AN: Almost forgot to post this today! Again! But luckily Merlenyn remained me! Which is great because you guys seemed to love last chapter, and I'm hoping you'll like this one just as much. It's less excitement and more aftermath of said excitement, but I hope you enjoy it just as much!

Review Responses:

ShadowWolf223- He's a main character. Of course he can never catch a break! We all live to see his torment just as much as his happiness! And oh yeah. Mega pissed.

Dendule95- Don't worry. He was only a liiiiittle brutally impaled. Only four times! No buggy!

orion0905- Which is why I waited to post that last chapter until this one was done, even though it was actually done like a month prior to its release. Couldn't leave you guys on a double cliffhanger without already having this ready to post.

Zoran Dawn-Eclipse- Hurt like a bitch. Thanks! It was uncooperative and a lot of work, but as you can see I'm nowhere near ready to give up on this story! I will do my absolute best to see it to the end!

Tempestae Night- My sincerest apologies to your family and their eardrums. I'm glad you liked it, and kinda? It was too good a place to break, I couldn't resist! Also I was legitimately expecting the rest of the scene to be much longer than it turned out to be.

Crazy9087- First, I think you mean brownie points, not booby points? But even so, I don't really aim for brownie points. I write because I like writing and have ideas, and I post it because I figure if I'm writing it I might as well put it out there for people to possibly enjoy. I don't really do Holiday chapter theming and upload. You got it when you got it because it and this chapter were done and therefore I was ready to upload. The Holiday season had nothing to do with it.

DA Exodus- Haha, yes I'm back, much joy to go around! Jokes aside I'm glad you were so happy to see the update and loved the chapter so much. Their friends were always going to find out about magic and all that shit, but for a while I wasn't entirely sure how I wanted to introduce them to it, until I decided them finding out The Worst Way Possible™ was the best way. Or at least the most dramatic. Klein is great in general, there was no way he was letting his unofficial little bro die for him, but Kirito can be just as stubborn. I was a little worried that the writing was a little to stiff the properly convey the emotions of the scene, but general consensus seems to be that it was Good™, so I guess I did an alright job? It's always funny to see that family that looks like a bunch of Jocks and Cheerleaders show just how untrue that is. And they LOVE nerds, ok? The ending was kinda chaotic, but it seems to have worked out the way I wanted it to. And yea, lots of Big Things will be happening in the story soon. Fucking for real? Hundreds of thousands, probably at least a couple million stories on this site and my ramblings are one of your current favorites? You guys give me and my insane ramblings way too much credit! I'm glad you enjoy it though!

LunaDragAngel- In fairness, FF's system of completely separating crossovers makes it harder to find stories sometimes. Especially if someone has the audacity to do a crossover between a huge fandom and a little known fandom (not that SAO is small or isn't well known, that was just an example), it can hide some amazing gems that you may only manage to stumble across by browsing Communities. Now, I don't personally hold my own writing in very high regard, but I'm glad you've found and enjoyed this so much, and I hope you continue to enjoy it going forward. Because trust me, I'm closing in on it, but still not quite within site of the ending. Hell, my bullet point notes of the main story beats is 1,500 words all on it's own. And I have scenes, and a whole fucking mini(?) arc of the story, not listed on there that I know are going to happen because my bullet points are in order of the in fic date they'll take place, and I haven't quite placed where they'll be along my bullet point timeline. Plus, I'm sure there will be unplanned scenes, and y'know I still gotta fill the in fic five month gap between the last note I have and the date I have down for where the fic will end.

She can't breath. She can't breath. Her mate!

A noise is trying to claw its way up her throat. It lodges there, unable to escape her frozen throat and lungs.

She's ripped out of her growing anguish by a wave of demonic energy pulsing out of her mate. Then another one. More. Closer together. Stronger.

Devil Trigger.

Her mate was Devil Triggering for the first time.

That was bad. During the first Devil Trigger, it was nearly impossible to recognize friend from foe, and with so many innocent bystanders… It was good too though, because her mate wasn't dying.

Rage replaces the fading anguish, and an inhuman shriek rips itself out of her as her vision turns red.

She pulls back on her fury and her instincts, desperately trying to reign them in. As her vision clears, she's unsurprised to find herself Devil Triggered, tearing into the demon who had attacked her mate. She doesn't necessarily want to stop, but she still feels like a passenger in her own body.

In the distance, she registers Asuna shouting, "What the fuck is that?!"

Nero's voice rings out next, "It's called a Devil Trigger. We awaken the ability when we are about to die. Marzanna seems to have lost control of herself as well in response to Kazuto nearly dying. Stay away from them! A first time Devil Trigger can't differentiate between friend and foe, and I doubt Marzanna is much better off right now!"

With a final massive pulse, Kazuto Devil Triggers, immediately jumping onto the demon she was tearing into and cleaving chunks off of and ripping its head off with his bare hands.

With the demon who had nearly killed her mate gone, her rage and instincts simmer down to a more manageable level. Taking her mate in, she finds herself looking at what appears to be a humanoid dragon, though more European than his Asian Animagus form. Black scales, pointed elfin like ears, a mouth full of fangs, two inch long claws, large dragon wings, and six horns split three on each side gently curving backwards and looking remarkably like a crown.. While it could come off as a monstrous appearance, she could finally understand why her mate said she was beautiful the first time she showed him her form. Her demonic instincts certainly appreciate the visage of primal beauty covered in blood, all but purring in delight at the brutal show of strength.

Knowing that she's the only one guaranteed to be safe from her mate's rampage, she remains in her Devil Trigger to assist him with the demons. A glance tells her that Nero and Trish have fallen back and into pure defense, knowing better than to put themselves into Kazuto's path as he is.

With her Devil Triggered and her mate rampaging at full throttle the Great Demons… Honesty don't stand a chance. It's not long before Kazuto is tearing the Lesser Demons apart in showers of blood. She keeps a close eye on him though, and the moment his gaze starts shifting to the obviously terrified humans, she growls a displeased warning at him.

