White Void

by Rosso Angelo

His world is void. A meaningless void. And yet, he yearns for something more. Something that can't be simply obtained in a dull and monotone existence. In order to achieve that something, to find some meaning to his life, he's willing to pay any cost... even if it kills him. [Under correction.]

7. Exhibition

Phase 1 - Gula

Chapter 6 - Exhibition

---

High-pitched whispers echoed around him. They were flung all over the place, invading his ears and mind. His exasperation was growing with each attempt a girl made to sound flustered when she was anything but.

His crumpled sleeves offered no comfort to his heavy head. His hands were cold against the polished wood of his desk. A muscle along his right shoulder was starting to tug and throb, finding the cramped position too uncomfortable. He nuzzled his improvised pillow anyway, seeking some relief by blocking his sight.

All he could find was the will to grumble under his breath.

Hidden under his mane of wild brown hair and stashed between his arms, he could grimace all he wanted. It was his only weapon against the girly squeals he couldn't completely block. He'd decided to slap his forehead against a hard surface and not look at them directly, to pretend they didn't act so... hungry. He thought his blackened vision would lead him to a bountiful and happier wonderland full of sexy women.

"Kiba-kun, you're so cute!"

Sadly, the sounds were loud enough to bare the entrance of his sacred mind ground.

"Do you want to come to the karaoke with us? I'm sure your voice must be as pretty as your looks~"

His throat was dry and achy. Vomit was bubbling in his stomach.

"H-Hey, if you're hungry, would you want part of my lunch, Kiba-kun?"

His nails scratched the desk as he slowly closed his fists.

He couldn't blame the girls. They didn't annoy him, honestly. Almost any beautiful woman was an automatic trigger for fond memories. It was the thing the girls were trying to jump at. Almost like starved beasts searching for juicy prey, they pounced at the thing. They squealed in triumph and Issei simply couldn't comprehend how anyone would be happy to talk with the thing.

The thing, because Issei would never accept him as a member of the same species—and he really wasn't human, objectively speaking—, was... a pretty boy. The pretty boy

His blond hair was the first trait one would notice. He clearly was a foreigner despite his perfect use of Japanese. Earnest blue eyes like sapphire adorned his gentle, inviting features - and had Issei stared an unhealthy amount of time at them, wondering if his knuckles could make them look less appealing? Well, that was a secret he wasn't ready to disclose. He was more Caucasian than milk could be white, the finishing touch to what people would call 'white knight in shining armor', 'Prince Charming', and such.

How he hated him and all the stereotypes he represented. Yuuto Kiba was a creature that Issei could only despise for he possessed all the qualities that made him so much better looking than him - but only on the surface, though. Only on the surface.

Pretty boy couldn't be what he reflected. He had to have some dark secrets. Kiba definitely was a crossdresser or something dastardly like that. Issei would definitely uncover those terrible mysteries for the sake of his mental health.

It vaguely reminded him of his brother's most frustrating quality. He was attractive, the kind of man who seemed fragile and endearing by looks alone, enough for women to be comfortable around him. Ayame looked more European than Japanese, just like mom, so there was the exotic factor as well.

The only reason Issei didn't hate Ayame on that front was because he wasn't wooing the women at school.

On the other hand, Kiba knew he was fucking attractive and capitalized on it. And hey, Issei wasn't gonna tell someone else how to use their appeal, but it was annoying all the same.

He was also a member of Rias' peerage, and Issei's peer by proxy. But that didn't matter.

'…I mean, it's not like I'm a saint or anything, but I ain't gonna put up with golden playboy showing off his charms in front of me either,' mussed the frustrated brunet. 'Why does he have all the girls and I don't?!'

In some abandoned corner of his mind, Issei knew he'd be luckier getting female friends if he didn't peek into the dressing rooms so often. He also knew people would stop avoiding him if he wasn't so open about his inclination towards big breasts.

Honestly though? That was also Kiba's fault! He was the one setting the bar too high, giving the girls impossible expectations about romance and modesty. All self-respecting men were horny monkeys at some point of their lives, and that was totally normal.

Oh, but Issei had seen through Blondie's evil plan. The golden bastard may've been infuriating, but he was astute. Kiba was simply lowering the chances of any other guy at school getting a girlfriend by establishing these flawless standards of the perfect gentleman. By rejecting every single girl that came his way, he ensured no one would discover him for whom he truly was: an insecure jackass, imperfect as all other mortals.

Blondie's scheme was well thought out. It didn't make it any less infuriating.

"Hahaha, sorry, but I can't compromise," said Kiba as he rejected the girls' incessant offers. "I'm quite occupied. But maybe we could go out some other time, if you're still set on it."

Issei gritted his teeth.

'You absolute bastard! How can you refuse such a spectacular opportunity?! Are ya even a man at this point?!'

Kiba was fucking unbelievable. If Issei'd been in his place, he would've instantly accepted and then sung the national anthem to celebrate.

The small population of male students also agreed with Issei on that regard. They all hated the pretty boy who dared to refuse a woman's proposal just because he could. Oh, many, so many had been ensnared in his trap.

Kiba was a devil in all senses of the word. There was no other description for him.

However, the girls didn't seem to mind, nodding and collectively accepting that a guy such as Kiba surely had much more important matters to attend to. Even though he wasn't looking at them, he could almost imagine the look of horror on the girls' faces when Blondie approached Issei's desk.

It was another reason of his bad mood. Issei was supposed to attend another meeting at the Occult Research Club, and since Kiba was close by and the same age as him, everyone thought it was a good idea for him to pick up the brunet along the way. Everyone except Issei and the girls who stared at Blondie as if he were their savior.

"Good morning, Ise."

He could almost hear Kiba's boyish smile without facing him.

Issei sneered in the cradle of his arms. He peeked out of his barricade with one eye.

"Whomst hath given thee the right to speak mine forbidden name?"

Kiba hummed, not knowing what to make of Issei's sophisticated greeting. Or at least it seemed sophisticated in Issei's mind.

"Uhm… sorry?" he responded after a beat, scratching his head. "I apologize if I offended you by calling your name so casually. Why are you talking like that, though? Is it a new trend?"

Issei groggily raised his face from the desk. His hair was slightly more disheveled than normal. The bags under his eyes didn't make him more approachable for that matter.

He mechanically turned his head around. His bones creaked with the slow movement, adding certain flair to the scene he was quite proud of internally. He gave Kiba an overly fake smile with all the friendliness he could comfortably manage to show. It definitely wasn't credible at all.

"Ah!" Issei chimed, ignoring Kiba's questions. "If it ain't Yumi Kiba!"

The blond tilted his head, smiling.

"M-My name is Yuuto, not Yumi."

"That's what I said," responded Issei with a smiley face. "Ya musta heard wrong."

"Or maybe you misspoke…" The other boy shook his head moments later. "Anyway, I've come to pick you up. Shall we go now? Pres is waiting."

As much as Issei wanted to keep making fun of this creature, the mention of Rias was enough to cool off.

She was waiting for him. And considering how Akeno said he'd get spanked, Issei was sure it wouldn't be a nice reunion.

They quickly walked out of the classroom. Blondie dared to blissfully ignore the death stares the girls sent their way. Phrases like 'Issei is corrupting the prince of Kuoh' were thrown around with great frequency. Issei flinched, unhappy that his reputation was still as bad as ever.

"Hahaha, it seems you're kind of famous, Hyoudou-kun," said the blond with a smile. Issei wasn't sure if he was purposefully ignoring the ill will behind the girls' incessant murmurs, or he was actually that ignorant.

The brunet scoffed. "It ain't the kind of fame I appreciate, mind ya." Having the girls talking behind his back wasn't nearly as frustrating as being compared to Kiba, though.

"Ah, is that so? Because I could've sworn you loved being reckless just to get attention. Might've been my imagination."

He couldn't suppress a flinch.

"I mean, you go walking in prohibited territory at night, picking a fight with fallen angels without the means to defend yourself? Call me boring, but I would consider against it."

Issei looked down, slightly blushing and lips twitching. Kiba's gentle smile was ticking him off by the second.

"And the cherry on top of the cake was when, in your desperation, you used the amulet." Kiba daintily tried to cover a snicker behind his hand, but it could be heard all the same. "That's just cute. Creative, I'll give you that. The idea wouldn't have crossed my mind in a million years. Then again, strong people don't resort to underhanded tricks out of necessity. Your stunt was, uhm... not stupid, no. Maybe sad is the word."

Now that was just cold.

"Oi, Kiba," Issei called menacingly. "If ya want me to introduce yer face to my fist, just say so."

Kiba smiled warmly at his threat as if it was nothing. Then, after a moment, he began to snicker even louder.

"Just poking your eye with a stick, Hyoudou-kun. I thought we could kick-start this new relationship with some snippy banter. We're essentially coworkers right now. Perhaps, with time, we could be more..."

Issei felt a knot form in his stomach. Did Kiba say something extremely scary just now?

No, no way. His mind was just playing tricks on him, giving him more reasons to detest this golden monster.

Just then a thought it him. He took advantage of it, in part because he had questions, in part to move the conversation towards safer lands.

"...I-In any case, how do ya even know I fought those winged bastards? It literally happened yesterday and I told no one about it."

Issei rubbed his left hand as he said so. He'd put on some alcohol and bandage on his knuckles last night, but they still hurt. It wasn't as bad as the traces of pain lingering on his chest—he was sure some bones were still brittle, another strong blow away from breaking again—but it distracted him. He hoped it'd be fade away soon.

"Akeno told me about your little encounter briefly. I stumbled upon her today. And even if she hadn't done so, what you did was enough to..."

Kiba placed a hand upon his chest, stopping his speech mid-sentence. His eyelids partly covered his too blue eyes from view.

"…Well, I guess it's not my duty to tell you just yet. Besides, I do believe President would prefer to explain things herself."

Issei rubbed the back of his head, not entirely satisfied with the answer.

He trusted Rias, sort of. She had gone out of her way to explain everything before. She was a good person... or so he hoped, though the redhead hadn't given him many reasons to be suspicious either.

He just had to follow his Master's tips, and nothing would go wrong. She couldn't keep him in the dark forever, right?

He shoved the though away. No. She wouldn't. His senpai was a light in the dark world Issei had been thrown in. There were too many people itching to kill him these days, and with his simple preferences he was just grateful someone like her existed.

He nodded to himself. Yes. He sounded logical there, almost on Ayame's level, and if that was not impressive and also a bit depressing, he didn't know what else was.

'Cheer up, Issei.'

He just had to be positive! Maybe he would actually become friends with the other members of the peerage. Hell, maybe they could even go out and do stuff together! He still felt like a stranger, but that didn't lower the chances of him making new friends.

Issei shifted his gaze towards the silent blond walking alongside him. Kiba was waving his hand in a friendly manner to each and every girl who sent a smile or a kiss in his direction. He did it so naturally, so swiftly. It looked like it was out of habit.

…Yeah, maybe he could postpone the start of a new friendship. He still had differences with some members of the peerage.

