FairyFiction21 - Thank you so much! I'll try my best to keep it up.

7

The Mage's Association. The elite underground organization that monitored and governed the world of magic from the shadows. Kyoka remembered her days of studying at the London clock tower, the base of the Mage's Association. Back when everything was about studying as much as she could possibly learn, soaking up every book she could get her hands on and filling Archive with more and more information. Kyoka wished she could go back to those days, the days before she realized just how corrupt the Association really was.

"I can't believe we have to deal with the Mage's Association now," said Genta.

The Devil army wasn't anything that any of them worried about, but the bombshell of knowing that they had to deal with the Association weighed heavy on everyone's hearts…well, everyone except for Shiro of course.

She was always good at compartmentalizing, but it finally set on her that their leader wasn't really their leader anymore. Know that his memories were gone, he was a completely different person. He was more relaxed and calm, more playful and witty. As much as Kyoka hated it, she liked him more this way then when he did have his memories. And that thought made her hate herself even more.

"You guys aren't serious, right?" asked Shiro. "An entire organization that monitors magic? I know there's Angels and Devils, but this just seems…"

"Trust me," said Houki. "It's true."

"But that woman," said Jushiro, eating his fourth plate of pancakes. "You don't think he's talking about Lavinia, is he?"

"La…Who?" asked Shiro.

Kyoka activated Archive, pulling up an image of a beautiful, young blonde woman with dazzling blue eyes.

"Lavinia Reni," said Kyoka. "She's an S-Class mage with an affinity for ice. Skilled at all forms of magic, and extremely dangerous."

"She's kind of pretty," said Shiro.

"Yeah, and she knows it too," said Houki. "She can easily manipulate men, and it doesn't help that she has a charm spell that can pretty much make any man swoon and sing like a canary."

"So we know her?" asked Shiro.

"I guess you can say that," said Ryusei.

"She's the one who trained Kyoka-Chan and I," said Houki. "She's like our sister."

"Isn't that good news?" asked Shiro.

"Five years ago," said Houki. "Lavinia defected from the Mage's Association and went into hiding, she supposedly stole some important documents. There have been sightings over the years of a witch going from town to town, but nothing concrete enough for the Church or the Mage's Association to take action."

"But if Trishula reacted that way," said Ryusei. "It has to be her."

"What are we supposed to do now?" asked Shiro.

"Well it's obvious, isn't it?" asked Dulio. "We need to speak to this Lavinia and get her to restore Toshiro's memory."

"What the hell are you doing here anyway?" asked Ryusei. "Why is Heaven helping us?"

"Not all of Heaven," said Dulio. "But the Archangels don't want this Prophecy to come true, and I'm under orders to secretly help you. But seeing as I stepped in the middle of a Mexican stand-off between you and the Devils, I wasn't left with much option."

"Restoring Toshiro's memories isn't gonna help us in the long run," said Houki. "We need to officially form some kind of alliance or truce with the Devils."

"I'll look for Lavinia," said Kyoka. "Houki you're the only reasonable person in this warehouse right now. If anyone's gonna broker a truce with the Devils, it's you."

"Hey!" cried Ryusei.

"Oh don't give me that," said Kyoka. "You know it's true."

Ryusei blushed and stood down, with Shiro and Jushiro laughing behind his back.

"Are you sure about this?" asked Houki, her eyes filld with worry. "I can't let you do this by yourself."

"She won't be," said Ryusei. "I'll go with her."

"Ryusei…" said Kyoka.

"No arguing," said Ryusei. "I'm going with you."

Kyoka smiled. She forget sometimes that Ryusei is mature and not just sulky archer.

"That leaves the rest of us with the arguably harder task of talking with the Devils," said Houki. "I'll go visit Rias Gremory in the morning, maybe she can get us an audience with Sirzechs."

"Meeting the Devil King of the Underworld…" said Jushiro, swallowing his last bite. "This is gonna be fun."