His ears flatten themselves to his head, and he draws into himself a bit as he bares his teeth at her with a hiss. Currently lacking the higher thought process required to understand why she would be displeased at the first sign he might attack the others, but seeing no threat from them, he leaves them alone.

It's not long before he runs out of things to tear apart in the immediate area, and after another warning growl from her when he turns his gaze to Nero who very carefully doesn't react, he's soon chasing down more demons. Knowing it's better for him to burn off as much of the original surge of energy as he can, she shoots Nero a look before taking off after him. She'd have to be careful not to let him wander too far from the rift, but beyond that, she'd make sure he burnt off the energy. One way or another.

Marzanna looks around at the chaos of Healers and Obliviators running around tiredly before sighing, "Fuck. We are going to be so damn busy over the next few days."

He frowns before looking up at her, "Should I come in? I know I don't actually work at Devil May Cry yet, but I'm sure there will be plenty I'm capable of helping with."

His mate's brow furrows, "Are you sure? You've had an awfully rough day Kazuto, and you aren't anywhere near fully trained yet, especially since pretty much all of your training has been combat based and there is going to be more than a little non-combat work over the next few days while we help clean this mess up. No one would blame you if you took a couple of days to recover and recenter yourself."

"I would." His gaze turns pleading after those words, "Please? I actually can't sit around and do nothing. I- I have to do something, and if I can help with this mess in any way, all the better."

She searches his gaze for a moment then softens, "Yeah, ok." Then she sweeps her gaze over the chaos around them, "Besides, we can use all the help we can get at the moment."

Then she looks at him again, gaining a contemplative look, before suddenly turning to meet his mom's eyes, "I know you probably want to take Kazuto home so you can have him close by after today's ordeal, but it'd be easier for everyone if he just stayed the night at our house. Plus, he could get that much more sleep since he won't have to wake up earlier than he would at my house to commute there."

His mate and mother stare at each other for a few moments, clearly having a silent conversation no one else is privy to before finally his mother nods, "You know, I think that's a pretty good idea. So unless Kazuto has an issue with it?"

He looks back and forth between them, trying to figure out what it is he's missing before finally giving it up as a lost cause and answering, "Ummm. No? No. I have no issue with staying at Marzanna's."

Marzanna nods, "It's settled then. First person to get back from taking the others home can take us back to my place. Then as soon as we've both taken quick showers and changed, we'll get some sleep."

He sighs, "Finally. I'm so damn exhausted." Then he turns to his mom, "Though I suppose that means you came all the way down here for nothing. Sorry."

She smiles gently at him, "Don't apologize, it wasn't for nothing. If nothing else, I got to see with my own eyes that you're alright. A mother's peace of mind over her child's safety is worth going to many lengths, a bit of a drive is more than worth it."

"I suppose."

He talks to his mom a bit more, mostly giving her more reassurance that he's OK past what her own eyes give her, and it's not long before Nero shows up. A tight hug and farewells between them and his mom see them off. He starts up a conversation about what work they're expecting over the next few days, but he apparently dozes off quickly, as before Marzanna can even finish her second sentence he finds himself being woken up at the shop.

She gently coaxes him inside, where he finds Lily waiting with two changes of clothes. He doesn't even think to question it before his mate is prodding him into one of the bathrooms to shower and change before disappearing as well, presumably to do so as well.

Though he tries to shower as quickly as possible, with the idea that a bed and sleep are waiting for him afterwards it feels like the longest shower he's ever taken, and not in a good way. Changing into the clothes Lily had dredged up for him seems to be a similarly long chore.

Eventually though, he stumbles out of the bathroom, as clean as he can possibly get when he's as tired as he is.

He's not surprised to find Marzanna waiting for him, but he's a little more confused to see Dante ambling up, though that confusion is quickly resolved when the man speaks, "The spare bedrooms are occupied at the moment."

Marzanna shakes her head though, "Doesn't matter. Occupied or not he's staying with me."

Dante frowns, but before he can protest the idea of Kazuto sleeping in his mate's room with her, Marzanna begins to drag him off and Nero sends him a concerned glance and hooks an arm around Dante's neck and tugs him around to hiss something into his ear. Abruptly he realizes that his staying the night has less to do with the convenience of already being here in the morning to start helping out, and more to do with his mate conspiring with the others to make sure he's ok, or at least going to be. He suddenly realizes that she's even conspiring with his mother, as he finally understands the silent conversation they'd had earlier.

And yet, it's not like he resents her care. He's too tired too feel much of anything but that just makes him feel fondly amused.

When they reach her room he can't help but grin a bit when he sees that Marzanna has added a sheer black curtain to her bed, "First the black blankets, now this? Are you trying to replicate our bed from our minds, or am I just infecting your stylistic choices with my color scheme?"

His mate smiles back at him, "Bit of both, probably. Now come on, it's bedtime."

He grins faintly, but obligingly crawls into bed. He barely has time to settle down before his mate cuddles up, wrapping her arms around him firmly. Then she takes him by surprise when she pulls down the barrier between their minds.

And suddenly he finds himself in a near repeat performance of a scene from almost five months ago, only this time he and his mate's positions are switched, and he finds himself as the one being bundled up in a blanket of his mate's love. He should be happy, he should, but he- He just can't help but still be more than a little miserable. He can't help but continue to hate himself for today. For the people he failed, for the people he could've hurt during his reckless rampage.

Lips press to his brow as tears well in his eyes, "Shh, love its ok. You don't have to be happy every single moment we're together, you should know that by now. We've already had more than a few bad times together haven't we? It's ok. It's ok to be unhappy or even miserable. The hating yourself part is a little less ok, but we won't get into that right now. The only thing you need to do right now is just be here with me, in this bed, in this moment, and get some rest."