---

- ~DxD~ -

Issei and Kiba managed to chat for a bit before reaching their destination. Issei in particular wasn't thrilled to deal Blondie's jibes and sarcastic commentaries, all under the excuse of 'getting to know each other'.

Fortunately, after five solid minutes of considering murder by strangling, the teens finally arrived at the clubhouse. Issei sighed in relief.

The hidden mansion was standing in a secluded spot within the academy's forest, away from prying eyes.

It wasn't strange for an important club to have its private space. The Kendo Club had a dojo, and the Swimming Club could use the academy's pools. Even then, one wouldn't normally expect for the Occult Research Club of all things to have an actual house. Then again, this wasn't an ordinary school club and the members weren't your everyday teenagers.

The wooden steps leading to the front doors creaked as they stepped on them. Kiba bent his arm and aimed to turn the golden doorknob with his dainty fingers. Then, without warning, the entrance swung open, slowly enough for Kiba to move out of the way.

Something shifted in the half-lit darkness of the interior. A shadowy figure peeked, violet eyes glowing in the shade before their owner stepped out in the sunlight where she could be seen.

"Come in, come in, young and ripe boys. Come into my humble abode~"

Akeno's fingers wiggled like snakes taunting their prey, motioning for Kiba and Issei to enter. She waltzed out of the way, freeing walking space for the boys to enter the devils' den.

"Oh, nice timing, Akeno. How did you know we were coming?" said the blond, flashing his friend that charming smile of his. Stupid Kiba and his cute face.

The young woman put a finger over her curved lips and offered her audience a wink.

"You should know, young Yuuto, that a magician never reveals her tricks~" she said in a low voice. "Far too often the truth breaks a beautiful illusion. And I'm not about to steal your innocence when the world is so raw and pessimistic already~"

He chuckled at her comment before walking past her. Then, her eyes fell on Issei.

"My, my, hello, dear Ise. We meet yet again. I hope it isn't too bothersome to deal with yours truly, both in your house and now here, of all places."

"N-Not at all, Himejima-senpai," he responded, swallowing a lump and then shakily smiling back. "It's always a pleasure to talk with a beautiful person…"

"Awww!" Akeno pinched his cheek softly, and Issei couldn't suppress a blush. "You're so sweet, Ise. Are you sure Ayame-chan didn't fall from his cradle when he was a lil babe? It's quite disheartening to have a crooked sibling and not know why~"

"Haha… yeah…"

Issei cringed a little upon seeing her friendly smile. The memory of her falling from the skies with lightning at her beck and call was still fresh in his young mind.

Akeno didn't seem like a bad person, much like Rias. However, she was... hard to read. Issei had a bit of trouble distinguishing her serious moments from her goofy ones. Now that he had a minute of respite, he was self-conscious around her.

Chills ran down his spine as he stared at her. Beatiful, beautiful, and mysterious. Any other time, he'd have seen her as a sexy girl and not mind her oddities. She was sexy, still, but... there was something mixed in there. He didn't know what it was.

Akeno wasn't just a pretty face.

Her ever-smiling expression had an impassiveness that reminded him of Buddha himself. He wasn't sure if his mere existence could bring any change to her expressions even if he were to slap her.

Intimidating. And not in the way Issei found attractive in confident women.

Issei shook those thoughts away, and decided to step forward. As he did so…

"Ah-"

Something snapped.

His arms shook.

His neck twisted and coiled, jamming his chin in his chest. White and black fought for his vision.

His eyelids shut on themselves. His eyes were twitching out of their sockets.

Issei wheezed.

Static sound filled his ears. Numbness came, crashing and washing over his body as if electricity was travelling across his body.

"Guh… What the… Hell…"

Issei looked back, and caught sight of Akeno covering her mouth with a hand, eyes wide in surprise.

"Oh my. That… wasn't supposed to happen," she said, looking at the open doors suspiciously. "It seems you almost activated one of the traps I put in the clubhouse, Ise."

"W-Why though?" he coughed timidly, trying to straighten his hunched back. "It ain't gonna explode, is it?"

That wouldn't be a good start to his day. Not at all. Whatever Ayame would say about him exploding, it couldn't truly rhyme with good.

His senpai giggled. "Nay. My traps are designed to recognize the evil piece inside of your body, so it instantly knows you're not an intruder. It would cause convulsions to anyone else who isn't allowed to enter without my permission."

Convulsions? Scary. And all too familiar for his pulsing muscles, now. Issei gulped.

"I-I mean, I ain't gonna tell you how ya should make traps and all, but... is it necessary to go that far?"

"Of course, Ise. We're devils and death is a common occurrence in our affairs. If we cannot take risks and show our strength, our willingness to hurt, others will trample all over us. Even by supernatural standards, this peerage is too soft. Shall I tell you what others do with prisoners?"

Issei quickly shook his head, lips trembling. "No, no! It's okay, I totally get it! But… what if a normal student just happens to find the clubhouse? Won't they get hurt?"

She smiled confidently as she closed the doors. The lack of sounds the monumental wooden doors produced as they were swung shut was ominous.

"That won't happen. I took my sweet time to place many layers of magic fields around this place, and each one has a different effect on unwanted guests. Some people won't register the clubhouse as 'important' and will go away. Others will experience disorientation and headaches. Others will get a sense of dread from the house and run away scared, and so on. It's foolproof, unless someone is skilled enough to dispel my magic, which won't happen anytime soon."

Issei was speechless at the amount of thought put into security. He was also beginning to understand how much they wanted to keep this a secret, and how they didn't want victims either. Maybe he could actually work with that…

"I wouldn't mind seeing what happens if someone manages to drag themselves through my traps, though. Hahaha…"

…Or not.

"...A-Anyway," Issei interrupted Akeno's mad giggling to stir the conversation towards safer lands. "Why did I get zapped? I am supposed to be a devil."

Akeno snorted, like he'd just said something funny. "My magic crafting is almost flawless, Ise. If anything, you're the silly goose who goes around peering into the prohibited territories of magic when he shouldn't."

"What's that supposed to mean, Himejima-senpai?" asked Issei with a deadpan.

She put her hands on her cheeks and flashed him a Cheshire cat smile.

"Ahhh, I wonder~"

"That ain't a response…"

Akeno completely ignored him and walked up to the doors once again. She held out her hand, and lightly tapped the wood with the tip of her index.

"Enclose."

The words that flowed out of her lips were almost too heavy. One would even think they were palpable things with weight attached to them. They had innate strength backing their existence, an invisible power that took the form Akeno desired it to have.

Moments after speaking the command under her breath, brilliant yellow marks like circuits lit up from the doors to the ceiling, and across the walls of the house. They vanished into nothingness as Issei let out a quivering exhale. Suddenly, the teen had the feeling that he was trapped in a box of sorts. There was a clear diminution of oxygen.

Akeno was less flashier, more careful in her approach, but the phenomenon didn't elude Issei. It took him a few moments to realize.

It was the feeling of the unknown.

Akeno had casted a spell. Issei had observed magic beforehand. Now, somewhat familiar with this power, it was easier to recognize. Easier to recognize, easier to stomach. A part of him stirred a bit upon seeing it again.

It was different from a simple magic projectile. And he was thankful for it. Issei had gotten enough of those thrown at him to be scared for a few years more.

The young woman twirled, hands linked beneath her chest.

"The safety procedures are taken care of. Shall we proceed upstairs? Our dear club president is waiting."

Issei shrugged his shivers and goosebumps away. "Yeah, sure."

They finally began walking forwards.

From the outside, the clubhouse clearly couldn't compete with the size or royal flair that characterized Kuoh Academy. It was worn down. It had plants growing across the walls. If that wasn't bad, it was also surrounded by trees and no one but members of the club knew where it actually was. However, behind its dusty doors and tightly shut windows, the elegance returned with a vengeance. And funnily enough, nobody pretended it wasn't too high-class for a bunch of teenagers and their super-secret club.

A dimly illuminated hallway welcomed them upon entering. A long, long red rug with golden edges covered the path to follow, and beneath it shined a floor of dark wood that had been carefully and well maintained. A red wine color splashed the walls with its hues, mixing well with a white floral pattern.

They quickly took the path upstairs. Issei barely had time to stare at closed wooden doors as he passed them and wonder what secrets the devils hid behind them. After another round of short walking, they finally reached Rias' office, the meeting room by default.

They opened the doors and stepped forward.

On one couch sat Kiba, casually waiting for them to arrive.

He shot them a quick smile of acknowledgment, which Issei returned with a scowl. Damn pretty boy and his long legs. He looked way too comfortable for someone who should have been seated for only a couple of minutes. He couldn't have been in the meeting room for longer than that, however quick his 'dreamy' and 'fit' body was. The bastard couldn't walk that fast.

On the opposite couch was a small girl eating ice cream. Her body was fragile-looking, and she was much shorter compared to the others. The short hair that adorned her relatively small head was white in color, a tint more or less similar to vanilla flowers. Her eyes, sharp and unexpressive, had warm amber pupils which stood starkly against her pale skin. Her facial features were beautiful and childish, not to mention as unexpressive as her eyes.

She was a first year student, which made her a junior, and the youngest of the whole group. She was famous in school grounds for being extremely cute, and was dubbed as 'Kuoh's unofficial mascot', a statement which Issei had to wholeheartedly agree with. Her name was Koneko Toujou.

The moment he stepped in the room, the girl shot him a quick look. Issei returned that flicker of attention with a smile he intended to make as friendly as possible.

"H-Hello, Toujou-san. How's it goin'?"

His smile was trembling slightly. She kept staring at him, before shifting her gaze to the table.

"Dumbass."

"W-Why are you being so harsh all of a sudden, Toujou-san!?" cried Issei with a saddened face. "Could you at least pretend you like me?"

"Too complicated."

"Huh… I don't know if your extreme sincerity is good or bad…" he admitted, head dropping a little. She did a small gesture, almost a shrug of sorts, and returned to her ice cream. Koneko harbored a clear dislike for him. The fact he started drooling from how cute she was the first time they met may've had something to do with that. It wasn't Issei's fault women were so beautiful, though.

The talk didn't last. Other matters begged for their attention.

Akeno closed the doors. With her calm smiley face, she walked to a corner of the room, close to Rias' desk. After adjusting her voice, she spoke.

"We're all here now, President," she announced. Kiba and Koneko didn't seem particularly eager to stand up, but Issei tensed up a little. They waited for their leader to speak, but…

Everyone's eyes fell on the far end of the room, where the desk was. There was a wild mane of deep crimson hair all over the wood, a red blanket for the person beneath. Her arms were spread out, nails digging into the furniture a bit too strongly, if the cracks close to her fingers were an indication. One of her shoulders twitched slightly. She grumbled, and the others could vaguely make out curses coming from her mouth.

Rias laid face flat on her desk. Nobody seemed to know what to make of it.

"Eh… Pres?" called Akeno once again. She walked towards the redhead and shook her shoulder a few times.

Rias only made some intelligible noises, before slowly lifting herself up.