Kyoka deactivated Archive and sighed. "I'm gonna go check on Xenovia and Irina, they should be waking up soon."

The thoughts running through her head as she sat by the girl's side, changing their towels. After all of these years, she'd get to see Lavinia again. Suddenly she was a scared little girl who had just her parents again.

"Hey," said Shiro, sitting down besides her. "Wanna talk?"

"About what?" Kyoka dipped the towel in a bowl of water and rinsed out the excess.

"I don't know too much about you or your past," said Shiro. "But I know when someone's hurting on the inside and are too stubborn to let it out."

Kyoka flinched. How can he not have his memories, and still have remnants of his old self in him?

"It was a long time ago Shiro," said Kyoka.

"I know, and you don't have to talk about it if you're not ready," said Shiro. "I was scared too you know. I was all alone, with no idea who or what I was. But the kindness of two strangers helped me realize that I was going to be okay. I may not remember you Kyoka, but I know you're my friend. I won't let you just suffer in silence."

Kyoka smiled in relief. A part of her was worried that the captain she had admired, the captain that saved her when she was persecuted for Lavinia's crimes, was gone. But he was still him.

"I was nine," said Kyoka. "My parents were regular old humans, no affiliation to any faction or even had magic in their systems. But somehow I was born with a Sacred Gear, Lost Archive. One night, we were attacked by something…someone with black wings."

"A Fallen Angel?" asked Shiro.

"Yeah," said Kyoka. "But I never found out who it was. Lavinia was sent to investigate the incident, and she found me crying next to my parent's bodies. She took me in, convinced the Mage's Association that I can be of use, and gave me a home. That's where I met Houki."

Shiro smiled. "I see."

"We trained with Lavinia, even if she was only a few years older than us," said Kyoka. "She was like our sister, always looking after us. And then out of nowhere, she went rogue and stole some important documents from the heads of the Association. I was pinned for it by mere coincidence…"

"And that's when I found you," said Shiro.

Kyoka smiled. "I thought I was gonna die, but you rescued me and even took Houki with us. That's a debt I can never repay you Shiro, no matter what it is that I do."

"Stop it," said Shiro. "I don't wanna hear any talk of a debt that can never repaid. I'm sure that when I saved you, it was because I was worried and didn't want you to die. I would have wanted you to live for your own sake, not for someone else's."

"Yeah, maybe," said Kyoka.

"I forgot…how cheesy you were," Xenovia coughed.

"Xenovia!" cried Kyoka. "Guys, they're awake!"

Xenovia slowly got up. "My head hurts…"

Kyoka smiled. "I'm glad that's the only thing."

"What happened?" asked Irina.

"We…We were attacked," said Xenovia. "By that freak in the mask."

Houki walked over with a smile. "I'm glad you guys are awake, but this is important. You two have to decide here and now what it is you want to do. Will you go back to the Church? Or will you come with us."

"You guys really didn't do it…did you," asked Xenovia.

"No, we were framed," said Houki. "I'd understand if believing us proves to be difficult, but we've all chosen our path. Now it's time you choose yours."

"Not the way I would've phrased it," said Kyoka. "But Houki's right you two. If you wanna forget this happened, go back to the Church and tell them you couldn't find us. But if you choose to side with us, it's gonna be us against the world…and whatever happens we'll have each other's backs."

Irina smiled and took Xenovia's hand. "You know what we need to do Xenovia. It just isn't right."

"We'd be turning our backs on our faith," said Xenovia. "Everything we've believed in since we were children. Are you sure about this Irina?"

Irina nodded. It was a reluctant one, but one filled with determination.

"Then I guess we have our answer," said Xenovia. "It's good to see you guys again…all of you."

Toshiro sat on the catwalk above the warehouse, looking over the ground. He took a sip of his orange juice as he watched Ryusei, Genta, Jushiro, and Dulio play cards and laughed. He wanted to go down there and join, but he's never felt so out of place in his life. Not to mention that they all share memories…memories that he didn't have.

