"Muu… I wanted to come to the party with Sona," Serafall complained as she sat at the desk, dealing with her sworn enemy, paperwork. "I wonder if there are any videos with Sona in it?"

She looked around, made sure nobody was watching her, brought up her phone and began browsing the devilnet. Four videos seemed to be making a splash in it, judging by the amount of views when compared to a release date. She began watching the first one and blinked as she recognized the Knight dancing with the Phenex girl, as she sipped a bit of a tea.

"Knighty seems to be having fun," Serafall watched as she examined the dance. "Oh, he danced with Momo, I wonder who else?"

Then came Sona's turn, while Serafall choked and began coughing violently to clear the liquid from her throat. She brought the phone closer, as she watched the Knight spin Sona around the dance floor, watching the duo's every move, until the final part, where two were just inches away from one another. She held her breath as she expected for the two to kiss in front, which thankfully didn't happen, as she took a deep breath before releasing it.

"I was worried there for a second…," She muttered. "So-tan is too young for a boyfriend! Although… Why didn't he kiss Sona? Don't tell me he is not into her!"

She began watching the other videos, where Knight danced with two other girls she recognized. However, the dance was something special, Serafall watching with rapt attention, as she tried to figure how he came up with it. Maybe she could incorporate it to her magical girl persona? Well, something to think about later, but first two other videos.

She began watching the fight between Knight and Sairaorg Bael, a small smile on her face, the do very skilled and the techniques she didn't recognize. However, this all changed when a barrier formed around the Knight, the woman pausing the video as she inspected it. She didn't recognize it, it wasn't devil's magic, that much was for certain.

However, she resumed the video, her eyes spread wide open as a vortex of magic was unleashed inside it. She watched as the devils did everything in their power to break the barrier, but failed to do so. She held her breath as she kept on watching, before… that happened. Her eyes spread wide open as she looked at Knight's death, pure undiluted shock evident in her eyes and then… the video ended. Her grip on her phone faltered, a scowl on her face. She was ready to call other Four Satans about what she saw, when she noticed there was one video left. She decided to watch it and blinked as she noticed Knight being safe and sound.

"What the…? I thought… didn't he die?" She frowned and began reading the description, her jaw falling to the ground. "Came back… from the dead?"

She watched the rest of the video, enjoying the fight between the two, before standing up. She had to talk to Ajuka, Sirzechs and Falbium, this was too important to let go. And with that, the girl stood up and made her way out of the room. At the same time, Diodora Astaroth was scowling as he sat in his room, having watched the video where Asia, his Asia dancing with the pale freak.

"That bastard…," Diodora cursed, as he considered his options.

He failed to capture Asia back in Kuoh and seeing her dance with the freak only made it worse. And the brief moment of joy he felt when he saw the boy died was swiftly taken away from him, when the boy came back from the dead. If Asia had someone like that protecting her… He couldn't afford to take on the Knight in one on one fight. Not only was the boy monstrously strong, being able to easily take on Sairaorg Bael, he was also effectively immortal. It seemed like Asia was out of his grasp, until he could take out the Knight for good, one way or another. Perhaps Chaos Brigade would do something about him themselves, which he hoped they did.

"Hello, Cao Cao, nya," Kuroka said as she came back to the man.

The man was handsome, with short black hair and blue eyes. He was wearing a combination of a Japanese school uniform and ancient Chinese attire. Around him, other members of the Hero Faction gathered. Arthur Pendragon, a bespectacled young man with blond hair, his sister, Le Fay Pendragon, Siegfried, Leonardo, George, Heracles, Connia, Perseus and Jeanne, a beautiful young woman with blonde hair and sky blue eyes.

"That took you awhile, Kuroka," Cao Cao pointed out.

"Sorry, nya, wanted to make sure I found out everything, nya," She replied.

"Thank you for the effort, but we found a potential new member to Chaos Brigade, the same one you spied on I believe," He said and showed her a phone with a video of the first fight between the Knight and Sairaorg Bael. "An immortal being that can keep up with powerful devils, quite interesting, isn't he?"

