Highschool DxD: Adventure Of Black Flash

by DarkDracul1252

Nawin Makasha, a boy, changed after a dark event occurred in the past that left him scarred. He and his family moved to Japan to start a new life, but when Nawin joined Kuoh Academy, things began to change for him when he is thrust into the world of supernatural by force. Past will come back and haunt, Evil will rain down, Bonds will be severed. Will Nawin and his friends be ready?

175. The Next Step, Truth

Hello everyone! It's been a while. I'm sorry that this took so long. Real life and writer's block has gotten in the way. This chapter was definitely a challenge for me. Luckily, I managed to pull it through to present it to all of you! I hope you all will enjoy it.

The world is still crazy as ever, so I hope all of you are in good health and are doing well. Please stay safe, everyone. Do enjoy the latest chapter!

A sensation of lightness, almost airiness, courses throughout Hyoudou's body, bestowing an impression that he is being lifted off his feet, hovering in the air. A thumbing sensation abruptly hits his heart, draws him slowly awake, his conscious growing more alive till his eyelids unfold themselves.

The first thing that greets those brown orbs is the abyss. An environment barren of color and life. Bleakness and darkness are all that the surrounding has to offer.

Blinking slowly to rid of the drowsiness still muddling his mind, Issei leisurely gazes around. And, his brows quickly raise and his orbs twinkle in realization to where he is. This scenery is instantly recognizable.

Thrusting his upper-body forward, Issei maneuver himself to get in a standing position.

"Ddraig!"

Issei calls out into the darkness. Rather than echoing, his words is swiftly cease to silence shortly after it exclaimed. As if the world has swallowed up his words the moment it withdraws from his lips.

"Ddraig! I know you are here!"

Issei calls out again while scouring around at all sides, waiting for a flicker of sight of the Welsh Dragon.

Again, Hyoudou's calls vanish in the abyss, rendering unreturned. And it does him no favor, burning this worry within him even more.

"Ddrai—" "Oh, shut your mouth, Partner!"

A sharp gasp comes out from Hyoudou's mouth before he swiftly turns around toward the source of the voice.

The significant grin Issei wears immediately morphs to an expression that leaves his mouth agape and his eyes bulging.

"D-Draig?!"

Floating there in front of him is indeed the Welsh Dragon no doubt. However, rather than being this familiar towering figure that spells power and destruction, striking fear at the hearts of anyone that has the misfortune to lay eyes on him. Now, the dragon in front of Issei is merely a size of a hawk. Flapping his small wings to keep afloat, the dragon stares at his wielder with those deadpan emerald orbs.

"… When have you gotten so cute, buddy?" Issei points out before snickering.

Ddraig growls at the jab, not finding it amusing in the slightest. Flapping his wings vigorously, Ddraig bolts forward and head-butts Hyoudou right at the temple of his forehead.

"Aaah! Hey!" Issei yelps out, then grabs his forehead. He grunts at the stinging pain.

For a small dragon, Ddraig still packs a hefty strike.

"I'll do worse if you call me cute again!" the dragon warns with a snarl, clearly far from being in a good mood. "Geez," Issei rubs his head a few times before releasing it, "You are grumpier than ever." "Look at me! Of course, I'll be grumpy about this!"

Issei cannot help but let out a hearty chuckle. With the jest push aside, he wears a bright grin, overjoyed to be reunited with the Welsh Dragon.

"It's good to hear from you, Ddraig," Issei says. The grin wearing on his face scales down to a warm smile. "Got me worried there for a while."

The sincerity behind Hyoudou's tone catches Ddraig by surprise. It leaves him speechless for a moment.

Ddraig has always considered his relationship with Issei to be a simple one. They tolerated each other and worked well enough together. He'd hardly call them friends. Ddraig never had problem offering Issei his power. Mostly due to if Issei were to end up dead, Ddraig will find himself also meeting Lady Death and end up in that cycle once more. Awaiting to be awakened inside another individual that will have the fortune to be chosen as his wielder. However, since Ddraig finds Issei's life to be quite an entertaining and eventful one, he prefers not to end up dead for who knows how long till his next wielder reemerges.

"Huh!" Ddraig vanquishes that surprise look on his face with a snort. "Worried? Like anything would happen to me!"

Issei needs to bite back a retort regarding Ddraig's smaller stature currently. No doubt he'd get a fireball to the face if he were to push too far with the dragon.

Crossing his arms over his chest, Issei seizes a moment to examine the dragon's appearance. He lifts a brow in curious.

"So, what happened? And why do you look like this?"

Ddraig rotates his body towards the left and looks ahead. Issei follows his gaze and blinks in surprise at the appearance of the Scale Mail.

The striking red and emerald armor hovers there in the air in front of the pair.

"As you experienced," Ddraig starts, "Digging deep within yourself and your will bursting with determination to stop Nawin Makasha. You managed to tap into a new power, achieving Balance Breaker. You felt its powers well. How much it has to offer," "I did," Issei softly agrees. "It was overwhelming," "Well, that was merely the tip of the iceberg of its potential, Partner." Issei perks, taken aback by those words. He jerks toward Ddraig with awe and some disbelief visible in his eyes.

"Y-You serious?!" "I may be proud of my power and detest ones underestimating it. But I am not one to blow smoke up my own ass. What you felt in that battle was merely a taste of what that armor is capable of."

Issei recounts the sheer power he held when donning the Scale Mail. How intense and devastating it was. So fierce that it truly was tearing his bones from within. To now know that was merely the beginning level of the potential the Scale Mail had. Issei feels chills crawling down his spine and the hair on the back of his head stands. He is both excited and intimidated by this additional fact.

"You were struggling to retain that form, weren't you?" Ddraig questions to draw Hyoudou's attention. Issei blinks before replying with a slow nod. "It was at first, but when it came time to step forward and go… I wasn't having that much of a problem." "Because I was carrying the weight," Ddraig inserts. "What do you mean?" "You were solely focused on the battle with Makasha. While that was ongoing, I was directing traffic, rather, directing the mana coursing through the armor. So as the battle continued on, you were steadily gaining more and more strength."

Issei nods at this, recollects the sensation of his power continuously growing as his bout against Nawin raged on. "I was always a step ahead of Nawin for a time." "Because I was feeding a constant income of my energy into the armor," Ddraig affirms. "Unlike the norm, I actually was needing to take action… Were I not, you would've collapsed in the midst of the battle."

"W-what?!"

Issei blinks rapidly, not comprehending at all of Ddraig's words.

"What do you mean?!"

The dragon sighs but persists to answer the question. Issei needs to understand this, for his best interest and, more importantly, his health.

"When I said I was directing traffic, I meant it. The Scale Mail's objective is to increase your power, abilities, speed, and defenses without interval. Take note that when you are using the Boosted Gear in its base state, you always had to wait a short moment to use the Boost. Scale Mail deletes that interval and allows you to Boost without any delay. An amazing ability, but also a precarious one. If I had left you to your own device, you'd just keep on boosting till you either end up shattering every bone in your body or, worse, killing yourself."

"Wait…" Issei realizes something, and his eyes turn sharp. "Y-You… You were restraining me?" "I had to," Ddraig answers, and immediately meets a glare in return.

"I could have won that bout then! Y-you," Issei clenches his hands in frustration, knuckles turning white, "You held me back from coming on top of that battle!"

Ddraig frowns at the accusation. He unleashes a roaring growl that startles Hyoudou.

"And what good would it serve you if you had gone all out and defeated Makasha only to end up dead beneath his feet!"

That severely hits Issei, and the glare from his eyes lessens.

"But…" "And I'll be frank," Ddraig continues. "After what I had felt from Makasha's Balance Breaker, you would stand no chance at all, even if I had let you have more of my power. You'd be dead before you can even tap to the short of power that's needed to stand toe to toe against that form of Makasha's."

Biting his lip, Issei stares down at his feet. His mood entirely deflated and his anger gone by the remark.

"I must concentrate at all times to pour a steady and befitting amount of my mana into the Scale Mail to keep it activated. And, I took great care to bestow more while also taking into account not to go overbearing with it that'll leave you crushed before the battle could conclude," Ddraig state. His tone and voice, now firmer and calm.

A stir of guilt and regret form in the bottom of Issei's heart. He can perceive clear now that Ddraig was very much supporting him at the best of his ability. And not only that, but he also was looking out for his well-being.

"… Sorry… For lashing out there. I-I just…" "I know," Ddraig releases a soft sigh, nodding "I understand that defeat pains you, Partner. You did your best."

Rubbing his right arm for a moment, Issei throws a meek glance back to the Scale Mail. His emotions now soften down.

"Was that why you were silent when I unlocked that?" "Yeah," Ddraig faces the armor, "Like I stated. My focus was entirely on feeding mana into the Scale Mail. I was wholly occupied with it that establishing a link to reply to your words was practically unattainable. If I had lost concentration on the task at hands, it would be like a dam breaking and water flooding out. You'd be on the ground in minutes with your bones breaking and tearing apart." Issei cannot suppress the shudder running down his spine at the thought of that. Near the conclusion of his battle with Nawin, Issei was experiencing much agony and remembers the pain well. And now to imagine something worse than that. He'd rather not even contemplate about it.

"One thing that I don't quite grasp," Issei stirs his eyes to the dragon. "I never felt I was losing my boosts while donning the Scale Mail. Even near the end, I was still gaining strength… Did you ever deny me of power?" "No. I was providing you as much as you desired. The thing you need to know is that I acted much like a limiter. Instead of you entirely controlling how much you wanted, I was the one holding the control. If you had control, you'd simply demand more power at a reckless and ignorant manner. Therefore, before you recognize it, you'd be on the ground half-dead, unable to handle pressure by the magnitude of mana coursing through the armor."

"So… When I became more accustomed to this," "You'll have full control. Right now, you need to understand your limitation with the armor. You should recognize now you pushed past that limit when you tried using the Giant Rotation for the last attack. Your broken arm acts as a sound indicator."

Ddraig points out with his claw, "Let us not also forget to consider your mental state during the battle. With you losing grounds, your desperation will simply fuel reckless behavior. Hence, that is why I had to take the reins in that moment."

Very much aware of how reckless he tends to be, Issei does not bother denying Ddraig's claim.

"Then, just like at the beginning, with the Boosted Gear. I need to slowly work my way up and improving my body so I can utilize more of the Scale Mail's power?" "Indeed," Ddraig offers a wise nod. "The next time you don the Scale Mail, I won't have my hands on the reins. It is a necessity that you understand how to maintain and control it. You will not gain the full and proper experience if I baby you through it. Understand that if things were to get out of hand, I will step in."

Issei remains silence, his eyes is fix on the striking armor.

"So rather than jumping straight into the ocean… I should mindfully take careful plunges to check the water."

Ddraig blinks at the rather thoughtful analogy from Hyoudou.

"Yes, alike that. Scale Mail does grant you immense power. Dissimilar to the base form of the Boosted Gear, which you need to call upon its power, the Scale Mail is already all-powerful, bearing you must know and become accustomed to when to close that mighty tap before it overflows."

"You must be exhausted then when the battle ended," Issei remarks. "That is why you remained silent even though I called you earlier?" "I only awoke moments ago," Ddraig confirms. "But, I perceived your call and sent a signal… Was tiring of listening to your pathetic voice calling for me." Issei cracks a knowing smirk at that light jab.

Gazing back at the Scale Mail, Issei's eyes once again adopts that sharpness in them.

"I wonder if Nawin's Balance Breaker carries any serious ramifications like mine does…"

Humming for a couple of seconds, Ddraig presents a shrug at the question.