Her hair was messy and not in the attractive, wild sort of way that Rias was known for. She let a long and deep yawn behind her hand. Her beautiful pupils were ruined by the bloodshot in the white of her eyes. Under those same eyes, always brimming with energy and focus, sat prominent bags.

She looked around the room tiredly, rubbing a hand on her face, like a child waking up from a nap. Then, her eyes fell on Issei.

The brunet tensed up even more. Dread sat upon him as the elephant in the room waited to be unveiled.

"Ah," she murmured, disinterested. "If it isn't Izayoi Hyoudou."

The room got silent for a little. Issei felt sweat run down his cheek.

"M-My name is Issei, not Izayoi."

"That's what I said," she assured without a hint of irony. "You must be tired or something. You're not listening correctly."

"…No, I'm pretty sure that you're the one who's tired President" rebutted Issei, a look of worry on his face at the weird acting of his master.

She threw her hands in the air and slammed her pretty face onto the desk once again.

"Izayoi, Itsuka, Isshie... whatever. Why should I remember your name when you don't remember my warnings, servant? I'm probably patting myself on the back too much, but I think I'm very clear whenever I give orders."

He gulped, feeling a chill run up and down his back. 'Servant'. Now it struck him how much a word could sting with the slightest change of tone.

"And... to be honest, I think there's nothing more specific than 'don't go out at night'."

Issei felt a lump in his throat. Vaguely, he understood how much he'd screwed up. The warmth that usually accompanied her voice was not there. Not for him, now.

Rias wasn't his upperclassman. Rias wasn't a friendly acquaintance, even.

She was his boss. And she was angry at him.

Rias used her desk for support. She shakily stood up. She straightened her hunched back with a loud crack. Her movement was crude for the gentle and formal Rias Gremory Issei had gotten used to.

She travelled the room slowly, painfully so. Issei was all too aware of the careful measure to her step. He couldn't tell if she always strutted like that, or if she was that tired. The other servants followed her with their eyes.

Issei froze in place. His hands were a little too flat against his thighs. It was his mock attempt at imitating a soldier acknowledging his superior.

Rias stopped a few inches before him. Being slightly shorter than her servant, she was forced to look up. Issei locked gaze with her.

His nervousness was almost palpable, as if he was about to do an exam he didn't study for, but worse.

Yet, something else slipped through the anxiety. He took in those emerald eyes of hers. From that distance, he could spot a bit of blue in the lower half of the irises, too.

Beautiful eyes, never mind the bags under them. Beautiful woman, never mind anything.

His stupid brain shifted priorities. His stupid jaw followed, losing the bit of control that kept his trembling lips pressed together.

Distantly, he knew it was disrespectful. She was his boss. She was a senior. And yet, here he was, gawking at her like a drooling chimpanzee. Rias' distant expression didn't change much. She was so tired she didn't notice Issei's utterly unsubtle gesture.

Even exhausted and in a sour mood, she was… so pretty.

"Let's begin."

He stiffened, smacking his lips together again.

"B-Begin with what, Pres?"

She lifted her right hand in the air, slowly. Light flickered on her refined nails as she extended each finger into a flat position.

Then, Rias took a step forward.

"We're going to begin with fixing you, Ise."

His sight shook. Tension stiffed his muscles and everything snapped. His legs went soft. The only thing that was supporting him was his Master's hand. His arms went numb. His body grew heavy. He hunched forwards, slackening into a puddle of flesh and rubber bones. Nowhere to move, no thoughts to move, just one point he could see and one thing he could watch with something akin to horror rising in his petrified body.

Rias' hand was buried in his chest.

None of the other servants seemed worried or surprised. They stared stoically at the gruesome spectacle their master was performing out of nowhere.

Issei trembled. Air stopped moving in his lungs. Rias wasn't looking at him, gaze looming just over her hand at something only she could see.

"Ah… Agh… Pr… Pres…"

"It's okay, Ise. This won't hurt a single bit," she quickly said, confident.

But Issei's ears picked an uncertainty, perhaps imaginary, that made his intestines twist and curl. He couldn't protest and plead for this to stop. His voice was caught in his throat.

Things got even nastier then. Her fingers wiggled inside of him, pushing through bones and meat as if there was nothing but air to her.

Issei didn't fail to adorn the gross feeling with a dose of fear. Rias was shifting his organs into red gooey meat, or so he imagined.

However, it didn't feel like someone stabbing him with a knife. Her hand was warm, almost as if she had put it inside of a fire before starting her experiment with his body. Her movements were gentle, careful. She wasn't piercing his body as much as she was phasing through it.

Her hand stopped. Slowly, slowly, her fingers got a grip on something. His heart beat fast as she took a firm hold of it.

Issei gasped, releasing the last bubbles of air that hadn't escaped his chest yet. Dots were swimming across his vision and he could only see red, red, red hair.

"W-Wait… don't…"

She didn't listen. Her hand pulled a little, pulling him along too.

"Gah…!"

A red light shone. Issei smelled something like sulfur. His chest and skin deformed in a way they weren't supposed to as they allowed a free passage for Rias' hand.

Translucent rings of light manifested. They were bright red, with symbols like runes on the part where the rings arched. They spun, rotating around Rias' arm, before shrinking towards her hand.

"Show thyself before me, for I am your rightful benefactor and lord."

Words, molten steel and gold, were poured inside of his ears. He clenched his teeth to a breaking point. He tasted blood.

His heartbeat stopped bit by bit. His body relaxed and his mind hit the verge of unconsciousness.

This was it. This was death.

Rias pulled one last time. After digging through his insides once again, the arcane rings subsisted. The red light within Issei was forcibly removed.

Between Rias' index and middle finger was his exposed heart.

Feeling returned to Issei's body. His eyes didn't burn anymore. He could see, and with that realization, he also noticed something strange in the heart his master was candidly holding.

It had a weird shape. It reminded him of a pawn, a piece of chess.

"This is your evil piece, Ise."

That's what she uttered, almost a whisper so low he didn't hear it. His ears rang.

His heart. Even though his eyes saw another shape, deep inside, he had that certainty. This was his heart.

Ugly. Disgusting.

The little pawn had a black-red tone on its surface. For a moment, he mistook the color for rotten meat, shifting and moving. It was alive and pulsating. Issei stopped that train of thought before it derailed and crashed, though he was well on his way.

He felt a pull. That thing—heart, piece?—had to go back inside him. Issei wanted to snatch it away, to swallow it whole, even though the thought of doing so irked his dying consciousness.

Another light caught his attention. It was thin, a luminous string that emerged from his very chest. It connected Issei to the chess piece suspended in front of him.

His gaze shifted. The string continued, going through the piece and towards Rias' chest. But… that part of the string was fickle. Weak. It flickered in and out of the world each passing second.

Rias sighed. Her beautiful face aged a few years more in that second. The gesture and the tiredness weren't doing her any favors. Though Issei couldn't really tell that well, considering how deformed the world was becoming in his eyes.

"…I suppose there's a first time for everything," she muttered, more to herself than anyone else. "I just wish learning experiences wouldn't feel so… shameful."

Issei couldn't speak. He could barely feel, see, hear. He could breathe, shallowly, just enough to keep his brain functioning. He blinked weakly, trying to keep himself awake. The figures of the people around him were blurring.

The brunet felt his sanity cracking. He needed his heart back. Every second fed his desperation, a maddening urge.

Rias spared him a glance. She probably detected his hurry, in that moment where their eyes met.

The redhead raised her hand over the piece.

"Thou who hath strayed from the eternal bond of flesh and soul our ancestors bestowed upon us, come hither, abide to my calling."

The pawn glowed. It throbbed impatiently, with hunger. Issei heard palpitations in the distance following the same rhythm. He could distinguish whether the piece or him was the truly one alive.

"Thou who hath forsaken his place as an extension of my strength, as my loyal sword and shield, and as my fated sibling of another blood, remember your duty."

The light emanating from the evil piece grew brighter, and sparks began crackling around it.

"Never forget the covenant that binds us, connects us, and anchors us together, imprinting the essence of the Devil in our souls."

Words of power flowed out of her mouth. The red string that shot into Rias' chest flared, shining with a more visible color.

Then, gravity suddenly inverted. Issei felt his whole body crushed. If he hadn't been so weak and without energy, he might've heaved his intestines out.

"I welcome you with open arms once again, servant of Gremory. We have endured in the past, we thrive in the present, and we will flourish in the future."

Rias pressed her lips together. With a careful, casual touch, she pushed the pawn back.

Issei saw with tired confusion as the chess piece quite literally sank into his chest. His clothes rippled in a surreal manner, as if a pebble disappeared underwater.

He stumbled back, managing by some coincidence to land on one of the empty couches and not hurt himself.

His heart thumped anew. Each pulse was strong, violent, followed by jolts of pain that shook his brain painfully.

Then, warmth. It crawled beneath his skin, uncomfortably at first. It slowly spread throughout his muscles. Feeling returned to his fingertips, toes, arms, legs and everything else. At that moment it hit him how cold his body had grown in that lapse of time that didn't seem to end.

He blinked again and wondered, confused, why he'd been so tired in the first place. Issei felt… fresh, ready to kick ass like he hadn't felt in a long time. Another jolt woke him up and he felt restless.

"What the… What the hell was that?"

He grasped his shirt and gasped. Then, he looked forward.

Somehow, the scene playing in front of him confused him even more. Akeno, Kiba and Koneko, the three of them had a hand over their hearts. Something like a creepy chuckle crawled up his throat. Were they making fun of him, mirroring his dramatic—and very real—ache?

No, no they weren't. They were not laughing or insulting him.

Another glimpse rewarded him with a strange sight. Koneko managed to dissimulate a little better, but Issei could see how they were all… relieved? Fatigued? He couldn't tell. But they were not acting it out, definitely.

His guts were telling him it was something worse than being tired and he utterly disliked his guts at that point in time.

Issei looked at the young woman right in front of him.

Rias huffed upon meeting Issei's stare. She placed one arm beneath her chest. With her other hand, she rubbed her face. Seconds later she lowered her hand and the sight stole a shaky breath out of Issei.

He dared to say she was kind of… brighter? Now, Rias looked much like he remembered her to be. Sharp, beautiful, without any blemishes on view. She stood straighter and any sign of fatigue simply disappeared.

"Huh… that's better. I was actually going to pass out if that kept on for a second longer."

Rias pressed fingers against her temples.

"…H-Hey, Pres… what's going on here? What did ya do?"

Issei's question was louder than he intended. All heads turned to him and he gulped.

"I… I really wanna know. What ya did now… it felt like… it was pretty scary. And it's like I'm the only one out of the loop. C'mon, I'm… damn. Aren't we supposed to be in this together 'n all…?"

A few moments passed. Rias lowered her hands and stared at him, unmoving, unspeaking. Issei couldn't regret asking before his master sighed.

"Sorry, Ise. The problem is that your fight yesterday affected all of us, in one way or another."

Issei tensed.

"W-What…? But why? I didn't do anythin'…I…"

"Yes, you did. Think about it Ise. I gave you a gift, didn't I? You used that gift yesterday," she said with a knowing expression. "Do you remember my warnings? Do you remember why you weren't allowed to use that amulet?"

