we are fighting."
"What if you're against Gasper?"
"He will do the same thing. It doesn't matter who we are fighting against—we'll give our all for our respective Masters," Valerie vowed, "because we—I know how much this means to you. I don't want to fail you."
"… Who would have thought? You have a way with words."
"Ehehehe… It is true, though. From now on, rely on me more."
Tiamat opened her mouth to speak but quickly shut it closed the moment her nose caught a nostalgic smell that drove her back to the past momentarily. It came from the unaware duo with the Pure Devil having the strongest scent. It was a smell of attraction, a smell of claiming.
With a higher degree of interest, she watched the pair anew. They were shoulder to shoulder with no interest in personal space but didn't touch.
She curved a brow.
Tiamat remembered how Bova always complained about the scent back when he was training under the guidance of his father. How it always irritated the senses of his nose during his stay in her territory in the Familiar Forest.
It was true. Certain spots around the forest reeked of strong pheromones—mostly during seasonal periods.
Tiamat laughed.
"Something wrong?" Danhauser turned to look at Tiamat just as Valerie returned to the window, tucking hair locks behind her ear.
"Nothing."
But she still smiled.
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Agreas was like the Underworld version of Venice, but instead of being a city floating in the water, it was hanging in the sky. It had a lot of bridges in which one's missing footing could lead to unfortunate accidents unless you had wings or magic. It was possibly one of the most picturesque cities with its waterfalls, striking architecture, and beautiful bridges—it was no wonder why tourists always made a stop over the floating city.
Unfortunately, they weren't there to explore each corner and take pictures—if so, he'd have brung over the rest of his peerage. Jeanne would be sad if she found out it was strictly for exploring only.
Instead, they were visiting the facility where they mass-produced the Evil Pieces. They walked past multiple rooms which contained anything that could benefit the future of the Remaining Pillars but were still under test for the safety of the public.
"Are we the only ones here?" Valerie wondered as her eyes searched for any spirits nearby, "I can't sense nor hear anyone."
"That is correct," Tiamat replied without halting her movements, "The building is mostly kept alive by a skeleton crew. However, Satan Beelzebub gave them a free day just so we can be here. No one can know about the existence of Ingvild Leviathan. Absolutely no one."
"With how the Satan Bloodline is frowned upon in the streets of Ars Goetia," Danhauser only knew that the Old Satan Faction had been left in a negative spotlight thanks to its questionable actions, "this was the best move."
Steps slowed down until they reached a full stop. They stood in front of the elevator which contained a speaker and a camera above.
"We're here," the Dragon King took a step forward and waved to the camera to grab its attention, "Satan Beelzebub. We made it. I brought Danhauser and Valerie as you told me to."
The camera awoke from its slumber while its lens was calibrated to have an accurate focusing of its surroundings. [That's good to know,] Ajuka's voice came out from the many holes of the speaker, [At the risk of sounding like a broken record, let me repeat: You made sure you weren't followed?]
"As always, no one followed my tracks," Tiamat tapped her nose twice, "I made sure of it. It'd be a fool's gambit to stalk a Dragon anyway—even if cloaked in the shadows."
[Wonderful,] the sound of fingers typing on a keyboard briefly overtook the speaker, […done. I called the elevator to pick you three up. We shouldn't discuss important matters out in the open. Also, Danhauser?] there was a short pause, [Welcome back.]
Right on cue, the doors of the elevator opened with a soft, dinging sound—heralding its arrival. They quickly stepped inside as the doors automatically closed.
Once the transport started moving downward the red eyes of Valerie were bored into his, "Refresh my memory. This girl is a hybrid?"
"Like you."
"And like me, she was born with a Sacred Gear," Valerie continued, "but with the ability to control dragons?"
"That's what Ajuka is inclined to believe," Danhauser said, "I'll still take his words with a grain of salt. He isn't as knowledgeable as Azazel on the Sacred Gears department—that's the latter's strong point. Another theory we have is that she may have ties to the Buné Clan somewhere in her family tree. They're famously known for morphing and taming dragons."
"She's a member of Clan Leviathan," she pointed out, "what if that's the Clan Trait of her family line?"
"It isn't," Tiamat interjected. "Both Houses are capable of morphing into pseudo-dragons to have enhanced their power, defense, speed, and abilities—but the similarities end there. The Leviathan Clan can also control the sea."
"Just like Clan Sitri, I suppose," a thought tickled her skull and the Dhampir laughed softly, "a being born from a human and a descendant of one the Satan Houses who obtained a mysterious Sacred Gear because of her human heritage and on top of all that the Clan Trait from her Leviathan side. That's not something that you can refer to as a miracle… it's much more."
"Just like Vali." It was like Ishibumi just came across the infamous Fem!Vali revered by the majority of the fanbase and jumped to the bandwagon by bringing Ingvild to the plot.
Seriously, when Danhauser placed Ingvild and Vali in juxtaposition, more similitudes emerged from the top of his head. They both had dragon-related Sacred Gears, were descendants of a Satan, and had human blood racing through their veins. They were like two peas in a pod.
The cherry on top was if Ingvild was also developing a thrill of fighting strong opponents and carried the Chuunibyou syndrome.
He hoped that wasn't the case.
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Just as Danhauser stepped inside, he looked everywhere in both wonder and amazement at the appearance of the room like a walk in a museum. The place where Ajuka played God, in the laboratory. The testing, the rigorous training, the trials… this had to be the workshop where the Evil Pieces were invented.
Ajuka was sitting in a spinning chair, facing away from them while working on the dozens of monitors looking down on them. Half of the screens showed different locations of the facility above them.
One of the screens called for his attention. It was about the Rating Game Tournament—the highlights of the best clips of all the games that had happened today.
To the surprise of nobody, the majority of the replays had Ruval as the Player of the Day.
"Don't mind the state of the place," the chair finally swiveled around, revealing the green-haired Satan wearing a lab coat, "I rarely get any visits. Anyway, welcome to my sanctuary."
"Cool chair spin thingy, Satan Beelzebub," Danhauser complimented.
"Thank you. It's a little maneuver that took me years of practice," the Super Devil stood up from his seat as he approached them. He offered his hand, "Also, call me Ajuka. Please refer to my birth name during private times. Keep the formalities in front of the cameras and such."
Danhauser shook it, "Of course, Ajuka," retracting his arm, he gestured at his servant, "This right here is Valerie Tepes, my only Pawn. The one who can rise Ingvild from her sleep."
Acting quickly, the Dhampir did a curtsy, "It's an honor to meet one of the Four Great Satans."
Ajuka gave a nod in return, "Thank you for accepting my request," he then turned to Danhauser, signaling in a different direction, "With the pleasantries set aside, shall we proceed?"
"Straight to the point?" Danhauser chased after the Satan, "What gives?"
"I apologize if my agitated state disturbs you in any way, shape, or form," Ajuka glanced behind his shoulder, his smile definitely didn't look apologetic in the slightest, "but I'm really looking forward to seeing someone recovering from this horrible disease."
Danhauser hesitated for a bit, but fired away, "What is the survival rate? How much are we talking about?"
"… Let's just say that the case fatality rate is extremely high," Ajuka ran his hand through his slicked-back hair, "it's an ailment that kills gradually as more time passes."
"Not even those with intensive care and full life support within Serafall Memorial Hospital have managed to feel the rays of the sun once again," Tiamat added, further dampening the mood, "the doctors only succeeded on slowing down the inevitable. The number of recoveries is outclassed by the losses."
"Because every person is different, it's difficult to predict recovery when a person is under the effects of the Sleeping Disease." Ajuka continued, "However, the longer the coma, the worse the prognosis. And if they manage to wake up after a long time, they may have significant disabilities."
It didn't take long to reach their point of destination—the room wasn't big after all.
Behind a cubicle curtain was Ingvild Leviathan.
And to prove his point, Tiamat shifted the curtains aside to unveil the foreign-looking girl lying in bed.
