"So, Sirzechs, how strong do you think Knight is?" Ajuka asked, the group sitting in a little lounge by themselves.
"Ultimate class devil," He replied without hesitation, Grayfia standing right behind him.
"Are you sure about that, Sirzechs?" Falbium asked.
"Quite, I held back, but nowhere near as much as you would think," He replied.
"So, how much power did you use?" Serafall asked.
"Fifty percent, give or take, best part? The boy held back as well," He replied, Ajuka blinking in response.
"He… held back? Are you sure about that?" He asked.
"Positive, at first I didn't notice, but the more we fought, the more I saw. And that last attack… if he had access to technique like that, what else is he capable of?" He replied.
"Well, he can revert Evil Pieces, so maybe he can use magic as well or something similar?" Serafall suggested.
"That's not a bad assumption to make, Serafall," Ajuka admitted. "What was that black liquid like thing anyway?"
"You don't know, Ajuka?" Sirzechs asked his friend, who was one of the smartest devils in the Underworld.
"I am afraid not, it looks like black blood, but notice how it left nothing behind, not even a single drop, a stain on the arena," He replied. "Frankly put, I have never heard of anything like that."
"Should we question both Rias Gremory and Sona Sitri?" Falbium suggested.
"It is an option, but I think it's best we leave it be, at least for now," Sirzechs replied.
"I agree, instead, it's better if we research Knight ourselves," Ajuka agreed. "Still… just what is a vessel?"
"Aren't vessels meant to contain something?" Falbium suggested.
"That's a good point," Sirzechs admitted. "But… what is he supposed to contain? That black liquid?"
"Maybe something else," Ajuka said, everyone turning towards him. "We don't know what Knight is, maybe his biology was altered to contain something? We don't know anything at this point."
"Perhaps… but that brings another question, does he house something inside him as we speak?" Falbium suggested.
"That's… a really good question," Ajuka replied, as he got lost in the thoughts himself. "What if it was released during your fight, Sirzechs?"
"… I doubt it," Sirzechs replied. "If it truly was as you speak, he would have avoided combat wouldn't he? I mean, let's assume he houses something like a dragon king inside him. If that dragon king was evil and there was a chance it could attack those around it, would it really accept the fight?"
"So, what you're saying is…," Serafall began.
"Is that he doesn't have something inside him or whatever it is that will not cause any damage," Ajuka finished. "Actually, do we know how many of these 'vessels' are there in the world?"
"No clue," Sirzechs admitted. "For all we know, there could be more of them, maybe some contain something, others do not."
"What if… he is not a 'proper' vessel," Falbium suggested.
"What do you mean by that Falbium?" Serafall asked, confused by the wording.
"If we assume, there are multiple vessels. Who says he is the first or the only one, a successful one on top of that?" He explained.
"I see…," Ajuka said and closed his eyes for a moment. "That is a valid point. However, that brings a good question, where are other vessels?"
"He can shapeshift, can't he?" Sirzechs pointed out. "Maybe others are hiding as well?"
"That's possible. However, since Knight is the only vessel we know of, it's hard to say for certain. Still, let's break down what we know about the 'vessels'," Ajuka replied. "They look like humans, perhaps with pale expressions, similar to vampires judging by Knight, hard to say about hair and eye colour."
"They can shapeshift and release black liquid like substance when hit instead of blood," Falbium added.
"There is no magic that you can sense, unless you actively try to feel it, when they use it," Serafall added.
"They are very devoid of emotions, or least dulled, though that could be restricted to Knight only," Sirzechs added as well. "Perfect infiltrators in a sense. They will ignore defensive wards and besides there aren't any obvious marks we can rely on, nothing."
"That's worrisome, although the easiest thing to test would be a bit of blood coming out of their bodies," Ajuka said. "I will search the archives for creatures with such properties, but I doubt I will find anything."
"Then, that's settled, let us come back tomorrow, so we can finalize the deal about strays being reverted to their former races," Sirzechs agreed.
"So, all we have to do is get a peace treaty between the three factions, don't we? Not even the most corrupt nobles of the Underworld will dare to harm Knight if that becomes a thing," Ajuka said.