Houki and Dulio explained to him what this Prophecy was. An ancient warning about the revival of the Devil, Lucifer Morningstar himself. Apparently the Devil was sealed in a prison sealed with 666 seals, the first of which had already been broken when Issei was killed and Reincarnated as a Devil and awoke his Sacred Gear.

Toshiro always thought that all he had to do was find his memories and clear his name and that his life would go back to what it was before, a glimpse of normalcy that he never knew before. But now…

"Is there a reason why you're snooping up here like some kind of bat?" asked Houki, levitating up and sitting down besides him.

Houki…was not at all what Toshiro had thought she'd be. He had thought that Kyoka was the most mature of them, but Houki blew all of them out the block. She was so sophisticated, refined, and just a little bit crazy. And not to mention she beautiful. Her teal colored hair was tied back into a ponytail, a more casual look than how she appeared before the Devil army. She wore a loose white T-shirt with a pair of leggings.

"What's on your mind Captain?" asked Houki.

"D-Do you guys always call me Captain?" asked Toshiro.

"Well you are the Captain of an entire Inquisition Squad," said Houki. "What's the problem Toshiro?"

"It just…doesn't feel right," said Toshiro. "You're all here, but it doesn't feel like I belong here. I'm not the person you guys think I am, I'm not your Captain. I don't even know who I am."

"Then don't be," said Houki. "You're not obligated to be any of those things. Just be you, whoever you think you are."

"What if I don't know who that is?" asked Toshiro.

"Then you find out," said Houki. "Don't rush it Toshiro, it'll come to you. You're not alone in this."

Toshiro smiled. "You know I never knew you could be so casual and friendly. From what I saw, you're pretty scary."

Houki frowned. "Is that so…I've been told I'm not very friendly around new people I meet. I'm sorry."

"N-No, don't apologize," said Toshiro. "I was just surprised that's all. I like it."

"But don't worry too much about fitting in," said Houki. "The best thing about this rag tag bunch is that we're basically a defective group of character flaws. Everyone of us is different, with different backgrounds and personalities."

"Really?" asked Toshiro.

"Well let's see," said Houki, smiling as she looked onto the boys below. "We have ourselves a marksman, renowned for his accuracy and distance shooting, who also has massive mommy issues. We have a swordsman who has a spell used for short and long range teleportation that's gained him the title of Godspeed, who hides every bit of emotion in his massive heart with a friendly smile and prefers to help others with their problems rather than deal with his own. Then there's the battle hungry brawler who was completely outcasted by his entire village. Then we have a girl who lost her parents and was so starved for affection and love that she decided to close off her heart."

Toshiro tried to process everything as best he could.

"That's…heavy," said Toshiro. "I'm sorry."

Houki giggled. "Why are you apologizing dummy?"

"I…I don't know," said Toshiro. "I don't really know what else to say."

"It's okay," said Houki. "You don't really need to say anything. But just remember that it's okay to not be okay."

"What about you?" asked Toshiro. "A rag tag group of defective character flaws right? What's your deal?"

"Oh me?" asked Houki with a slightly sad smile as she looked below. "I'm just as broken and defective as everybody else is is."

And then there was him. All he knew about his past was what Kyoka had told him, his background with a secret assassin organization. He knew nothing about their name or anything else, but he guessed that he wasn't much of an assassin anymore.

"So what's the plan for tomorrow?" asked Toshiro, trying to change the topic.

"Well I've heard that Rias Gremory is a rather open minded individual," said Houki. "Hopefully she'll listen to us and grant us an audience with her brother. Rather than try and broker a truce with her, I'd rather get directly to the boss instead."

"And if it doesn't work out?" asked Toshiro.

"Then it doesn't work out," said Houki. "You come up with a plan, strategize, formulate, and execute it to the best of your ability. If it doesn't work, you rinse and repeat until it does. The only thing certain in this world is that nothing is certain, you have to adapt and evolve as the situation calls for it. Otherwise you'll be fodder."