"What, nya…?" She asked and began watching the video, her eyes spreading wide open.

"It is as Cao Cao said," Georg replied. "Adding him to our ranks would only make it easier to accomplish our goals."

"He can the power of shadows as well," Connia added, quite intrigued by the ability, very similar to his.

"What about other factions, Cao Cao, won't they become interested in the boy?" Georg asked.

"Of course they will, in fact, I wouldn't be surprised as half of the supernatural world is already heading towards the boy," He replied. "Still… he is located in the devil's territory, which should help keep others at bay."

"So, the plan doesn't change, does it?" Heracles asked.

"Indeed, Heracles," Cao Cao replied. "Our time is coming close and if the boy decides to leave, we will dispatch Vali or somebody else to invite him to our group."

"At the same time, Kuroka, what can you tell us about Arthur Knight?" Jeanne asked.

"A little bit, nya. He is… similar to Ophis, nya. Stoic, quiet, nya," She replied.

"Have you seen him use any powers? Outside of the fight?" Cao Cao asked.

"I saw all he did in the fight, nya, nothing else, nya," She replied.

"I see… Very well, thank you, Kuroka, you're dismissed," Cao Cao said.

"Alright, going to take myself a nap, nya," She said and with that the girl left nya.

"Cao Cao, should I investigate Knight and his background?" Georg asked.

"Go ahead, Georg, the more we know about him, the easier it should be to bring him to our cause," He replied, as he twirled around the True Longinus, the same spear that killed the son of biblical god.

"I wonder what causes someone to come back from the dead?" Le Fay asked. "I mean, I have never heard of magic like this, Evil Pieces are similar, but not the same way."

"I wonder what is he anyway? Vessel? What's that supposed to be?" Perseus asked, while Leonardo shrugged.

"Who cares? He is strong, that all that matters," Siegfried replied.

"Indeed, his strength is formidable, it makes me wonder, what is the reason behind it?" Arthur added.

"I am afraid, we won't know, till we ask. Still, I like his sword technique," Jeanne added.

"Whatever happens, it should make it easier to ambush the three factions," Cao Cao said, a grin on his face. "We shall protect humanity!"

"Yeah!" His group chanted.

Azazel was sitting in a comfy red, a small grin on his face, as he watched the video of Knight dying and coming back from the dead. He knew the boy was interesting, but now, it all got way more interesting. He really wanted to contact him as soon as possible, but at the same time, he knew that other factions would make a move. Plus, he doubted the Knight would be interested in joining them or anyone else, as evidenced by the previous time they met.

"Hey, Mittelt, come here," The man ordered, while the girl nodded as soon as she arrived.

"Is there anything you need, Lord Azazel?" She asked.

"You remember how you and others tried to kill Arthur Knight, don't you?" He asked, while the girl nodded.

"I do, why do you ask, Lord Azazel?" She asked.

"Well, our little Knight just died," He replied, the girl's eyes spread wide open.

"He died…?" She asked.

"Yep, and came back from the dead less than an hour later," He replied, the girl's jaw dropping to the ground, while Azazel burst into laughter, the girl getting red in response. "You should have seen the look on your face, Mittelt. You're lucky you didn't make him hate fallen angels or…"

The girl gulped and shivered as she realized how terrifying an opponent who could always come back from the dead was. However, Azazel wasn't the only one watching the videos, as a certain Norse god going by the name of Odin was watching the videos himself. He looked like an elderly man with long, gray hair, a matching beard and white monocle over his left eye.

Next to him stood a beautiful young woman with long, straight silver hair and aqua-colored eyes who appeared to be in her late teens. She was wearing a suit of Valkyrie armour, which consisted of a white breastplate with gold and pale blue accents and matching fingerless gauntlets, boots, hip guards and wing-shaped hair clips.

"Damn, that boy is lucky to dance with some many beautiful girls, just look at those bodies, Rossweisse!" He exclaimed as he ogled the girls, a lewd grin on his face.

"Lord Odin, please don't ogle the girls and act as you should," Rossweisse complained.