"I agree," Sirzechs said.
However, deep inside his mind, Sirzechs was already thinking of a way to convert Knight into a devil or at least find a way to blackmail him. Having someone that powerful joining their ranks would only bolster the power of devils. Maybe, even get Rias a vessel that would love to become a devil. And if not, well, not the first time the Four Satans waged war against someone, was it?
After saying goodbye to everyone in the Council, both he and Koneko were walking towards it's house, the day already over. It had a few questions for the young girl and she had some for it as well.
"… Where does Rias live?" The Knight asked.
"There is a mansion not far off from the city, why do you ask?" Koneko replied.
"… Just curious," It replied, while Koneko's eyes narrowed.
"You're planning something, aren't you?" Koneko asked, while Knight glanced towards her.
"… What makes you say that, Shirone?" It asked.
"You wouldn't have asked, if you weren't interested, Knight," She replied, while the Knight blinked it's eyes. Was it really that obvious? Guess so.
"… I am planning something," It admitted.
"What exactly?" Koneko asked.
"… I want to read Sirzechs memories, involving you," It replied, while Koneko's eyes spread wide open.
"Don't do that," She ordered.
"But…," It began.
"If you do that, it won't help, it will only make things worse," She explained.
"… Don't you want to know the truth?" It asked, while the girl bit his lip.
"… I do," She admitted. "But not like this. Not if it is dangerous for you."
"… I see," The Knight replied as it got lost in it's thoughts. "… It shouldn't be dangerous, want to make it silent."
"It's still too risky," She said in response. "But…"
"… But?" The Knight inquired.
"We could ask Akeno, Kiba and Gasper," She replied.
"… Gasper? Who is that?" The Knight inquired.
"He is a member of Rias' peerage, a dhampir, but for the time being he doesn't come out," She replied.
"… Why not?" The Knight asked.
"He can't control his powers, which resulted in him being sealed, until Rias is ready, he mustn't come out," She explained.
"… Do you know anything about his past?" The Knight asked.
"It's similar to mine, a bit. He lost his mother, tried to escape, was almost killed by Vampire Hunters and Rias saved him," She replied.
"… What about Akeno and Kiba?" The Knight inquired.
"Both were saved by Rias, while being at the brink of death," She explained. "… It's too similar to be a coincidence."
"… Four times, huh?" The Knight muttered.
"If you really want to know more, you have to convince Kiba or Akeno first, I advise you start with Kiba, Akeno is too loyal to Rias," She said.
"… I understand," The Knight replied.
"By the way…," Koneko began, fidgeting a bit. "Why… did you ask to be able to reverse the Evil Pieces of everyone in the room?"
"… I wanted to give you and everybody else a chance. If what you say is true, you, Kiba, Akeno and Gasper could have suffered from injustice brought by the Devil kind. Nobody deserves to be forced into servitude, especially once that was arranged," It explained.
"I see…," Koneko muttered, as she tried to think how she felt as a devil.
On one hand, it was thanks to her being a part of Rias peerage that she was saved, but if she reverted back to being a nekomata, that could bring a problem. She was saved on the condition that she would join Rias' peerage, if that arrangement were broken, wouldn't she be labeled a criminal? What about the likes of Kiba? Of Akeno? Still… just how did this all happen?
"I… want to revert to nekomata, but…," Koneko began.
"… But?" It inquired.
"I don't want to do that just yet, I want to know the truth and I am worried that I could be hunted again due to the arrangement that was made between me and Rias," She explained.
"… What does this arrangement entail?" It inquired.
"I was spared on the account of becoming part of Rias' peerage. However, I am not sure if I will be safe if that changes," She replied.
"… I understand, so you want to know for certain, don't you?" It asked, while Koneko nodded. "I see… I won't do anything to Sirzechs, but I will talk to Kiba if I get a chance."
"That's all I am asking for," She replied with a tiny smile. After that, the duo made their way to the Knight's house, the two teenagers saying their goodbyes.