"That's pretty extreme," said Toshiro.

"It's a pretty extreme world we live in," said Houki. "And while we do our best to talk with the Devil King, Kyoka-Chan and Ryusei will run any leads they can on Lavinia Reni. She's the key to all of this. If we can find her, than she'll know how to return your memories."

"And there's nothing you can do?" asked Toshiro.

Houki shook her head. "In a realistic sense, thing of this spell as turning a conceptual object into a physical. If someone were to turn memories into a physical object, that would mean that you can't return said memories without that object. If it were a simple case of amnesia, it'd be the same as reigniting a dying flame."

"I see," said Toshiro. "And what about that masked man that attacked Xenovia and Irina?"

"One problem at a time I'm afraid," said Houki. "The Prophecy of the Starless Night looms over our heads, but it won't do us much good to worry about it when your memories are our first priority."

"I can't believe everyone's doing all of this…for me," said Toshiro. "I don't know how to repay you."

Houki giggled. "Now what was that earlier about not having to repay the kindness of your friends? What did you say? Live your life for you?"

Toshiro's face turned pink as he looked away. "You heard that?"

"Yes, I did," said Houki. "Wise words from a wise man, however cheesy it may be."

"I was just…trying to fit in, I guess." said Toshiro.

"Well I wouldn't have to worry about that."

Toshiro raised an eyebrow, but refrained from asking his question when Ryusei called for him.

"Captain! Wanna play with us?" asked Ryusei, waving a deck of playing cards.

"Winner gets to slap the losers as hard as they can!" cried Genta.

"Better get ready Dulio," Jushiro smirked.

"This is a just a game, isn't it?" asked Dulio.

Houki placed a hand on his back. "Go and fit in, Captain."

Toshiro smiled and nodded, before jumping down and joining the boys in their game. Kyoka and Houki tended to Xenovia and Irina, still recovering from their attack earlier today. For a brief moment, ever so brief, Toshiro felt like he was at peace. He was surrounded by his friends, and it wasn't as if they were anything other than ordinary. Playing cards, goofing around, having fun…it was a life he never knew he wanted.

Rias Gremory needed to do something about this uneasy tension in the room. The club was normally quiet, but this wasn't just quiet…it was fear. The entire mess with the Paladin had gotten everyone restless, and it didn't help that Lady Leviathan entirely ignored her plea for cooperation and decided to forcibly capture Ozora Toshiro. That went as well as she had hoped, but for the time being there was peace.

What was she to do in this situation? Now that Heaven's placed those six under their protection, they were practically untouchable to them. One mistake on their part and it would cause civil unrest, the peace treaty brokered between the factions all those years ago would be broken. They would be looking at another war on their doorsteps.

"Prez?" asked Issei. "Are you alright?"

Rias smiled. "I'm okay Issei, nothing to worry about."

"You don't have to be so ominous Rias," said Akeno. "We're all feeling the same."

Rias looked to her best friend. "Is that so?"

"This is all wrong," said Asia. "I don't like this at all."

"It is," said Koneko.

"It feels like we're being manipulated," said Kiba. "Chasing people accused of crimes with no concrete evidence to base it off of. I don't like this President."

Rias sighed. "Neither do I."

"Toshiro-Kun isn't a bad person, Prez," said Issei. "He's an idiot, for sure…but he's not a bad person."

After witnessing the events of last night, Rias knew he was right. They were heavily outnumbered, but he still went to confront them despite having two injured people inside. He confronted an entire army by himself, knowing that he might have died or been captured. Rias wondered what would have happened if the Generals hadn't arrived like they did…what would have happened…

"Maybe we should talk to them," said Issei. "Maybe we can help. I'm sure if everyone just sat down and talked things out, we can-"

He was cut off when he grabbed his left arm in pain.

"Issei-San!" cried Asia.

"Issei?" Rias ran over to help him.