He huffs a broken laugh, "I think I can do that."

Of course, it's not necessarily that easy. In a rather rare occurrence, he has trouble falling asleep. With how tired she was, he fully expected Marzanna to doze off first, but she seemed determined to stay awake with him, keeping up the waves of love and comfort.

His mind doesn't really have much chance to drag him down the darkened paths of his thoughts when he's surrounded by her warm light.

Given that, it's not actually much of a surprise that his dreams are full of her. Of warm lazy mornings, of fun in the snow, of nectar smiles, and ambrosia kisses.

When he wakes, those four people he failed, and Klein's near death immediately jump back into the forefront of his mind, but after a night overflowing with such sweet dreams followed by waking up to his personal goddess he's privileged enough to be able to call his mate, it's impossible not to feel better.

Though he supposes that's what the devious woman was aiming for from the get go. Her grin is answer enough even without her words, "And I got away with it too despite your attempts to meddle."

He can't help but laugh at that. He's still not ok, but maybe, just maybe, he will be.

July 28th, 2025

A deep breath fills her lungs with refreshing sea air, before being let out a moment later as a content sigh. It was an extremely nice day in ALO today, one of those ones that Kirito would refer to as 'the best weather setting', made all the nicer by the lovely beach they were at, or at least it seems like it from where she's lounging on her beach chair enjoying the sunshine. Though her avatar won't tan no matter how long she lays in the sun, she's been rotating every now and then anyway, though it was basically to alternate feeling the sun on her front and back. Currently, she's laying on her front with her head pillowed on one arm, the other dangling between her and Kirito's chairs from where they're holding hands, with her eyes closed. Next to her Kirito, with Klein on his other side, were also enjoying the beach and weather, though they were under a beach umbrella.

A moment later, a content sigh echoes her own from the other side of Kirito, Klein clearly appreciating the relaxing time as well, though he also adds onto his nonverbal contentment, "Y'know, Kirito, I've never been so happy that ALO's time isn't linked to the real world."

She cracks her eyes open to gaze at the two as her mate hums lightly, "Because it's night there?"

Klein shoots up from his lounging position with an eager expression, "This is how the beach is supposed to be enjoyed! Blue skies!"

"White sand." Is her mate's significantly calmer agreement, not even bothering to open his eyes.

"The sound of waves."

"The dazzling sun." Her mate seems to be getting more into their compliments of the lovely day and beautiful beach, smiling and opening his eyes to take it all in.

Klein's grin widens, as he turns his gaze to the other girls, who are currently playing in the shallow waters along the beach, barring Leafa who still looks nervous to be in the water, though it's understandable given what Kirito had told her about his sister's near childhood drowning, "And-!"

With perfect timing, Agil lands in front of them, blocking Klein's view of the giggling girls, "Yo! Sorry I'm late!"

There's a brief moment of silence, Kirito and her sharing a look and trying hard not to laugh as Klein's expression shifts from surprise to looking downright offended that Agil blocked his 'view'. Agil of course, has no idea what the problem is, but easily picks up on the shift in mood, "Oi! What's with you three?"

She can't help but snicker at that, "I believe Klein was about to start going on about the 'lovely view' over in the shallows before you got in the way of said view."

Agil briefly looks confused before glancing over his shoulder then rolls his eyes as he understands. Predictably, the two quickly start bickering, though she tunes them out pretty much immediately, at least until Klein huffs and loudly says, "Anyway! You sure whales are in this quest Kirito? Yui-chan's really excited." Which easily tells her that Agil had won their 'argument', then actually getting drawn into what he's saying, he adds with a frown, "If it turns out to be clione or jellyfish, she's gonna be really upset!"

Her mate tilts his head thoughtfully, "I'd kind of like to see a giant clione… Agil, did you or Argo hear any info?"

The big man sighs deeply, "Nope. It's a quest on the world map's very edge. Hardly anyone even knows of it. But it seems to be true that a huge aquatic monster lies at its end."

Klein parks up at that, "Oh! That sounds pretty promising!" He immediately jumps out of his chair in his enthusiasm, "Okay! Since everyone's here now, let's do this!" Then he cups his hands over his mouth so the other girls will hear him, "Guys, it's about time to get going!"

The girls' attention turns away from the beach ball they were playing with at the shout, though Asuna is the one that replies, "Okay! We'll be over in a minute!"

She, Kirito, and Agil switch from their swimsuits to their regular gear as the girls quickly gather up the beach toys they'd been playing with and put them away into inventories before making their way over, much to Klein's delight. That delight dies a swift death when they change back into their regular equipment.

The rest of them ignore Klein's usual shenanigans, tuning him and Lizbeth's brief conversation out as they gather around her mate, who sets about quickly making sure they're all on the same page regarding today's agenda, "So, everyone, I'll be your party leader for today's quest, though unfortunately we don't really have any info on the quest itself. If we see the giant whale during the quest today, follow my instructions." The group quickly sounds out their agreement, then Kirito continues, "I'll repay you guys someday… probably. Any questions?"

Everyone shares glances, but it's Asuna who speaks first, "No, the only thing I have to say is that you don't really need to pay us back. We're doing this for Yui-chan after all."

Another round of agreement sounds out, then Lizbeth speaks up, "Well, I have a question, though admittedly it has nothing to do with today's quest. Are we really all acting like its business as usual when the last time we saw Hanna was when all that crap with the train and actual freaking hell happened?"

Her friends eyes shift to her and even Klein in the background stops his over dramatic crying to pick himself up and turn to her with a serious look, which is understandable given that he nearly died during the incident in question. She can't help but sigh, before tiredly saying, "Look, I know all of you want answers, but the reason you guys haven't seen me since then is that I've been helping my family clean up that mess. This is the first time in days that I've had off all the frantic work that my family has been dealing with. That isn't to say I won't answer your questions, just please, not today. Actually, while you guys know the birthday party my family was going to throw for me and my brother was supposed to be a family only event, given recent happenings, we wanted to invite you guys to it, at least partially because it would be the best time to answer everyone's questions."