"Hard to say. I imagine a form that powerful should hold some drawbacks. Like you, Makasha needs to workaround that so he can use Balance Breaker without suffering any of its side-effects."

"… There is something that's been on my mind, Ddraig," Issei calmly speaks up, a frown slowly adorns over his face.

The dragon bears a knowing look in his eyes.

"You indicating towards this?"

Lifting his claw up, Ddraig summons a sizable projection to life. It flashes white before shifting to an image of Nawin from Issei's point of view. The pair examines those glowing gold orbs staring back at them. Even from the image, they are aware and can feel the sheer power brewing behind those eyes.

"For a brief moment," Issei slowly starts, recollecting the memory in his head. "When Nawin had those eyes… He was overpowering me even in my Scale Mail form."

Ddraig quietly nods. Though he was not communicating with Hyoudou during the battle, he was still very much aware of everything that was taken place. Witnessing it throughout Issei's eyes.

"Ddraig… Is it possible for a person to obtain more than one sacred gear?" "Sacred gears?" Ddraig peers at his wielder. "Yes, I have come across ones that are gifted to possessing two. Although, they are extremely rare. But I know you are speaking more in term of Longinus than regular sacred gears."

Issei nods. "Then no. To my knowledge, there has never been an individual that possesses two Longinus at the same time. In realism," Ddraig returns his attention to the projection "It should be impossible, both in terms of reality and even theoretically. No sane men bother to even waste thought of the possibility. Longinus is a tool, a weapon powerful enough to slay gods. To conceive that more than one is dwelling within a person is purely fantasy. No living being can maintain that sort of power within them. I'd go as far as even sticking gods themselves under that statement."

"But…" Issei perks and looks over to Ddraig once more. His expression tightens in concentration.

"That power Makasha showed when he had those eyes… It was somewhat foreign to Tairex's. More potent… More violent."

"Tairex… That's the dragon living within Nawin, right?" Issei asks to confirm.

"Yeah," Ddraig lets out a snort that has a hint of annoyance. "I have fought against him a handful of times in the far past. So, I can confidently say I'm familiar with his power."

"Wait," Issei raises his eyebrow in surprise. "You actually fought other dragons? Thought you only ever battled with Albion considering that whole eternal arch-rival thing you told me about," "True," Ddraig agrees "Most of my battles had been with that White-One, but I have a fair share of feuding against other dragons in my journey. And Tairex happened to be one of them."

"And how did you fare against him?" Issei asks, unable to suppress the curiosity emanating clear in his voice.

"I've fought him a total of five times," Ddraig grunts out "I won two out of those bouts. He is a formidable foe… However, he is lesser so compared to his younger brother."

"What?!" Issei gasps in amazement. "He has a brother?" "Indeed. A rarity, as we dragons are a very prideful and ruthless race… Even as far as being barbaric. Strength is much of everything to us. Especially to the Ancient Dragons. It is not uncommon that when a sibling were to grace the world. The parents would wait till they are of fighting age and have them battle to the death. At the end, only the stronger of the sibling will remain alive."

Issei grimaces at the scenario.

"T-that's…" "Horrid," Ddraig interjects in for Hyoudou's sake. "Yet that's just how our race was." "If that is the case, how are Tairex and Sairex alive both?" "No clue. I was not close enough to either of the pair to exchange personal questions. It could be for a number of reasons. Mayhap their parents were kinder than most and allowed both to live. Or one of them had slain their parents to save their brother. It could be either way, or something else altogether."

Issei manages to pick up the strain in Ddraig's tone when he speaks of Sairex.

"Have you battled him? Sairex, I mean."

Ddraig exhales out a deep sigh before throwing a heavy nod.

"I have. Three times, in fact. He was a rare sight to find, as he tends to keep to himself. Tairex was much like me in ways. Mostly for our love for battles and challenging ourselves." "I see. Then how did you fare against him?"

Ddraig stays silent for a moment, contemplating to even answer. In the end, he finds it childish to not fulfill the question out of pride.

"Three times I challenged Sairex… And I was overthrown in all of them."

Issei drops his mouth in agape, shock by this revelation. But what stuns him the most is the tone Ddraig spoke in. With Tairex, he made it sound they were fairly on equal grounds. However, with Sairex, it sounds as Ddraig was outmatched entirely. "W-wow…" Issei gulps down his shock, recomposing himself. "He must be incredibly strong." "Well," Ddraig scratches his chin "Out of all the dragons I've faced in the past… Sairex is the one I could never trounce in battle. As I said, I bested Tairex on some occasions. With that being the fact. Sairex is the strongest foe I've ever fought."

"Where is he now?" "How should I know?!" Ddraig shouts over the stupid question. "It's not like us Longinus can locate where our brethren are!" "All right! Sorry!" Issei shouts back before gripping his ringing ears. "Geez, you can be loud!"

Ddraig pays no mind to Hyoudou's whining and steers back to the projection. He stares hard at those gold orbs. A sense of familiarity brews within his heart.

"So," Issei release his ears after getting his hearing back. "You say that it is impossible for Nawin to have two Longinus living in him?" "… It may not be impossible," Ddraig faces his wielder "All unanimously believed it is impossible for a Pureblood Vampire to be among us anymore, yet Sayomi Dracul's existence proved us wrong. Perhaps it is possible there's multiple Longinus residing in Makasha. We just don't possess any solid evidence to back that up. For all we know, those eyes may simply be some kind of effect caused by the Draconic Mark." "Oh yeah," Issei crosses his arms, nodding "I forgot about that…"

Feeling this unease growing in him when staring at those gold orbs, Ddraig lifts a claw to cast away the projection.

"… Partner," "Hmm?" Issei blinks out of his thoughts and shifts his focus back to the dragon. "When you come across that Fallen Angel, Azazel. I suggest you talk to him about this concept of Makasha possessing two Longinus. He may be able to provide some light to this."

It is apparent that something is bugging the dragon. Though Issei chooses not to inquire it, as he can judge by those emerald eyes that Ddraig is a bit conflicted in his thoughts. He seems to have some faith Azazel may provide some answers.

"All right," Issei nods. "I'm sure I'll be seeing him soon when he gets word of Nawin."

Ddraig peers over to examine Hyoudou's eyes.

He frowns at what he sees lurking behind those brown orbs.

"Do not you start using that as an excuse, Partner."

Issei freezes for a moment by those warning words. He silently gulps down the lump forming in his throat before steering his gaze to the left, avoiding Ddraig's sharp eyes altogether.

"You failed because Makasha was simply the stronger one. Do not dare put your shortcomings in this mindset that he carries some kind of special strength within him. He won be—"

"I got it!"

Issei's scream manages to echo across the mindscape.

Ddraig slowly closes his mouth and patiently watches Issei's arms visibly shaking on the sides.

"I failed because I was weak…" Issei softly chokes out those words, his voice cracking through his tighten throat. "E-even with Balance Breaker, I-I still could not save Nawin. When I unlocked that and donned the Scale Mail, I thought I was finally at a level above Nawin. And that I could bring him home! B-But," Issei bites down his trembling lip, then stares at his open palms. His brown eyes becoming misty and glossy. "Like always, Nawin still was one-step ahead of me. Even in the most crucial time! When I wanted, when I needed to save him! I still fall short!"

'… He is shrouded with self-doubt in himself and his growth.'

Ddraig slowly opens his mouth, preparing to speak his mind. However, he pauses before closing his mouth entirely.

Reflecting over what he wanted to say, Ddraig is hit with awareness now that if he were to express those words. If they were coming out of his own mouth specifically. It shall merely be the sound of him beating his own drum. And that is something Hyoudou does not need.

'Someone else needs to reach him…'

Ddraig blinks when feeling his eyelids growing heavy suddenly. His vision gradually turning blurry.

"Don't let this one defeat destroy your confidence, Partner," Ddraig calmly asserts before turning around, hovering towards the abyss.

Issei gives no response to the dragon's words, even as the world around him begins crumbling. Closing his eyes and turning away from Ddraig, Issei walks off to his own side of the abyss.

Time Skip

The night is frosty in Vesarima, colder than most nights. It is a cloudless sky tonight. The river of white and red stars glisters across the sky of the underworld. Not a rare sight, but still uncommon enough that it is considered much of a gifted sight for many.

It is late in the night, crawling near the hour of midnight. Many inhabitants in Vesarima either are well in bed or ready to end their day.

Resting on the empty and dark rooftop of the hospital, Koneko observes the numerous candles in households being put away. Some have finally chosen to end their day and are ready to go to bed. Yet, she still sees some are still awake, intending to push on through midnight to focus on whatever task they have at hand.

Perhaps, some are like Koneko. Unable to fall asleep due to specific reasons. That be a nightmare that keeps them awake, stress over what awaits them in the morning, or something else entirely. Something that runs deeper and reaches the line of being personal.

Pulling her legs towards her chest and wrapping her arms around them to provide a sense of security to herself, Koneko angles her head back slightly to gaze up at the starry sky.

"… Aren't you cold?"

A melodic voice comes from behind, having Koneko perk her ears. She peeks back and sees Asia climbing out from the stairway, donning a blanket around her form.

A sleepy yet warm smile adorns the blonde's face.

Koneko follows in silence as her friend makes way towards her. Once again, Koneko finds herself fixed at those brilliant green orbs. It still is something she is trying to come to grasp with, perceiving that her dear friend has regained her sight back.

Asia makes herself comfortable by planting herself beside Toujou. With grace in her movement, she throws the blanket up and pulls it down to drape it over the both of them uniformly, shielding them from the chilly night.

A faint smile blossoms over Koneko's face at the thoughtful gesture. She softly grasps the blanket in both hands, keeping it still on her body before the wind has the chance to take it.

"Not anymore," Koneko finally whispers in a soft voice.

Asia lets out a mild chuckle at the comment before leaning close to her friend to keep both of them at their warmest.

Under the peaceful moment, the pair enjoy the soothing silent of the night while staring above at the beautiful spectacle of the stars swarming the sky.

"… Can't sleep?" Koneko gently throws the question out.

Asia lightly shakes her head, leaning her chin down to her knees to get a bit more comfortable.

"Unable to put my mind at rest… In truth," Asia bears a small, frail smile, "I'm still trying to process it all. Everything that has happened."

It is fathomable that Asia would feel such a way. Koneko cannot even imagine how it must feel to have finally woken up, only to be greeted with so much change in one's life. A change that is as personal as Asia's.

"Guess we are the same," Koneko mutters out as she steers her sight forward.

What lies far ahead are the towering walls that stretch wide around Vesarima. The famed protection of the Capital that has stopped and prevented countless invaders from stepping foot into the city. For a long time, all viewed it as impenetrable. However, following the invasion of Khaos Brigade, the walls' prestige has waned considerably in the eyes of many. No longer does it produce this sense of complete safety for the people of Vesarima.

"So…" Asia softly starts. "Onii-chan scaled over the walls with Akame-san and Misako-san?"

Koneko blinks at the question before responding with a nod.

"It's hard to believe still…" Asia admits with a faint but solemn smile. "During the invasion, Onii-chin fought so hard and valiantly against Khaos Brigade. He helped push them back and was successful… Yet, in the end, he ended up leaving over those very walls he worked so hard to protect."

"… He is a bit… Weird, Nii-chan," Koneko states, drawing Asia's eyes. "He never did view Vesarima like a home… He holds no special attachment to it like Buchou or even the rest of us. Vesarima was merely a place for him to visit when it needs him to. And Vesarima's people are not his people like they are to Lord Sirzech… Yet, he worked adamantly to protect all of them, protect all of this. I… I never really understood that, but I admire him doing so."