What was happening to him? Ever since his Boosted Gear was awakened, it's been acting like this. Rias widened her eyes with shock as she saw his forearm. Veins were beginning to surface, coming from a green jewel on the back of his hand. It was the same as the interrogation. Akeno told her what happened with Issei, when Toshiro started speaking in a different voice. She thought it was some sort of magic, but Issei's Boosted Gear somehow reacted to the change in Toshiro's personality.

The doors to the club room swung open, as Sona Sitri and Shinra Tsubaki walked through…with six people who had their arms bound by magic circles.

"Sona?" asked Rias. "What's happening?"

"They came to Kuoh and gave themselves up," said Sona. "They said they wanted to speak with you."

Rias narrowed her eyes as she looked to the group. Two of them were missing, replaced by Xenovia and Irina. So the exorcists sent to capture these fugitives managed to join them.

"Rias Gremory," said a girl with long teal colored hair and cold gray eyes. "My name is Kirihana Houki, ambassador for our little rag tag group of idiots. A pleasure to formally meet you."

Kirihana Houki, the Sorcerer Supreme.

"You guys can take off the binds," said Rias. "You and I both know it's basically useless."

Houki smiled. "I'm glad you see it that way." With a snap of her fingers, Houki broke the magic circles binding her and her friends. "I came to speak with you in the hopes of clearing up any misunderstandings."

"I see," said Rias. "Come, take a seat."

The Occult Research Club quickly vacated the couches. Rias sat on one couch, with her peerage standing behind her. Houki, Toshiro, and Amemori Genta sat facing her, with Hareyuki Jushiro, Xenovia, and Irina behind them.

"It's okay Sona," said Rias. "We can handle this."

"With all due respect," said Sona. "I'd like to hear this as well. Something doesn't sit right with me about this entire ordeal."

Rias smiled. It made her feel at ease that Sona sensed something off as well.

"Very well," said Rias. "What do you have to say? My ears are open."

"I'll present you with every bit of information I've collected," said Houki. "However I ask in return that you relay what I say to your brother."

"You wanted to speak to my brother, not me?" asked Rias, a bit annoyed.

"I would rather speak to the person in charge of the Underworld, however I realize that request may be a bit out of reach for now," said Houki. "Regardless, I intended to share my findings either way."

"I see," said Rias. "What did you find?"

"All of this is backed by the great Library of Thoth, in Egypt, as well as the combined knowledge of Heaven and Lost Archive," said Houki. "What do you know of the Prophecy of the Starless Night?"

Houki went on to explain. The Prophecy of the Starless Night, an ancient warning that foretold the reawakening of Lucifer Morningstar. It hit Rias like a truck. Their claims were completely speculative, but it was backed with information from reliable sources.

How could she not have known about this? She was always told that Lucifer Morningstar, the progenitor of their race, died during the Great War. But now she was being told that he was sealed in the Underworld, behind 666 seals. The first of which was broken…because she Reincarnated Issei?

"W-What…" asked Issei. "You're saying it was my fault?"

"No," said Houki. "The fact that three of the Four Heavenly Dragons were already awake, it was a matter of time that the Red Dragon Emperor surfaces it. If you had remained dead that night, the Boosted Gear would have simply moved onto a new host to be born the exact moment you died. This way, we stand a chance."

"And you don't know who's behind all of this?" asked Rias.

Houki shook her head. "My guess is that our Captain does, or rather the answers lays somewhere in his stolen memories."

"So the two of you not here," said Rias. "I'm guessing they're chasing down his memories?"

"We have a potential lead on who stole his memories, yes," said Houki. "Xenovia?"

"Irina and I were attacked last night," said Xenovia. "By a masked man in a hood, saying that he was going to put on a show worthy of the Four Heavenly Dragons."

"I think he was one of us," said Toshiro. "The Black Dragon King, Homura."

Suddenly, Issei grabbed his head in pain.

"Issei?' asked Rias.

The green jewel on the back of his hand began to glow, as Issei rose his head. His eyes were glowing green as he faced Ozora Toshiro.