She was connected to a ventilator that beeped every determinate time. Her eyes were obviously closed as if she was sleeping. But that wasn't the case, she was in a coma where she couldn't wake up to any type of stimulation, not even pain. She was unresponsive and unaware of her environment.
The only signs that proved Ingvild's vitals were still working were the machine recording her status and her chest rising and falling as she breathed through the small mask. She looked frail as if she was made of glass.
That girl was still in there, locked into a body that will not quit as it should, tethered to a heart that insisted on beating despite her chances of recovery being non-existent—that was until Sephiroth Graal turned the tables.
"She's cuter in person," Danhauser gently pushed a few purple strands off her temple, "how old is she again?"
"Approximately, she's five years older than you," Ajuka replied.
Danhauser whistled in return, "Let's get into it then. Little Missus, you know what—!"
His words perished in his mouth at the sound of the elevator ringing in the background. How Ajuka and Tiamat barely reacted confirmed that nothing out of ordinary was happening, "Who is it?"
"It's my niece—Latia," Ajuka assured him, "She has her own laboratory next to mine. I believe you two are acquaintances, right? She participated in the party as well after all."
"Aju-Aju, I'm back!" Latia's voice echoed across the room and the sound of footfalls grew louder, "I'm really sorry for being this late, uncle. It took longer than I imagined."
"Aju-Aju?" Danhauser twitched, holding back a laugh.
"It's fine," Satan Beelzebub waved off her apology, "How was it?"
"It was okay," Latia muttered while stopping in front of a locker, pulling out a calf-length white laboratory coat with similar patterns to her uncle's. She brought the coat under her nose and chirped contently, "Ah! I missed you too baby!" she started wearing it by sliding her arms first inside the sleeves.
"Did they teach you anything new?" Ajuka asked.
For her part, Latia clearly hasn't noticed the Dhampir and Grey Devil, "Today I've been tutored about the political process to hold feasts, hire servants, look over the servants, talk, and scheme with the others ladies of the courts and so on and so forth…"
"You don't sound enthusiastic," Tiamat noted.
"Oh! I didn't know you were here too, Tiamat!" Latia greeted without glancing in their direction. She started buttoning her lab coat, "It's just… I was never cut out to lead Clan Astaroth as the next Head. And let's not get started about how this new position almost left me with no room for my pastimes."
"Latia…" Ajuka started.
"I know, I know. I shouldn't be crying over spilled milk," Latia sighed whilst adjusting her small hat. "Hey, uncle… anything you can share about Danhauser? Seekvaira suggested me to take him as an example in case I hit the wall. I think I might reach out to him eventually… but I want to be prepared before we cross paths, you know?"
"What a perfect opportunity," Ajuka stated, "You could ask him right this instant instead. Isn't that right, Danhauser?"
It all started with a sharp gasp, followed by the girl wheeling around to finally face them, "D-Danhauser?!" she managed to stutter behind her red-dusted cheeks, "I-I didn't know you were here…!"
"Ajuka invited me over," Danhauser waved at her, "Good to see you again."
"Y-yeah. Likewise," she awkwardly cleared her throat, summoning her folding fan to wave at her face to cool it off, "… I-I can tell uncle welcomed you to his laboratory wholeheartedly, but why?"
The Heir of Belial thumbed at the hospitalized girl, "He told me everything about Ingvild and decided to take a look over her condition."
He had that feeling in his gut that the Astaroth Heiress was aware of Ingvild's existence, the fact that she didn't seem shocked by her existence was all the evidence he needed.
"W-wait a second, back up a little bit!" Latia lightly tapped her fan on her temple, trying to digest the fresh information at her own pace, "Let me get this straight. You're here to help on Ingvild's case?"
"That's right."
"… You're aware that she's under the effects of Sleeping Disease, right?" Latia pointed out, "It's nice of you to lend us a hand, but not even uncle has found a remedy to cure her…" she drawled as her eyes halted over Ajuka, "Unless I'm missing anything here?"
"You're in for a treat," with a confident smile, Danhauser placed a hand over Valerie's shoulder, "My Little Missus right here has the antidote."
To prove his statement, Valerie showed her palms as a golden light engulfed them, almost blinding to the eyes of everyone present. The light dimmed and, in her grasp, appeared a golden cup.
He was glad Valerie kept her other two golden cups in secret—Latia could be a future opponent in the tournament.
Latia's jaw dropped at the sight of the holy artifact, "Is that…!"
"One of the Thirteen Longinus," Tiamat finished for her, "Sephiroth Graal."
"It's the first time I witness a Longinus, how exciting…" Latia breathed out, a big smile growing on her features, "The Holy Grail… Amazing! Could this really be the key…?"
"There's only one way to find out," Ajuka said before nodding to Danhauser, "Let's hurry."
Danhauser nodded back, it was cruel to stall at this point, "Sure thing, Aju-Aju."
Latia blushed.
Ajuka deadpanned, "Don't call me that."
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Silence.
This deep in the sea, the temperature of the water drop. It wasn't like a winter chill, bringing a shiver to the skin, but more like the welcome coolness of an autumn breeze. So far down in the ocean, the sunlight was a soft diffuse glow. Those once golden rays from above were only green in this water.
There wasn't much she could do here. She could swim forever, dive forever, be here in this underwater world forever. There was something about the motion of it that becomes natural after a while.
But regardless of her love and fascination with the ocean, she was prone to feel boredom as it grew repetitive.
She began to recall the circumstances that brought her to this situation. A day before the incident she couldn't leave the bed. Everything about her felt heavy from her arms to her feet.
Once Mom and Dad found out about it, they were constantly paying visits to her room—they always asked her how she felt. She felt fatigued as if she swam by a long-distance but was happy that they were keeping her company.
Ingvild asked them if something was wrong with her condition. Her parents answered that she was fine, she was only exhausted and that was normal.
But Ingvild knew that was a lie—mom always did that funny thing with her hair whenever she hid the truth. Long ago, Dad once pointed that quirk of hers—Ingvild was lucky to be in earshot that day.
She knew there was something they weren't telling her. But she didn't pry. In her state, she wasn't sure she could have started a discussion if she'd wanted to.
Later on, her head lolled from one side to the other. Her eyes were struggling to remain open as if her eyelashes weighted more and gravity had been turned up tenfold.
She remembered fighting back the persuasion implanted by her fatigue, but it was all futile when her head was comfortable under a pillow.
In the end, she'd close them as she enjoyed the brief kiss of darkness.
The final words she heard about her mom was her crying out her name which made her eyes snapped wide-open, but instead of being reprimanded in her own bedroom, she was in a different place.
In a different dimension.
In the depths of this green sea.
It was like she was teleported elsewhere.
First, she thought it was all a dream and did everything to wake up—hold her breath until her cheeks turned red and pinch her arm until it stung. She even tried to pee once.
But nothing.
Ingvild had to accept the fact that she was all by herself—not a single soul near her radar.
Not even a hint to figure how much time had passed since the accident.
She just hoped her parents were doing okay… and waiting for her to come back.
"…fine?"
She gasped and eyes were immediately scanning everywhere with a hopeful twinkle. An echo of a voice caused ripples to her surroundings—like a stone thrown into a calm lake.
"…is moving!"
The world quivered and trembled around her—torn apart by the dim light that flared brighter, bathing the ocean in an explosion of light and psychic heat that made her heart clench. Her surroundings looked like they could come crashing down at any moment.
She shuddered and watched hopelessly to see the light growing, intensifying, and swelling in power.
And then it erupted, throwing her deeper in the ocean with a shockwave of nonsense and a thunderous peal of force. Blackness overtook her.
…
…
…
She let out a sharp cough, followed by a deep breath.
"It worked!" an unfamiliar voice exclaimed, clearer and closer than the previous one, "I can't believe she's regaining consciousness! It's a miracle."
Her eyes weakly fluttered open, but quickly shut them when the brightness stabbed her orange orbs. She woke up to a world that's spinning, exploding in bright lights and pain.
"It's okay," another foreign voice spoke, a male one, "Take it easy. You've been out for a while."