"Party pooper," Odin said. "At least he is popular and will probably get himself a girlfriend, you Valkyrie who never had a boyfriend."

In response, the girl clenched her fists as tears appeared in the corners of her eyes, before the girl burst out into tears, before running away. Odin could only snicker, as he shook his head, the girl too sensitive when it came to that subject, as far as he was concerned. However, as that happened, a certain young woman called Yasaka with a voluptuous figure and very long blonde hair with matching eyes could only smile coyly, as she looked at the videos.

"It seems, I have found myself a new father for Kunou, who could give her a nice younger sister," She muttered, as she glanced at her child, who looked very similar to her.

"Is there something wrong, Mother?" She asked.

"No, it's fine, Kunou, I have just found something interesting," Yasaka replied.

As Ravel was watching the videos of her dance and the fight, she could feel herself smile. It was a splendid dance, a vivid one, she didn't get a good look at it, but now she could see it's beauty, even though she was a bit embarrassed by the fact it was leaked to the devilnet. Still, there was one thing that bothered her. During the party, Knight mentioned his sister, Hornet.

She didn't bring it up during the story, too surprised by it, but it made her think. What happened to her? Was she alive? Why didn't the Knight mention her during his story? She didn't know, but it was something to keep in mind. She would ask about it one day, for now, she was simply happy seeing the Knight fight Sairaorg and the dashing figure he made back then.

It had been a day since the party, the Knight slowly standing up from it's table, where it spent most of the night learning. As it stood up, it picked up a bag of sweets for Koneko and gathered it's stuff, before leaving the apartment, Asia and Koneko standing outside. It nodded towards them, while the two girls smiled at him.

"Good morning, Knight," Asia greeted.

"Good morning," Koneko said.

"… Morning," The Knight said in response and gave Koneko her sweets.

"How are you feeling, Knight?" Asia asked.

"… Decent, you?" It replied.

"Are you fine after… yesterday?" Koneko asked, while the Knight nodded.

"… I am, how about you, Koneko, Asia?" It asked.

"I am fine, Knight, we had fun… well, as much as we could yesterday, didn't we, Koneko?" Asia replied.

"We did, Asia. But, please call me Shirone, when we are alone like this, but not at school," Koneko said with a smile, while Asia beamed at her.

"Of course, Shirone!" She said in response.

"… Cute," The Knight muttered, before it could catch itself.

Asia blushed, while Koneko gave it a look. "Asia is cute…?"

"… She is," It confirmed.

"What about, Shirone, isn't she cute?" Asia intervened.

"… Koneko is cute as well, you're both cute," It replied, Koneko looking a bit better.

"I see… Thank you, Asia," Koneko said, the two getting along with each other.

"You're welcome, Shirone," Asia said with a smile.

"… So, question," It began as the two girls looked at it. "When would you like to go on a date?"

The two looked between each other in response. "Rock, Paper, Scissors, best of three?"

"Rock, Paper, Scissors," Asia confirmed and the two stopped immediately as they prepared for a glorious battle. They both held their breaths, before they unleashed their attacks. And somehow both went with rock.

"Next," Koneko said and this time both went for paper, the two looking at each other with a frown.

"Final round," Asia exclaimed and just like the previous time, they both ended up picking scissors.

"… It's a draw," The Knight pointed out.

"Double date?" Koneko suggested.

"I am fine with that, Shirone," Asia replied, the two girls relaxing before they turned towards the Knight. "We will be in your care, Knight."

"… Okay, just let me know, when you want to do it," It said and resumed the walk, the two following after it.

Just as they were walking towards it, the Knight's phone vibrated, making it frown. It snipped out the device and began reading the message, which came from Sona. 'Come to the Student Council Room as soon as you can, we need to talk, Sona.'

"Is there something wrong, Knight?" Asia asked.

"… No, I just need to go to the Student Council room immediately, as I arrive," It replied.

"Did something happen?" Koneko asked.

"… Maybe, I don't know," It replied with a shrug.