"It's good to see you again, old friend," said Issei, but not in his normal voice. Rias was shaken, it was like Toshiro during the interrogation.

In an instant, Toshiro spoke in a different voice, his eyes glowing a bright gold.

"How long has it been since the two of us were awake at the same time?" asked Toshiro, in a deeper voice.

Issei smiled, and turned to Rias. "Rias Gremory, as unbelievable as it is, these exorcists speak the truth."

"I…Issei?" asked Rias.

"No," said Issei.

"It's an honor to meet you, Ddraig, the Red Dragon Emperor," said Houki. "I have heard tales of your clashes with Albion. Trishula has spoken greatly of you."

"You have, have you?" asked Ddraig, looking at Toshiro.

"Nothing bad, I assure you," said Trishula. "This is all true, Rias Gremory. The Prophecy is upon us, and the Black One has plans for us all."

"Homura has always been a malevolent one," said Ddraig. "All he wants is nothing more than to see the world burn."

"I do not have long," said Trishula. "My connection to my vessel is weakening by the day, but I warn you, Rias Gremory. Out of all of us, Ddraig's vessel is far too inexperienced and untrained. He will have difficulty in the days to come, controlling and harnessing Ddraig's power. See to it that you oversee his growth, for I assure you the Black One will come for him."

"The masked man?" asked Rias. "You're saying he'll come for Issei?"

"Homura is one thing, but I fear that he has found a vessel that perfectly compliments his levels of insanity," said Trishula. "Be careful in the days to come, Ddraig."

"Will do, old friend."

With that, the two dragons subsided as they returned to their normal selves. Issei blinked and looked around.

"Why does it feel like something just possessed me?" asked Issei.

"You'll get used to it," said Toshiro. "Trust me."

"We are telling you the truth, Rias Gremory," said Houki. "We were framed for a crime we did not commit, all for the sake of confusion and chaos as the true crime lays unrecognized. Somebody is systematically breaking the seals that hold Lucifer."

It was hard to believe…no, it was more like Rias didn't want to believe it. If Lucifer were to walk the earth again, it would basically be the biblical Armageddon.

"How…How are we even supposed to stop this when we don't know who's behind it?" asked Rias.

"Rias Gremory," said Houki. "I am telling you all of this in the hopes that the Devils can form an alliance with us. If not, we are fully prepared to tackle this problem ourselves."

Rias was speechless. "You'd be going against unknown enemies of untold proportions, going in completely blind."

"It's a risk we're willing to take," said Houki. "We're all resolute in our resolve, which is why I want to make sure you have found your resolve. Going forward, it will not be easy if you have not found your conviction."

Rias looked to Issei, who was as confused as he was worried. She took a huge gamble on Reincarnating him, but she didn't know about all of this. As much as she worried for him, it wasn't a decision she would ever regret. She knew she had to protect him…at least watch over him until he's ready to fight for himself.

"I'm okay Prez," said Issei, with a smile. "Whatever comes our way, I'll protect you and everyone in the Club."

"Issei…" said Rias, struck by the determination of her servant.

That's right, her servant. Her precious servant, her beloved Issei.

"I understand," said Rias. "I'll speak with my brother, I'll make him believe me and do whatever it takes."

Houki smiled. "Thank you, Rias."

"Though I am surprised you're so calm under all of this," said Akeno. "You sure are impressive, Sorcerer Supreme."

"I thank you," said Houki. "Priestess of Lightning."

Oh? Was it just Rias, or was there a bit of tension between these two?

"It's a shame Ryusei isn't here," said Kiba. "I would have loved to see him again."

"Again?" asked Issei. "You know him?"

"Yes," said Kiba. "I guess you can say we're like brothers…or were like brothers now."

"I see," said Houki. "So you were a part of the Holy Sword experiments too."

"W-What?" asked Xenovia.

"That was a long time ago, Houki-San," said Kiba.

"I see," said Houki. "Don't worry, I'll let Ryusei know. Surely he'd like to see you again as well."