A broader smile develops on Makasha's features.

She turns ahead and scan over the city, examining the many houses and occasional residents still strolling the night streets. That be the guards or civilians.

"Innocent lives were in danger during the invasion. And Onii-chan is never one to turn away from people in need. That be strangers and a land of no sentimental value to him. That is why I respect him so much. I always strive to be as kind and giving as my brother."

"You are both that and more, Asia-chan," Koneko swiftly inserts.

"Thank you." Asia scratches her cheeks in a sheepish manner, not really knowing how to react properly regarding such a compliment. Like her brother, she is awful with gratitude thrown her way.

Seeing her friend's reaction has a small smile break from Koneko's face. She cannot help but picture Nawin over Asia for a split moment. It still baffles her at times to remember that Asia and Nawin aren't blood-related. Asia is so much like him in many small ways.

The smile adorning Toujou's face is short live however as her mind is once again plunge with thoughts of her last encounter with Nawin.

Averting her eyes ahead to the vista full of bright white stars, Koneko slowly parts her lip.

"I miss him, Asia-chan," "… I know. I miss him too."

The pair share a moment of silence. Their minds solely focus on one individual that holds a special place in both their hearts.

"I couldn't do a thing there."

Asia perks her head from her knee and peers over to Koneko. A look of frustration and guilt form over her friend's expression.

"While everyone was battling hard to stop Nii-chan… I never lifted my fists towards him. I did not want to hurt him and I knew that in the end, it would be pointless. I was too weak… I wouldn't have made even the slightest of difference to the outcome."

"Onii-chan was simply too powerful for not just you but everyone else, Koneko-chan," Asia softly inserts, wishing to give some comfort to her friend's mind. "You shouldn't get hung ov—" "No, it's different," Koneko interjects.

"I had a chance to do more… To actually contribute to stopping Nii-chan. Yet I allowed my fears to hinder me. Even when I stood in front of Nii-chan in my true form… I still couldn't muster the courage to do a thing."

"True form?"

Koneko's eyes slowly broadens, suddenly very aware of what she just revealed.

It comes apparent to her now that Asia has never seen or heard of her true form. Even with her being her closest friend alongside Gasper, Koneko never once spoke of the topic to her. Though, it makes sense. With how strongly Koneko tries to distance herself from that part of her, Asia would be oblivious to the fact. And unlike Nawin, who gained some knowledge of a Nekoshou after facing with Kuroka and no doubt educated himself more on the topic, Asia knows next to nothing of the race to comprehend that there is another side to Koneko that only a handful of people are knowledgeable of.

For a moment, Koneko contemplates. Then a spike of fear and uncertainty surges inside her heart. And as those feelings are gaining momentum, a bright memory breaks through the creeping abyss.

'So this is your true self,' a visible image of Nawin's smiling face clouds over Toujou's eyes. 'I am happy to see it finally. You should be proud of your true self, Koneko. Don't ever let fear stop you.'

Asia swiftly sits straight when she notices a single droplet descend from her friend's right eye.

"Koneko-chan?!"

Sniffing softly, Koneko brings her arm up and uses the blanket to wipe away the teardrop. She bites down on her quivering lip, striving not to break down over recounting that memory.

"I-I'm sorry. You don't need to be concern," Koneko muster up a faint smile over to her friend "It's just I remembered what N-Nii-chan said to me. One of his parting words."

Asia's posture relaxes slightly and the worry look on her faces gradually fades. She stays quiet, choosing to lend her ears and listen. It is clear, Koneko has a lot on her mind.

Taking a deep breath and slowly exhaling it out through her mouth, Koneko opens her eyes once more. Her expression, firmer and steadier than a moment ago.

"Nii-chan told me not to let fear stop me anymore. And I want to live up to his confidence in me."

Asia opens her mouth to speak, but finds herself releasing a sharp gasp at the sight of a pair of white cat ears emerging from the top of Koneko's head.

Sitting there in speechlessness, Asia blinks out of her confusion when a fluffy tail waves past her face. She draws her eyes back and gawks at the whitish-silver tail now resting flat on the cement floor.

"This is my true self…"

Asia draws her eyes over and sees Koneko staring back at her. Those gold eyes bear many emotions, and just at that moment does Asia realize the pupils in them has alter to a shape of a slit. Much akin to that of cats.

Koneko flinches faintly when Asia brings a hand towards her. She snaps her eyes close as the hand gets closer, but only to be taken by surprise when feeling Asia's soft hand carefully caressing over one ear. Not prepared by the gesture, Koneko fails to prevent the soft purr escaping her lip.

"Ehehe." Koneko opens her eyes, snapping out of her daze. A vibrant blush hastily forms over her cheeks by the sound of Asia's melodic giggles.

"Sorry." Asia finally releases her hold and forms a bright smile that seems to light up the night. "I couldn't halt my curiosity! They feel just like an actual cat's ear!"

The excited and bubbly response from Makasha erases all the doubts and uncertainties in Koneko's heart. Though her fears were not from the exterior reason of her true form, she still bore some insecurities over it due to how rarely she ever allows herself to look like this.

"Seems like you are the cutest of the group now, Koneko-chan." "Ahaha," Koneko chokes out a soft laugh over the light-hearted comment. With just a few words, Asia manages to perish all the uneasiness that nestles within her. A trait that's much shared with her brother.

"Thank you, Asia-chan," Koneko softly breaks the moment of silence.

Asia blinks at the gratitude thrown her way. She tilts her head in confusion.

"What for?"

"For accepting me like this." "Koneko-chan," Asia slides her hand aside to hold over Koneko's, "You are my best friend. I will always accept you, no matter how much you change. You've been there every step of the way during my struggling time of being blind. I'll be there every step of the way with you in your trying times."

The smile bearing over Toujou's face only stretches wider as she returns the gesture, closing her fingers around Asia's hand.

"I'm so glad," Koneko whispers, her voice quivering slightly, "That I could show Nii-chan this form and now you. And both of you whole-heartedly accept it without hesitance."

"Of course he would," Asia softly inserts. "Koneko-chan, Onii-chan cares so much about you. He always desires to see you open up more. I know that when he saw you like this, he was thrilled and relieved."

"I know…" That smile worn on Nawin's face vividly flashes before Koneko's sight. Even when he was in the midst of battle, even when he was not fully himself, Nawin still managed to wear that smile when setting eyes on Koneko's true form.

"Though," Asia points up, tapping the bottom of her lip, "You still have Issei-kun to go. But," she cracks a humorous smirk, "Knowing him, I imagine his reaction will be an amusing one."

Koneko rolls her eyes at the prospect, yet her smile remains.

"I'm sure he won't disappoint in that department." "Ehehe, I'm glad you have warmed up to him, Koneko-chan. Issei-kun is a good person," "Yeah," Koneko nods in agreement "He has a good heart… And I know he truly tried his best to stop Nii-chan."

"… Grow strong."

Asia blinks at those words, cutting through the silence. She looks at Koneko staring out into the horizon. Her eyes reminiscing of a memory.

"That's what Nii-chan said to me. He wishes for me not to be shackled anymore to the past. I have thought a lot about his words since I awoke."

Asia notices a pause from Koneko, as if she's careful to say the next thing. However, before Asia has the chance to speak to reassure her, Koneko opens her mouth.

"I want to begin accepting this side of me," Koneko brings her tail to the forefront, watching it waving steadily to the sides. "I must or else I can never move forward. I cannot live with myself when the day come when I come to face with Nii-chan again and I look at him in the eyes… Only to find disappointment in his eyes because he knows I did not give it my all," Koneko clenches her hands into fists "And have him believe that his trust in me was misplaced."

"Koneko-chan, you are being too harsh on yourself," "It's the truth though, Asia-chan." Koneko turns to her friend, a solemn smile grasp over her face. "For a long time, I have been a coward… That's why I hid myself behind that stoic mask. I allowed fear to control my life and ultimately halt my growth."

Turning to face ahead toward the horizon once more, Koneko's smile shift to a more positive one. Determination brews behind her yellow-gold orbs.

"The battle in Land of Ends has showed me I can't remain like this anymore. And I will not allow myself to not play a role in the future when it is time for us to face Nii-chan again. Like the rest, I want him back here with us… Like how it just to be. Like how it should be."

Koneko turns to Asia, who's staring at her with wide eyes. Koneko offers the most genuine smile she's committed since awakening.

"I have decided to seek out a Sage that can teach me how to harness and control Senjutsu."

The stun look on Makasha's face is only fleeting, as it is replaced with a warm and understanding smile. She slowly nods.

"So that's what you have decided?"

Koneko delivers a nod, a firm one to show her conviction.

"I'm relief to know that you have a clear goal in mind, Koneko-chan." Asia looks up to the starry skies, her fingers slowly closing into the fabric of the blanket "I am still wondering… Still trying to figure out what I am going to do after this." "You can always tag along with me." Asia blinks in surprise by the invitation and turns to Koneko, who bears a warm smile. "I intend to bring Ga-kun with as I know he also desires to become more accustomed to understanding his strength. Already I have noticed him slipping into a meditative state to try to contact with his sacred gear."

"So that's what he was trying to achieve?" Asia chuckles. "I thought he was merely tired due to fatigue." "Ahaha, it can create that type of impression." Koneko looks toward to the horizon. "I have no doubt Nii-chan's words have affected Gasper deeply, like it has with me. We both know how Gasper views Nii-chan." "Yeah," Asia slowly nods "Much like Issei-kun and Xenovia-chan, Gasper-kun looks up to Onii-chan."

Asia returns to silence, contemplating over Toujou's offer. Though she would have no issue in the slightest to go with Koneko on her journey. There is something she needs to do back at home before she can even begin thinking of making such a big decision.

"I would love to tag along with you and Gasper-kun… Though," Asia faces her friend, "There's something I have to do first before I can give you my answer. Like the others, I need some time to think of my next step."

Koneko offers no response and merely nods.

After getting all the words needed out of their chest, the two friends remain on the roof for now, sharing a peaceful moment as they watch the starry night sky together.

Leviathan Manor

'He's gone…' 'Never to be seen again!' 'Ehehe, so sad!' 'Couldn't protect him!'

Voices of whispers and shouts echo within the ears of Lucy. A voice that sounds eerily resembling hers.

Striding through the void of darkness, her feet carrying forward without command or sense of direction. Lucy stares dully at her bare feet, watching it step and push onwards with moderate pace. Her arms resting on the sides sway limply with the motion, hands unclench and open.

The air in the silent void is cold, yet as Lucy makes her steps onwards, the heat beneath her feet only becomes hotter. So hot that it would leave most incapable of marching ahead, finding the heat unbearable.

Even as the heat continues to develop to the point, visible smoke begins to pour from the bottom of her feet. Lucy stands unflinching, proceeding to strive further within the abyss. Her legs guiding her to some destination.

'S-sad.'

'Pathetic!'

'You knew something was wrong!'

'B-But you did nothing… W-Why?'

'Brother is gone now!'

Lucy reaches the end when her legs eventually halt its movement.

Dragging her dull and emotionless orbs up, Lucy feels her eyebrow faintly twitch over the intimidating structure glaring down before her.

An ominous dark cave. Its mouth stretches on wide from both height and width, the entrance easily dwarfs over the size of a two-story household. And covering the entrance is a dense, broad bars depict in a shade of vibrant gold. However, that's not all, to further strive and keep whatever residing within there to remain inside. Numbers of solid black chains stretch long from the sides at both ends, wrapping tightly around the bars. And keeping the chains all in place and secure is a humongous onyx shade lock that dangles calmly at the very center of the cage.