In the meantime, Kuroka made herself comfortable, as she sat in front of the house thinking about what she saw in a single day. So many things happened, so many possibilities were opened, her sister, evil pieces, just to name a few. However, in order to make those dreams come true, she had to make contact with Arthur Knight, cutely named Knight, like a knight in shining armour.
She wasn't sure what was the best approach, but seeing how he fed her last time, it seemed like a pretty good start. From there on, she could reveal herself and seduce her way into his good graces, couldn't she? But… There was one problem, Ophis. She didn't want to reveal herself to the mighty dragon. However, if she was correct, Ophis came around this time, didn't she? She began waiting, her eyes locked on the door, but despite an hour passing, nothing changed, Ophis hadn't come today, perhaps she was busy? In that case, she would use this opportunity herself. She walked up to the door and began meowing loudly, as she scratched the door. Footsteps followed and lo and behold, the boy was there.
"… You again?" It asked. "… Are you hungry?"
"Meow!" Kuroka confirmed and quickly ran inside, the boy watching as she did so.
"… Alright, I still have some cat food left," It said and walked up to one of the cupboards.
Kuroka used that moment to make herself comfortable on the couch, before she turned into her nekomata form. She presented herself in the most erotic way she could muster, leaving little to imagination, not that it was hard to do so, her attire was very revealing as it was, her lack of bra and panties notwithstanding. The Knight looked at her, stared for a moment, before it looked back at the can of cat food in its hands.
"… Do you still like cat food?" It asked, the same dull expression on its face.
"Well… I won't say no to it, but I think it can wait, nya," She said and smiled at the Knight.
"… Okay," The Knight said and put the food away. "… Why not cat form?"
"So, you figured this one out, didn't you, nya? This is my proper form, what do you think, nya?" She asked and stood up, taking controlled steps towards it, until she came just a few feet away away from it.
"… I liked you more as a cat," It replied, while Kuroka almost fell over from the sheer bluntness of it.
"That's… not what I expected to hear, nya," She admitted. "So, Knight, would you be interested in a certain proposal of mine, nya?"
"… What proposal?" It asked.
"I would like to have children with you, what do you think, nya?" And to illustrate the point, she wrapped her hands around his neck.
"… Not interested," It said, while Kuroka just blinked.
"I… I am sorry, but what did you just say, nya?" She asked, quite certain she just misheard.
"… I am not interested in that," The Knight repeated itself, while the girl let go and took a step back.
"… Why not, nya?" She asked.
"… Don't know you well, Kuroka," It replied, the girl's eyes narrowed. It promised not to say others, but Kuruka was a bit of an exception, being Shirone's sibling and what not.
"… How do you know my name, nya?" She hissed.
"… Koneko, or rather Shirone, she's your sister, isn't she?" It replied.
"… Did she tell you herself, nya?" She demanded the answer.
"… I saw it in her memories, when you protected her from a devil that tried to harm her," It explained.
"… In her memories, nya?" She inquired. "How much do you know anyway, nya?"
"… A lot, Shirone was almost executed by devils after you tried to protect her, she was saved by Sirzechs Lucifer, who in turn gave her to Rias peerage," It replied. "… She asked me to show her those memories, she wanted to know what really happened."
"… So that's what happened…, nya," She muttered, sighed, before sitting at the bed, as she put her head in her hands. "… Why are you telling me this, nya?"
"… It seemed like a proper thing to do," It replied, while Kuroka chuckled weakly.
"… A proper thing to do, nya?" She asked. "… It's funny, isn't it, nya? I tried to protect my sister from being hurt and I ended up hurting her myself… Funny, isn't it, nya?"
At that moment, she began laughing weakly, before it turned into sobbing. The Knight looked at the girl as the tears began falling from her face, not sure what to say. "…"
"I-I didn't mean to hurt her, I wanted to save her, but the devils… they came and…, nya...," She tried speaking.
The Knight knew that standing like this and doing nothing would not help, so taking a cue again from human interactions, it sat next to her, before it gently patted her on her head, the girl staring right at it. "… It wasn't your fault, you tried, if not, Shirone would have been hurt by the devil."