"Holy Sword experiments?" Issei whispered to Asia, however she just shrugged.

"What will you do now?" asked Rias.

"Our first priority is recovering our Captain's memories," said Houki. "But I'd like to spread this news around as fast as possibly. Ra, leader of the Egyptian pantheon, has already sent word to the major pantheons around the world to convene a summit. Leaders of the Japanese, Greek, Norse, as well as the Hindu deities will convene soon."

"I see," said Rias. "And your lead on your Captain's memories?"

Houki sighed. "The Mage's Association."

"W-What?" asked Rias.

"Quite troubling," said Sona. "If she's with the Mage's Association, this could be trouble."

"The…Mage's Association?" asked Issei. "Is someone gonna…"

"They're a human run organization of mages who keep the sanctity and art of magecraft," said Akeno. "However they are a bit…underhanded."

"They keep track of and monitor mages all over the world," said Rias. "They even had possession of an ancient relic a few years ago."

"A relic?" asked Toshiro.

"The Holy Grail," said Hareyuki Jushiro. "That's what you mean, isn't it?"

Houki sighed. "The omnipotent wish granting device thought to be the very cup of the son of God."

"T-That's real?" asked Issei.

"Everything's real, Issei," said Rias. "The Mage's Association held a trial or a tournament of sorts to decide the wielder of the Holy Grail. Mages would take part in a battle where they'd summon ancient heroic spirits to fight on their behalf for possession of the Grail. The winner would be granted a wish of any kind by the Grail."

"W-Wait," said Asia. "Why hasn't the Church been notified of this? Surely they would have-"

"They tried," said Xenovia. "The Church has tried on several occasions to take the Grail, but it's omnipotent and sentient. The Grail doesn't submit to anyone, and only appears when it's truly needed."

"The Holy Grail War," said Houki. "A dark time indeed, but the cup has been missing for over a hundred years now."

"I'm surprised Heaven even let this cup do as it pleases," said Toshiro.

"I would prefer it if you didn't refer to the most sacred of religious artifacts as a mere cup."

The sound of flapping wings brought forth an Angel. A blonde boy with green eyes and wearing a green fleece jacket.

"Dulio?" asked Houki. "What are you doing here? I thought you went back to Heaven."

"I did," said Dulio. "We have an update. But first," he turned to Rias, and then looked to the corner of the room. "You there, in the shadows, come on out will ya? It's embarrassing to be hiding like that."

"W-What?" Rias jumped to her feet and turned to the corner of the club room. A magic circle materialized Grayfia, her brother's wife. A tall maid with silvery hair and blue eyes. "G-Grayfia! What are you doing here?"

"Apologies Lady Rias," said Grayfia. "After last night's fiasco, Lord Sirzechs requested I keep an eye on you to make sure you stayed out of trouble."

"And this would be the sort of trouble I was referring to," said a familiar voice.

Grayfia closed her eyes and opened a magic circle besides her. A holographic image of her brother, Sirzechs Lucifer, materialized. His long crimson hair and green eyes matching her own. He was more casual than she had thought he would be, wearing a simple white button up shirt and dress pants.

"Ambassador of the Paladin," said Sirzechs. "I understand the situation. Forgive my ignorance, I did not know that the Four Dragons had been awakened."

"I'm guessing that Lord Micheal spoke to you?" asked Dulio.

"Indeed," said Sirzechs. "I understand the situation now. Allow me to apologize for the actions of my friend Serafall Leviathan, she can be quite unpredictable at times."

Rias heard Sona whisper under her breath, "Tell me about it."

"W-Wait, what's going on?" asked Rias. "Brother, what do you know?"

"There isn't much time," said Dulio. "We've been able to uncover another seal, it's about to be broken as well."

Houki narrowed her eyes. "What is it?"

"You already know of it," said Dulio. "The Holy Grail, the omnipotent wish granting device, it's reemerged. And guess who's deadset on getting their hands on it."