Surely after saying that, the pieces of the puzzle fell in place. He gulped.

"So… you took my soul away or somethin'…?"

She shook her head.

"No, I did not. I can't absorb my servant's soul Ise," she declared.

Rias crossed her arms. She lifted one hand, taking ahold of her chin with two fingers.

"Your soul is quite literally fused with the evil piece I put inside you. Consuming your soul would mean consuming the evil piece as well. That is, I cannot use my own evil pieces on myself."

Rias closed her eyes and breathed in deeply. The moment she exhaled, several crimson 'threads' appeared in thin air. The threads flickered red, sparking a fresh, grizzly memory from not long ago in Issei's mind. He had seen one of those just minutes ago…

The threads came from Akeno, Kiba, and Koneko. A red light shone in the center of their chests. All lines converged towards Rias.

"I didn't want to overload you with information from the get-go. However, seeing as the situation is far more dangerous than anticipated, I can't postpone the explanations any longer. A lack of knowledge could mean the death of you."

Issei felt a chill, listening to his senpai murmur 'death' so casually.

Rias took her had off her face. She held up one finger.

"Please try to follow, Ise," she said. "That evil piece in your body? It fulfills two purposes. The first and most important is, of course, turning you into a devil. You already got the gist of that."

A second finger followed.

"The second purpose is linking your soul to mine. Thanks to that, I can monitor your condition and keep your piece in check. It's a two-ways link: in exchange for my protection, you supply me with human souls. A [King] piece doesn't exist because I don't need it."

She followed the threads with her eyes. Her fingers went down, tracing the trajectory of the ethereal lines. They vibrated at her gentle touch. Issei felt his heart speed up in synchrony.

"Our little problem occurred when you tried to feed me your life essence. My body rejected your evil piece and our connection was severed."

Rias looked around, stealing some glances at her silent servants.

"As you might conclude, that's the reason I was… tired. The failed ritual shocked me quite a bit. I couldn't really sleep because of it."

She waved one hand at the others.

"The negative feedback also disrupted my connection with the others. I was able to fix it quickly, but that's a very grave situation Ise. If I don't keep an eye on the evil pieces, my peerage will suffer for it."

"Ah, Pres, a word?" interrupted Akeno.

Rias made a gesture and nodded.

"Do you remember how you activated one of the clubhouse's traps, Ise?" hummed Akeno. "I didn't want to tell you before Rias did, but this is basically the reason. Your evil piece was 'disconnected' from President. My magic was designed to allow total entry to Rias Gremory's peerage, but since you're a random devil without connection to a master… do you follow?"

Issei let the words sink in one by one. He barely managed to come out alive last night. He only wanted to help Ayame… but he made everyone worry too. Little by little, he understood his actions had more impact, had caused more ripples than he was prepared for.

"As I said, we were all lucky I fixed this in a day. I'm sure everyone here is feeling much better, too…" Rias looked down and shook her head. "…But, no, that isn't the problem that irks me the most."

The redhead approached him slowly, and Issei couldn't exactly find the words to apologize. Nothing seemed good enough to make up for his mistake. The way Rias inched closer like a predator didn't ease his worries in the slightest.

"…I'm angry with you, Ise. I'm angry and not because you caused us trouble."

The brunet felt a knot form in his throat.

"You acted recklessly, putting yourself in pointless danger. My servants will not be hurt if I can help it. And you're not helping me. You're not helping yourself if you just disobey my orders. It's not easy to take care of someone who doesn't try to care for himself."

She put a hand on his shoulder, her grip tender and gentle. There was still warmth emanating from her fingertips. Issei looked down. He couldn't bring himself to look up and face her.

"…I understand we haven't known each other for long, Ise. I'm sure you don't trust me. And honestly, I wouldn't blame you for it. This whole stuff about magic and devils… it sounds like mad rubbish, doesn't it? My warnings and concerns probably ring hollow to you. But… right now, I ask you to trust me."

Rias squeezed a bit. Not enough to hurt, just enough to let him know she was there. She was serious.

"We're family, Ise. You're part of the Gremory Clan. You're a devil under my command, with one of my evil pieces in you. And family members… they look after each other, no matter the circumstances. You don't need to think of me as a friend. You don't even need to like me. Just know, understand, that it is my duty to protect and be there for you. It's just natural."

Moments passed. His heart beat against his sternum, reminding him of who he was and what he was now. Her hand eventually left his shoulder and returned to her side.

"Promise me that you will listen from now on. And not for our sake, but for yours too."

She allowed the command to linger in the air, so as to let her pawn understand his position. The other members of the peerage watched and listened wordlessly.

All eyes were on him, waiting for him to say what needed to be said.

"Hahaha… man, I really screwed up big time, eh…?"

He got up from the couch to his full height. His head hung low for some seconds in a defeated stance. Then, he looked up.

Brown eyes met emerald ones.

"Okay, I get it. I was stupid, and reckless, and I put my life in danger and I also bothered everyone here…"

Issei crossed his arms. His heart thumped against his ribcage.

"…But ya know what? I ain't regretting what I did. Not one single bit," he said firmly.

There was a shift. He could see from the corner of his eyes the surprised expressions on the others.

Rias stared at him sternly.

"You said it crystal clear Pres. Ya gotta take care of yer family. I was hanging out at night, yeah… but that's cuz I was helping my brother. He needed me and we got held back. Nothin' I could do 'bout it."

He let out a shaky sigh.

"My bro is a dumbass, a sloth, and he's so edgy you can cut yourself by lookin' at him. But in the end, he's also my only brother, and I love him. It's just natural."

Rias pursed her lips. She probably didn't take it well her own words were used against her. Issei went on anyway.

"…I'd be scum if I didn't help my big bro. He's always been there for me, always. I wouldn't look at my mom in the eye if one day, I come back without Ayame, knowing I could've done somethin' to help. It ain't right."

Issei uncrossed his arms. The boy threw a thumb at himself, smiling.

"I'm sorry for making y'all worried. I'll be careful, yeah, but I make no promises. Someone needs help? I'll help, dammit."

There was a pause. He felt his smile widening a bit.

"That also includes you guys."

"Hmm…?" murmured Rias. Her brows were arched and low, expressing an emotion she rarely showed. She was surprised.

"Yeah, I mean…"

Issei stopped for a second. He rubbed his nose and looked away, trying to hide a smile that didn't want to leave his face.

"…Ya said we're family. That means I've gotta take care of ya too! It ain't rocket science… ya protect me and I do the same."

Issei grinned toothily. It was the kind of grins that let him off the hook all too often with his family, even when his brother was beyond annoyed with him. He had a talent for bothering his big bro, but he was gifted in avoiding Ayame's witty remarks too.

"And 'sides, the only reason I'm alive is because of ya, Pres. Ya right, we don't know each other that much. But if the person who saved my life says we're family, then we'll be the damn best family there is in the whole town."

Silence fell upon the meeting room. The brunet kept on sporting his winning grin to show his goodwill even though his cheeks were starting to hurt. He had to show he cared. He had to show he wasn't joking.

Issei had no reason to feel ashamed. He did the right thing. He didn't need to prove anything to anyone.

He waited and waited and waited for an even harsher scolding. He waited for them to call him an absolute idiot like usual, yet…

…Issei's smile faltered in surprise, seeing the smiles on the others' faces.

"Hmmm, sweet and noble! It seems our little junior was quite the catch, President~!" chimed Akeno with a goodhearted chuckle. "Let's make sure to treat this new addition well. You don't find cute, wholesome boys like this every day~"

Kiba nodded along, smiling with half-lidded eyes. "Indeed. It's the kind of person I could trust to watch my back. I wasn't too sure from a first impression… but he's not half-bad. Hyoudou-kun's got something good going on."

Even Koneko agreed. She raised a thumb up as she munched on her ice-cream, her expression unchanged.

Issei looked at them. His cheeks were turning red and he couldn't find the right words to say. It was silly, how flustered he felt.

"Guys…"

He remembered his senior was still in front, silent. He looked at her again.

Issei's heart skipped a beat. And this time, he actually enjoyed the sensation.

Rias' lips were curved upwards in a small smile. It was so tiny, barely noticeable unless Issei stared harder. But if smiles were able to emit warmth, he felt Rias' expression would melt an iceberg.

She sighed and took a step forward.

"Ah, how troublesome…"

Once she was close enough, she raised a hand over Issei's head. She patted him and scratched his head. Issei allowed her to run her fingers through his hair, feeling tickles. He couldn't hide the blush on his cheeks, having such a beautiful woman in front of his face, so close, touching him.

"…What am I going to do with you? My cute, foolish hellion of a servant."

Issei let out a sheepish laugh. Rias giggled in return. A few heartbeats later, she stepped back.

"Seriously, though, don't be impulsive and stay out of trouble. Jumping head first into trouble is counterproductive, especially when you can step back and ask for help. And on that account…"

Rias spun around. She cast a glance over her servants.

"…I'll get really, really mad if something like this happens again. However, if you still insist on being a dauntless dummy, remember you have people here that'll stick up for you." Rias turned again with a satisfied smile. "Akeno saved you last night, didn't she?"

"Though I'd veeeeery much appreciate not to be called in my free time ever again, pretty please~" chimed then raven-haired teen.

Rias closed her eyes and shook her head. Issei chuckled, rubbing the back of his head while mouthing "sorry".

"Then, I declare this issue solved," continued the redhead. "Now that we're all finally here, I would like to step things up and introduce our new member to a devil's duty."

"What's the new mission, Pres?"

Rias smiled at his quick response and gave an answer of her own.

"Up until yesterday, you were doing the usual trade of a devil. You have seen the kind of violence our kind gets tangled in. With that in mind, I'd like you to experience another essential task of a peerage…"

Issei gulped, curious at the prospect of a new job.

"What's that, exactly?"

The redhead walked back to her desk and sat down. She linked her hands together and rested her chin on them, fixing him a calm stare.

"Go home and rest a bit. Afterwards, return to the clubhouse, and tell your parents you'll be late," she ordered. "Tonight, we shall hunt."

---

- ~DxD~ -

The wind wailed. It was a somewhat frightening sound, especially in a night so cold, and with the streets so empty.

It was the thing that never changed about Kuoh, Issei noticed. The city could get noisy during the day, sure, but unless you were frolicking downtown, nights were extremely silent. People in Kuoh were simple and down-to-earth. Nobody had the habit of rocking the boat if it wasn't at the local club. There was a time for everything.

Even street gangs were a rare sight if you weren't at the right place. The city was… peaceful, safe.

Except it was not. And maybe that was what got him in a twitchy mood.

The wind was unnerving already, but sometimes it was muted by random creaks and screeches with no source. The moon was all too brilliant, illuminating corners some streetlights had trouble reaching. Weird shadows crept and danced in the pale light.

Issei had his pride as a guy. But he didn't feel any shame in admitting his guts twisted painfully when he stepped out of the clubhouse for this nightly stroll.

Something was unsettling him. He couldn't blame the supper he ate for his upset stomach. His mom had outdone herself with delicious food when he told her he was going out with new friends.