With that, the trio glanced between each other, before they resumed their walk. As soon as they arrived at the entrance, the trio bid their farewells, Asia and Koneko going to their respective classes, while the Knight headed to the room. As soon as it entered it, it could only blink at the sight inside. The entire room was filled to the brim with what seemed to be letters of all kinds of variety. Sona and others were inside as they inspected every letter and then put it in a different place, the group stopping as soon as it noticed it.

"Good morning, Knight," Sona greeted, along with the rest of the council. "Do you know what this is?"

"… Paperwork?" It guessed, while Sona smiled weakly.

"In a way, what you see is addressed to you," She replied.

"… All of it?" It asked, while the girl nodded.

"All of it. We have got marriage proposals, meeting requests, some demands and so on and so forth," She explained.

"… Why did it come here and not to my house?"

"It's because technically, you're under the devil's jurisdiction, which means I have to take care of all the things you see in front of you," She replied.

"… How many letters are there?" It asked.

"More than a thousand," Tsubaki replied. "And we are still getting more and more of them."

"… It's bothersome," The Knight replied, not expecting this kind of response. "… Do I have to reply to all of them?"

"In theory, yes," She began. "However, that's the least worrisome thing of them all. Do you remember how I mentioned demands?"

"… What about them?" It asked.

"Well, certain factions demand that you surrender yourself to them, some are ready to trade sacred gear users for you and other artifacts, just to name a few," She replied.

"… They can do that?" It asked, while Sona sighed.

"They can try, but it doesn't mean we will listen to them," Sona replied.

"… So, what do you expect me to do, President?" It asked.

"Well, as I see it, there are two things I would like you to do," She replied. "First of all, reply to all the letters by yourself. Second of all… leave Kuoh for the time being."

"What…?" Momo asked.

"… Why is that?" It asked.

"It's simple really," Sona began. "Your presence in Kuoh is dangerous for us. The odds of a hostile faction coming here unannounced are high, especially, if we consider what happened at the party."

"… Wouldn't that make them enemies of the devil faction?" It asked, while Sona nodded.

"It would, but some are willing to cross that boundary regardless," She replied. "Truth to be told, I would rather not to do that myself, but I wouldn't be surprised if someone tried to use any means necessary, even kidnapping those you care about."

"… I see," It replied. "But… wouldn't it be safer if I stayed then?"

"Not exactly, nobody knows you that well, so we should be able to keep Asia, Koneko and others safe," She replied. "However, if you stay here and hang out with them, a third party could abuse your friendship with them."

"… It's bothersome and annoying," It replied. "Are there any other options?"

"Well, the second solution would be you spending all the time with your friends, but even then, they could be caught in the crossfire," She replied. "Not to mention, they aren't as durable as you are."

"… I see," It replied, as it got lost in it's thoughts.

What Sona said was correct and true. In a way, it was safer by being alone. In fact, how many bugs died that were close to it or hung out with it. Mila, Cloth, just to name a few. Plus, they couldn't recover from wounds or death as easily as it could. In fact, Sona's plan made a lot of sense, no matter how much it didn't like it. And, it's not like it was interested in making friends with other factions, it didn't care about them in the slightest, all it did care about were it's friends.

"So, Knight, what do you say?" Sona asked.

"… How long would I be away from Kuoh?" It asked.

"It's hard to say for certain, but I believe that a few months at the bare minimum, maybe even a year, until the situation calms down," She replied.

"… I see… In that case, I accept, what about the requests?" It asked.

"You're in luck," Sona began. "I have already prepared multiple polite refusals, all you have to do is sign them."

"… All of them?" It asked.

"Well, unless you change your mind about some of them, I thought that you would decline all of them," She replied.

"… Okay, would you like me to do that now?" It asked.

"If you could, the sooner we begin, the better, there's plenty of things to go over," She replied.

"… Very well," The Knight replied, as it sat at the desk and began the tedious task of signing every single letter and then sending it back.

The rest of the Student Council began helping, as the Knight began signing the replies, while they prepared the letters. The monumental task, which took the entirety of the day. No matter how many letters it signed, it seemed like the pile never got smaller, but it continued with the task, until it finally signed the final letter.