She squinted at the unexpected group of people, trying to see through the glare of a thousand lights. The problem persisted only a moment more before she forcefully blinked away the dizziness—clearing her vision.
"Miss, how are you feeling?" a handsome, green-haired man asked her, "Do you feel pain anywhere?"
"W-what? Where am I?" Ingvild asked quietly while clutching her head, shakily sitting up. She was surprised to hear her own voice after so long—she almost forgot how she sounded like.
"Slow down, miss. Let's start with the basics," the man said, the rest were staring at her with a different mixture of emotions—surprise and curiosity being the most prominent. She shared their sentiment, "Do you remember your name?"
"Who is this man? Who are these people?"
"… Ingvild."
"That's a good start, I'm very glad to see that your memory remains intact after recovering from the Sleeping Disease."
"Sleeping… Disease…?" She repeated in a confused manner, "Are you the ones that rescued me from that place?"
"Us? Not really. We were just watching, too many cooks could spoil the broth," the gray-haired man placed a hand on the red-eyed girl, "She did all the work. Her name is Valerie. Don't feel scared by her cold eyes and sassy tongue. She's a sour lemon drop with a hidden flavor of sweetness."
The now named Valerie faced Danhauser with a sardonic smile, "Are we playing these types of games now? Very well. Maybe I should shed some light on the similarities between you and a two-legged Pandora's Box? My discoveries may boggle your mind."
Danhauser stared back to his Pawn before returning to Ingvild, "I rest my case."
Valerie rolled her eyes with a scoff, "Yes. Welcome back."
Ingvild nodded bashfully at her, "Thank you," she froze once the green-haired man gently grabbed her hand and spun it to place his index and middle finger on her wrist.
"Don't worry, I'm just checking your pulse," he explained. "Amazing. In a matter of seconds, you regained all the weight you lost during your coma. Your body radically transformed, like a caterpillar turning into a butterfly," she averted away once their eyes met, "Would you volunteer to a physical examination to check your overall health?"
"Come on now, Ajuka. You're now selling my pawn's abilities too short," the gray-haired young man said with a smile, "She's been training hard to master her Longinus, you know?"
The now named Ajuka chuckled faintly, releasing her wrist, "My mistake, Danhauser. It was all muscle memory."
Ingvild didn't feel anything dangerous oozing from them. Were they good people? They were the ones that saved her after all. Maybe. Possibly? Perhaps… "Where's mom and dad?"
…
"Ingvild Leviathan," she swallowed hard at the neutral tone of the green-haired man. Mom made Ingvild promise her to keep their last name in secret—to bury the skeleton in a closet. Mom was worried and anxious that day. Her mother's pleading expression will be engraved on her mind. She didn't know why but didn't object nor raised any further questions either.
Now that the cat was out of the bag, there was nothing Ingvild could do to stop her mother's wrath.
She shivered at the thought.
"You were another unfortunate victim of an infamous ailment called Sleeping Disease," the green-haired continued, "it's one of the many diseases which a minority of Devils and hybrids develop at any time through unexplainable reasons. To keep it short, it causes someone to fall into a deep sleep and never be able to wake up."
"They even know I'm Half-Devil…! They feel like me too… Does that mean that they are...?"
"Like you were comatose," the beautiful blonde girl with blue tips added, "…but worse."
Ingvild fidgeted with the blanket warming half her body, "… for how long I passed out?"
There was a tense silence that elicited a chill to her spine. Magnetic glances were exchanged, and Ajuka seemed to draw the imaginary straw that granted the permission to answer. "You were attacked by the symptoms in the year 1908—6 years before World War 1 started," he took a pause that felt eternal, "… This is the year 2008 now."
…
"No…" a discomfort in her chest, a feeling in her brain like excess caffeine... then it settled in deeper, "That's not true! That can't be real!"
"Miss Ingvild, please calm down," Ajuka tried to reason with her, "You've just woken up, you're in no shape to stress yourself in this manner."
But his warnings fell on deaf ears as her big eyes darted everywhere, "W-where are my parents?! I want to see them! Now!"
"They're not here. I've found you on an abandoned beach house, near to a lighthouse," The woman with long blue hair spoke, her tone aloof and blunt, "No signs of your parents whatsoever. You were all by yourself, child."
Her words felt like a stab to the heart, "Lies… you're all lying…!" Ingvild gripped the balled-up sheets in her fists as tears threatened the corner of her eyes. Feeling the urge to run, escape and hide, she tried to leave—only for a hand on her shoulder to spoil her plan by gently pushing her back to bed.
It was the gray-haired man, "I-I want to see mom," she pleaded Danhauser with a choke, "I want to see dad, please…"
"…"
"P-Please…"
"… I'm sorry."
As if the soul could bleed an ocean through the eyes, that was the enormity of her sobbing. She just started bawling her eyes out and wailing in the middle of a strange room in a new world, freeing everything that had been accumulating since the moment she was released from her prison of prolonged unconsciousness.
The picture of being welcomed by the embrace of her mother and father was gone now.
Stolen from her.
.
.
Ingvild didn't know what to say—let alone what to do.
Time had passed after she dropped her show in front of the small audience. Even if her eyes were empty of tears, the wounds all over her chest continued to persist.
A heartbreak that only inflicted great pain and stress across her brain and body. It made it difficult for her to think straight in the position she was forcefully anchored.
Her legs were begging her to make a run of it—to escape and stay hidden from these people.
But that idea was only a fabric of delusions. Even if her body was feeling rejuvenated after being lying in bed for years, she doubted she had the dexterity to outrun half the group in the room. That woman with blue hair looked athletic enough to react fast and pin her to the floor.
Besides, where to go? Home, obviously. But she didn't know which routes to take.
She rarely left her residence. The rare occasions where she could enjoy the breeze blowing her hair was when she accompanied her father on his small boat to fish.
Whether she liked it or not, Ingvild was stuck here. Her fate was decided at the hands of these people.
"Here, eat this!" Ingvild lifted her dry eyes out of her lap, "You must be starving after years of being in a coma. I'm Latia, by the way."
The purple-haired studied the food wrapped on a napkin before lowering her gaze back to the blanket, "I'm not hungry."
"Maybe," Latia persisted, shaking the food seductively, "You may not be hungry, but it wouldn't hurt having decent food in your stomach."
"I-I'm fine."
Much to Ingvild's embarrassment, her stomach backstabbed her with a growl.
…
"O-on a second thought," Ingvild felt her face glow red as she rubbed her belly discreetly, "I'd like to eat it… please…"
"A sandwich coming right up!" the Astaroth Heiress placed the food on her lap, "Make sure to eat it carefully, okay?"
Nodding, Ingvild unwrapped the food and her nose was assaulted by the smell of bread and ham. She took a small nibble for good measure and her now wide eyes showered the meal in a different light.
It tasted…
"… Heavenly," Ingvild breathed out after taking another bite to confirm. She gulped it down before talking, "Heavenly! Is this really a sandwich?"
"It really is a sandwich," Latia giggled at her reaction, "As for now, the food tastes better because the feelings are just compact representations of information that needs to be communicated from your senses up to your higher-level consciousness. By making food taste better when you're hungry, your body trains your high-level thoughts that when you're hungry, a message that translates into 'you should eat food'."
Ingvild looked up, the half-bitten sandwich halfway to her mouth as she glanced over the blonde quizzically.
The shoulders of Latia dropped as she sighed, "Hunger increases our sensitivity to salty and sweet tastes."
"Oh. I see…!" Ingvild took another snack and chewed the food until it was available for digestion. She licked her lips, "Hey, um. Latia? Can I ask you something?"
"Of course!" Latia nodded encouragingly, "Please don't hesitate! I'll answer to the best of my abilities!"
"Are you… are you like me?"
Latia narrowed her eyes as her hands slipped inside the lab coat, "I don't think I…" her eyes grew wide in understanding, "Oh! You mean as if we are similar organisms that share similar structures?"