Then she gives them a strained smile, "Though another part of it was that my family wants me to be able to spend time with you guys for my birthday, but figures you're all a bit understandably weary of public transportation at the moment. On that note, if any of you need a ride, my family is willing to pick you guys up and take you all home, so just send me a message if you need it."

Her friends share a few looks then nods, before Silica turns to her with a smile, "Ok, Hanna-nee, we can wait!"

She smiles at everyone, "Thanks. Now, what are we waiting for?! We've got a quest we're supposed to be doing!"

An enthusiastic shout meets her 'battle cry', and she shares a grin with Kirito, though there is more than a hint of concern in his gaze. A brief brush against her mind, like fingers ghosting over her cheeks, worry about her being overworked and the firm knowledge that the quest could be put off if she needs some actual relaxing time off. A nudge, like a feather light kiss to his neck, and reassurance that she'll be alright, that seeing as ALO was fighting for fun with no one's actual lives at stake, it was relaxing, especially since she got to spend time with him, Yui, and their friends. They share a smile before returning their attention to their friends after the quick exchange.

July 31st, 2025

"Huh. So this is where Hanna-nee lives." He glances over at Silica, finding most of their friends looking at the building in interest, "Gotta admit, it's not quite what I was expecting."

Lizbeth shakes her head, "Me either, but then again, I'm not entirely sure what I was expecting, so…"

There are murmurs of agreement, and Kazuto can't really blame them. He'd been a bit surprised by it the first time he came over as well. Buildings actually made from brick instead of just outwardly mimicking the style weren't very common nowadays to begin with, but even then the building was an older style, and was adorned with an old fashioned Neon sign of the words 'Devil May Cry' in cursive next to the outline of a posing woman holding two guns. It stuck out like a sore thumb compared to the mostly modern buildings of the city it rests on the outskirts of, but personally he felt there was a certain charm and timelessness to the building that invoked resilience and security to him. Although he'd also be the first to admit that it was entirely possible that his opinion was influenced by it being Marzanna and her family's home.

He's shaken from his thoughts as they climb the stairs by the familiar humming of a fast approaching bike. He turns just in time to see it come careening around a corner before screeching to a halt in front of the walkway, the owner hitting the brakes so quickly that the back tire leaves the ground.

The black leather clad woman quickly turns of the bike before gracefully dismounting. Never bothering to wear a helmet, the blonde immediately makes her way towards them with confidence and grace. Whether they'd heard the approach of the bike or their attention was caught by him turning away, it's very clear that his friends had turned as well, mostly from their quiet exclamations and conversation, but Klein's whimper and muttering about 'hell of a woman' don't escape his amused notice either.

He smiles at her, and politely waits until she's in human hearing talking distance rather than shouting before greeting her, "Trish. I'm glad you could make it, Marzanna was kinda down about you and the others might not being able to show."

The blonde smoothly flicks her sunglasses up onto her head as she flashes him a warm smile, "Kazuto, it's good to see you. It was actually a close call, but I managed to wrap up earlier than expected."

Which he took to mean that she'd made the job take less time so as to make it to her pseudo niece and nephew's birthday.

Turning his head he sees his friends staring wide eyed at Trish, and predictably Klein has his 'smitten with the beauty' look. Probably because Trish prefers skin tight leather pants and a corset, usually also made of leather, that showed a hell of a lot of cleavage. In their modest society, while there were undoubtedly those with a similar sense of style those bold enough to actually show it off were few and far in between, and as such, Trish was damn near heart attack inducing until one got used to her. While they were now friendly, he in particular had issues getting used to Trish after Marzanna had mentioned his own pension for black and his love of his old leather coat in SAO. Trish had joked that he was 'a man after her own heart' and afterwards while he'd quickly realized that she wasn't actually flirting with him but rather that was just her personality it had taken him a bit to grow comfortable with her.

Still, while he would never full blown follow in Trish's footsteps when it came to style, the similarities in their preferences had been an odd bonding point for them, more for how quickly it had led to a closer friendship than for being something to bond over in and of itself.

The point was, he could understand his friends' near alarm at the sight of Trish, so he quickly works to sooth over the awkward staring, "Trish, I don't think you've had a chance to meet mine and Marzanna's friends?" At her wordless affirmation, he quickly goes through them, gesturing to each at their name, "This is Silica, Asuna, Lizbeth, and Argo. I don't think you've actually met my sister Suguha before, and the gaping idiot is Klein, who turns even dumber than usual around any remotely pretty lady, please ignore his inevitable bad flirting and stuttering. And Diabel was getting a ride with Agil, who appears to already be inside if his car is any indication." He glances over his shoulder again, and is relieved that other than Klein, his friends seem to have regained their composure, "Everyone, this is Trish, Marzanna's aunt."

Silica makes a surprised noise, "Aunt? But-"

Trish smiles, "We don't look anything alike? Don't be so shy about it, I'm not going to get offended. The truth is we aren't actually related, but I've known and worked with her dad for a damn long time. We're family regardless of blood."

"Oh." Silica says in quite understanding, and he knows without looking that she's blushing.

With another smile Trish gestures at the door, "Why don't we go inside. I'm sure Marzanna is eager to see you." Then she frowns a bit before sighing, "And I'm sure you are all eager for more than the bare bones explanation we gave you after the train."

There are hesitant nods, and then his friends move out of the way so Trish can reach the door, despite the fact that Kazuto was under the impression that they were closed today, the door is unlocked and there's someone inside talking to Alessio. They turn at the sound of the door opening and Alessio smiles, "Well, if that's all, then I believe the last of my granddaughter's guests have just arrived for her and her twins birthday."