"We're finished!" Tomoe exclaimed, as she stretched herself.

"Good work, everyone," Sona commended members of the Student Council.

"I have never done as many letters as I did today throughout my entire life," Saji admitted, looking exhausted, along with the rest of the council, Sona included.

"… Too many letters," The Knight added, feeling a bit numb from the sheer amount of things it had to sign or write or reply to.

"Well, that should help… for a week," Sona said, others looking at her in horror. "This is just first phase of the letters and there are going to be many more attempts, unless Knight leaves Kuoh."

"… I would rather fight than deal with paperwork," It added.

"I can't say, I blame you, Knight," Tsubaki said with a sigh. "Should we call it a day, President?"

"I think so, thank you for your hard work, everyone," Sona said.

"… Can I leave today?" The Knight asked, while Sona and others looked between each other.

"I guess so, I will take care of all the paperwork," Sona replied. "However, if you wish to do that, I would like to bid you farewell before that."

"Me too," Momo added.

"… Very well," It replied, while the council surrounded it.

"Take care, Knight and be careful," Sona said and hugged the vessel, who returned the hug, based on it's experience thus far.

"Take care, Knight," Momo added and hugged it as well.

"Take care, man," Saji said and the two shook hands.

"… You too, everyone," It said and one by one everyone said their farewells.

"Take care, Knight and be careful," Sona said.

"… I will," It said, nodded and left the room behind.

One thing that it spent a lot of time thinking about was whether or not Sona, Momo, Koneko and Asia would be safe. Sona and Momo were under protection of Serafall, he doubted anything would happen to them. Koneko was under Rias' protection, but Asia wasn't and from all of them, it was the most worried about the latter two, especially since it spent the most time with them. That's why, it came up with a plan.

As it was walking out from the school, it noticed the two girls waiting for it. "… Good afternoon."

"Good afternoon, Knight," Asia greeted it.

"Good afternoon," Koneko added. "What happened? You didn't come to the class."

"… I spent the entire day replying to letters sent by factions of the supernatural world," It replied, the two staring at it.

"How many letters did you get?" Asia asked.

"… I have lost count after the first one hundred times," It replied, the two staring in shock.

"That many…?" Koneko asked, not able to believe her ears.

"… That many," It confirmed. "… That's not the end either.

"What do you mean by that, Knight?" Asia asked.

"… I will tell you at my home, could you come with me?" It asked.

"Let's," Koneko agreed, while Asia nodded, the trio leaving the school behind.

"So, what is the other thing that happened?" Koneko asked, as they entered the apartment.

"… I am leaving Kuoh, for now," It replied.

"You're leaving Kuoh, but why?" Asia asked.

"… To keep you safe," It replied. "Too many would try to hurt you, when I am away and I would rather not bring trouble to the school."

"How long would you be away?" Koneko asked.

"… Hard to say, at least a couple of months, maybe half a year," It replied.

"That long…?" Asia muttered. "Is there really no other option?"

"… Staying here will bring more trouble to you, I don't want that," It replied.

"What if we were fine with the risk?" Koneko asked, while the Knight shook it's head.

"… I still wouldn't have stayed. Don't want to lose anyone I care about because of me," It replied, while the trio lapsed into silence. "... I'm sorry, but I won't be able to go on a date with you."

"It's fine, Knight," Asia said, even though it wasn't as fine as she thought it would be.

"It's… okay," Koneko added.

"… But, before I leave, I would like to give you something," It said.

"Give us something?" Asia asked, while the Knight nodded.

"… Can you show me your hand, Shirone?" The Knight asked.

"Okay…?" She replied and presented her right hand to the Knight, who gently grasped it, before lifting his other one above it. "What are you doing?"

"… Giving you a bit of protection, is that alright with you?" It asked, while the girl nodded. Then it focused on the Void within, a single drop of Void coming from it's index fingers, before it fell on Koneko's palm.