"Um. Yes! I-I think…"
"In that case, yes and no," Latia answered, "You are the child of a Human and a Devil. As for me, I'm a Pure-Blooded Devil who was born from two Devils. We both can use demonic powers and our respective Clan Traits, but because of your human heritage, you are capable of manifesting a Sacred Gear the moment you were born. However, there's a small discovery that your kind have a better resistance against anything related to Holy Magic and Light Magic… but if you were to ask me, that's just a myth until further evidence is provided."
Ingvild gave a short nod after absorbing half the explanation like a sponge, "If you're a Devil… then you hail from the Underworld?"
"That's correct!" Latia exclaimed, "As a matter of fact, you are in the Underworld right now!"
"Oh. I see…"
Hands on her hips, Latia curved a playful eyebrow, "Hmm. You're taking the news lightly after being told that you're in hell."
"Mom told me she was born there. I wanted to visit it… with her," she trailed off.
Latia winced once she caught the dullness reflecting her eyes.
The blonde quickly wracked her head for the next thing to say that hopefully would lift the mood even for a tiny bit.
She lacked a proper response and thus, simply rubbed the back of her neck, awkwardly.
Ugh, cheering up people wasn't her forte. She was a woman of science! Her goal was to study the evolution and future of Devilkin!
Ingvild turned away, spotting Ajuka and the cold woman talking with a gray-haired man and a blonde with red eyes in the background. "I wonder what they're talking about…"
"Hmm?" the Astaroth Heiress followed her gaze, "Oh, right. Uncle and Tiamat are talking with Danhauser about discharging you home."
Ingvild's orbs burned with hope, "Will I go back home?"
Latia felt a knot squeeze her throat, but kept the 'impassive as stone' face that her parents taught her about,"… I'm sorry, but…" she paused halfway, "You'll be staying with Danhauser from now on."
Ingvild's nails sunk deeply on her sandwich, "I can't stay," even if she was holding straws at this point, she still tried to bargain her way out, "My parents… t-they must be worried about me… they don't know where I am right now… maybe they're looking out for me."
"Danhauser will take good care of you, trust me."
Ingvild visibly deflated to that. Latia's chest tightened at seeing such a heartbroken expression on her face, "How can you be sure…"
"I am not just "sure", I am ten billion percent sure!" Latia rubbed a cocky finger horizontally under her nose, "Take my word to heart when I say this, he's trustworthy. Why else would uncle invite him over to his man cave? He's strict about who can be allowed inside and such, you know?"
Unfortunately, her explanation wasn't enough to convince Ingvild.
"I see you two are getting along," and speaking of the Devil, Danhauser joined them with the blonde chick, "How is she doing?"
"She's eating," Latia signaled to the food on Ingvild's grasp, "that's a good sign already." She looked over the fellow blonde girl, "Valerie, was it?" the Astaroth Heiress asked, "Your Longinus… Sephiroth Graal. It's a wonderful relic, isn't it?"
The red-eyed only scoffed indignantly—a response that caught Latia off-guard, "If you do not take into account the thousand-and-one drawbacks that outweigh its strong points, then I suppose it is quite the tool indeed."
"Valerie," Danhauser warned her.
Valerie took a deep breath and exhaled through her nostrils, "What about it?"
Latia blinked away her shock, "R-Right!" she rubbed her hands enthusiastically, "I have a request. How would you feel about helping other people passing through this symptom as well? You can find them in the Serafall Memorial Hospital. You would be making their day if you were brought them back! Just imagine their smiles and tears of joy!"
Valerie didn't show any reaction, her expression hard as steel. "Only if my master wishes me to do so."
"That's fair," Latia nodded in acceptance before turning to Danhauser with a bright smile, "So? Want to meet the minimum qualifications to be an active member of society?"
"… Is anyone of your family passing through this or anything similar?"
"Thankfully not."
"Then I'm not helping," Danhauser declined, "I'd rather keep Sephiroth Graal's existence away from the public eye and the higher-ups—especially the latter."
The gears inside Latia ceased spinning for a split second, but quickly recovered, "But there are more people like Ingvild that are suffering!" she pointed out, "As we speak, there are family members in hospital rooms waiting for their love ones to wake up too…"
"I'm sorry for them," And yet, Danhauser didn't seem persuaded by her tear-jerking words, "but I'm not getting my servants in potential trouble. I helped here because I trust that whatever happens in this room, stays in this room."
"And to see if it was safe to use it on Sairaorg's mom."
"Don't bother, Latia. Danhauser made his choice." Ajuka intervened. "No one will talk about Sephiroth Graal."
Tiamat simply nodded.
With a defeated sigh, Latia folded her arms, "What are the odds that your superior already knows about it anyway…"
"The Great King is aware of the Sephiroth Graal," Danhauser confirmed, "But not the other Noble and Great Houses."
"Besides, he doesn't know that it's a Subspecies," from Zekram's perspective, Valerie was born with a single grail—not three, "and that it has a myriad of a new and absurd set of abilities at its disposal."
"Sooner or later, they will find out," Latia retorted.
"And when that time comes, Clan Belial will be in a great, political position," Danhauser boasted, "Untouchable."
And who knows? With nothing to worry about, maybe he could visit that hospital.
Another sigh from the blonde buxom, "Fine, fine. I'll bury your secret six feet underground," a smirk played on her lips as she pointed her unfolded fan at his direction, "but a bit unwise to reveal your cards when we both are participating in the Rating Games, don't you think?"
"I still have many aces up my sleeves, Latia, consider this one as a gift." Danhauser winked at her, "My peerage and I look forward to our match."
The confidence that Latia was projecting seconds ago was slowly slipping out of her, "Haha…" she chuckled nervously whilst fanning herself, "As long as Ruval isn't my first opponent, then I think I'll make it through…"
"Even if he was and you were to lose against him, don't punish yourself because of it," Danhauser said, "He's a Top Ten and gained more experience. Give your best in the match to make the other participants terrified about facing you."
"Well, hearing this from the future Rating Game Champion can be encouraging," She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, "Thank you. I'll try my best."
Ingvild had absolutely no clue what they were talking about.
Ajuka suddenly harrumphed, perhaps a bit loudly, "Anyways," he brought everyone's attention, "Let's discuss how you will be taking Ingvild out of Agreas without getting the attention of wandering eyes."
"Using the tramways won't be our best move," Tiamat pointed out, "They either lead us to the Dukedom of Agares or the station within the Lilith Estate which is full of people every weekend."
"Teleporting us away is always on the table," Danhauser suggested, "I know it's against the law using teleportation circles … but I think we can make an exception just for this occasion."
"I'll teleport you, it's the safest method we have." Ajuka decided, "I'll be relying on Kankara Formula to "disguise it" and make sure no one notices."
"Wait, you can do that?" Ajuka was a box full of surprises, as always, "That's amazing."
"I know right?! It's awesome how much you can do with Kankara Formula! Each day is just another discovery!" Latia clasped both hands dreamily, "Uncle is capable of doing all that by comprising thousands of volunteer-run "communication endpoints" by concealing your identity via multiple layers of encryption. Your traffic is relayed and encrypted through a series of three relay "nodes", each of which decrypts one layer of encryption to learn the identity of the next "node". When your traffic leaves the final "node", it's fully decrypted and sent to its destination. Does that explain it?"
Danhauser stared.
Valerie stared.
Ajuka nodded proudly.
Ingvild stared.
"Latia," Tiamat spoke up, "Aside from Satan Beelzebub, no one else understood your gibberish."
Latia wished the ground could swallow her up right this instant. She tugged at the collar of her lab coat nervously, "A-Ah! Well…! I-It pretty much keeps your identity, current location, and d-destination anonymous throughout the trip. Yeah."
She received a collective of "oh's" from everybody.
"Without any further ado…" Ajuka drawled, "I need you three to get close so we can begin."
"Danhauser," Tiamat called out, "keep an eye on her."
"Will do so," Danhauser realized that only Valerie was to his side, Ingvild had yet to jump out of the clinical bed.
"Ingvild," he hesitated midway at the perpetually sad eyes of the purple-haired diva. "Time to go."