The woman's eyes widen, "Oh! Is that why you were closed? I'm sorry-"

Alessio waves off the rest of her apology, "I asked my granddaughter and grandson if they were alright with it before I agreed to make your appointment today." His expression turns sheepish, "Beside, it's our fault to begin with that we had to cancel your original appointment. Family emergency or no."

She smiles, "Well, I'll get out of your hair then. I hope you're grandchildren have a lovely birthday." Her smile widens as she looks down at the case she's picking up, "And I'm sure my grandfather will love this for his birthday. Seriously, it's gorgeous, and if anyone I ever know asks about were they can find something similar I'll definitely direct them to you!"

Alessio laughs, "You're too kind miss. Have a fantastic day!"

She flashes him another smile as she heads out, "You too!"

Seeing their confusion, Alessio smiles at his friends as he explains, "We make replica weapons, both firearms and blades. Partially because making them are hobbies for me and my son, and partially as a cover for our owning weapons for our job."

Lizbeth surprises him when rather than just making sounds of understanding like the rest of their friends she actually speaks up, "While I'll admit my only experience is as a blacksmith in VRMMOs, they look like they are of wonderful quality. If all of these on display are yours you certainly do beautiful work."

Alessio's smile widens as he leads them into the house proper, "Why thank you young lady. Do you have an interest in smithing? Since you chose to do it in those vr games that is."

Lizbeth grows sheepish and embarrassed, "Actually, originally I was just too scared in SAO to actually go adventuring, but I knew I needed money to live on and having to constantly keep up to date on fair prices for the thousands of different items a regular merchant would have to keep track of didn't appeal to me. But over time I did come to love my chosen job and have since gained an interest in smithing, even in real life!"

Alessio smiles kindly at her, "Not everyone is suited for combat, especially when they actually have to put their life on the line. There's nothing to be ashamed of." He gestures, "Why, our very own Kat and Kyrie aren't much for combat themselves. Kat is more of a scout than anything, and Kyrie takes care of the household."

Seeing more than one mutinous expression among the girls, Kyrie laughs, "Please don't be offended on my behalf. I wasn't pushed into the role because of my gender or anything. I took it on willingly. Somewhat because I wanted to do my part and am no good at fighting, but also because I enjoy cooking and find a certain satisfaction in going to bed at night knowing I've taken care of my family and our house."

The mutiny disappears quickly at that, although Asuna's brow furrows, "You take care of the house all on your own?"

Kyrie smiles, "Not entirely on my own. Lily helps, though she tends to focus more on making potions for both our family and fellow Demon Hunters, as well doing magical research. And besides," She winks at them, "one of the benefits of being in charge of taking care of the house is that I get to rope people into helping pretty much whenever I feel like."

Silica dips her head to hide a smile, though everyone else grins openly. A ding catches Kyrie's attention and she rises from the couch, "If you'll excuse me, I do believe that was my timer."

As she enters the hallway she slightly raises her voice to call out, "Marzanna! The rest of your friends are here!"

They hear an indistinct shout followed by Marzanna yelling in frustration, "Yeah, well, if my dumbass brother would stop being stupid I'd already be down there!"

Diabel, who along with Agil had been in the living room chatting with Kat and Kyrie when they arrived, raises an eyebrow. He grins faintly at him, "This is absolutely the type of house where people just shout at each other from all the way across it. And loudly talk over each other at meals."

Agil snorts and Diabel grins, "No wonder she's got a hell of a voice when she's yelling at me."

"Too true that! Hell of-"

"-a pair of lungs on that one! I swear-"

"-for a minute I thought for sure she'd wake Merlin-"

"-from the grave the one time she yelled at us!*

They all lift baffled gazes towards the doorway, where a pair of red-headed twins were leaning around the doorway. His friends' eyes shift to him in question, but he just shrugs, equally in the dark as they are.

Thankfully the twins come bounding into the room and are more than happy to introduce themselves, "I'm George, this is-"

"-his twin brother Fred. Nice-"

"-to meet you! We're Mike's-"

"-friends! And you guys must be-"

"-the ever lovely Marzanna's friends!"

The back and forth talking was giving him a headache, especially since he kept having to switch his gaze back and forth as though he was watching a fast paced tennis match.

One of the twins reaches into a pocket and quickly produces a handful of brightly wrapped sweets which he holds out with a grin, "Candy?"

Silica and Klein were just beginning to eagerly shift forward when Marzanna comes into the room, "You two better not be trying to trick my friends with your prank candies."

Klein looks at her owlishly as the twins both grin at her shamelessly, "Prank candy? How can candy be a prank?"

She shakes her head in exasperation at the twins before turning to Klein, flicking her gaze to Silica on the way, "Don't ever trust anything these two give you unless the situation is serious. They're a couple pranksters. Their candies in particular are laced with joke potions that do a bunch of random stuff like momentarily turn you into a canary, or make your hair change color periodically for 24 hours, one even makes you hiss like a snake for half an hour.

"Spoilsport."

"You do realize that most of my friends are non-magical and therefore there would be problems if they ate any of your candies, especially if it was one with a longer effect period than the party? Like your hair or skin color changing candies. It'd be a hell of a problem if any of them left with green skin or periodically changing hair color. Don't call me a spoilsport Fred."

They have the decency to look sheepish. Silica gives them a look of betrayal, "How could you mess with candy?"

The two just laugh, but Asuna gives Marzanna a look, "You realize the one who called you a spoilsport was George, not Fred?"

She returns the look with one of exasperation, "Is that what they told you?"

Now Asuna turns unsure, "Yes?"

Marzanna rolls her eyes, "Flip their names in your head then, because they almost always lie about which is which and I actually can tell them apart."

"Much to our confusion,-"

"-and frustration. I mean-"

"-even our own mother can't-"

"-tell us apart. She still-"

"-falls for it every time-"

"-to when we say we are-"

"-who we aren't."