"What…" Ray of life returns to Makasha's eyes when she fully registers the structure standing before her. Her body tenses and her instinct screams to her in warning to steer away from the cage.

"Why so afraid, child?"

Lucy sucks in a sharp gasp as a chilling, high-pitch voice exudes from the other side of the cage, emerging from the menacing shadow.

Swallowing down a lump building in her throat, Lucy tries to drag herself away from the cage only to find her feet persist in remaining in place. As much as Lucy tries to command her legs to move, it resists, content to planting her where she stands.

"There is no need to fret." Lucy's heart skips a beat at how closer the voice resonates now. The source of it is drawing towards the cage, becoming ever closer to her.

Biting her lip to stop it from trembling, Lucy tries once more to force her body to move, to scurry away from the structure and the danger lurking within it. Yet, her body refuses the command, prevailing tight onto the spot. The sense of being unable to control her body burns the sensation of dread bubbling in her heart even further.

"Ehehehe." The sinister cackle brings tears to Lucy's glossy orbs. Soft sobs begin escaping her trembling lips and her will to run away is diminishing as the voice draws closer towards the entrance.

"Enough!" Leaping over Lucy's form, Nootua lands between her and the cage.

Snapping its mouth open, the overgrown wolf breathes out a stream of blue flames. The fire collides with the cage with a thunderous thud before it swiftly spreads across, encasing the entire entrance within a sea of burning blue.

Nootua glares at the flames before turning around. Leaping forward, it snatches Lucy by the shirt with its teeth before jumping high, soaring ahead while rapidly creating distance from the now burning cage.

Lucy's eyes stay on the lit structure, her spine suddenly gives off an icy shiver. Lucy cannot help but feel like something is staring directly back at her from behind the flames.

Comfortable with the distance they have put between the cage, Nootua reaches down and gracefully lands on its feet.

Lowering its head, the large wolf place Lucy onto the ground.

Makasha's legs instantly unclasp when it touches the surface, dropping her to the cold ground.

The impact wakes Lucy from the state of shock. Her eyes blinking rapidity, flicking the teardrops coating in the lashes through the air.

"N-Nootua?" Lucy chokes out while gazing towards the wolf, wondering if it is real. Her arms are raises up to clear away the remaining tears obscuring her eyesight.

With an apprehensive expression bearing on its face, the sacred gear provides a stiff nod. "I am here before you," it replies with its deep yet softening voice.

"W-W-Wh…" Lucy stutter, failing to speak out the words. That voice from the cage still dancing clear in her ears.

"What was that?"

"Something you aren't ready for," Nootua quickly responds, evidently wishing to move past the subject.

"What does that mean?" Sucking in a deep breath to aid in calming her nerve, Lucy pushes herself to stand back on her feet. That anxiety within her settles much when she retains control over her body.

Exhaling steadily through the mouth, Lucy opens her eyes to look at the wolf. Her expression sharpens and her eyes are full of questions.

"Nootua wha—" "Drop it."

The abrupt retort leaves Lucy speechless. Nootua offers no hesitation in their eyes. Those gold orbs glister with warning towards her to not push the matter any further. And it is clear now that nothing she says will sway their mind.

Not hiding her annoyance and frustration at the decision to be in the dark, Lucy sneaks a glance past the wolf.

The scene from afar now is shrouding with shadows. The cave and cage is nowhere to be seen, as if it vanishes from existence without leaving so much as a faintest of trace.

"You should not have come here in such a state," Nootua state sternly. "Accounting everything that has transpired in your life, it left your mental state delicate." "It was not my intention to be here," Lucy corrects. Makasha's reply only intensifies the already stern expression wearing on Nootua's expression.

"Is that so…" Lucy is taken aback when Nootua turns around, striding away from here and intending to disappear into the abyss.

"Wait!" Lucy shouts and gives chase. "Y-You are just going to leave like that?!"

"There is nothing for us to discuss here." "Bullshit!" Lucy snaps a retort. Her eyes becoming ablaze in fiery blue.

Nootua halts its retreat. Slowly, it turns its head to look back at Makasha. Its cool gold orbs piercing straight into those blue orbs.

"Your brother is gone. No amount of talking will reverse that, Lucy. It hurts and it will continue to hurt till you do something about it. So… Do something instead of moping around and feeling sorry for yourself."

Nootua faces away from the shocked blond, and returns in stomping off to the abyss.

"You Makasha's are never ones to falter so easily. Do not be the one to abolish that trait, Lucy."

With her outstretch arm tumbling to the side, Lucy hangs her head low. She bites her quivering lip hard, drawing blood out.

"Tell me this at least…" Lucy whispers out to her sacred gear.

"Can I be of something if I train… Train harder than anyone?" Nootua does not falter their movement even though their eyes give flinch by the question. So innocent and juvenile is the question. It brews a stark reminder to Nootua that his wielder is merely but a fifteen-year-old child.

What an unforgivable world it is that they live in.

"… You will be special. You will be able to make a difference."

Lifting her right hand, Lucy slowly opens her eyes to gaze upon the black ring wrap firmly around her index finger. Even as the dark world is crumbling by rays of light penetrating from below, Lucy keeps her eyes firmly on the striking red stone embedded on the ring.

"We will be together again, brother… I'll make sure of it."

The warm sensation bathing over her face draws Lucy awake. With a soft groan, she slowly opens her eyes to the world.

"Morning."

Makasha's ears fidget by the recognizable voice. That cool and sharp tone is unmistakable.

Slowly rolling her head to its side, Lucy sees Sona stationing there by the only window in the room, one of her hand firmly grasping the thick velvet curtain that's now wide open.

The light from the brilliant sun shines through the glass and illuminates the once darken room.

"Sona…" The melancholic response from her friend draws a twitch in Sona's lip. A frown tries to force its way out, though Sona retains her composure, and shifts her eyes towards the doorway. She signals a nod with her head.

New footstep enters the room and Lucy shifts her head over to the other side to see a young brunette maid entering the room. In her hands she carries a wooden tray.

Makasha slowly pushes herself to sit up. Her nose twitches as it sniffs the scent of bacon and fresh toast. Lucy can already feel her mouth watering as this sudden crave for food surfaces from nowhere. Her stomach throbbing with hunger.

Carefully and with grace, the maid place the tray between Makasha's legs then lifts away the cloche to unveil what's underneath.

Pair of sunny-side-up eggs, numbers of bacon strips, two toast, a sausage, a small cup of salad, and a glass of orange juice on the side.

Everything that is planted there thoughtfully on the plate contains Lucy's favorites when it comes to her cravings for breakfast. And that immediately notify Lucy that Sona must've personal requested the chef to make this set specifically for her.

"Thank you, Grace. You may take your leave."

"Understood, Lady Sona."

With a respectable bow given to the princess and Lucy, the maid makes her leave from the room, shutting the door gently on her way out.

Now, with only the two of them left in the room, Sona leans off from the window, making her way to the bed.

"I heard you chose not to eat anything for dinner last night," Sona softly asserts while picking up the butter knife and a piece of toast. Scooping up the soft cream, Sona carefully spread it over the bread, evenly distributing it to all sides.

"You must be famished."

Accepting the offered toast, Lucy brings it close to her mouth and takes a moderate bite of it. Her eyes stare down at the eggs. The clean yolk shimmers from the sunlight and creates a small reflection, displaying the dull blue orbs staring back at her. "Couldn't be bothered."

"Lucy Makasha skipping a meal," Sona raises a brow as she sets the butter knife down on the spare plate "What has the world come to." The unexpected remark by Sitri manages to have Lucy crack a smile. The dull expression wearing on her face lights up ever sightly. Sona wears a faint smile of her own when listening to the soft chuckle escaping from her friend's lip.

Experiencing the hearty exchange like this reminds Sitri just how long it has been since Lucy and her has shared a private moment like this.

Almost always, Sona and Lucy surround themselves with the other members of their group. Then when they do have spare time for themselves, usually they would reserve them to spend it with their family or on their own activities.

Lucy never would hesitate to spend quality time with her brother or sister, and Sona still has her duty as the princess of the Sitri household to uphold specific tasks. And if she's not doing that, she'd be with Serafall, making sure she isn't up to no good or neglecting her duties.

"You really are a big softy for me, aren't you?" Lucy breaks out a small smirk while looking at Sona in the eyes. "You'd never do any of this for the others."

Sona lifts her hand to push the glasses up to the ridge of her nose. Her brows raise up with amusement. "Reckless. Brash. Inexperience. And prone to snap over the silliest of things. Need I say more? If I don't have my eyes on you, trouble would surround you."

Again, Makasha chokes out a chuckle before finishing up the last piece of toast. With Sona here keeping company and her hunger being tended to, Lucy feels herself becoming more comfortable and lively. That tenseness that's been wearing on her shoulders since she awoke is slowly being lifted and forgotten.

"Eat up," Sona gesture toward the rest of the food laying on the big plate "Before it gets cold."

Grasping the fork and knife in her hands, Lucy digs into the rest of the dish. Her stomach begging her to devour everything that's on the plate.

Sitting back straight and proper, Sona wears a smile when examining the light now shining in Lucy's eyes. She looked so dull and depress when awoke. Now, she bears a closer resemblance to the Lucy of old. A person who is always full of energy.

However, Sona is not blind to the fact that there is still much sorrow lurking in those blue orbs. And it pains her to come to terms that she is entirely powerless to make it go away.

"How are you feeling?"

"Neutral… I guess." Lucy shifts her eyes away from the half-cut egg and to Sona. "You are aware of everything that happened?" "Yes. Serafall visited me and explained the whole situation."

"Ain't it crazy?"

Lucy cracks a dull smirk while momentarily pausing her hands to eat.

"A drastic change can occur in a blink of the eye… One moment I believed my brother needed to be alone to deal with the aftermath of a breakup and the next… He's allied with Ophis in Khaos Brigade."

"Lucy…" Sona whispers out yet fails to conduce a proper response.

To lose a sibling in such a way. To have them be ripped away from your life so abruptly. Sona cannot even begin to imagine the pain. And it is no secret to anyone at just how dearly Lucy cares for her brother. Their bond as a sibling is unflinching. Sona has witnessed that whenever observing their interactions.

"… I could have done something to prevent this." "No," Sona swiftly intercepts and shakes her head. "Do not cast unnecessary blame upon yourself, Lucy. No one could have foreseen this predicament."

Makasha goes silent. Her eyes shift to the small glass of water hiding there on the right. She blink once and that image manifest in the water. The image of Nawin tainted in the Draconic Mark. His cold and venomous red orbs stares back at her.

The reoccurring nightmares Lucy had experienced at many times always ended with that haunting image. It has happened enough that she can recount it vividly. And it never fails to draw cold shivers down her spine.

"… Perhaps." Returning attention to the remaining food, Lucy continues clearing the plate in a moderate manner.

"Lucy," Sona softly calls and gains Makasha's attention.

Meeting with those sky-blue eyes, Sitri's expression softens. "You know, I am a very pragmatic person. I will not boast with weightless claims that we will be able to find your brother and rescue him soon… I fear that chance is extremely low as he is currently residing in another dimension. But…" Sona brings a hand up and place it softly on Lucy's head, ruffling those silky gold locks with affection.

"Know that if you ever are in need of help, be that of great importance or even if it seems insignificant. Do not hesitate to come to me or the others about it. All of us are here for you at every step of the way."