It was something else. Fear.

These past days were a total disaster. His chances of surviving hit bottom as the sun went down. He couldn't simply avoid nasty situations. Being a devil was a nasty situation in itself, and many people wanted to kill him dead for being one.

Twice he almost died, twice he got saved. As in all sayings, the third time's the charm. And not a lucky one.

Thankfully, he had Rias and company mosey along him tonight. Any and all fears he had weren't as menacing with them around. They didn't even seem to register how dangerous this all was. They chatted, not minding whatever the world could throw their way.

A closer look cleared things up a bit. They were confident. And knowing what kind of powers Akeno had, for example, he had a feeling of why they didn't worry at all.

He and Rias trailed behind everyone else. Walking in front of them were Kiba and Akeno, who shared jokes and silly gossip. Koneko marched at the very front, seemingly leading the group.

"Hey, Pres…" said Issei sheepishly. "What are we hunting, exactly?"

She hummed as she caught a lock of her crimson hair, twirling it around her index playfully. Her expression was calm. She almost looked bored, or maybe she was thinking.

"A devil." Her lackadaisical response prompted Issei to ask for more details. Rias continued before he could blurt out his thoughts. "And no, it's not the kind of devil that makes you think of myself or Akeno, if you're thinking about that."

Well, he was tempted to say Akeno was another kind of devil for another reason entirely. He kept silent about that. He wasn't gonna judge just because his senior was… a little scary. Just a little. A very tiny little that could relatively be a lot.

The thought reminded him of Ayame, though. He looked like he was eating whole lemons every time he talked with the mysterious beauty. His big bro wasn't one to look so sour. He was bland with people, sarcastic too, but not outright sour and snappy.

"To give you a bit of context, this is related to the evil pieces," Rias added. "Have you ever wondered how the whole reincarnation process works? You were unconscious when it happened. I reckon you don't know much aside from what I told you."

"Yeah… things from that time are kinda blurry," admitted Issei with a sigh.

The young woman nodded.

"It's fine. We'll tackle one thing at the time," she reassured. "Let's start with a question. From what you've heard, how easy do you think reincarnation is?"

"Huh…. easy?" repeated Issei, a bit at a loss. "I mean, y'all make it sound pretty simple, if that's what ya mean. Turning someone into a devil seems like a piece of cake."

Rias hummed, considering his answer.

"It does sound simple. To tell you the truth, though, devil reincarnation is nothing short of impossible. In fact, it's impossible to the point many have said we devils have committed the greatest offence against nature by inventing it."

Issei could only manage a feeble sound to show he was listening. The tone had shifted quite quickly.

"…What… what do ya mean, Pres? I mean, I ain't feelin' any different, so it can't be that bad…"

Rias snickered a bit. Her half-parted eyelids hid the emerald beneath them.

"It's not about how you feel, but what we've done. Forcibly turning someone into another race is simply not possible, Ise. Humans were born human and shall die human. Animals were born animal and shall die animal. Men will die men, and women will die women. You won't suddenly become a lizard and I won't suddenly become a tiger. A change of race implies a physical and psychological tampering so deep, so complex… you'd need to be a god to do it."

When she put it like that, yes, it sounded rather serious.

"But… if reincarnation is impossible like that, why do we take it fer granted?"

At that comment, Rias put on a very, very satisfied smile. Her face changed along, and somehow, he wasn't seeing a teenager but a woman in full bloom.

"Devils have experimented with magic for centuries. At some point, we faced the danger of extinction. We needed to make sure some vestiges of our race remained, even if artificially, so we could eventually repopulate. Evils pieces are the result to that necessity. It took us years upon years of research and bloodshed, but we essentially performed a miracle."

The redhead crossed her arms, sighing.

"Sounds ironic, doesn't it? Devils performing miracles. Alas, no such contradiction can exist without a couple of flaws. We're not gods after all."

She made a nonchalant gesture with her hand. Her emerald eyes shone a strange light as she twirled her head, expression cold.

"Devils are passionate creatures. We are greedy when we want something, lustful when we like someone, and angry when things don't go our way. Our powers work the same way, changing and shifting according to our desires."

Her eyes returned to Issei. He tried to keep eye contact, but in front of that piercing glare, he couldn't help staring somewhere else.

"Clothes usually don't look different from the people that wear them. With a curriculum like that, how do you think the mystical devil item will affect you?"

Issei was quick to mull over the obvious. He didn't respond immediately, maybe to not get it wrong, maybe because he didn't want to offend Rias. She beat him to the punch with the answer either way.

"Evil pieces are… incredibly powerful. They're also very unstable. By design, they're supposed to be. Devils are not particularly known for their restraint or purity."

He listened, attentive, clasping the fabric of the clothes on his chest area. The thing that worked as his heart beat against his chest, drumming, mocking the bit of fearfulness he dared to show.

Rias did something similar, posing two fingers upon her chest. But Issei saw none of the anxiety he felt reflected on her expression.

"The evil piece begins its task by altering your being. It latches itself onto your soul, syphoning your life essence, transforming it into demonic power and then merging your soul with it, steadily, till nothing but a meager bit of the human you once were remains intact within your spirit."

She slid her fingers up. They stopped once they touched her temple.

"The second step begins in the head. The evil piece has a 'code' imprinted within, much like living cells. This code is meant to shift the rhythm and degree in which chemicals are fired inside your body. To give you the layman's version, dopamine will hit you fifty times stronger compared to a normal human, and your serotonin levels will go up and down like a roller coaster."

Magic and scientific jargon didn't mix well, Issei realized. But he remembered enough of his biology classes to know dopamine in excess wasn't good at all.

Rias let her hand fall at her side. She closed her eyes.

"The reincarnation is completed in your physical form. With enough demonic power, the evil piece shall strengthen and transform your body in proportion to your emotions. And when I say 'transform', I mean you will end up growing some extra appendages like my wings. It's essentially the process of growing up, but the devil version."

…All of a sudden, being turned into a Devil sounded far more unsettling than he'd anticipated. She said this evil piece would what? Syphon his life essence? Shift his mind? In theory he kind of got it, but he still had a hard time coming to terms with it.

Could it be so simple? So... reasonable? Unwillingly, his memory took him back to his childhood and bedtime spent listening to stories where magical deals were always two faced. Magic here seemed too easy to comprehend, too easy to accept, too sweet a deal.

The redhead linked her hands together around her belly. Her gaze flickered at the distance, though her eyes didn't seem too focused on what was ahead.

"Soul, mind and body… this order is not coincidental. It's meant to prepare you for a new life," she admitted. "The transition cannot begin if your soul remains purely human – we'd be running into a contradiction otherwise, a devil with a human soul. Your mind also needs to be more daring, more emotional, or the impulses common to all devils will break your judgment. The body needs to respond to these new feelings and change. It's a splendid system, if I may say so myself."

Her praise was accompanied by an excited twinkle dancing in her eyes. It disappeared as soon as it came. She coughed, almost as if trying to change the mood. The boy couldn't suppress a little smile at how cute she looked, so excited.

"You're probably wondering why I'm telling you this. Before, I said the link between master and servant was important. Evil pieces are constantly generating demonic energy. If your emotions are strong, the leakage of energy will be greater. Our link allows me to assimilate that excess."

Issei was listening raptly. Then, he pulled a strange face. Up until now he was pretty much in the dark with supernatural stuff. But he had had some encounters with dangerous people. He felt the power of magic firsthand. And even if his mind was clouded by emotions and sensations at those times, he didn't forget the details.

"…Well, let's say that some peerages don't have the same stability," she continued as her tone dropped. "For one reason or another, some servants end up running away from their masters. Sometimes, they kill them."

The boy remembered. Dohnaseek, the man who tried to kill him. He remembered him and his endless babbling about things he couldn't care less about. Yet, there was one thing…

"These servants who have gone rogue are, often, violent creatures. The lack of master renders them unable to control the evil pieces piece pouring energy into their system. Their souls are then corrupted. Their minds are twisted into a shadow of what they once were. The strongest of them all are able to dominate the evil piece and look normal, but…"

A pause, and then, a sigh.

"…Not everyone has the same strength of will."

For a second, in Issei's mind, Rias' voice was overlapped by another's. That man, Dohnaseek, he had spoken those words too.

…Without a master controlling the flow of demonic power within you, the evil piece will start to corrupt your spirit. Sooner or later you will begin feeding on souls to satiate your hunger. Your personal shall be overridden with desire, leaving nothing but a shadow behind.

The murmurs replaying inside his mind weren't any brighter for that matter.

Same horrible words, same tone, different intentions. Different intentions. Issei grasped the idea and did not let go of it, trying to control the wild beating of his heart. Rias wouldn't hurt him.

Issei gulped and choked out words came out.

"…S-Stray…"

A low murmur coupled with rising anxiety. He thought it was just an insult when he heard it the day before. The dots connected one by one and he understood what kind of dark comedy he'd gotten himself into.

Rias' head snapped in his direction. She heard him, sporting an amused expression on her face.

"…Well, yes. We do call them 'stray devils' for reference, though that's underworld slang. The official term for them is אֲבוּדִים."

'Avudim'. The Lost. During a few painful heartbeats, the pronunciation was lost to him. It also took him a couple of seconds to decipher the word as if he'd known all along. Was she speaking Japanese…?

No, it wasn't important. The real issue here was Dohnaseek. Issei thought the crappy old man was just taunting him before, trying to break his spirit. But his words were taking a sinister turn.

The realization was hard to swallow. Supernatural beings were cruel, but not liars, it seemed.

"Devils without masters tend to give in to their base instincts. They let themselves go, and that's when they begin murdering others."

Issei turned his head. There was something like anger or annoyance on his master's calm face.

"That's what brings us here tonight," she said resolutely. "The underworld can't have stray devils wreaking havoc. It upsets a delicate territorial balance and brings trouble to our kin. This is why peerages situated in the human world are given 'bounties'. Peerages are compensated for capturing or executing these strays. It's far more dangerous than simple contracts with humans… but it pays handsomely in comparison."

The brunet gulped. This was too freaking crazy. Shit, what did he get himself into?

He really didn't want to do this. So yeah, he was a coward and a wuss. It was much better than getting killed again. But how, how could he tell Rias he wanted to turn tail and run the hell away? Was he overthinking much? Dammit. He was on time. He could go back home with Ayame and his parents-

"Ise?"

The boy bit back a yelp. He flinched a little. What did his life become when he was resurrected by his senior? His cheeks ached. He knew he was pulling a face and not a nice one.

"Is everything okay? Are you feeling funny?" said she with a hint of worry.

"N-No, no," he instantly responded. "It's just… this whole business about evil pieces and strays… it sounds kinda dangerous, I guess? Hahaha… ha…"

Rias spared him a neutral glance. She hummed and caught a lock of her red hair.

"I understand this…" she trailed off, as if choosing her words carefully, "… is a lot to take in. But I assure you, as long as you listen to me, nothing shall go wrong. Evil pieces have a lot of fail-safes that prevent a devil from losing control too quickly, provided the connection with a master is present. And as for the strays themselves…"

Rias twirled her head in his direction. She had a small, amused smile.