Marzanna rolls her eyes again, "Anyway, George and Fred are two of six of Mike's friends that are here for our birthday. I'm sure you'll meet the others later, if nothing else than when mom gets fed up with them holing themselves up in Mike's room and makes them come down and join the party."

Then Kat gets up and shoos the twins out, he notices Alessio stays though, even if he sits off to the side by himself keeping an eye out and offering Marzanna silent support but quiet and out of the way enough that he's swiftly forgotten by the rest. Kazuto still isn't entirely sure how a man who Marzanna has told him is six feet and five inches tall and a bit more muscular that Agil manages to fade into the background whenever he wants. He sometimes suspects it's some sort of demonic Style or just plain old magic, but he's yet to get around to asking.

Marzanna sits down next to him with a sigh. Immediately picking up on her discomfort he tosses his wandering thoughts about his Grandfather-in-law aside and wraps a comforting arm around her shoulders. She takes a moment to get comfortable, curling into his side and tucking her feet in on the couch, before turning her wary gaze onto their friends, "Well… I suppose it's time for answers then."

Argo immediately leans forward, "Well before anything else, I want to make sure what facts we do have are correct, so… The other day, the train we were on was transported to hell by a Great Demon that then attacked us. Asuna revealed that magic is real and she's one of those that can use it, and Kirito informed us that your family are actually Demon Hunters, and that he's one in training. The Demon that dragged us there seems to have something against your family, if it's talk about 'Traitorous Sparda' is any indication. The next bit of important information isn't until after we were escorted to the rift, at which point Kirito was-" There's uneasy shifting, and he knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that their friends thought they were watching him die. Argo swallow thickly, then takes a deep breath and barrels on, "Kirito was gravely injured. Rather than… dying… though, he underwent some sort of... transformation. As did you in rage over Kirito. I think that covers it?"

Agil crosses his arms, "There was also those… Obliviators? They were using magic to change people's memories."

Argo frowns, "Yes, but I think that had more to do with the government than with Marzanna and her family."

Agil nods, "Perhaps, but the Spardas seem to have some sort of permission to protect certain people from having their memories modified. All it took for them to leave us alone was for Asuna to flash that necklace Nero gave her."

His mate sighs and shifts, "We're registered Demon Hunters, which all have authorization to bring anyone we choose into the know about demons and hell and all that, and by extension into the know about magic."

Agil seems to consider that for a few moments, then nods his understanding. His mate sighs again, "Well, I suppose there isn't any point beating around the bush. My family isn't human. We're Nephilim, a half Angel half Demon hybrid. They used to be naturally occurring and share the five planes of Earth with humans, but the demons weren't happy when they proclaimed neutrality when the war between Demons and Angels broke out. Eventually they were wiped out by the demons. However, seeing as they were a naturally occurring hybrid between two species still alive, there was always a possibility of more being born, slim as it was given that by the time the Nephilim of old were wiped out, the Demons and Angels had already been warring for a few thousand years and the mutual hatred was deeply ingrained."

Argo tilts her head thoughtfully, "So, does the fact that Nephilim were born despite that have something to do with the whole 'Traitorous Sparda' thing?"

Marzanna nods, "Normally I just call Angels and Demons 'species' to indicate that they're fundamentally different from humans, but something you need to understand is that 'Demon' is a whole kingdom of its own in taxonomic(1) terms, same with Angels. Mostly because while most might fit in the Animalia kingdom, not all of them do, but both the Demons and Angels in general are too closely related to be separated into different kingdoms. Which means there are a plethora of different kinds of Demons. It's why so many cultures have so many different depictions of demons. My family are a species of Demon called Devils."

Diabel raises an eyebrow, "As in-"

She nods, "The Christian Lucifer? Yes, he's the most famous of our kind. And I'm glad you brought him up, because to fully explain my family I need to give you an abbreviated history lesson. There isn't any sort of God or anything though, or at least if there is they aren't connected to Angels and Demons the way humans think they are. Lucifer actually became famous because he was the first to unite hell under one king, not because he was some sort of anti-god, and he certainly wasn't a fallen angel. Though not strictly related to the conversation, I would like to note that the reason Hell wasn't in outright war with Heaven isn't because he was waiting for the end times as religion would dictate, but because he actually advocated for peace between the two, though he was highly aggressive in other ways. For one thing, unlike most demons he actually saw humans as a threat and thus had harsh policies in regards to them. In any case, no king of hell retains his position forever, it's inevitable that someone isn't happy with the way they run things and assassinate them, or a more powerful Demon comes along and takes the throne from them."

She sighs, "The King of Hell after Lucifer, or in this case Queen, while known in mythology was actually mistaken for a Goddess of destruction, while not exactly evil, she had a far more destructive policy than Lucifer, and was all for warring with the Angels, though unlike most since, she actually had good reason for it, as the King of Angels at the time very much wanted to conquer hell and its' denizens. With the Nephilim still firmly neutral at the time and therefore refusing to help make the King of Angels back off, she adopted highly aggressive policies. The third monarch of hell was the first to do so that wasn't a Devil. Though there was more than one that could've easily challenged him for the position, and though their policies were understandable to some extent, after the first two something of an agreement came about with the third Monarch, that it probably wasn't wise to allow Devil to rule hell, especially given that those two were far from outliers among Devils, who tend to be highly aggressive by nature. As per that agreement, the Devils helped him take the throne, and afterwards Devils took on the roles of both highly trusted advisors and the Royal Guard."

"Even after that King was assassinated, the Devils retained their position, and over time whenever the throne was up for grabs it became ingrained into demons that the one who was supported by the Devils in their bid for the throne would be the one who took the crown."

Another sigh drags itself from her, "However, as was perhaps inevitable, there came a time when the Devils' personal pick for the throne wasn't the one who managed to take the throne. Specifically, the current King, Mundus, was despised by the Devils. By the time it came down to him and Malphas, he had won over most of hell towards his bid for the throne, and eventually succeeded in having Malphas assassinated. After that, the Devils abdicated their long held positions and retreated into their own lands. While they would no longer oppose Mundus, they refused to serve him."