The drop then moved around the hand of the girl, before it appeared on her wrist. And before the girl could understand what was going on, the Void dug into her skin, making her yelp, while Asia immediately stood up, the Knight watching as the Void turned into a tattoo on Koneko's wrist, the pain slowly subsiding.

"What did you do, Knight?" Asia asked.

"… It's a gift, won't hurt Shirone, protect her and you," It explained.

"How so?" Koneko asked, while the Knight turned towards her.

"… I will show you, please stand in the middle of the room," It said, while the girl did as told. "… I am going to pretend to hit you, aim your tattoo at me."

"Like this?" Koneko asked and did as told, while Knight nodded.

"… Exactly, now watch," It sent a punch towards the wrist and just as it expected, the signal from the Void was sent towards it.

The tattoo was basically a Void conduct, which allowed it to transfer Void through it, see through it, react through it, mold things through it. However, it's main function was to make a shield from the very Void itself. The Shield sprang into existence as soon as it fist got closer, blocking the fist with a shield made out of Void, which released a few droplets, which then disappeared into the ground, the shield holding.

"What was that?" Koneko asked.

"… It's the power of the Void," It replied.

"Is that… a blessing?" Asia guessed, while the Knight shrugged in response.

"… More or less," The Knight replied. "Your turn, Asia."

"Umm… Okay," She said and walked up next to Koneko. "Will it hurt?"

"… A bit," It replied.

The Void was hostile to all things that it didn't like, which meant basically all but itself. However, with the power of the Voidheart it could shape it, change it, mold it to it's will. It was a process similar to establishing a dream agate, but unlike the dreamgate, it could do much more than just teleport it to one place. At least, it had the dreamgate set already to it's apartment, so it could always come back, the mark invisible to prying eyes.

"… Stand still," The Knight muttered as a drop of the Void landed on Asia's hand and repeated the process, the tattoo forming on her wrist.

She grit her teeth, but withstood the pain. "It hurt…"

"… Sorry about that," It replied. "Try to keep it hidden, if you could."

"We will," Asia promised, Koneko along with her.

"That's it, isn't it?" Koneko muttered, her heart growing heavy suddenly.

"… It is, I am going to pack myself up and leave," It replied. "I didn't expect things to turn out like this."

"It's not your fault," Asia protested.

"… It is though, if I hadn't shown my powers I wouldn't have to leave," It said in response, while Asia opened her mouth and then closed it.

"Knight, can you… kneel?" Koneko asked, while the boy nodded, getting them on the similar level. "I want you… to promise me, no, to promise us, that you will come back."

"… I promise," It said, not a hint of hesitation evident in its voice.

"It's a promise," Koneko muttered and gave a big tight hug, the Knight returning it, tears gathering in her eyes. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't cry."

"… It's natural to cry, isn't it?" It asked as it wiped a single tear with it's sleeve.

"Be careful, Knight," Asia said and gave it a hug just as tight as Koneko, the girl crying openly.

"… Why do you cry?" It asked.

"You mean us?" Asia asked, as she wiped her tears.

"… Yes," It replied.

"We cry… when it hurts," Koneko replied.

"… It's not the pain that causes it, is it?" It asked, while the two shook their heads.

"No, it's when there's nothing wrong, but we cry anyway," Asia replied. "You understand it, don't you, Knight?"

"… I don't," It admitted and stood up. "… I have never cried, don't think I can, you? You can cry."

"Why can't you cry…?" Koneko asked.

The Knight looked at her, shook its head and said, "… I don't know."

"Should we… leave?" Asia asked, while the Knight nodded.

"… It's safer that way," It replied, while the two girls glanced between each other. Then, they walked up to it and gave in one big hug.

"Be safe, Knight," They said and slowly let go, while the Knight nodded.

"… I will," It said and led them to the exit. "… Be careful, both of you."

"We will," They said and with that, the Knight was left for itself, as it watched the now empty apartment, feeling like there was something missing and yet… it couldn't tell what.

Well, here you go, the final gift of this shitty year. I got brain cancer after I found out about 'chosen heavenly breasts' that Issei will need to save the world. I really want to strangle the author because of how much he wasted the potential of the franchise.