"…Ise, I'm not going to throw you to the lions. That'd be stupid and counterproductive. This is a learning experience, nothing more. You'll sit back and watch us do the work. So ease up and try to… see the good side of the deal. We're even getting to know each other, are we not? Isn't it a silver lining?"

Issei gulped. Was it, really? The more he learned the more he wished to forget. Being a servant—a slave—was kind of icky already. He liked the idea of turning into a murderous monster even less.

…Wasn't she doing everything to make sure he didn't screw up, though? That surely had to mean something.

He shook his head.

This was stupid. What was the point of doing mental gymnastics? That was Ayame's hobby, not his. Issei already swore he'd protect Rias and the others. As a man, he couldn't leave a debt unpaid.

"…Yeah, yer right. Honestly though, I'd rather focus more on getting to know each other than hunting stray puppers," said the brunet with a smirk. "And really, hunting? C'mon boss. I can't picture a sweet pretty lady like ya getting anything red on her 'sides the hair."

Rias closed her eyes and let a satisfied smile flicker on her face. She tapped her slim fist against Issei's shoulder.

"Keep your flirting to yourself, kid. Remember I'm still a year older. You still have a long road before you make me blush. And besides, you shouldn't judge my ability to hurt from my appearance." She had a smiley expression despite her negative response.

Issei smiled back. "Okay, okay. Yer not that pretty anyway… though beauty is just a light switch away. It's too damn dark here."

The redhead giggled and suddenly, she wasn't a dark master of evil arts anymore but a young flower that glowed, and of course, his concentration was broken. Why were women so cute? If being adorable was a sin, Rias would go to hell, no questions asked. Now, she was a Devil, so…

'And her breasts are pretty darn big… I don't think my hand can get ahold of one of 'em bad girls…'

He almost salivated at the thought. Then he shook his head because he was going to look like a creep. He had to focus. This wasn't the time. He could think about Rias and her body, later, in his dreams…

"I'm glad you're being reasonable Ise. Things wouldn't go smoothly if I had to keep an eye on you all the time."

The teen nodded enthusiastically. He looked forward where his comrades were walking.

"Sooo… how are we gonna find this stray?"

The redhead did a slight movement with the chin, pointing to the servants walking a few steps ahead of them.

"Koneko has good senses. She's leading us to the stray by residual smell left around these areas. Once we're close enough, Akeno will pinpoint the exact location by tracking their anima."

Issei scratched his brown hair.

"…How do stray devils smell anyway?"

She looked away, smile vanishing into a neutral expression.

"Like blood."

Her short comment was met with silence, as Issei knew better than to keep making small talk after that. It would have been wrong. Too many implications were hidden behind her answer and he wanted to mull over them as much as he wanted to escape them.

They kept walking, abandoning the residential area and venturing into the poorer parts of Kuoh. The group passed by some decrepit houses and inhabited apartment complexes.

Eventually, they came to a halt. The place in front of them was a factory, a very old one dating from the times when Kuoh was a small city. It was abandoned, now, a lonely junkyard too far away from downtown for the government to care and topple it down to build something new in its place. Issei remembered fooling around in the vicinity when he was a kid. He also remembered seeing rats that looked like they came straight out of a horror flick from size alone here. Gosh, that was scary.

Koneko stopped in front of a broken fence encircling the compound. The group followed, hot on her heels.

After some indiscrete sniffs, she turned around and pointed a finger behind her.

"There."

Rias walked up to her and patted her head, congratulating her for a job well done. Koneko closed her eyes and accepted the gesture silently, corners of her lips quirking just enough to pass as a semblance of a pleased smile. It was noticeable on a face so expressionless.

Kiba crossed his arms as he got a good look at the place.

"Why, why do they always choose to hide in the nasty places?" questioned the blond upon seeing the wreckage called a building sprawling before them. "It's almost insulting to be searching in the trash for our targets. Our abilities should be deserving of something more… I don't know, dignified."

"Now, now, Yuuto, don't you know that pests prefer to make themselves at home in the humid and dark places?" reasoned Akeno as she caressed her cheek. "It's a sign of their weakness. They would rather stalk and kill from the shadows than upfront. We just have to lure them out~"

Rias nodded, agreeing. "Exactly. And that is why I want you all to give your best and show Ise what you're capable of. And Ise…"

"Yeah! What do I have to do, Pres?"

She looked at him and smiled.

"Be sure to stay besides me. Strays do like to strike from behind, and you're the weakest. It'll surely come for you if we leave you alone."

Issei quickly got the memo. He approached his boss, maintaining a distance of a couple of inches yet still somehow feeling as if he were clinging to his mother's skirt.

After making sure Issei was at her side, she turned around and set her sights on a small aperture in the fence. A chain was tied around the gaps, secured with a rusted lock. She took it in her hand and inspected it.

"Huh… I suppose illegal trespassing is beyond us at this point in time. We have done worse anyway."

Rias slightly tapped the lock with the index of her free hand.

A red light shone for a second.

With a muted sound, the lock exploded. The chains were freed, falling to the ground with a clunk.

Issei stared as the rusted metal lost shape. It liquefied and trickled down, coming undone as black-red flames it away.

Rias pushed the fence open and stepped in. After one, two turns of her head to look for anything suspicious, she signaled for everyone to follow with a wave.

"Where is our objective, Akeno?"

Akeno put a finger over her lip. A couple of seconds later, she was pointing at the main building.

"This one could learn a thing or two about subtlety. It's hiding in the one place with a roof~"

"The factory, then."

The group kept marching with coordinated steps, raising small clouds of dust and neatly dodging piles of junk accumulated on the disappearing ground.

Issei let his sight wander from time to time. He had to suppress a flinch whenever he spotted towering shadows around him. They were like silhouettes of giant monsters. Then, seconds later, he was seeing pieces of twisted metal and felt like an idiot.

'Calm down, Ise,' he said inwardly. 'They said the monster is in the factory. Man the hell up.'

They stopped in front of another entrance. After a quick glance, Issei saw they were big metallic doors split in the middle. Another look later and he spotted the handles on each door to slide them open in opposite directions. Both doors showed decay and rust, much like the rest of the place.

"Koneko," Rias called.

The small girl made a sound of confirmation. She stepped towards the rusty and thick metal handles, grabbing them with a hand each.

Issei tilted his head, slightly baffled. He had to control his urges to step forwards and help the petite girl. She was so terribly tiny. What could she do to such huge doors with her ridiculously small hands?

"Hey, Pres… is it fine to let her do it alone? Those things look heavy. I… think we should help."

However, the redhead raised a hand to stop him. She showcased a small smirk.

"There's no need. Remember when I said you shouldn't judge my ability to hurt just from my appearance?" she asked spiritedly. "It also applies to them."

Issei snapped his attention back to Koneko. The small, fragile-looking girl pulled the handles away from each other. Her arms trembled. Against those metallic gates, someone as tiny as her could do little. Issei looked with pity while she struggled.

His right foot advanced.

The gates visibly budged and creaked. The sound stopped Issei dead in his tracks.

The brunet winced when he heard a metallic screech.

Both doors were violently trashed towards their respective sides. The walls shook and cracked. Even some old windows broke because of the shaking. A gust of wind and dust hit Issei on the face and he could barely get a solid footing before being blown away.

He looked at Koneko wide-eyed. Then, he looked at Rias. She was also looking at him smugly.

"See?" she said.

The brunet gulped and slowly nodded. Now he knew Koneko was someone he definitely didn't want to have an arm contest with. She would crush him and he didn't have that kind of kink, thank you very much.

Issei tried to not stray too far away as the group marched inside. Particles of dirt were dancing in the air.

The place was dirty and abandoned. Concrete pillars cracked on their entire length supported what was left of the slowly crumbling building. Faded graffiti stretched over scrapped walls. A few pieces of old machinery could be seen all over the place, and rubble accumulated in some corners.

The light of the moon shone through the gaps of the ceiling, illuminating some spots as others remained in darkness.

The place was eerie, and with that kind of dark scene put in display…

…Akeno began clapping out of nowhere.

"Come, little Stray. Come out and play with us~" she said goofily and with an excited smile, completely forgoing any safety. "It's not good manners to keep a lady waiting, and you reaaaaally don't want to see big sis here angry~"

Rias and Kiba laughed a little at her call, although they tried to muffle it. Issei couldn't really bring himself to giggle with them, instead opting to watch how the bizarre unfolded.

"Now, Akeno. I know you don't enjoy hunting Strays and want to get this over with, but let's do our job in order," Rias told her Queen, who stopped waltzing around the place as if she owned it. "Koneko will do the honors."

"Ugh, okaaaay."

Akeno huffed and crossed her arms. A pout adorned her delicate features and it would have made Issei's heart melt into a puddle if they weren't hunting a monster and she wasn't expressing excited at the very idea of hunting.

Koneko passed by a pouting Akeno and deeper into the darkness, wordlessly as ever. She looked from one corner to another, small hands clenched into fists and brought close to her body.

Just then, an unrelated thought hit Issei. He understood this place was a very dark dwelling; people would normally need a flashlight to distinguish anything at this hour of the day. He, however, could see everything as clear as day. It wasn't something he'd caught on before.

Yet, the curious detail quickly turned into a problem.

Some shadows, he could not distinguish. Shadows that shifted weirdly; shadows that slithered across the ground. Shadows that moved as quickly as his gaze flickered to catch them.

Nervousness took over him, sending his heart into a race it couldn't win. His body numbed and Issei knew what he was feeling. He could reason with his emotions all he wanted. Unfortunately, he couldn't pretend his nervousness hadn't morphed into paralyzing fear.

He wanted to run towards Koneko and get her out of the way. He couldn't. Issei wasn't simply following Rias' order like a good servant. Something else was stopping him.

An evil presence. Something primal, animalistic. A great lust for blood. It was invading his lungs, creeping into his blood, gnawing at his mind.

Blood and lust for it were all he could taste. It was all he could think about even though he knew the desire was not his.

His fears flickered and vanished. Koneko was alone, standing in the rubble. Koneko was alone and in danger and no one was doing or saying anything to help her. He managed to unlock his jaw and force his vocal cords to shake into forming words.

It was late, and he knew-

"T-Toujou-san, watch out!"

-That the shadows were not shadows.

A line in the darkness broke apart, revealing gargantuan teeth like blades.

A gigantic jaw emerged from the places where the light didn't reach. It happened the moment Koneko turned her head the other way and Issei wanted to scream, scream, scream. A sharp sight escaped his chest and nothing else.

He felt helpless. He felt so damn helpless even though he wasn't the one whose head was about to be bitten off.

He'd promised to help. And yet, here he was, frozen again. Frozen, useless, weak.

Sharp and pointy fangs rounded Koneko from above and beneath. It was like some wildlife documental where the hungry animal pounced from its hiding place to chomp down a well-deserved meal.

Issei found his voice back just for it to falter and fail him again. His intentions were clear, he'd acknowledged them, but his feet refused to move an inch.