"…"
"Ingvild?"
"… Okay," reluctantly, Ingvild got out of the bed, and with the speed of a snail, she approached them—as if anticipating something to happen.
No one said that the task would be a walk in the park. Not at all.
Latia saw the state of Ingvild—the hospital gown and bare feet left a sour taste in her mouth, "Wait a minute!" she started to walk away—toward her laboratory, "let me give you some fresh clothes and something to keep your toes warm! You can't be walking around that!"
Danhauser blinked once, then twice. "She has a wardrobe in here?"
"She sometimes sleeps here," Ajuka revealed, "It's a laboratory with a bedroom included."
"Must be tedious to go back and forth from the Astaroth Estate to Agreas," Danhauser commented idly.
"She has to make a stop in the Agares State first before traveling to Agreas, forcing her to rely on public transport three times instead of two," Ajuka corrected him, "Hence now she has a room here. On frequent occasions, Latia doesn't want to go home and sleeps here instead."
"She must love being here."
Ajuka had an atypical smile on his face, "She does."
.
.
Surprisingly, no one of his family was at home. His mother was with his uncle, probably a family bonding session between the Malebranche siblings. Diehauser had to stay in Lilith State because of his job with Gilles acting as his right hand—the way a Queen should behave.
Overall, the house was for him to enjoy.
King of the castle, baby.
Of course, he told his older brother through a magic circle about the new kid on the block—Ingvild—finding refugee in their house. He wished he had a camera to take a picture of the astonished Emperor. Danhauser had to end the transmission when Diehauser wasn't saying anything—he almost believed that Danhauser was losing signal or the connection in the Underworld sucked.
"Everyone, meet the new resident in the house," Danhauser beckoned the purple-haired to step forward but she remained still, twiddling her thumbs. He sighed, "She's Ingvild Leviathan. The girl that I told you about before."
Aside from an exaggerated amount of glances' exchange between them, no one raised a word.
But someone took initiative, "Leviathan… I've never imagined seeing someone with that surname from up-close—let alone live under the same roof," the look of surprise coming from the pink-haired woman was overtaken by the mature and fiendish smile, "Well, aren't you a precious one? I'm Roygun Belphegor—just call me Roygun."
"And I'm Jeanne!" the former saint waved at her, "Nice to meet you!"
"Danhauser already did the honors, but allow me to reintroduce myself," the Dhampir placed a hand to her chest, "My name is Valerie Tepes… let's get along."
"Are you…" The silver-haired Knight took half a second to give her an inspection from head to toes before shaking his head, "Never mind that. Must be me. I am Siegfried."
"… Victory and peace," Ingvild muttered quietly, "Your name is similar to the protagonist of Nibelungenlied. Dad always read me that tale before going to bed."
"I take it you are from a Nordic Region then, your accent was a giveaway too," the former exorcist stroked his chin. "Hmph. Very well. Might as well bring it out into the open. You speak with the descendant of the dragon-slayer hero."
Her eyes widened astronomically, "R-really?" she only received a confident nod—not a single lying bone in his body, "Amazing!" she exclaimed, "Can I maybe, possibly, perhaps… have an autograph? My father loved the adventures of your ancestor. He will be overjoyed!"
Danhauser released a long sigh.
"She won't be accepting the harsh truth so easily, will she?" Valerie muttered from his right, watching the confused Siegfried rigidly nod at her request—much to Ingvild's delight.
"Unfortunately not," He replied, placing his palm against his temple.
"Thank you! I-I appreciate it!" Calming down, Ingvild faced the non-human creature of the group, "Are you perhaps a dragon?"
Bova gave her a wary eyeful and responded, "…Yeah."
"I-I've never seen a dragon like you before," Ingvild admitted, inspecting every detail of his physic carefully, "I thought they were like giant snakes but without wings…"
"That's because he's a Western Dragon," Tobio responded with a friendly smile, "The ones you're describing are Eastern Dragons. I'm Tobio, by the way. He's Bova—but we call him Bobo."
"Have you seen a dragon before?" Jeanne asked her. "Like in real life?"
Realizing how much she shared about her past, Ingvild quickly reacted, "N-no!" she lied through her teeth, "I-I saw drawings of them! Tons of them!"
"You're a terrible liar," Roygun teased her, "Like an open book—easy to read."
The Leviathan squirmed, inwardly chiding herself.
"To transform into a serpent-like dragon is an exclusive ability of Clan Leviathan," Danhauser told them, "From what Satan Beelzebub told me, it's called Sea Serpent of the End."
"They can also manipulate the sea," Roygun supplied.
There was a thrill of excitement coursing through Jeanne's body, "Can we see your dragon form?"
Ingvild's back hunched forward defensively, averting her gaze away from theirs, "N-No…"
It's not that she didn't know how to use it—her mother made sure to teach her the ropes in that regard—but… she didn't like it.
She looked scary.
Jeanne puffed her cheeks, "Aww."
"Bosshauser," Bova suddenly snarled, giving himself a few slaps to the snout, "My body… it feels weird. It's annoying. She's giving me mixed feelings."
"I thought it was only me," Siegfried muttered as he wiped a trail of sweat from his brow.
Valerie arched an eyebrow but remained silent.
"Huh," Jeanne tapped a finger under her lip, "I don't feel anything."
"I second that," Roygun said, looking all over her body.
"I third that," Slash Dog scratched the top of his head, "Are you sure it's not your mind playing any tricks?"
"It isn't. Siegtard also feels it. It's her," Bova bared his fangs at Ingvild's direction, "Gonna explain what you're up to or what?"
As Ingvild paled and sputtered nonsense, Danhauser clicked his tongue, "Then this proves it," he snapped his fingers, getting everyone's attention, "Apparently she has a power that can control dragons… but I never imagined people with Dragon-Type Sacred Gears were also vulnerable by her Sacred Gear."
"Now you believe it's a Sacred Gear?" the Dhampir frowned at him, "were you not headstrong that she may have Buné ancestry?"
"I had a change of mind," After having spare time to rethink the origin of Ingvild's powers, Danhauser doubted Ishibumi made her a hybrid just because. Of course, he had planned to equip her with an absurd Sacred Gear.
"The question is… will it evolve into a Longinus?" Sacred Gears were confirmed to transcend if they followed strict criteria. Gasper was a perfect example. It was foreshadowed multiple times in the Light Novels that his Sacred Gear was a future Longinus—how it devoured the mist of Dimension Lost proved that it was a door away from evolving.
Could Ingvild's Sacred Gear also turn into a Longinus? Tiamat—the Strongest Dragon King—admitted that it had some sort of effect on her. A discreet nudge that if Ingvild mastered her Sacred Gear, she could eventually make Tiamat obey her will without the latter putting much of a fight.
What about an Evil Dragon? Could they also be affected?
A Heavenly Dragon?
A Dragon God? The True Dragon?
"Wait, a Sacred Gear?" Tobio's shoulders trembled, "No way!" He finally barked his laugh, "No fucking way! She literally is Vali's counterpart!"
Danhauser chuckled, "That's exactly what I was thinking an hour ago."
The Descendant of Leviathan tilted her head, "Who is Vali?"
"Vali is another Half-Devil like you," the brunet explained once his chortles ceased, "Who is also a member of the Satan Households—Clan Lucifer."
Ingvild fidgeted, "What is a Satan?"
…
The long period of silence made her stare at her feet, "N-Never mind," she shook her head, "You don't have to answer that…"
"The Satan Clans are the houses that founded the society and hierarchy of the Underworld," Danhauser said the gist of it. "You're a descendant of one of the oldest and most powerful royal bloodlines that ruled over Devilkind back in its early days."
"Overall," the mature-looking woman with pink hair bent forward with hands on her knees, "you are the definition of nobility, power, and elegance. You are a princess."
Ingvild gasped quietly, her sympathy-magnet, puppy-dog eyes growing wider, "Am… Am I a Princess?"
"And a cute one at that!" Roygun reached out to pat her head.
This was too much.