"The Church…" said Houki. "This isn't good."

"It isn't?" asked Toshiro. "Isn't it a holy relic? Doesn't it belong with the Church?"

"You don't understand Toshiro-Kun," said Dulio. "The Grail isn't just a relic, it's sentient and all knowing. It draws forth it's owner's hidden desires and twists their wish. Unless they truly grasp what it is they want, the Grail will unleash all hell on Earth. In the wrong hands, the world might fall apart within minutes."

"So the second seal is here," said Genta. "This should be interesting."

"Not quite," said Dulio. "The first seal, the most important one, is the awakening of all Four Heavenly Dragons, yes. However afterwards, the seals can be broken freely regardless of order. This is the second one we know of, who knows how many more seals have already been broken."

"Where is it?" asked Sirzechs.

"Rome," said Dulio. "Somehow the Church already knew, before we did, and are mobilizing their forces their already. They're planning on taking it by force."

"They knew about it before the Angels?" asked Rias. "How is that possible?"

"I don't know," said Dulio. "But Houki-Chan. Under the authority of Lord Micheal and the Angels of Heaven, the Paladin and his Generals are to recover the Holy Grail intact and return it to Heaven. If and only if this request is met, all crimes of the accused will be pardoned."

Houki was wide eyed. "W-What?"

"Holy shit," said Genta.

"You guys must really want this cup," said Toshiro, astonished.

"It's not a cup!" cried an embarrassed Dulio. "Anyways, Lord Micheal has already spoken to Sirzechs I assume, so we're all on the same page here."

"I understand," said Sirzechs. "The Underworld will assist you if need be. Rias, go with them."

"What? Brother…"

"Sona-Chan can hold things down here, isn't that right?" asked Sirzechs.

"Of course," said Sona with a smile. "Go."

Rias sighed, turning back to her brother with a scowl. "You and I need to have a serious discussion about invasion of privacy when I'm back. Who knows how long she's been there."

Sirzechs had an awkward smile but nodded.

"You sure this is the right place?" asked Ryusei.

Kyoka pulled up her Archive and checked on last time. "I crossed referenced weather patterns, magic residue, and magic pressures. According to her path, she should be here."

She walked forward and joined Ryusei at the edge of the cliff. They were standing on a large hill overlooking the city below. Small buildings made up most of the city, with several rivers running through connected by bridges. From afar, Kyoka could see the ocean…as well as the Colosseum off in the distance.

"But Rome?" asked Ryusei. "Why would she come here?"

"I don't know," said Kyoka. "But she's here."

"I hope you're right about this," said Ryusei. "Or else we just traveled three thousand miles for nothing but sightseeing."

Kyoka looked back at Archive. The numbers were right, her calculations had no errors. Lavinia had to be here, she had to be. They needed to take back Shiro's memories, or else…

"Uh…Kyoka?"

Her eyes narrowed as Archive picked up an anomaly in the magic pressure. Something was wrong.

"K-Kyoka?"

"Hold on," said Kyoka.

What the hell is this? According to Archive, there was a massive blanket of magic surrounding them like a dome. It wasn't like anything she had ever seen before, this amount of magic…Archive couldn't properly analyze all of it. That's impossible.

"Ryusei, there's something here," said Kyoka.

"Yeah, there's definitely something here alright…" He grabbed her shoulder and turned her around, prying her head up at the sky.

Kyoka's arms dropped to their sides as she gazed up in awe. The clouds had completely parted in a massive circle. Something…something was descending onto the city. They were too far away to see it, but Kyoka pulled up Archive and zoomed in on the sight.

"Is…Is that-" Ryusei gulped.

"That's impossible," said Kyoka.

Descending onto the city of Rome was a golden chalice, lined with jewels befitting of the highest nobility and basically oozing with power. As it approached the city, Kyoka could feel how immense this pressure was. It would have been less painful to have a truck slammed on her chest than to experience this kind of pressure on her.

"It's real…" said Ryusei.

"The Holy Grail…"