He had to move. He couldn't.

He could barely ball his fists and hope the nails dug deep enough into the skin. Maybe the pain would distract him from the horrible scene.

Someone giggled, a distorted sound to Issei's ears. He blinked and watched as Akeno smiled. His mind caught up and he understood she was the one producing that bizarre noise.

He blinked again and yes, there was only tranquility and confidence on the faces of his peers. Nobody moved to save the small girl. No one seemed worried. He realized how dumb he must've looked a second later.

Koneko was not helpless. And she definitely was not weak.

With a marked twist of her hips, the young devil planted her feet on the ground, and faced the enemy directly.

The jaw snapped. It tried to engulf and gulp her down.

Cracks ran through the ground upon impact, breaking the cement and the rubble. A curtain of dust arose. The ground vibrated and made Issei's knees weak, made his breath quiver.

The dust settled down.

Koneko's hands held the giant monster in place, grabbing it by its teeth. Her feet were buried into the ground, destroying the cement and but still remaining firm. They both struggled and neither budged. The small girl pushed back without a sign of fatigue or effort on her emotionless face. The dark monster pushed with its humongous body. The rings of its body constricted in its efforts to crush the white-haired maiden. Its tail hit the ground, violently.

"…Disgusting."

The girl smashed her knee on the beast's jaw, closing its mouth. Then, with her powerful hands, she took ahold of the snout and slammed it against the ground.

She jumped back, ready for more action.

The monster grunted and dislodged itself from the ground. Coming into the clear moonlight, they could all see what it truly looked like.

It resembled a gigantic snake of sorts. Its viscous body was covered with black scales and crude scars. Its eyes were mismatched - one eye was a purple-colored slit, similar to a reptile, while the other had a red-colored pupil.

The most striking feature was a red light shining from the snake's long, dark body. Brilliant crimson veins shone from its belly, exuding dark power that Issei knew about all too well. His heart beat faster at the sight, reminding him of what allowed him to breathe and see the fight.

"Pay attention, Ise," ordered Rias with crossed arms. "This is what happens when a stray is corrupted by the evil piece for far too long."

He didn't take long to understand. Devils were susceptible to their emotions. The evil piece made those emotions stronger. And for someone who was far too gone, far too lost in their own desires… this deformity was the result of someone who became a slave to their own wishes.

The serpentine monster slithered away silently, keeping a prudent distance from the group and the girl it tried to devour.

"Ah… this is quite an exquisite smell. Something, something… it reeks of rage, unbridled rage. Furious decay and unparalleled destruction, too, float and waft around. I remember this, this scent… when was the last time? It's been too long since I felt this power, this power that rots meat so fiercely, so hatefully as if it desired to end all life…"

A booming voice escaped from its horrendous mouth, which opened ever so slightly only to produce sounds. The snake cackled joyfully, setting its sights on Rias. The monster's fangs shone dangerously. The red veins over his body pulsated.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of your unexpected visit, Lady Gremory? Surely you didn't come to play a little game of chess with me? If so, I must apologize. The lack of appendages for menial activities is quite a conundrum to deal with, as you can see…"

The snake had a distorted voice with a gentlemanly baritone to it. It was suave, something Issei would've expected from a middle-aged man.

Rias kept her arms crossed. "No chess, quite sadly. In accordance to the millennia of laws we devils have operated under, I hereby order you to turn yourself in for betraying the pact of soul and flesh, and for the indiscriminate consumption of human souls."

Something like a wicked smile spread across the monster's features. His scales moved and the veins twisted to accommodate the bizarre expression on a creature that was not made for smiling.

"Turn myself in? Oh, I'm afraid that can't be done, Lady Gremory. This evil piece of mine is such a binge eater. It always asks for more souls. I cannot even go on a monthly diet without going nearly insane!" said the giant snake as it tilted its head from side to side, moving slowly. "Why have such manners and give me a choice, if I may ask? You surely must know that cruel riffraff are highly egotistical. Is the Lady feeling merciful tonight?"

The crimson-haired lady smiled, shrugging her shoulders.

"I'm showing my new servant the ropes. He needs to know how to politely ask filthy monsters like you to stop abusing their powers," explained the heiress. "With that said and done, we can proceed with the next phase of the hunt."

The stray lost his demented smile to show his fangs, dripping with poison and folly. A low giggle escaped from his throat.

"Ahhh, always the well-mannered princess, aren't you Lady Gremory? It doesn't suit you at all. You should command and destroy, not ask nicely and hold back." The stray proceeded then lowered his ugly head, as if ready to jump again. "I think we have done enough talking. I'll thoroughly enjoy devouring the princess' soul. So, what was the next part of this 'hunt'…?"

Rias' smile disappeared upon hearing the question.

"Your execution," she emotionlessly stated. "Koneko."

"Understood."

The white-haired girl answered the command and jumped from her spot, breaking the ground from the force of her impulse. The stray cackled and roared, reason and control completely gone. Both devils lunged at each other with the intention to kill.

"Ise." The boy heard Rias' calling but his eyes were still on the fight in front of him. "Some time ago, I said that each evil piece held a special trait, which manifested in the strengths and weaknesses of my servants."

Koneko stomped on the ground, and after pulling with her hands, she removed a chunk of stone many dimensions greater than her body above her head. She quickly intercepted another powerful bite from the stray, using the rock as shield.

"Koneko Toujou is my [Rook]. Although she's short, has a limited reach, and is of average speed on her feet…"

The girl let go of the chunk of stone and stepped back. The stray bit down and destroyed the makeshift shield, focusing his hungry gaze on the moving prey that wanted to escape him.

Koneko ran back. She jogged towards one of the pillars and set one foot on it. Seconds later she was running vertically across its length in a display of incredible acrobatics.

When she reached the top, she jumped away. Koneko fell down just above the monster.

She rolled in the air one time, and one of her legs came out.

The snake made a sound and quickly tried to dodge.

"…She makes up for it with great resistance, and overwhelming brute strength."

Koneko delivered a powerful axe kick. The stray barely managed to move his head, but the girl still hit his body. It was a strike powerful enough to bury the serpent into the ground and break his obsidian scales.

The factory rumbled. The walls cracked. The ceiling shook dangerously. Issei shivered. He couldn't blink anymore, hypnotized by what was playing in front of his eyes.

Koneko moved away. The snake, seemingly forgetting about his new injury, slithered after her.

One, two, three powerful punches of her little arms to the maw stopped the beast in his tracks. Each blow was fast and powerful like bullets shot in quick succession. Issei could barely manage to count them. The snake blocked every hit with his face, reeling back from the damage and pain. Blood dripped from his poisonous fangs.

However, she failed to connect her fourth punch. The stray got under her guard and pulled her into his mouth. He tried to bite and munch her body into a bloody paste. The girl pushed with her arms and legs, keeping the mouth open. However, she couldn't escape now.

Rias snapped her fingers.

"Kiba."

"On the way!"

Blondie responded with energy, instantly jumping into the scene. Issei watched him run, and in one of his hands was… a broadsword?

The brunet blinked. 'What?'

Issei could have sworn the blond wasn't armed on their way here. Where and when did he get a weapon? And it wasn't even a Japanese katana, but an actual European sword. He couldn't have hidden something like that from view.

Clean steel glinted upon meeting the moonlight. The snake visibly shifted as he noticed the teenager run towards him.

Koneko was still struggling inside the snake's mouth. She wouldn't let go. The stray couldn't attack or defend, still intent on munching on the annoying little girl who bested his strength. So the blond had a clear free shot.

"Kiba Yuuto is my [Knight]. His resistance is not as remarkable as Koneko's, and his attacks aren't as destructive either, but…"

The stray used his tail as a gigantic whip, breaking down one of the pillars and barring the entire ground with it. It towered in front of Kiba, ready to strike him down.

And just like a mirage, Kiba disappeared from that spot in a blink of an eye.

Issei blinked again. He completely lost sight of the blond who was just running a moment ago. His gaze wildly scanned the dark interior, searching for the blond and feeling oddly afraid for the thin, snarky being he normally hated.

Then, there was carnage.

Gallons of blood exploded from the snake's body in a rain of crimson. Dozens of cuts manifested on the monster's dark flesh. His scales broke, showing dark meat and red veins that turned black upon meeting the air. A silver flash carved X patterns deep into the bloody skin from which more ooze sprayed out. The cuts were deep, and had they been just a bit deeper, the snake would've turned into mincemeat.

Koneko took this opportunity to kick a fang out of her way, trashing it so hard it popped out of the monster's jaw. She thus freed herself and landed safely out of harm's way.

Kiba reappeared in front of the stray. He readied himself into a combat stance, pointing the end of his weapon at the serpentine terror. The sword he held so firmly was bathed in blood.

"…He makes up for it with blinding speed and incredible precision. On top of that, he possesses a Sacred Gear which allows him to fabricate swords from thin air. He's everything you would expect from a great knight."

The stray jumped at Kiba. The later dodged. Then, the teenager disappeared again, and the only way to barely track him down was the light reflected on his sword. One could think he was teleporting, but no. He was just that fast.

On the other hand, the snake was too big. His movements were sloppy and Kiba easily cut across the length of his body without great effort. The blond took a break from time to time to observe the masterpiece of violence and gore he was creating.

Soon enough, however, Kiba had to step back from the snake's proximity. The monster had finally understood his enemy's moving pattern and tried to crush him with quick lashes of his gigantic tail.

Kiba skidded across the ground. The stray didn't waste time and chased after him.

The knight flexed his legs, pulling the sword towards his body while pointing the edge at the mad devil in front.

He waited.

The snake opened his gargantuan mouth.

Seconds later, the massive jaw bit down and swallowed Kiba…

…Or so it'd have happened if the blond didn't disappear once again.

Something cracked apart loudly.

Kiba shattered one of the stray's fangs with his sword. The giant tooth soared like a boomerang before clattering onto the dirt. The snake hissed in pain and trashed around, spitting one of the pillars in half with a tackle of his humongous body.

Pieces of ruble fell from above. Issei put his arms above his head to prevent any injuries. He needed his brain, whatever his brother said on the matter.

"Kiba, retreat."

The blond immediately followed the order and fell back, sword still in hand, ready to be the knight in shining armor and save the damsel in distress. In this situation, Issei felt he was the damsel and that was an uncomfortable realization to say the least.

The stray recovered his bearings. He set his focus on Rias.

The redhead met the monster's demented gaze with a calm look of her own. She spoke again.

"Akeno, time to step up."

Akeno looked from one side to another, pointing a finger at herself as if making sure she was the one. Then, she put a hand on her cheek and laughed.

"Finally, it is my turn to shine~"

She strutted ahead, standing just between Rias and the stray. The monster sneered furiously at her while she simply smiled.

"Himejima Akeno is my [Queen]. She's the strongest member of my peerage, and as her category implies, she possesses the strengths of a [Rook], [Knight], [Bishop] and [Pawn] altogether."