Lucy tears her eyes away from those sincere violet orbs. She feels her eyes warming up and her lip trembling. "T-Thank you."

With a full smile adorning her face, Sona continues to stroke the blonde's hair.

"As long as I'm well and breathing, you will never be alone, Lucy."

Gold Wing Hospital

"Issei-kun's still sleeping?" "Yes. It seems he was more worn-out than he let on."

"I see…" Yuuto stops by the rails and passes over a carton of strawberry milk to his King.

"Thank you." Rias accepts the carton that's already opened and strawed. She sips the drink to quench her dry mouth.

Leaning against the railing, Gremory stares out into the bright morning spectacle of Vesarima. Already the streets are crowding up with people starting on with their day. Like always, it's as lively as ever.

The scene draws some joy in Rias's heart. There are many smiling faces in her sight, and it soothes her to know that the stain of the invasion from Khaos Brigade has left the civilians' thoughts.

When observing the people presently, Rias would find it hard press to recognize that only a few months ago all of them suffered an attack from a foreign faction. The only remnant that reminds her of the event is the still ongoing restoration still being handled on the more complex and larger buildings that suffered damage amidst the invasion.

"So," Rias pulls her lip away from the stray then throws a glance to the left, "What is it you wish to speak with me about, Yuuto?"

Poking the stray through his carton of ordinary milk, the Knight leans both arms on the steel railing to get himself comfortable. He adopts a peaceful yet nervous expression on his face while gazing at the red sun climbing in horizon.

"… There has been a lot of reflection happening in the group, Buchou," Yuuto admits in his ever respectful tone when addressing to Rias. "I can see it in everyone's eyes."

Gremory draws the carton up, taking another sip of the milk. She expresses no strong reaction to the news.

"Are you among them?" "Yes. I am."

Rias cracks a smile of reminisce before throwing a side peek to her Knight.

"Not planning on running away on me again, are you?"

"Ahahaha," Yuuto chokes out a soft laugh over the abrupt comment. He was not expecting to hear that here.

Like his King, Yuuto carries a nostalgic look in his eyes.

"Never going to let me live that one down are you, Buchou?" "Only cause it's one of the rare material I possess that can get you all flustered." Again, Yuuto chuckles and shakes his head. He opens his eyes to look back at the horizon.

"That day… It has to be four years now," "Four years and a half, I believe."

Sipping the last remaining milk in the carton, Yuuto pulls it down and releases a soft sigh.

"I'll be honest with you, Buchou. That feeling I felt that day when I failed to protect you… It is swelling within me anew. I keep myself calm and collected, but I am just as frustrated as the rest over the outcome of that battle."

Yuuto drops his gaze to his right hand, the hand that he uses most to wield his swords.

"When that rogue devil wound you due to my failure to intervene, my poor experience and lack of awareness became apparent to me. I felt angry at myself and I hate I was that weak enough to have failed protecting a dear friend. I took it abundantly hard that when I face you, it proved difficult because I am just reminded of my weakness." "I remember," Rias softly inserts, granting full attention to her Knight when he is spilling his heart out. "For half a week prior to you leaving, I barely had a chance to hold a full conversation with you… I'm sorry for not noticing how hard you took that, Yuuto."

"Please pay little concern on that, Buchou," Kiba quickly inserts to vanquish his King's regret. "I never once had any animosity directed at you. I aimed all of it at myself."

A smile brewing with relief spread across Gremory's face. "I see. What made you decide to up and leave in the end?"

"I needed to prove myself. I desire to become a better Knight for you, and the only way to do that was to go out into the world and train. That was what I firmly believed in and, in the end, that hiatus I took from the group benefited me in many ways. When I came back, I could look at you in the eyes again with confidence."

Rias recollects that day very well when Yuuto stepped back through those doors. The first thing he did was look her in the eyes and don that strong and assuring smile. Nearly a year had passed when she last saw her dear Knight.

"Can I ask you something?" Yuuto asks. Apprehension lingers underneath his voice.

"Of course, Yuuto."

"During my absent, did you ever thought of announcing me as rogue?" "Never. Not a second of your absence had I ever thought of doing such a thing."

The swift and confident response takes Yuuto aback. There was always a small part of him that believed that Rias may have thought of considering such a scenario. And Yuuto would not blame her when accounting just how long he left on his journey.

Rias turns her head to look at the Knight. A sincere expression wears on her features.

"I always knew you'd return. Did your absence took longer than I expected? Yes, it did. But I still trust you would return to me. I may not know all that was going on in your head that time, nevertheless I was not blind to grasp that you needed time for yourself. So, as your king, I offer my patients till your return."

Yuuto takes a shaky breath in his lungs before forcing himself to return his sight forward to the horizon. If he remains staring at those turquoise eyes any further, he may break. However, a grateful smile does don on his lip.

"Thank you, Buchou… I never said this enough, but I am really glad to be your Knight and have the honor of calling you my friend. There is no one else I would rather serve."

Such a comment and praise takes Rias by surprise. Yuuto is never one to throw out such words and Rias never had to worry about such a thing with Yuuto. She needn't hear praises from him to know she's doing well by his side as all she had to do is take one look into those blue eyes and know exactly what Yuuto's thoughts are of her. And always they display respect and care.

"I'm glad you don't say it so often" Rias cracks a grin and drives sideways to give a slight bump on the shoulder to her Knight. "With that charming attitude of yours, you may end up getting me flustered with that sort of comment."

Kiba lets out a soft chuckle and his smile grows ever brighter.

"But I am relief and overjoyed to hear that, Kiba. Truly." Rias looks down at the pedestrian crowding the market streets "And you know the feeling is mutual. I will never regret saving you that night in the snow. You've grown to be an exceptional Knight and one of my dearest friend. I know you'll always have my back." "No matter what," Yuuto adds in without hesitance. "I'll always fight by your side, Buchou."

Rias's smile grows when hearing that. And she believes it with all her heart.

For a moment, the pair share a comfortable silence together, listening to the whistling of the morning breeze passing over their heads.

"So you desire to leave for the time being?" Rias finally says the words that no doubt are lurking behind Kiba's throat.

"Yes, though in truth, I'm also wishing to do this for Xenovia," Yuuto answers in honest, not planning to hide a thing from Rias. "She's hurting, Buchou."

Even saying those words produces a grimace upon the Knight's expression.

"She is taking the defeat hard," "I guess that's to be expected," Rias draws a heavy sigh. "You and I both know how high she views Nawin. His words have drastically altered her life-view and set her on the path she's treading today. To fail to help someone who has done so much for her will no doubt be a tough defeat."

Yuuto nods in agreement with Rias's words.

"She needs a change of scenery, Buchou. And sorry to put this in such a blunt term, but her remaining with the group as it is now… It'll only remind of our defeat. We are a member down and that is still and will very much be a fresh wound for us all."

"Yeah…" Rias softly replies, her eyes lowering to her hands that's clasping tightly together. "That is a reality all of us have to face and accept."

Gremory takes a minute to regain her composure before opening her mouth.

"If you are seeking my permission to take a temporary leave with Xenovia then I shall grant it, Yuuto. I see that this will benefit the two of you in the long term. You won't receive any conflict with me."

"Thank you, Buchou," Yuuto whispers out, bearing a soft smile. "Please know that I understand that this is a big ask and I am not taking it for granted," "I am aware," Rias looks over with a smile of her own "You won't have to fret about me or the others, Yuuto. Focus on yourself and Xenovia."

Rias shifts her eyes back to the striking horizon, her smile turns crooked ever slightly.

"I am not blind… I can foresee a change coming to all of us, our group. Your comment only enhances that fact in my mind."

Yuuto picks up the strain in Gremory's voice when uttering those words.

"Will you be able to accept the change, Buchou?"

"… What other choice do I have? Our group has changed the moment Nawin stepped through that portal. No matter how arduous I fight desperately to keep things the same as it was, it'll only end in failure. And I'm tired of failing, Yuuto…"

Shifting her eyes down to focus on the front courtyard of the hospital, Rias watches Koneko, Asia, and Gasper having their breakfast there on one of the many tables plant within the clean yard.

A faint smile develops on Gremory's face at the sight of joyous expression on the three junior members' faces. And she can tell a lot of it is because of Asia, who is clearly carrying the conversation between the trio.

"She's strong," Yuuto softly asserts, his eyes also focusing on the trio. "Even with what had happened to her brother… Asia still manages to put on a brave face and try to be as positive as possible for her friend's sake. I don't know how she does it."

"Yeah… That's something I lack at the moment. Striving to remain positive." "Buchou, you have done much already yesterday. You shouldn't be so pessimistic."

"… How will we get Nawin back, Yuuto?" Rias calmly asks.

Yuuto blinks in surprise and cannot find the answer to the question.

"He's right there in Ophis's clutches. And he lies within an enemy territory that contains the likes of the Old Satans and Hero Faction roaming at arms-reach. It is impossible for us to even make contact with him if we were to set out in the near future." Gremory's words help Yuuto fully recognize now why she is so bothered by it. Her reasoning is sound and bestows a clear difficulty that they have in their hands.

"I'm sure there's a way, Buchou. Lady Hunter or Lord Sirzech will know something."

Rias offers no reply, and instead responds with a thin smile that barely reaches her eyes.

Lucifer Castle

Standing beside the chair that her husband is currently occupying, Grayfia observes him flipping through reports. His calculative gaze scans through the words, studying every single letter, mindful not to leave a single detail out of his sight. His lip has held a vague frown since the moment his focus rests on the papers.

"This is everyone's summary of the event, yes?" "Correct," Grayfia nods. "The report contains everyone's recollection of the battle. Lady Rias was dormant. Therefore, I could not hear her side of the story, but she was in the center of it all with the rest, so I am confident there's nothing else we'd missed. Also, Akeno Himejima was the last to fall before Issei arrived, so there should be no lost details."

"Good." Sirzech wishes not to have a single detail missing in the case the council wishes to hear of what had ensued in the Land of Ends. If he keeps them in the light of it, as they wish, they'd stray away from his back and not become hindrances.

With the papers place now to the side, Sirzech pushes himself back to rest on the chair comfortably. He allows a lengthy sigh to escape his lip. Lifting his right hand up, Sirzech messages the temple of his forehead. A faint pain pulses in his head, reminding he is suffering from a headache.

"Drink some water," Grayfia advises while refilling a glass cup with fresh water from a jar.

Sirzech nods, sparing a smile to his wife, before taking the cup in hand. He downs it till the glass is half empty.

"Admittedly," Sirzech softly starts when setting the glass down on the desk, his eyes returns to the report sheets lay before him. "I am in awe to discover that both Issei and Nawin reached and achieved Balance Breaker in their battle." "Unheard of," Grayfia insert "For there to be such a short time-frame divided between wielders achieving that level with their Longinus. Many Longinus holders in past would never reach that prestige status in their entire lifespan."

"We've always known that both Nawin and Issei were special," Sirzech express, tapping his index finger on the stack of papers. "The moment they joined Rias, never were they lost in the shuffle and instead continued to generate noise and accomplishments in their paths. Especially Nawin. All this just further solidify that statement."

Sirzech promptly stops and feels it. He glimpse to the right and sees Grayfia staring hard at the report sheets, though her eyes are clearly elsewhere.

"What's troubling you?"

"… Why him?" Grayfia shifts to look at her husband. "Why Nawin specifically? There are many individuals out in the world that are stronger than him and may even hold greater potential than him. I am left frustrated by this puzzling question."

"Why indeed…" Sirzech and Grayfia abruptly shift their eyes ahead when a new voice circles the room.