"… Why…? Why do you care, nya?" She asked, not able to understand why would the boy care about her.
"… Because you didn't deserve it, neither did Shirone. You were both falsely accused by the devils, not your fault," It explained, while the girl blinked, tears staining her beautiful face.
"… You're too nice, I am a wanted devil, a stray one, are you not afraid, nya?" She asked.
"… No, I am not," It replied and turned towards her. "… I don't think… you're a bad cat."
"… That's…," She began, the compliment better than most looks she received on a regular basis. "Thank you…, nya."
She smiled, while the Knight nodded. "… You're welcome."
"Now you ruined the moment, how am I supposed to seduce you in this sappy atmosphere, nya?" She complained.
"… Don't know," It replied, while Kuroka giggled and leaned back into the bed.
"You're an odd one. No lust, no interest, caring about me, not afraid of me, nya. Are you real or am I dreaming, nya?" She asked.
"… Not a dream, want me to pinch you?" It asked and titled it's head, while Kuroka giggled.
"No, I am fine, but I appreciate the thought, nya," She replied. "… So, you get along with Shirone, nya?"
"… I do, she is a friend," It replied. "… Would you like to meet your sister?"
"I… would love to, but she probably hates me after all that happened, nya," She admitted, while the Knight shook its head.
"… She doesn't, she knows what happened," It replied.
"How so, nya?" She asked.
"… I read her memories, her real memories, she remembers now," It replied.
"She… does, nya?" Kuroka asked, not able to believe her ears, both sets of them. "That's… I'm not sure what to say, nya."
"… Then don't say anything," It replied, while Kuroka snorted.
"Talk about encouraging, nya," She said and shook her head. "… So, you can arrange a meeting with my sister, nya?"
"… I can, would you like me to?" It asked, while Kuroka nodded. "… Then I will bring her tomorrow, after school, if you promise to behave and not do anything rash."
"I promise for the sexy body of mine, nya!" She promised.
"… Okay then, then it's settled," The Knight said.
"Thank you, really, nya," She admitted. "Say… may I ask a question, nya?"
"… Depends on the question," It replied.
"You can revert Evil Pieces, can't you, nya?" She asked, while the Knight nodded. "Can you… do that for me, nya? I know we just met and all, but, nya…"
"… I would like to, but...," It began.
"But, nya?" She inquired.
"… I intend to sign a deal with Four Satans that would prohibit me from doing so for about a year, I would rather not make anything rash just before it," It replied.
"… Are you really going to listen to them, nya?" She asked and frowned.
"… Listen to who?" It asked and titled it's head to the side.
"To the devils after all they did, nya?" She asked, while the Knight blinked it's eyes.
"… What do you mean by that?" It asked.
"Tell me, how long do you think the Evil Pieces have been active, nya?" She asked.
"… One hundred years?" It guessed, it wasn't sure.
"Over four hundred years, nya. They probably told you it was due to a war and then wanted to make sure their species doesn't die out, nya?" She guessed, while the Knight nodded. "So, why didn't they stop after a certain amount of time, nya? Why did they establish rating games in the first place, nya?"
"… I… don't know," It admitted.
"The devils… they ruined many lives, hundreds, no thousands of them through all this time, nya," She began. "Many innocents were turned into devils for their sacred gears or powers, nya. And they never stopped making them, nya. How many people will become devils against their will, how many times will history repeat itself, nya?"
"… That's… a good question," It admitted. It didn't think of that, while Kuroka sighed.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to lash out like this, nya, but… the devils… they are not innocent, they caused so much harm and they won't stop, not unless evil pieces stop existing, nya," She explained.
"… You're not wrong," The Knight replied. "… There are devils like that, many of them, but not all of them are like this."
"… You met Gremory and Sitri Heiresses, didn't you, nya?" She asked, while the Knight nodded. "That's what I thought, nya. As far as I know, they are not flawless either, Gremory in particular has got a history of getting all her peerage members at the brink of death, including Shirone, nya. Sitri seems to be one of the few exceptions, but I still wouldn't trust them, nya."