Then again, Ingvild should've seen it coming after being under the sheets for a thousand years. Literally. She was unaware of so many things that people knew about and that were possibly seen as common to them.
What's a Rating Game? What's a Peerage? Who's Ruval? What's a Sacred Gear? Who's Longinus?
So many questions.
She was oblivious and ignorant of the outside world back in the old days, her mother never wanted Ingvild to be far away from home—even if she was accompanied by her father.
Her father always described her as someone who lives under a rock—a remark that always angered mom.
"Is this true, mom?" Ingvild didn't show any reaction as the pink-haired continued head patting her, lost in her inner world, "That I'm a princess? That Clan Leviathan is a Satan? Why? What else are you hiding from me, mom?"
"I'll take the initiative and ask what everyone has in mind right now," Siegfried spoke once no one raised another word. "Will you use an Evil Piece on her, master?"
Danhauser blew air from his nose, "I don't think that's a good idea given how things are going…"
"What do you mean…?" Just as he asked, Tobio immediately winced, "Oh, right. Shalba and his goons did dirty the Satan Houses."
"Pretty much."
"If Ingvild is carrying a Sacred Gear, then Governor-General would die to make a checkup on her—free of charges too," Tobio commented, "He gets his fun and we get our answers. It's a win-win situation."
"Let's save it for another time," Danhauser answered, "I don't want to take Ingvild to a mad scientist days after she recovered from the Sleeping Disease. I want her to slowly adjust to her new surroundings."
Tobio shrugged, "Just letting you know, boss."
Out of nowhere, everyone jumped and took positions once the doors were kicked open.
They dismissed their weapons at the orders of their master. "Mom? Uncle?" Danhauser looked at the Malebranche siblings incredulously, "What is this all about?"
"Little D, we got your brother's message!" Malacoda made himself welcomed in his room, his sister tagging beside him. "Is it fucking true or are you just pulling my balls?"
He thumbed over the perplexed Leviathan, "Check her out yourself."
…
They finally looked at the new member of the house and had Calcabrina gasp behind her hand, "Purple hair and orange eyes," she noted quietly, "and this familiar, demonic power. Yes… this has to be it—the girl born in purple. She has the famous characteristics of House Leviathan."
"Whoa, there! Hold your hoes sis!" Malacoda advised her, "let's not take it as given just because we saw the front page!"
"Brother, she is a descendant of Leviathan," Calcabrina insisted, pointing to the girl, "just look at her! Her eye color is a well-known trait amongst their members! And her vast, demonic power should be a giveaway!"
Malacoda lifted a finger, "There's one tiny detail I wanna look at before I hop in the bandwagon," his red eyes lingered over the new girl who quickly broke stares, "Show us your wings, little girl."
All stares drawn upon her made the anxiousness and panic skyrocket to a new length. She squealed and hurriedly shut her eyes tight to concentrate on invoking her wings.
A second later and multiple, bat-like wings sprouted from her back.
A pregnant silence soon followed, making Ingvild pop an eye open. "I-Is there something wrong?"
Was it abnormal to have wings? Surely, all Devils had them, right?
"Six," Calcabrina counted them, not taking her eyes off them, "She has six wings, Malacoda."
"This proves it," Roygun nodded, "at this point of this conversation, there shouldn't be any objections of her bloodline."
"Jackpot," Malacoda steadily broke into a shit-eating grin. "Little D, you found a fucking gold mine right here."
"Speaking of multiple wings," Valerie spun to meet her master properly, "how much have you evolved on that department?"
Tobio curved an eyebrow, "Evolved on wha…?" he paused halfway, "No way you also have multiple wings."
"I do," Danhauser said with a goofy smile.
Malacoda snorted, "That's bullshit," he bluntly stated, "not even Sirzechs has those. That stuff is limited to those who are descended from the original Satans like your new girl…" his jaw-slacked as a total of eight black bat-like wings appeared on the back of his nephew, "What the fuck."
Danhauser made an awkward, wave of his hands, "Ta-da…!"
Slowly, Malacoda turned to his awestruck younger sister, "Well, well, well." He clicked his tongue disapprovingly, "Who would've imagined a Maou descendant clapped your cheeks."
"D-Do not speak with that obscene mouth in front of my son!" Calcabrina warned with a low growl, "And second of all, I will never sleep under the sheets of another man! The only person who I ever made love with is my beloved Matanbuchus!"
"Ok, two-timer."
"I'll break your legs," she threatened and turned to her young child—the demeanor of a mother surfacing, "Sweetie, but how?"
"Sephiroth Graal," his simple response sated everyone's thirst for answers, "Valerie gave it to me before we departed to train for four years."
"Sweetie, you are aware that having many wings could bring you to trouble, right?"
"The brat is gonna be fine," Malacoda trailed his hands over his pants, "As long as he keeps them hidden from the public, nothing's gonna happen."
"But…"
"Relax. It's for the best that he keeps them from here on—it's gonna help us in the long run," He cryptically said while pulling a cellphone out of his pockets, "Alright. Get together you two, I wanna take a pic."
Danhauser raised an eyebrow but obeyed, "Why for?"
Ingvild remained still but her posture straightened at the short distance between them. She didn't express her discomfort, but he could see it through her embarrassed expression that she missed her personal space.
"Saving memories! What else?"
"… Huh-huh," he doubted that was the case here—his uncle didn't strike him as the type of man who would pull this front.
"Now smile!" Malacoda obviously didn't wait and took a few pictures, "don't move an inch yet!" he then slowly walked in circles around them, "I'm also taking a video!"
Siegfried and the rest watched in silence, "… What is he doing?"
"I don't know," Jeanne whispered back.
Bova grunted, "They're just a bunch of wings…"
"Unlike angels and fallen angels who can gain multiple wings over time, Devils are a different case here," Roygun told the Son of Tannin, "As Coda said before, it's only exclusive to the Satan Bloodline."
"I wonder if it symbolizes something…" Tobio wondered.
"In this age, it's a badge that you're an important figure of the now defunct Old Satan Faction—a terrorist in the eyes of Extra Demons and Ars Goetia," Calcabrina said, "Back when the Original Satans were still alive… I can't tell very much."
She was alive when the Original Satans participated in the Great War. All members of the Malebranche Clan could be considered as the first-generation of Malebranche.
But none of her brothers participated in the Great War—only in the Civil War and that's because they were forced to.
Little did she know about the traditions of the Devilkind back then—it was thanks to her husband that she slowly adjusted to their culture after their wedding to not make a fool of herself.
But like her, Matanbuchus also had no clue what the meaning behind multiple wings was. Or maybe he did.
But her brother may be up to something—hence his excited and desperate attitude that was camouflaged in a layer of flippant nature.
"Done!" Malacoda exclaimed as he searched for his messenger app, "Aren't you two cute together?"
Just as he attached the image, he also wrote a message.
[Look what your son brought from the sea!] he pressed the send button and waited.
It didn't take long for the other end to send their reply.
[Are you alone? Call me when you are.] the message read.
Before Malacoda could type back, his sister spoke, "That's Matanbuchus, isn't it?" her lips curled upwards, "can I speak to him?"
Malacoda deadpanned at her, "Really?"
"Please?"
…
"Women, typical," Malacoda grumbled as he dialed the number and brought his phone to his ear, waiting for his brother-in-law to pick up the phone.
Matanbuchus answered, [Are you by—!]
"Your wife wanna have phone sex with you," Malacoda tossed his device to Calcabrina who easily caught it midair. His nose wrinkled at how she played with her black-red hair and giggled like a pure maiden. Her personality passed through a complete overhaul in a matter of seconds—as if Cupid descended from the heavens and shot an arrow straight into Calcabrina's ass.
Even so, seeing his young sister's joyful smile and lifted mood only warmed up his heart.
"Yikes," He looked away with an eye-roll, granting more privacy to Calcabrina. Evil Tail shifted his gaze over the group surrounding the purple-haired—his mind replaying everything that transpired today and the future to come.
"You little shit. You got your ways to piss off the head honchos, eh?" Malacoda said to no one in particular.