Exploding into life, swarms of black feathers swirl in circles ferociously, producing a powerful gust of wind within the room. The papers laying on Sirzech's desks go flying off into the air and the chandelier above audibly shakes with its chain rattling.

Heavy footsteps rings to life and emerging from the sea of darkness is Azazel, whose eyes lock immediately at Lucifer's.

Sirzech slowly raise to his feet, his shoulders tense by the look sporting on the Fallen Angel's face.

It has been a long time since Sirzech last seen such fury burning from those violet eyes.

"Azazel…" "It's true then," Azazel sharply cuts in. His voice alone emits a palpable force that lifts the papers off the ground and up to the air once more. "I believed it was a sham at first. Someone seeking to draw my attention, but when one of my spies appeared before me to validate the story, witnessing the aftermath in the Land of Ends. Well…" Azazel's eyes radiate and the carpet beneath his feet split and the floor beneath cracks. "I am greatly livid here, Sirzech."

Grayfia slowly slides her left feet forward, readying to shield her husband from any sudden actions. However, she pauses when a bright gold lance rains from above and stabs into the ground before her very feet, missing by mere inches.

With a now cold expression adorning her face, Grayfia looks up and sees Azazel sending a glare at her before returning it to Sirzech.

"If you wish to put the blame on me then fine," Sirzech calmly assert "I should have been more attentive… I shoul—" "If I wish?" Azazel repeat with a snarl before appearing before Sirzech and snatch him by the front collar of the shirt.

Sirzech quickly lifts his right hand up to halt Grayfia from making any move. His eyes remain firmly on those radiating violet orbs.

"I have every fucking right to press the blame on you, Lucifer!" Azazel roars out, no longer able to contain the anger raging from within. "You knew of his circumstances, yet you'd allow yourself to become complacent! Just cause nothing significant happened recently with the mark does not spell that Ophis had her eyes off of Nawin!"

"Are you forgetting who I am?" "I could fucking careless how occupied you were! I expected you to hold some responsibility for him when you chose to place that seal on him!" Azazel retorts. His voice becoming louder through ever word.

"Enough of this!"

Both men pause their exchange and steer their eyes to the doorway to see Serafall marching in. An expression of annoyance and sternness wears apparent on her face.

"If the pair of you wish to play the fault game," Serafall place a hand on her hip, her glare intensifies, "Then both of you are at fault here! Sirzech, you became more lenient concerning Nawin's circumstances. When you received no reports from Rias over his status when you sent her to fetch him, you should have upped and done something! If you had checked up on him sooner, all of this could have been avoided."

Leviathan snaps her focus toward towards the other party. "Azazel, I would have expected you to be more attentive to your godson! I heard from Lucy that you recently met him and you did nothing substantial, even though he was clearly in a mentally vulnerable state! You should have monitored him from there."

Serafall's scathing criticism swiftly and affectively expels the anger and tension boiling between the men.

Releasing Sirzech, Azazel cuss under his breath before marching towards the closest window. Covering his face from Serafall's heating gaze, Azazel crosses his arms and stares out at the view behind the window. Regret gradually unearthing upon his features.

Remaining in place, Sirzech stares down at his feet, both of his hands slowly clench tightly into fists. He cannot hide the regret brewing within him any longer. They now shine clear in his turquoise orbs.

"Now is not the time for us to act like this," Serafall affirms in a calmer manner. "Yes, all of us are hurt and distress over what has fallen. And I know how much it must bother you, Azazel." "Oh, it bothers me much," Azazel coldly inserts, his eyes still away from the others "But move past this talk. Just tell me what happened. I want nothing to be left out."

"Rather than by word of mouth," Grayfia lifts her hand, flicking her fingers.

A gust of wind forms into existence and swirls towards the papers scattering across the room. One by one, it picks them all up while swiftly arranges them in the correct order.

"Here's the thorough recount of all the parties involved in it."

Azazel uncrosses his arms to catch the incoming report from the right. Without speaking a word, he brings the papers forward to his face and begins reading thoroughly through it.

"Why are you here?"

Regaining his composure, Sirzech focus on Serafall for the moment while Azazel busies himself with the report. "Something I wish to discuss with you," Serafall disperse a wave with her right hand. "I prefer it be in a private setting, so save it for later."

"… How's the condition of the party?" Azazel asks. His tone is now more controlled and calm.

"Stable. As stated, none of them suffered any major injuries," Grayfia reassures.

"Yeah, that should be the case." Azazel turns around and faces the three. "Cause, judging by this report, Nawin was holding back. By a fair margin." "We are aware of that," Serafall state "His handling with Koneko Toujou and Gasper Vladi backs that evidence."

"The boy was in full controls of his actions," Azazel continues, flicking back a page, rereading some details. "I trained him so I know how capable he is. Though our last session was a while, I am experienced with the way he battles."

Azazel lifts his eyes away from the papers to look at the three once more.

"It is clear Nawin was having just of a hard time battling his friend as they are with him. He could have easily ended the bout before Issei Hyoudou had the chance to arrive."

"What are you getting at here, Azazel?" Serafall questions with a hint of annoyance seeping under her tone. She tires of beating around the bush.

"The impression I got from the comments in here," Azazel set the stack of paper down on the side by the window, "Is that you all believed that Nawin was in someway swayed by the mark. Or, to be more precise, Ophis. And I am countering that by claiming that he was very much in control of it all. What I read in the report is just my godson being himself." "Being himself?" Grayfia adopts a frown at that comment. "Becoming a fugitive? That's Nawin being himself? His own choice?" "If it is for an ulterior agenda, then yes," Azazel retorts. "You are throwing lots of messages here, Azazel," Sirzech comment.

He never is fond of how at times the fallen angel would rather dance around than simply spill it out. Azazel always had some joy at watching people struggling to keep up with him when it comes to figuring situations out.

Crossing his arms over his chest, Azazel steers his eyes fully on Lucifer.

"Eliminate the Akumi. That's his reason when Rias and Akeno questioned him."

When that name leaves Azazel's mouth, the atmosphere inside the room turns ever tenser.

"Seems like Nawin has taken an enormous interest in the group. Evidently, he holds them to high regards of being a threat. The boy has always been one to look far into the future. Specially when it concern with his love ones."

"Then you are implying that there's a connection with Akumi to his decision to leave for Ophis?" Serafall inserts, now more interested to listen out the fallen angel's thoughts.

"Dulio Gesualdo. I anticipate you all have got word of what had fallen to him?" "We did," Sirzech confirms. "I received a latter from Michael recently. The Akumi slaughtered him and claimed the Zenith Tempest." "And," Sirzech adds, "Hunter recently notified me that her spies advised her the pair that were targeting Issei had attempted to capture Georg of the Hero Faction. The Dimension Lost possessor. Fortunately, he got away from them."

"Only adding more to all our shared belief that their objective is to obtain all the Longinus," Azazel asserts. "And if Nawin has gotten word of this… His comments to Rias and Akeno only further add up. Issei and Lucy both carry Longinus within them."

"Therefore, he turns to Ophis…" Grayfia joins the puzzle after a moment of digesting all of this. Her heart aches at the prospect of this. She feels for the boy to carry such worry for his love ones being probable targets to such an anonymous yet dangerous organization.

"Nawin isn't blind to his disadvantages. Arrogant is not in his blood. No doubt he grasps the fact he is grossly outmatch in all aspects when pit against the members in the Akumi. He has had a chance to come to face with them even and the outcome was as expected."

"Desperation for his growth and worry for the Akumi is what drove him to Ophis," Sirzech utters out, his head full of thoughts. "Ophis promised him power, and has even given him a taste of it through the Draconic Mark," Azazel continues. "With the right words, she can convince him comfortably. Though, as it boils my blood to say this, but even if Nawin had chosen to go against her… He would not be able to. Not when it is to Ophis."

"Azazel…" Sirzech calmly speak up. His tone is softer now as he realizes the underline reason Azazel is pushing with this conversation. "You have no need to convince us of Nawin's innocence. All of us are on his side."

The sincere tone of Lucifer's words spark a deep shock to Azazel. He was not expecting such a thing. In Azazel's mind, he holds a fair belief that the people in this room see Nawin as the enemy.

"It's not in the report," Grayfia starts. "But yesterday, Sirzech and Lady Rias fought arduously on Nawin's behalf. Cause of their words, they successfully convinced the council to allow the bonds to remain intact with Nawin and halted him from officially being branded in the bounty book. All of them have in mind that he was swayed to join with Ophis rather than done by his own omission."

"… Did you?" Azazel softly asks, his wide eyes steering to Lucifer.

"I do not know what has given you the impression that I would go against Nawin, Azazel. However," Sirzech bears a reassuring smile "I was successful in persuading that room to withhold any harsh punishment. If Nawin's actions were controlled by a third-party, it would shine a negative light on the council to issue such an unfair punishment. Especially towards someone with Nawin's reputation."

"Though," Serafall bears an amusing smirk, pointing a finger towards Azazel, "If your comments were to have left this room. It could be levered against Nawin, Azazel."

Azazel bears a frown, not finding amuse by Leviathan's jab. His eyes return to Sirzech.

"I hold fair confidence that you would do good by Nawin's side… But I possess zero confidence in that council room. Nawin's outspoken nature has no doubts made him enemies with the members crawling in that room." "Well," Sirzech breathes out a deep sigh, "You certainly aren't mistaken on that. Your concern is very justified, though there are many in there that do side with Nawin. If all were virulently against him, then I would not have succeeded in winning them over."

"I wish to return to your comment, Azazel," Grayfia speaks up, drawing attention of the three. "You trust Nawin went to Ophis seeking power… Even though he knows he is inevitably going to be used in her cause. A cause that almost certainly guarantees his death. That fate extends to his group, too." Grayfia's eyes sharpens "That goes against everything Nawin stands for. He's not one to put any of his love ones in such predicament."

"To kill Great Red…" Azazel whispers out Ophis's now well-known goal. An ambition that no doubts has slowly become an obsession after centuries of failing to retake her home from the Apocalypse Dragon. He shift attention back to Lucifuge.

"You are right, Grayfia. That does not sound like my godson… Though, perhaps Ophis does not plan for Nawin to play that specific role… His role may be something entirely different." As those words leaves his mouth, Azazel slowly finds his eyes shifting back to the report, setting on that photo that's clip on the front paper. A photo showing Nawin and Sayomi smiling at one another while in a festive setting.

"That photo…" "Another piece of the mystery added to the Pureblood," Sirzech asserts, throwing a brief glance at the picture. "I have little to comment regarding that other than being shocked by the discovery. I asked Rias and well… You know of it from the report. It would seem that Nawin sees the Pureblood as an ally presently. Perhaps closer."

"Does the council hold knowledge of this?" Azazel inquires and is relief when Sirzech shakes his head in negative.

"Nothing good would come of them being made aware of this. Everyone in this room, including Ajuka, my sister, and her group, are aware of this fact. And I shall see to it remain that way."

With his eyes close, Azazel offers a slow nod to Sirzech's words, agreeing to his decision while his mind gradually slips toward something else.

'She was there in the past, Azazel. I had memories of her when I was just a child.'

Azazel recollects the words his godson spoke in their last exchange. Ever since discovering this, Azazel has attempted to undergo a fair research in hopes of discovering more about Sayomi Dracul. Yet even with his high reaches, Azazel comes up empty-handed. To him, Sayomi Dracul never existed till she first made contact with Nawin.

Next, Azazel focus back on Yao's words when he succeeded in pushing for even a sliver of an answer out of her.