Another hiss and the stray lunged one last time at his prey. He ignored the injuries, the tiredness, the plain fact he couldn't win. The monster forgot about the pain. His perverted main could barely bear its own bloodlust. He wanted souls. He needed souls.

Issei could feel it. The hunger. The despair. The sheer need for more, more, more.

Akeno looked defenseless in comparison to the giant, starving monster in front of her. Yet, she didn't even flinch.

She simply raised one hand, and pushed her middle finger against her thumb.

"Naturally, Akeno has no weaknesses."

The raven-haired woman snapped her fingers. An intense light shone.

The sound came seconds after.

Arcs of yellow lightning shot out from the small space between her two fingers. The explosive thunder that followed felt like an earthquake and shook Issei out of balance. All of the remaining windows broke down into pieces, falling in a cascade of light and shards.

The lightning crashed against the snake's body. A fraction of a second was all it took for the violent energy to pierce through the stray, searing meat and carbonizing scales in the process. The sheer temperature was enough to set the monster on fire. He was thrown back a little and wheezed in pain, vomiting unreal amounts of blood.

Akeno's smile faltered.

"…Oh, what? Wasn't that enough? Gosh, I'm a total softie these days!"

The offended tone in her voice as she said 'softie' was scary to stay the least. Nobody else would've survived a lightning strike to the face, but Issei wasn't going to tell his senior how to do her job.

Another smile found its way on her face quickly enough.

"Silly me, silly me, I should've known desperate animals are the least thrilled to roll over and die without a hitch. Let's step up the game~"

Akeno rolled her shoulders a little and then crouched down, hands flat on the ground. Issei remembered athletes taking the same position before going into a long sprint.

"Here I go~"

It was a soft breath, calm, totally unfit for the situation. And as naturally as she spoke, in the span of a second, she was already in front of the snake.

She barely made a sound. There was a cold breeze that was left as the result of her jump. There high in the air was a smiling Akeno with one hand clenched into a fist. Her enemy couldn't even register her movement, or the fact that she was there, above, ready to strike down.

She swung a punch towards the stray's head.

A simple hit from her slender arm sent the injured monster down into the dirt. The impact was even stronger than Koneko's kick. The crater was bigger now, and from the repeated blows, it was turning into a hole of sorts.

"Now, for the finishing touch…"

Time seemed to stop as Akeno was left suspended in the air. Concentration seemed to emanate from her still body. She stabbed her arm forward, index finger extended. Pale cyan light began to glimmer at the very tip.

Her index drew a perfectly circular shape across empty space. The trail of cyan light left formed a luminous circle. She completed the shape, closed the circuit, and then rotated her palm at the center. Strange symbols like runes manifested across its transparent surface.

Akeno tapped the circle of light with her index and middle fingers.

"Skewer, white petals."

With a muted noise, several pale shadows emerged from the luminous circle. They were thin and sharp like white spears and had been fired with so much speed Issei had a hard time following them with his eyes.

All of them pierced through the snake. Pools of blood erupted from his body, turning the scene into a shower of crimson liquid. Then, with a sinister crack, the volcanoes of blood quite literally slowed down. It was surreal seeing how the fluids solidified in thin air into a crystalline substance Issei was quick to call ice.

Just like that, the stray devil was defeated.

Akeno gently landed on the ground. After slapping the dust away from her skirt, she looked at the monster curiously.

"Hello, little stray? Are you still alive?" she asked, before flashing her trademark smile. It was terrifying in the dim moonlight as she rejoiced at the gory work of art she produced. "If you are, please say so. I will take my time to sssskiiin you till you learn to stay nice and dead~"

Issei gulped at the threat even if it wasn't directed at him. Everyone else visibly relaxed. Finally, the fight was over.

The devils walked up to the moribund monster. Not so long ago this devil slithered with animalistic grace and savage precision. Now he lay in a pool of his own blood. He breathed shallow, serpentine breaths. Darkness resided in his maw, deep where his heartbeats became feebler and slower.

Rias nodded to herself and smiled.

"Good job, everyone. This was a splendid performance. I'm very proud of you all," she congratulated the servants. Kiba and Akeno smiled while Koneko nodded in acknowledgment.

Issei felt a pat on his shoulder. He turned his head and saw Rias smirking.

"I'm proud of you too, Ise. You were very cooperative and everyone was able to focus on the battle. I'm sure you learnt a lot today, didn't you?"

The brunet didn't respond right away. Rias shifted as if to ask what was wrong. Any words died in her throat as she found both of her shoulders seized by Issei's hands.

Rias froze in place. She stared at his face, and saw a beaming smile. Issei looked like a child who'd found a mountain of gifts with his name etched on them under his bed.

"P-Pres… that was ultra-super awesome!" Issei hollered. "I mean, it was scary as hell, but damn! Toujou-san was so friggin' badass slugging that snake like a piñata! And then there was Blondie… hey, credit where credit is due, that sword and those moves were pretty cool. Kinda icky when you started filleting the bastard 'n all, but yer the Bruce Lee of swords!"

Issei took a deep breath before chuckling excitedly.

"Oh, man, everything was totally awesome! And then, huh… then there was… Himejima-senpai…"

Issei craned his neck slowly. His eyes fell on Akeno. She waved at him, giggling behind her hand.

"…H-Himejima-senpai, huh, she… she had… power! Yeah, totally terrific power, I tell ya. Pretty neat what you did with the lightning and stuff…" said the teen while mimicking a finger gun. He began laughing again. "It was all so cool! I know ya said I had to be careful and everythin', but I'm really excited now!"

As he said that, Issei started to shake Rias back and forth. Her red head flopped everywhere in a silly manner. Seconds later she put her hands over Issei's, like a mother calming her hyperactive kid.

"O-Okay, okay, Ise. Let's not get too intense, hahaha…"

"Bullcrap!" he instantly rebutted. Rias deadpanned and perhaps she rolled her eyes jokingly, but it was probably a figment of his imagination acting out again. "And if yer the king, then that means yer even cooler, right? Ya must be. Yer Pres after all!"

Rias stammered for a moment and then laughed sheepishly.

"I-Ise, you haven't even seen what I can do. You shouldn't praise me like that…"

Issei quickly calmed down much to the group's relief. They rounded up the nearly dead form of the stray. This beast that had apparently killed so many was here, weak, on the verge of death, a weakling twitching in pain.

The redhead twirled one hand towards the body.

"This is perhaps the most important step to hunt strays. Whenever you defeat one, you always have to make sure to finish them off.

And just like that, Issei's lingering excitement died off. He looked at the redhead, something dark and gnarly pouring on his bettering mood. He knew what was coming; it was what had been done to him in the name of security.

"I-Is it really necessary? I mean… ya said this stray has killed people and stuff… but he can't even move right now."

"Yes, for now. But if we leave him alone, that pesky evil piece of his will force him to live through his injuries. He'll hunt anew, eventually. Whenever you hunt, you always deal the finishing blow. You don't give the enemy a chance to strike you from behind. You hesitate and many will take advantage of it. That's how things are. Honor is better left for the very last."

Issei gulped, but he understood what she meant. It would be naive to push the issue.

Red and black lights gathered on Rias' palm, until a small sphere of energy swirled into existence.

It felt oppressive. Issei held back a breath.

The dark energy darted ahead in a second. It instantly collided against the bloody monster with a droning noise, collapsing into a fog of red electricity and black shadows. The energy ate away at the devil, obscuring his humongous form little by little. In a short moment the giant serpent was quite literally dissolved into nothingness, a cloud of black ash rising up in the air.

"It may seem cruel at first, but we can't afford to show mercy if others won't give us that benefit either," Rias said levelly. "Let's continue doing our best for now. I'm sure all of you will become stronger and make me proud."

There was an air of agreement between the members of the group. A quick round of investigations around the building was enough to dispel the idea of more enemies lurking in the shadows. Issei glanced one last time at the settling black dust, and followed the others out of the factory. They all walked with a bounce to their step, ready to head to far more pleasant places.

Issei mulled over a strange question he didn't know how to ask.

"Uhm, Pres… if it's fine asking, which one's my evil piece?"

Rias pulled a confused expression and hummed.

"Wait... did you forget Ise? You saw your evil piece this morning."

She set her emerald eyes on him. Her response came seconds later, accompanied with a tinkle lighting her eyes into incandescent stones.

"You're my [Pawn], Ise."

"Ah... yeah, now I remember. Ugh… I figured, but I didn't wanna assume. I'm really the weakest here." Issei sighed and his reaction was met with a chuckle from Rias. He blushed and blurted out his next line. "W-What? I ain't savvy with chess 'n all but I know pawns are the weakest of the bunch. I'm kinda useless compared to the others too."

She nodded. The teenagers stepped out of the property they'd trespassed and into the empty streets again. Right then, Rias stared up at the moon hovering in the sky, casting a beautiful brilliant light.

"Ise, please don't speak like that about yourself. Think of the matter this way…"

She fixed her crimson hair with a dignified gesture. Her red mane cascaded over her hand, sprawling across her shoulders.

"…If pawns were as useless as you think they are, they wouldn't exist in chess. And the truth is…"

A red light flickered across her eyes as she dedicated him one of her usual gentle smiles, the ones he could describe as full of confidence. In that instant, she was royalty and he was her humble servant, satisfied to be hers.

"…A king is nothing, does not win battles, without the aid of her warriors."

---

Done for today.

This chapter took me longer than usual, but in turn, I also made it longer too. I hope it was to your liking!

Now, I know some of you may be disappointed (or happy) with the lack of Ayame. I wanted to take a break from emo boy and show a little more of Issei and his struggles as a Devil, because we all know being a creature of darkness it isn't just about cool powers and bat wings.

The other reason for this chapter was that I wanted to deepen the reader's understanding of devils, how magic works, and to introduce the members of the Occult Research Club appropriately. They're all characters who will be explored later but I didn't want to leave them aside. All of them are important in some way or another, and I want to give them the respect they deserve.

-Will Ayame and Issei part ways at some point?

Yes. Ayame has a life (kind of). Issei has his life as well. Issei is a Devil and he has to follow Rias' orders. Ayame is a weirdo and he wants to risk his life. Unless the situation demands it, they're not gonna see each other later on.

The only reason they're together a lot is because of the context. Remember they were both killed by the same girl, and they are both haunted by the same girl to this day. Issei will be forced to deal with her at some point. Ayame wants to kill her, too. That's where their paths cross once again and the story unfolds.

I promise that, in the second arc, Issei and Ayame will have their own side stories. That's where my story really starts to divert from canon and I put more of my own ideas in it. Do remember that Issei and Ayame are brothers and live together, so it's kind of inevitable they see each other frequently.

Don't worry guys. I have this story planned right to the very end, but it will be a loooong journey. I only ask for you to sit back and relax as I get these chapters out. I hope you all have fun with this!

Now, as always, tell me your thoughts. Do you like how Issei is turning out? How did you find the Occult Research Club? Was Rias interesting? Was Akeno funky as always? Did you enjoy the stray's hunt? Tell me all you have in mind! It really helps.

Now, I take my leave. Stay at home, and stay healthy!

(16/5/2020)