He couldn't blame him—it's a Malebranche thing.
.
.
And suddenly, Danhauser woke up in the middle of the night with a huge yawn. He tried to shift for a better position, but a weight on his body stopped him in his tracks.
He steadily cracked one of his eyes open to glance downwards only to be met by blonde hair close to his face. It was the asleep Dhampir with her head on his shoulder and her hand on his chest. He had one of his arms wrapped Valerie protectively.
Danhauser began to analyze to the side lazily in search of the culprit behind his rude awakening.
At the other end of the large bed lied Roygun with her sleep mask on. The muscles of her cheeks relaxed as her majestic chest released her guttural snores.
While groaning, he rubbed his face, "Just like a hobo with a sinus infection," he muttered with a tired glare, "I need some headphones or a spell to mute her."
Could Worthlessness work? Maybe.
Suddenly realization crashed into him like a wrecking ball. His heartbeat missed a beat by the space between them and Roygun.
He quickly activated his Senjutsu and let out a breath of relief, "You should be sleeping too, Ingvild."
Slowly and carefully, Danhauser wiggled his way out of Valerie's grasp and stepped out of the bed, leaving the half-breed to rest without disturbing her sweet dreams.
It took a second to easily spot her sitting on a chair with her knees pressed to her chest, with her face hidden from view
"Why are you out of bed?" Danhauser drowsily asked, kneading one eye as he groggily approached the reserved Half-Devil, "It's still nighttime."
"I don't want to go to back," Ingvild quietly declined, tightening her embrace on herself, "I like this spot better."
He massaged the back of his neck, "If it makes you comfortable, I'll stay on the sofa then."
"I-It's not that," Ingvild finally looked up, her orbs bright within the darkness as she regarded him cautiously. Although looking closer, he noticed that Ingvild's orange eyes looked puffy. "I don't like sleeping. Not anymore. I… It will take me to that lonely place again."
On the bright side of things, she wasn't painting them as kidnappers, "Ingvild, you won't fall into a coma," Danhauser assured her, "You're safe."
Her head tilted down, she looked up beneath the eyebrows, "How can you tell?"
"Because Valerie healed you," Danhauser thumbed over his shoulder, where his Pawn was napping. "Of all the people here, you have the least chance to be affected by the Sleeping Disease."
"Is Valerie your… girlfriend?"
Danhauser blinked at the intimate question, "Uh… no," answering that felt like a huge kick between the legs.
She couldn't help but frown, "Then why are you two cuddling?" she asked, "Mom and dad… they always sleep that way."
"That's a long story," he then placed his hands over his waist, "Don't think I don't know what you're doing. Stop derailing from the main topic and tell me what's wrong."
Even if he had an idea, Danhauser wanted to hear it from her mouth.
The girl rubbed one of her eyes and sniffed, "… I want to see them."
"Ingvild…" he pinched the bridge of his nose, "I thought this was clear in Ajuka's lab. I know it hurts to accept the truth but…"
She turned away, "You don't know that," her tone came out harsh as if Danhauser struck a nerve or she was just simply tired of hearing the same excuse over and over again.
He knew it would take time to make Ingvild open up, but this was too much. Thankfully, Ingvild wasn't declining food since she accepted food from Latia.
She was confused. That's about it.
Her situation sort of reminded him of his first days of this universe… but without the stubbornness.
Back on track, he had planned to take her to Kuoh where she should be safer than in Ars Goetia with Cleria dexterously breaking the ice armor of the Leviathan and shaping her into a new leaf. But from the way she was acting, he worried that she may make a run for it while he was absent in the Underworld.
He needed to win her trust and obedience.
And the only way to do so was by making a pact with the Devil.
"Tell you what," the gray-haired dropped to a knee to look less intimidating, "I'll take you where your parents live."
"Really?!" Ingvild started to shout before a finger to Danhauser's lips begged for silence, motioning to the two women dormant in bed. She covered her mouth with a hand out of embarrassment, "S-Sorry," she apologized in a muffled tone before continuing, "Do you know where my home is?"
"I don't," Danhauser whispered back, "but Tiamat does. She's the one that found you after all. I could ask her the favor to lead us there."
Her name and Scandinavian accent were the hints he needed to figure that her birthplace was somewhere in a Nordic country.
He should ask if Siegfried had any idea.
"Y-You promise to bring me back to my parents?"
"Under one condition," Danhauser waited for a nod of her, "If no one is there, you'll have to live with me from now on."
"If Ingvild wasn't willing to accept the reality of her situation, to acknowledge things the way they are… then she'll have to learn the harsh way."
"A-and if they're there, I'll stay with them," Ingvild added her terms and conditions, "forever."
"Forever and ever," Danhauser muttered with a nod, "We got ourselves a deal then," his eyebrow went up as Ingvild lent him her pinky finger. "You think I'll back away from my promise?"
"Just to be sure…"
"I always keep my side of the bargain, but if this eases your mind, then fine," he hooked his pinky around hers and squeezed gently.
"Now you can't back away from your promise!" Ingvild warned him.
"Neither you," Danhauser retrieved his pinky back. A short silence afterward, "can you at least go to bed just for tonight?"
…
"I'm… I'm not risking it," but Ingvild was a fighter, "not until I see mom and dad first."
"Fine. Suit yourself then," Danhauser stood up with an irritated sigh, "Even if you don't want to, your body thinks otherwise. It's what keeps us healthy and functioning well after all."
Danhauser whirled around and walked back to bed.
He spared one last look over the purple-haired Devil who hadn't moved an inch from her seat since the start of their conversation.
He shook his head before getting back to bed.
"Tough love it is then."
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Under the pale moonlight, Malacoda sat on the branch of the tallest tree he could identify, keeping his gaze fixated on the distanced mountain house that hosted a sleeping dragon at the top of it.
His phone suddenly started ringing and quickly picked it up, "Sup, sup."
[Coda,] his brother-in-law greeted back, [No one is spying on our conversation right now?]
"Not a single soul is eavesdropping," he leaned back on the trunk of the tree.
[Good,] he said, [How come my youngest son has multiple wings?]
"To make a long story short his body was slightly modified by the Longinus of his girlfriend to obtain multiple wings."
[I see,] Matanbuchus accepted the answer, [Where did he find that girl… Ingvild was it?]
"Beelzebub's secret lab," Malacoda replied, "She had the Sleeping Disease and was saved by the same Longinus."
The only thing that impeded a silence to befell within them was the wind blowing the trees.
[Malacoda,] his voice was serious, [I need you to come back as fast as you can to City of Dis. I'll even take care of the trip prices.]
"How about you tell me what's on your mind first?"
[I thought it was obvious? I need you to get the Five Houses that served Lucifer on our side. Show them the picture you sent me hours ago.]
"… Man, you know I suck at being eloquent and persuasive," Malacoda scratched his head with his barbed tail, "All I know is how to capture, torture, and kill people. Why don't you do it instead? You were always good with that tongue—betcha my sister would vouch for that!"
…
[Are you done?]
"Yeah."
[I can't do it because they will kill me on the spot.]
"And you think these people worship my feet?" Malacoda scoffed, "Motherfuckers want me hung by the balls!"
[I won't deny that,] Matanbuchus agreed, [But you are stronger. Even if they combined powers, you would walk away victorious. You are the Second-Ranked in the Rating Games for Maou's sake! The only reason I'm even alive isn't because I work for Clan Lucifuge, but because you're my brother-in-law.]
"They should instead be shaking at the sight of your wife then."
[Maybe,] a chuckle, [Besides that, Rofocale Lucifuge will grow suspicious if he hears that I'm meeting with his enemies.]
"Fine, I'll do it," Evil Tail heaved a sigh, "You know that if we stick to this plan you'll have to give Rofocale the kiss of Judas, right?"
[Family comes first,] Matanbuchus said simply.
"Alright, just making sure you're still in the game."
[Which Clan will you focus on first?] Matanbuchus asked, [Tell me and I'll gather as much intel as I can of your target to make the task easier for you.]