"However, this put Mundus in something of a… Predicament. So long as the Devils refused to recognize him as King, his rule would forever be opposed. Furthermore, if the Devils left the singular kingdom that the unified hell had become so long before, it was inevitable that his kingdom would gradually break apart into dozens of different kingdoms as it had once been. This left him with three options. Gain their support, which was never going to happen as he soon learned, prove his might by forcing them to submit, which was nearly impossible, or… eradicate them."

Argo's breath hitches, quick to catch where the history lesson is leading, and Marzanna gives her a sad smile before continuing, "Mundus soon laid siege to the Bloody Palace, the home of the Devils. Eventually only a single Devil remained alive, a young child. Mundus spared him, thinking him too young to remember, for as Mundus thought, even better than completely eradicating them would be to take the last of their kind as a trophy and raise it to be fanatically loyal."

She smiles bitterly, "Mundus was mistaken about the child's age though. You see, while not outright giants, pureblooded Devils were significantly taller than my father or even grandfather would suggest. Even the shorter males, which unlike humans tended to be smaller than their female counterparts, were never under eight feet tall. What Mundus didn't know was that the child he spared wasn't a pureblood Devil, and was therefore smaller than most Devils and older than he thought. He listened to the screams of the last of his people, those who weren't even fighters, being slaughtered, watched his own mother be murdered from where she'd hidden him. And he was not only old enough to remember, but he also understood what he'd been witness to. He despised Mundus and eventually came to hate most Demons, both for what they'd done to his people and for their brutality. That child's name was Sparda."

By now their friends all look horrified, but Marzanna ignores it and pushes on, "As he planned, Mundus raised Sparda to be his strongest soldier and enforcer. Originally Sparda only cared for vengeance against Mundus, but eventually his eyes were opened to the suffering the beings of Earth and Angels were subject to under Mundus' rule. In time he came to empathize with both, and began to secretly help them in any way he could. In time, he eventually met and fell in love with an Angel, and with her help gained the trust of her kind. Working together, Sparda and the Angels developed and deployed a powerful seal that trapped the Demons and ended their reign of terror under Mundus."

She glances at her grandfather, making sure he's OK after hearing his bloody history, then continues, "The Demons aren't entirely cut off from Earth though, and my family continues to fight them. Partially out of mutual hatred, but also because after Sparda's traitory the Demons would never leave us alone."

Silica leans forward with a concerned expression, "What happened to Sparda though? And how did it go from his given name to being the family's last name?"

She smiles at that, "Unlike humans, Demons and Angels rarely gave last names. Originally the names were So-and-so Son of Sparda, but Sparda was captured by Mundus and presumed dead, so they took the 'Son Of' out and simply claimed the name as a last name. Of course that caused some issues when Sparda was found alive and rescued, especially since my family had become famous Demon Hunters under the last name Sparda, and his name couldn't very well be 'Sparda Sparda', so-"

"-I changed my name to Alessio. Given that it means 'Defender of Mankind' and my integral part in the creation of the seal, I thought it fitting."

Barring Asuna who knows already, all of their friends gape at him, though it's Argo who finds her voice first, "Wait! Are you saying you-"

Alessio nods, "Am the Sparda from the little history lesson, yes. My son Dante was the one to originally turn my name into his last name, mostly to blend in among humans better."

Diabel's eyebrows furrow, "But Demons have been thought to be nothing but myth for a while, you don't look to be any older than 35. And that's pushing it because I know you're Marzanna's grandfather."

Alessio smiles at him, "You know Demons and Angels aren't human, so why do you assume we age the same way? I honestly forget my exact age, but I'm well over six thousand years old."

Dead silence falls over their friends as they gape at him before turning to Marzanna, who nods, before sighing again, with the usual flash of light a wooden box appears which she balances on her leg for now, "In any case, now we get to the truly important part of the discussion." That gets more than one raised eyebrow, but their friends quietly let her continue, "I've been planning to tell all of you this, and the general truth about the existence of magic, since it became clear that our friendship would outlast SAO."

Silica's eyes widen, "Really?"

Marzanna nods, but before she can continue Argo speaks up, "It's because we're all targets now, isn't it?" Seeing Silica and Klein's confusion, she sighs, "It's obvious if you think about it. That Great Demon from the train outright said it was going to enjoy killing Kirito for no other reason than the fact he's Marzanna's 'mate' as it called him. Obviously that means anyone associated with the Sparda are targets as well as the family itself."

Marzanna nods miserably, "Argo is correct. Just by being my friends targets have been painted on your backs." She drums her fingernails on the box she'd removed from her Devil Bringer, "Inside here are medallions that will hide you from Demons, and also possess an enchantment that's sort of the opposite of Grandpa's seal in that it'll prevent you from entering hell. The direct nature of the modified seal, compared to the general nature of grandpa's original seal, make it impossible for you to be pulled into Hell. They aren't perfect when it comes to hiding you though. If any Demon starts actively looking for you because they suspect you're there, they will inevitably see past the enchantments, but they will give you a great deal of protection while you're out and about, and my family is more than willing to ward your homes. Regardless of how things turn out between us from here, these protections are yours with no strings attached."

Klein gives her a weird look, "How things turn out between us?"

Marzanna purses her lips and drops her gaze, "Like I said, just being my friends puts you in danger. In light of that, I wouldn't blame any of you if you no longer wish to be associated with me any longer. However, as I said, no matter what we will give these protections."

Klein snorts, "Don't be ridiculous Marzanna. Of course we're still your friends!"

Marzanna frowns, "Klein, this isn't a decision you should just rush into. Your life will be in more danger if you remain my friend than if you cut ties with me!"