"… I see. Rias' peerage is like that," The Knight confirmed.
"I am not going to force you or anything, but… please think about it, nya," She pleaded, while the Knight nodded.
What Kuroka just said was a valid point, the devils… they caused a lot of harm didn't they? Why should it help them? In fact, why should it work with them? Sure, there could be a civil war in response, but it would be deserved all things considered. And being hunted down? It didn't matter, it would come back from the dead, as it always did. Money? It didn't need to eat, breathe and such. All that mattered were the lives of the beings it cared about, Asia, Shirone, Momo and Ophis.
"… It's hard to refuse," It began, while Kuroka looked at it. "… I do not want my friends to be hurt because of me, not Shirone, not anyone else."
"I can understand that, nya…," She replied and got lost in the thoughts.
The Knight began thinking, how powerful were Four Satans anyway? The rest of the Underworld? It held back during its fight with Lucifer, but so did the devil. Compared to Radiance or Grimm? He was pretty sure, both would kick his ass, Radiance in particular. Pure Vessel was able to contain Radiance for a very long time and it's untarnished form would make Sirzechs afraid. However, this all paled in comparison to the power of the Void. When it unleashed the full power of it, Radiance was annihilated, not consumed, but torn to shreds, nothing left of her. In fact, it was afraid of using that power again, of it being too much to control, even for it, even for the Void Heart.
However, wasn't it what it did before? It could have simply stopped the infection by killing the dreamers and absorbing them, but instead, it fought Hornet, it acquired King's Mark and then… it challenged Radiance at the Peak of the Pantheon of Hallownest. It was harder, much harder, but it made its choice and it would do it again. It decided it wouldn't be idle before, but now, it decided to take the matters into its own hands. It would protect it's friends, no matter what. If Sirzechs or one of the other Four Satans tried to harm them? Well, it would let the Void do the work.
"… For now, it's best you stay here," It said, while Kuroka blinked.
"Why though, nya?" She asked.
"… Seems appropriate, or would you rather not?" It replied.
"No, thank you for letting me stay here, nya," She replied and smiled sultry. "Although, I hope you realize that we will be sharing a bed, nya."
"… We won't," It replied and gestured to the bed. "… You will sleep alone in it."
"What about you, nya?" She asked and tilted her head to the side.
"… Don't need it," It replied.
"You sleep on the floor, nya?" She guessed.
"… No, I don't sleep, at all," It replied, while the girl blinked her eyes.
"What do you mean by that, nya?" She asked, not sure if she understood well.
"… I don't need to eat, sleep, drink, nothing," It replied, while the girl just stared at it.
"How's that possible, nya?" She asked.
"… Won't tell," It replied, while Kuroka's stomach rumbled. "… Hungry?"
"Quite, nya," She replied with a hint of a blush, while the Knight nodded, before it began gathering what food it had left in the fridge and cupboards. It then began putting it all on the table, while the girl stood up. "Let me help you out, nya."
"… If you want," It replied, while Kuroka nodded.
"It's the least I can do, nya," She replied and began helping, humming softly as she did so. "Why do you even have food here if you don't need to eat, nya?"
"… For others, for my friends," It replied, while Kuroka nodded.
"You're a nice guy, nya," She said with a giggle.
"… I suppose," It replied. It only took a moment, before everything was set and Kuroka sat down in front of the table. "… Enjoy yourself."
"Thank you, nya," She said with a smile and began eating.
The Knight's lips curled slightly upward as it thought of a potential meeting of the two. Whatever may come, it would make it happen, for their sake, just as it battled all the Pantheons for Hornet and those it cared about in Hallownest. It cared about Koneko, Asia, Momo and Ophis, it wanted the best for them, even if it meant waging a war against the entire Underworld. Funny thing was, it wouldn't be different from how it was in the Hallownest, after all, it was just it against an entire city full of walking corpses controlled by Radiance to kill it for the most part. It seemed like some things didn't change after all.
Yeah, about the writer block... I will be busy, definitely, real life issues. But I still have got some time left, so here you go.