'She tried to harm him, but she could never fully bring herself to hurt him truly. If Sayomi Dracul wanted my son dead. He'd be gone a long time ago,' 'Why?' 'Because Nawin is precious to her… He is her first love.'

Remembering those words only seeks to draw Azazel's attention back again to the photo. He observes those smiles carrying on the pairs' faces. It is all genuine. And never has Azazel seen such a warm and content smile on Nawin's face as he shows in that moment, hand in hand, beside Sayomi.

It pains Azazel to adopt this thought, but he cannot recount a time he has ever seen such a smile worn on his godson's face when he shared moments with Akeno. Furthermore, that visage of love in Sayomi's eyes as she gaze toward Nawin. It is a look that Azazel can confidently interpret. A look of a person who will do everything for the person they are gazing at. No matter the end result.

'… If there is a single individual that could instill genuine fear and worry in someone comparable to Ophis… It would be a Pureblood Vampire. Especially one that may very well have the blood of Alucard running through their veins.'

"Now," Azazel starts, opening his eyes and setting them on Lucifer. "What's your plan forward? Regarding Nawin." "Unfortunately, I've yet to form an answer. Rias, Sona, and Riser will handle anything related to Nawin along with their parties. Those were the terms I've set with the council to alleviate their concerns. With three of the brightest young warriors in the helm, it has boaster the needed confidence in retrieving Nawin when the time comes."

"When the time comes…" Azazel slowly repeats the last words.

He pulls a soft frown over how little Sirzech offers in response. Although he cannot fault the man entirely. Nawin now resides in an entirely different dimension. He cannot be any further from their reach. Furthermore, Azazel is clueless on how to even obtain entrance to that said dimension. With Ophis being the one to create it all, she will without a doubt make it near impossible to enter it without her blessing.

"… Alright," Azazel lightly kicks himself off the wall to stand straight, taking a few forward steps. He drops his hands inside the pockets of the coat while shifting eyes to the trio in the room.

"There is one matter all of us should be concerned about right now."

Resting a hand on her hip, Serafall raises a brow at the sudden comment. What frustrates her about Azazel is that she can never tell if he's serious or jesting.

"Concern?" "Indeed." Azazel pulls his right hand up from the pocket to point a thumb up toward the ceiling. "We got an impending visit from Gabriel. I've informed her of the situation shortly after receiving the news myself." "You did what?!" Serafall snaps. Her mouth agape in utter disbelief at Azazel's decision. "Have you gone mad?!"

"Guess you would have that reaction since you had battled with her," Azazel state with faint amusement. "However, she is Nawin's godmother. It is in her right to know."

There is a wave of worry and unease lurking in the pit of Azazel's stomach. And though he covers it well, he is fairly nervous about the result of him sending Gabriel that letter. At the end of the day, Azazel had a promised to keep, and he honored it.

With a tense expression adopting over his face, Sirzech opens his mouth to respond but does not get a chance to utter a word out when a blinding pillar of light blast down from the ceiling, crashing onto the center of the room.

Everyone in the room tenses when the entire air around them turns dense, crashing down on them like barrages of boulders. It is near suffocating. Any lesser being would promptly be on the ground, starving for air to enter their burning lungs while striving hard to prevent the pressure from breaking their bones.

"Gabriel!" Azazel shouts out at the sight of the angel bursting out from the pillar. She is making a beeline towards Lucifer. Her eyes glowing with malicious intent.

Reacting with swiftness, Grayfia steps forward then waves her left arm towards her husband.

Exploding up from the carpet, a pair of dense walls made of ice raises up and shields Sirzech from the incoming enrage seraph.

Not missing a step, Gabriel glares at the towering shield of blue. Pulling her right arm, Gabriel promptly extends it ahead and demolishes the thick walls without a hint of challenge. Her glowing emerald orbs now meeting with Sirzech's wide eyes.

In a blink of an eye, Azazel, Serafall, and Grayfia appear before the seraph as her fist reaches mere inches away from Lucifer's face.

Azazel secures a hold on the right arm, Serafall locks her arm with Gabriel's left, and kneeling on one knee, Grayfia slings her arm around the waist of Gabriel to block any further advancement.

"Calm down!" Azazel grunts out, still feeling the pressure of Gabriel attempting to force out of their restraints. "Punching him may feel good at this moment, but it ain't going to solve anything!"

Gabriel's blazing eyes glare daggers into Sirzech's own. Although he may be a Satan, Sirzech cannot suppress the shudder crawling down his spine when meeting with those emerald orbs so close. It's an eye that much resemblance that of a frenzied mother that heard something ill has befallen upon her dear children. And now she seeks justice for it.

Sirzech is fairly confident in that if Gabriel truly wishes to, she could break out of that restraint. It is shocking and almost unnerving to discover a woman who is so wordly known to be one of the kindest souls in heaven can shift to a demeanor such as this. Right now, Gabriel resembles much of a serious and almost battle-hardened warrior. It reminds every single soul in the room why Gabriel is well considered to be the second strongest angel in heaven. Just behind only to her own brother, and many doubt it is by any significant margin.

"Lady Gabriel…"

The soft whisper from behind instantly draws the eyes of many. The adults are surprise to find Irina standing there. She is speechless and frozen in place, no doubt stunt over her teacher's abrupt actions.

Everything happened so abruptly that none of them even had the chance to acknowledge the young angel arriving with Gabriel.

The sound of Irina's whispering voice reaches Gabriel as she sucks in a deep breath before steadily exhaling it through her nose. The tension visibly weighing on her body evaporates, the tight and sharp expression plaguing her face mildly softens, and the glow in her eyes slowly diminishes.

The once powerful and intimidating emerald orbs now return to a calmer shade of olive-green. Still keeping her gaze firmly on Sirzech's face, Gabriel slowly parts her pink lip.

"Unhand me."

Azazel observes Gabriel's eyes for a moment before releasing his grip and takes a couple of steps back to make space. When noticing Gabriel not moving an inch even with her arm now free, Serafall and Grayfia follow suit and unhand themselves from the angel. Their stance is far from relaxed just yet.

Then, in a blink of an eye, Gabriel snatches Sirzech by his face, her thumb press hard against the center of his temple.

"Stop!" Azazel snaps and appears before Serafall and Grayfia, both preparing to pounce. "Open your damn eyes! She has no intention of harming him."

Drawing a frown, Grayfia steers her eyes toward her husband. Her shoulders lose some tension when she notices that calm expression cement on his face. Sirzech shows no signs of struggling against the angel's grasp.

Serafall crosses her arms beneath her chest and observes the glow in Gabriel's eyes. It flickers and sparks brighter on occasions. 'I see.'

"… So," Gabriel calmly starts while releasing her hand from Sirzech. "That's what transpired."

The rage that's been boiling behind the angel's eyes is now entirely absent as she faces Lucifer. Though there's still a part within her that wishes the instinct to remain, Gabriel cannot will herself to remain truly furious towards a man that carries that much regret in his heart.

With his eyes still lingering on those beautiful olive-green eyes, Sirzech promptly finds himself drawing his gaze to the side. His brows furrow faintly in discomfort. He knows that during their interaction, Gabriel manage to search within his heart and sensed his feelings. He cannot fault her. Like with Azazel, Gabriel has the rights to be upset with him over the fallout regarding Nawin.

"Shouldn't you be off now?" Gabriel speaks out. Though her voice is calm, it carries this sharpness that has everyone in the room flinch. No one expects such a tone from the angel.

Azazel jolts faintly when Gabriel cocks her head to the side, her eyes now glaring daggers at him. He feels a shudder crawling down his spine. Even with the decades of knowing her, Azazel can only ever recall a single handful of time he's witnessed Gabriel bearing such a look.

Azazel does, however, pause and studies the anger swelling behind those olive-green eyes and perceive it is being direct to him and him only. That gives him a fair idea of the reason behind to why. A wave of guilt surface from within him.

"Make yourself useful and meet up with your informants. I rather we all hold some clear understanding on Khaos Brigade's and the Akumi's future plans... Do some good after failing our godson, Azazel."

Everyone in the room visibly winces at the scorching comment. And judging by the regrettable expression wearing upon the fallen angel's face, the words hit deep at home.

Azazel parts his mouth, but decides to close it instead. He has no desire to continue with this conversation. Or rather, he holds no desire to discuss something so personal with other ears present.

Exhaling a sigh, Azazel drops both hands into the pockets of his coats. Black feathers birth into existence till it completely swarms him from all sides. Then, with a motion of burst, the feathers scatters and Azazel is gone from sight.

"… Well," Serafall speaks up, "That's the first time I've ever seen him look so at a loss for words."

Sirzech immediately shoots a look of disapproval at his friend.

Turning at the ball of her feet, Gabriel marches over towards Irina. She overlooks the devils in the room, not sparing even a glance towards Serafall or Grayfia as she passes by them.

"Irina." Gabriel stands in front of her student, placing a firm hand on her shoulder. "You should pay a visit to your friends. Best to ease that worry in your heart."

Shidou simply nod but parts her mouth to speak. "Are you planning on heading somewhere?" "Yes, there someone must meet with. You can stay here till I come and fetch you."

Retreating her arm, Gabriel offers a thin smile to Irina to give some sense of reassurance. Although it is painfully force.

Giving a soft nod, Shidou watches her teacher radiate brightly in a ray of gold before vanishing entirely before her very eyes.

"… Grayfia," Sirzech calmly calls to his wife, his eyes firmly setting on the angel. "Please escort young Irina to the hospital." "Certainly."

Shidou offers a small smile to Lucifer and bends down to provide a bow. "Thank you, Lord Lucifer."

Sirzech's eyes soften at the young girl's gesture and the sincerity in her voice. Even with everything that just unwrapped before her very eyes. Irina still keeps a level-headed mindset and still chooses to treat him with respect.

'The girl fits like a glove as an angel. She is everything Michael would seek for.'

Watching Grayfia guide Irina out of the room and shut the door on the way out, Sirzech breathes out a long exhale he's been holding. He leans back on the desk for a moment before finally drawing his eyes upward to stare at the hole in his ceiling.

"She'd done a commendable job in restraining herself," Serafall asserts. Her mind, too, still dwelling with the seraph. "That could have turned truly ugly there… Specifically for Azazel."

"Afraid so."

Serafall pulls her eyes away from the damage and returns it to Sirzech. "What are you planning to do now?" "There isn't much I can do. I contemplate speaking to Hunter more about the Akumi as she is the one monitoring a close eye on their activities. However, she's currently away."

"Away?" Serafall frowns. "Now of all times?" "She got word of a sighting of an Akumi member roaming nearby Shiva."

That catches Leviathan's full attention. "Shiva?! So near a major city?" "Black cloak with red roses. The description matched," Sirzech affirms, "But the member seems to be alone rather than traveling in pairs. Which seems to be a code that the Akumi is going by. That's why I was quick to dispatch Hunter there."

Serafall brings a hand to her head, stroking down the few strands that were out of place.

"They are becoming more conspicuous… Do you consider that goal of theirs is true?" "Collecting the Longinus?" Sirzech becomes silent for a moment.

"… If judge by their recorded activities this far. I would wager it to be true…"

Gremory Manor

"Chose this spot? Of all places."

The soft smile adorning over Gremory's face stretches slightly wider hearing the light comment. A rare tone of amusement dances behind that stoic voice.

Opening her eyes, Rias glance to her side to watch Sona sliding her hand over the white chair's head. She marvels at the still pristine condition of the metal object. Even though all these years of being left unused. The beautiful flower decors that's handcrafted on the back support is still a joy to view and dissect. Little details on them would render many in awe.