He waves his hand, "So? My life was in danger every damn day in SAO, and being friends with you 'Beaters' certainly only made that worse! I didn't abandon you or let danger or fear of it dictate my life then, I'm sure as hell not going to let it now!"

Marzanna's frown deepens, "But-"

Argo snorts, "But nothing. I'm with Klein on this one.*

Marzanna looks baffled to look around and find nothing but smiles and nods of agreement. Eventually she turns to Asuna, who raises her hands, "Don't look at me. You already told me all of this when you realized I'm a witch and know most of that stuff already. I told you months ago that I sure as hell wasn't ending our friendship just because most Demons are assholes with a grudge against your family."

Marzanna just looks stupefied, prompting a laugh from both him and Alessio, "Oh, my silly granddaughter. You've got some good friends here. Those aren't generally the type to be scared away easily. Which I believe your mate has been telling you for a while."

He smiles down at her, "I have! Told you they wouldn't abandon us."

Agil turns to him, "Speaking of you Kirito…"

Knowing the question they want answered he sums it up for them, "Ah, that. Well, apparently soulmates aren't just fiction, but a factual magical phenomenon. Marzanna and I are soulmates, and due to the disparity in our natural life spans I became half Nephilim when we became fully bonded. What you saw the other day, both from me and Marzanna, is an ability of our demonic species known as Devil Trigger. For me it was the first time, which is why Trish and Nero were so worried. Or so I've been told, I don't actually remember anything that happened after being stabbed until I changed back."

There were understanding nods all around. After a moment Marzanna clears her throat, "Well then, since everyone seems to have made up their minds, you can have these."

She opens the box and pulls the top layer holding a bunch of plain silver jewelry off, then hands it to him to put on the table next to the couch. Then she leans forward to place the box on the coffee table in the middle of the room and turns it to face most of their friends, showing them the variety of what he knows to be platinum jewelry.

Unlike the unadorned silver jewelry from before, all of these are either in the shape of a crest, or have one on it. Marzanna sweeps her gaze over their friends, "As mentioned before, these will keep you safe from demons. However, unlike those ones," She waves towards the ones he put on the side table, "That I would have given you had you decided to cut ties, these ones have my personal crest. They'll tell any magical you come across that not only are you associates under the protection of The Most Ancient and Royal House of Sparda, but my friends, and that therefore to harm you in any way isn't just a matter of honor for attacking someone under our protection, but a grave insult. That includes Obliviation, so if you're ever around when a magical incident happens, just flash those at the Obliviators and they'll leave you alone."

Argo chokes, "I'm sorry, but did you just say-"

But she gets no further before Marzanna waves her off, "A title we hold in the magical world. It just means the Sparda's have been around long enough to, qualify as magical nobility, and Royal is just a rank in that system, not actually inductive of being royal. Don't worry about it. Anyway, pick whatever you want."

As their friends make their picks, Argo asks another question, "So, was that ring Nero gave Asuna the other day one of these?"

Marzanna shakes her head, "Firstly, he loaned it to her, an important distinction, because secondly, that was his personal signet ring, which identifies him not only as a member of the house of Sparda but also distinguishes to which member of the House of Sparda he is to anyone familiar with our family's personal crests. Given that it's standard for all House rings, be they the Ward rings I'm giving you all the way up to the Head of House ring, to be enchanted against being removed except freely by the owner, Asuna having the signet ring of a member of the House of Sparda was more than enough to tell the Obliviators that you were under said members protection and that both he and the rest of the House of Sparda would be livid if they messed with your minds."

Argo stares wide eyed at her for a few moments, "... Oh."

Asuna smiles, though it's a little strained, "Indeed. Why do you think I protested taking it at first? And all but ambushed Nero when he came through the rift to return it?"

Alessio chooses then to reenter the conversation, "Then you are an honorable young woman Yuuki-san. There are far too many who would be greedy enough to eagerly accept it, try to keep it, and use it for their own gain."

Asuna blushes at the praise. Before she can respond though, a fearful squeak from Silica draws everyone's attention, then immediately shift their gazes to where she's staring. Yelps and curses erupt from the majority of the room spots what she's staring at peeking around the doorframe.

Marzanna laughs, "Oh! Don't worry! That's just Aite, she one of my familiars."

Klein looks at her with huge eyes, "That's a fucking jaguar! You own a fucking jaguar, and you tell us not to worry?!"

Marzanna laughs again, "Oh Aite is a big softy. Unless you're threatening me, the only danger she posses to you is squishing your legs when she wants you to pet her! I swear she thinks she's a lap dog. And she isn't even a dog! And also, Aite isn't a jaguar, she's a Nundu Basilisk Chimera."

Silica gives her an unsure look, "She's really friendly?"

Marzanna nods at her, "Yeah! Look," She turns to the big cat, "Come say hello Aite."

The cat hesitates a moment, then skinks into the room and pads over to Silica before butting her head into the younger girl's leg. Silica had frozen up at the approach of the dangerous cat, but she soon rallies her courage and slowly reaches out to pet the big cat behind her ears.

Aite purrs happily for a few moments, then hops up onto the couch to settle her front paws on Silica's lap. The younger girl squeals in delight at the friendly behavior, and happily continues to pet her newfound friend.

This easily draws another laugh from Marzanna, "Better your legs than mine!"

Silica gives her a betrayed look, "How can you say that?! She's adorable!"

Marzanna shakes her head, "Yeah, but your leg will be asleep in less than 15 minutes, mark my words. And I've had Aite since I was six. I've had my legs go numb enough times that I'm more than happy to let her squish someone else for a while."

Silica pouts at her, "Meanie."

Marzanna rolls her eyes then shakes her head in fond exasperation as Lizbeth hesitantly scoots closer to pet the cat. She can feel over their bond that she's incredibly happy though. Both at her friends acceptance of her, and of one of her beloved familiars.

Today was a very good day.