"Nebiros," Malacoda immediately answered, "You made me recall something. Grayfia contacted me to lead her around the City of Dis. She has her eyes fixed on them."
Probably following Sirzech's orders.
[Killing two birds with one stone. Interesting…] on a positive note, he didn't have to pay for the trip, [Understood. Whatever business she has with them, Lord Nebiros cannot die by any means. We need him and the other Clan Heads alive for this to work.]
"Aye, aye," Malacoda did a mocking salute, "Yo. Make sure to delete the pictures I've sent you and messages too. We don't want Rofocale sticking his nose into this."
[I'll destroy my phone as well,] Matanbuchus decided, [As for now keep this between us. If our little project bore any fruit, involve the family.]
Malacoda nodded, "Let's keep our fingers crossed until then. They don't call them Lucifer Six for nothing, who knows if they're interested in Leviathan, to begin with."
[We won't find out if we don't gamble it.]
"True," an idea enlighten his brain, "what about the Tepes Faction? Think they can chime in like a third party thing?"
[If we have the momentum, then I can't see why not. I'll be taking my leave, Coda. Take care. Tell my family I love them.]
"Hear, hear," the other end hanged the phone as Malacoda snickered. He passed a hand across his features, "Still can't believe what happened today. Eight fucking wings," Evil Tail decided to see enter his gallery by tapping the app on the screen, "Only a pair away to be my equal. Tch, that shitty brat…"
Once his phone finished loading, he chose the actual photo he had in his album.
Danhauser and Ingvild with four and three pairs of wings respectively.
As Malacoda kept viewing the picture, a wide smirk sprouted from his face, "From zero to hero, Little D! From zero to motherfucking hero!" he threw his head back and laughed with glee, gently rustling the pine trees across the area.
"War is on, Great King."
.
.
Danhauser came to full wakefulness at the sound of the shower running in the background, "What time is it...?" He found himself groggily staring into the ceiling as he stretched to realign his muscles.
"Are you awake, Danhauser?" Roygun's shout came from the bathroom, "I swear I heard your voice."
"I'm wide awake," he yawned whilst rolling out of bed.
"G-Good morning," Danhauser heard the soft-spoken Ingvild.
He looked at her and his lips thinned.
Still, in her fetal position, the girl hadn't left the seat. She had the strength of will to stay conscious for hours into the night. He could easily observe the exhaustion illustrated all over her features—the red and bloodshot eyes were what grabbed his attention the most.
She didn't win anything by doing this—only inflicting self-damage to her body.
Maybe he could make her fall asleep with his Senjutsu? But that would only deeply severe any relationship they have built right now.
It's better to stick with the plan—wait for her to succumb to fatigue or ask Tiamat to guide them where Ingvild's lived her whole childhood.
"Morning, Ingvild," he said back, "Where did Valerie go?"
The Leviathan tilted her head to the door, "She went to see if breakfast is ready."
"Is that so…" his eyebrows furrowed, "Weird. She rarely eats."
"She said that the food is for you, that she'll bring it here so you can still rest in bed while eating," Ingvild then pouted a little, "I-I hope that maybe, possibly, perhaps, she'll bring enough for everybody…"
Danhauser felt relief wash over his body, "At least you're not opposed to keeping your stomach full," he muttered and then smiled, "Don't worry, I'll share with you whatever Little Missus brings over."
"Thank you…"
He then peeked over his shoulder, at the slightly open door that led to the bathroom—the faint steam barely notable.
"How's the water?" he asked.
"Amazing," the pink-haired replied while humming a happy tune, "nothing comparable to the showers I had back in Cleria's house. The difference is like day and night."
"I'm sold then," Danhauser rolled his neck, getting that satisfying snap, "Once you finish, I'll give the shower a shot."
"Why wait when you can join me instead?" He was a hair away from missing her invitation, the shower coming down as downpour messed with his hearing, "Think how much water we could save for future generations if we bathed together! I could wash your back too~!"
"Should I leave…?" Ingvild murmured as a tinge of pink adorned her cheeks.
"You could take off or make this a three-way bath! There's plenty of space if you position yourself between us~!"
"Eep!"
"She's only teasing," the Heir tried to cool her down, but his voice made his words sound iffy, "… I think."
The joyful morning had to, unfortunately, end the moment a magic circle carved beside his ear.
[Danhauser,] it was Sairaorg's father—Lord Bael, [If you had anything planned to do next weekend then cancel all your bookings. You have important matters now.]
Lucky for him, his calendar was clean of responsibilities, "Is this about the Rating Games?"
[You catch on quick. Good,] why else would Lord Bael give him a call in the morning? Surely not to talk about the weather, [In a few days, you and your opponent will have a conference in the Lilith State. Bring your peerage over and make sure everyone looks presentable in the cameras, that includes you.]
"Who's my first opponent?"
Roygun stepped out, a towel around her body and another one wrapped over her hair and horns. He was looking right at her, but not really—too focused on the conversation.
[The younger sister of Satan Lucifer,] Danhauser felt his eyes expand to the size of dinnerplates, [Princess Rias Gremory.]
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Guest Review:
JustAnotherGuest: It's not about the writing style, but rather, writing itself. I don't want to write. Not anymore. Thanks for the suggestions, though! I really appreciate your concern.
Nari: Thank you for your words!
Panzerdivision: I'm flattered, but me being a talented writer isn't true, nor do I think it's one of the best fics out there in the DxD section. It's okay, but not great. I just wrote during the SI's era, when that category was super popular back then. I got lucky that my fic was the one that caught everyone's attention. But thanks, it's good to see people having a good view of my fanfic.
Guest: Latia barely appeared and people love her already. Speak of delivering first impressions lmao.
SJ: Dodging bullets I see! So long, cowboy.
NenalaTA: For now.
JW: Yeah, you and many other people didn't like that Rudiger mini-arc for a myriad of reasons, all of them justified, though. You can blame Danhauser for revealing that Sairaorg has a BB, mostly because the latter did reveal that Danhauser has a True Form, tho. But yeah, he wouldn't tell he now has Balance Breaker, but he wouldn't deny the fact if the cat is out of the bag either. I never liked Yuuto, but I never disliked him either, that sentiment goes for the whole main cast. I dunno why, but I never felt attached to them. About Danhauser and his two True Forms, that's a great question. I do have the answer for that, but it's something that will be explained in future chapters by the now beloved Latia.
Guest: Thank you!
Shvydis: Life do be like that, but hey. That's how the cookie crumbles, thanks for your praise!
Byayan: It will be a long fic, don't worry about it. One Piece will finish first before we reach the Journey's End. Love you too.
Guest: I'm trying to update faster, but life is a pain man.
Guest: Arjuna will appear since he's confirmed in canon.
Guest: If you didn't forget that this fic didn't exist again, then I'll be disappointed.
NON-LEGENDARY UPDATE!
This chapter was meant to be Danhauser against Rias, but I didn't like the idea since I thought it would feel bad writing without the foreshadow and proper build-up. Maybe I still messed it up in that regard, oh well.
So instead, I swapped chapters with Life.13.
Also, I'm disappointed with Ishibumi.
The planets lined themselves, Earth stopped spinning, and Aliens waited with bated breath just so he could make Ingvild dress exactly like Patchouli.
And he didn't deliver. Instead, she'll be wearing the Kuoh Uniform.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!
I mean, come on. If Sirzechs has Sakuya Izayoi as his Queen, then I expected Issei to have Patchouli Knowledge as his Queen. Since, ya know, the latter is gonna inherit Sirzechs' title as Crimson Satan and become the Eight Satan.
Maybe it's just me.
Speaking of Ingvild, her Sacred Gear works involves her singing to use Nereid Kyrie.
Let's make this clear, I'm not writing any lyrics in my fic. If I'm hating writing fics, then imagine writing songs. Overall, just imagine her singing Despacito or something idk.
On another note, Roygun looks fucking amazing, Better than I imagined. As a man who prioritizes thighs over anything else… goddamn.
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Life.13: Heir of Rating Games