"… You took care of these?" Sona throws a glance at Gremory.

"Once a month. I'd make time in the weekend to return here and make sure everything is cleaned and organize."

Sona change attention to the table that is set center of the three chairs circling around it.

Made entirely out of marble, the table is carved with highest competence to transform into the perfect shape of an oval. It is far from being a plain white marble that many have seen. With a touch of a proficient artist. The surface of the table riddles with a breathtaking depiction of petals and veins. All of them birth at the three ends, meeting the chair and spread ahead in a series of spirals till it collides at the center where the multicolor and mature flower blooms.

Crimson. Blue. Orange. Those are the exclusive colors that are used in the artwork. And each color is reserved on a select side.

Taking a seat on the chair, Sona exhales a soft sigh when leaning entirely back to get the full comfort. Her eyes shut for a moment, tuning in to the sound of whistling breeze blowing overhead of them.

Sona makes a moment before she finally speaks, the words brewing behind her throat.

"I assume you also cast an invitation to Riser?" "Of course." "… Chose the improper place, Rias. I suspect he'd have little desire to be here."

The smile on Gremory's face wavers and drops. Her eyes lower in sadness.

"It was a rough day, that day… Wasn't it?" "We lose a dear friend that day," Sona whispers, opening her eyes to look up at the leaves above "And I am positive it hurt him just as much as it did with us… Perhaps more."

It always was something that bothered Rias much whenever she visited this place. For so long, it was a space she had created many fond memories with her childhood friends in Sona and Riser. This spot was their little haven where they'd come to play or simply express to one another about all kinds of childish topics. And to have the last memory of them being here together be such a sad and bleak one. It always rubbed Rias the wrong way and is something she wishes to fix.

"I'm sure he'll come. Things have changed so much since then."

Sona offers no response, as she simply stares up at the swishing leaves. It sways calmly with the steady wind.

'It's still growing.'

Sona cast a glance back at the ashen color trunks. The tree bears an ancient and aging appearance, yet its crimson leaves still are vibrant and flexible as the day Sitri first laid eyes on them. She will never forget the day Rias first introduced her to the special tree. She was in complete awe of its unique colors. And the tree soon shift and became one of the many reasons Sona enjoyed visiting this spot so much.

A spark of mana draws Rias's attention, and she stares ahead and notices the familiar orange light emanating on the grassy ground.

The insignia of the house of Phenex burns to life before it flares up into a pillar of flames.

Slowly marching out of the orange fire is Riser. A frown carries clear on his features as his dark eyes instantly sets upon Gremory.

"Of all the times to be pulling this sort of shit, Rias?" Riser snarls out, already displaying immense annoyance at being here. "Give me a good reason bef—" "I know it hurts," Rias calmly intercepts.

Riser pause but his frown deepens by the response.

"Especially after what happened with Nawin. You may wish to hide it from the others by storming out of there before they awoke. But I know the loss hurt and bothers you deeply, Riser."

"However," Rias stares at Riser, then at Sona. "With what I'm going to tell you two. I believe it will help in the future if we truly bury the hatchet with what happened here all those years ago. I recognize that it still weighs on the two of you."

A tense expression arises in both Sitri's and Phenex's faces.

"How can I tell? I have yet to witness you two ever truly maintain a conversation with one another when we are at school. Specially a one-on-one basis. The cloud looming above you two's heads is unmissable."

Sona gives off the faintest wince while Riser throws a scoff.

"Why should I bo—" "Don't go on the defense with the insults, Riser" Rias sharply shoots down Phenex's attempt to stir things up. He's intending to alter the topic.

Riser growls in frustration although does not press on.

Pulling his eyes away from Rias, he ends up staring at the empty spot on the third chair. A painful sting throbs in his heart.

Biting his tongue, Riser keeps his eyes on the chair. A memory resurfaces.

Flashback

"We can't be friends anymore, Riser."

Stopping in his tracks, Phenex jerks his head back as that cocky smirk he is wearing gets instantly dash by what just left Rias's mouth.

"W-what?"

"I said we can't be friends anymore," Rias repeats with a touch of coldness in her tone. Her turquoise shade orbs glaring at the blond.

The words finally truly registers with Riser and his eyes grow wide in shock. He gawks at Rias. She is scowling at him, yet there are signs of small tears welling in her eyelids.

Riser shifts his gaze over to Sona, who stands closely behind Rias. That ever calm and calculative eyes of hers stares back at him without bestowing a hint of emotion under the moment.

"Y-You had her say that, didn't you?!" Riser points out, stepping forward. His now glowing orange orbs glaring at Sitri. "Didn't you?!"

"No!" Rias intercepts with a cry. "It's because you have changed Riser! You've been arrogant! You've become horrible with comments like you'd one day make us a part of your harem! Your behavior is repulsive ever since you've gained the ability to harness those flames!" "That's why?!" Riser spat back, growing more enrage by the seconds. "You should be happy that I am selecting you two! It's what our parents would want, anyway! They are already thinking of putting us together, Rias!" "Well, I don't wish for that!" "We've been friends since forever! And the three of us are royals! Why would you not wish for this?!" "Because I will never love you!"

Those piercing words renders Riser speechless. His heart momentarily come to a halt. Then, a throb of pain shoots within it, and that causes Riser's throat to tighten up. The back of his eyes starts to burn.

"W-Why," Rias softly sniffs, tears now streaming down her now crimson eyes. "Why would I ever love someone like YOU?!"

Stepping in front of Rias and turning her back to Riser, Sona hugs her friend, allowing her to use her chest to cry on.

"From this day on, stay away from us," Sona coldly asserts before summoning a teleportation that takes her and Rias away.

Standing there utterly still, Riser stares at the chairs and table. The very spot where he made many fond memories with those two.

A single teardrop falls from Phenex's dull eyes and plunges to the grass. Somehow, the grass no longer seem so vibrant to him.

Present

"Tell me the truth, Sona."

Riser slowly opens his eyes and faces Sitri. His eyes, calmer and controlled now. "Did you play a part in having Rias stop being friends with me?"

"…"

For a moment, Sona says no words and instead stares back at those dark sapphire orbs. Examining the emotions within them. Then she parts her lip, grasping confidence that Phenex will not snap.

"I did."

Riser cracks out a low chuckle from his lip before donning a tense smirk. He expected as much. It brings some sense of closure for him after finally receiving a clear answer to that question. All these years, he always wondered back about that.

"But it is not because I've grown to hate you. Like you would be led to believe," Sona calmly continues, "It also pained me witnessing your transformation, Riser. However, Rias was always the one who's more sensitive to those subjects than I or even you. Especially back then. Your attitude, your change… It hurt her and brought her many pains. And I was always the one left consoling her whenever you two got into heated arguments. I saw it all was becoming too much for her, weighing on her while you continuously remained oblivious to the damage you were causing in our circle of friendship. Therefore… For Rias's health and for my sanity, I told Rias we need to end it because I was convinced that you will never change. And for a long time, you proved that…"

Riser cannot hide the expression of regret clouding over his face. Now that his mind is clearer, he's competent to look back in the past and fully comprehend just how horrible of a friend he was being to both Rias and Sona. He mistreated them and went as for as even approaching them like individuals below him. He treated the two girls that were his first friends with disrespect and inconsiderateness. To now fully having the sight to understand all of that and more of what he's committed in the past, Riser cannot justify within him to even be upset with the action that Sona took. In truth, he whole-heartedly agrees with it. Sona saw Rias was hurting over his change. Their relationship was becoming toxic, and it showed no signs of improving. Therefore, Sona took upon herself to be the mature one and made actions to remove Riser from their lives.

If the roles were reversed, Phenex may have done the exact same thing.

"… I apologized to Rias for my past behaviors… But I never apologized to you, have I, Sona?"

Phenex's words stun Sitri for a moment. She is promptly taken aback when Riser suddenly sinks to his knees, his fists press firm on the grass before his head joins there.

"I am sorry for all that has taken place in the past. My vulgar and inconsiderate behavior, the way I treated you, everything. And thank you for looking out for Rias's best interest when I was lost back there… Truly."

"R-Riser…" Rias whispers, her hand hovering over her mouth, her eyes wide in shock.

Pushing the chair back, Sona stands up and makes her way over the Phenex. Her expression, impassive and unreadable, like always.

Riser pause when sensing the movement from above. Slowly, he lifts his head and is surprise to come to face with hand. Blinking out of his confusion, Riser looks past the hand and to Sona. A full smile bears plainly on her face, her striking violet eyes carry both joy and relief.

Riser exhales in a relief of his own by the absent of that resentment he'd seen for so long whenever the two of them would cross path. Even when he had made up with Rias, Sona still carried that look in her eyes whenever it landed on him. Even when she carried that polite facade to prevent things from becoming awkward for the surrounding people. And no doubt to not cause stress for Rias.

"It is good to have you back, old friend."

Taking the offered hand, Riser wears his own smile and nods. "Yeah… Happy not to be such an idiot like I was back then."

Pulling Riser up to his feet, Sona throws her brow up. "I wouldn't go that far… You still possess the tendency to act like an idiot during certain times. Only now it's much less insufferable compared to before." Rias snorts out a laugh by the comment which has Sona's smile widens in amusement while Riser simply shakes his head, chuckling under his breath.

"You got me there."

"Perfect!" Rias claps her hands together. A bright grin beams over her face. "I'm glad that all of us are now on the same page. I honestly should have addressed it sooner, but…"

Sona and Riser watch as a look of discomfort spreads over Gremory's face.

"I was worried that I would've made things worse."

The quiet reason from Rias and the expression she wears draws a straw of regret in both Sona's and Riser's hearts.

They never truly attempted to fix their broken relationship, and it took Rias to be the brave one out of the three of them to push them close again. They could have saved her a lot of pain and worry if they had just had the courage to have spoken to each other and have a heart to heart.

"Sorry, Rias," Sona does not hide the guilty look on her face "I sh—" "There's no need to apologies," Rias gently cuts in. A smile returns to her face. "I'm just happy that you two have a healthy relationship again. I have always noticed the tension, ever since we had that vacation on the beach. Actually…" Rias's smile drops slightly "Even Nawin caught it and questioned me about it… Ahaha, he offered to help me with this, but I declined because it was a matter between the three of us…"

Riser winces when hearing the name of his friend. His hands, that hide inside the pockets of his jeans, clench into fists. The memories of the battle rear its head.

"Of course he did," Sona whispers with fondness in her tone while she makes her way back to the table. Plopping back onto her chair, Sona faces Rias. "Sounds just like him, doesn't it?"

Rias nods, her smile returning in full by the comment.

The girls look over and see Riser standing behind the vacant chair. He stares at it for a moment before pulling it back to create space. Yet, before Riser makes any advancement, he throws a glance up at Rias and Sona. They respond with a welcoming smile.

Those looks are all Riser needs to discard the last sliver of hesitation. He steps forward and takes a seat on the chair for the first time in years. And the moment he lands on it, a weight that's been dwelling there for so long is lifts off his chest.

"Falling under the nostalgic?" Sona asks with a faint smirk on her face by the gentle sigh escaping from Phenex's mouth. "Hah," Riser chuckles "A bit. This time, we three actually fit on the chair properly. I never understood why you got full-sized chairs, Rias," Riser eyes Gremory. "Simple," Rias points her index finger up with a grin breaking out of her face. "I wanted us to grow into them."

"Of course," Sona shakes her head, but shows a smile on her lip. "Always the sentimental one you are, Rias."

"Ahaha… As much as I wish we could simply continue conversing about a variety of topics like we did back then," Rias starts, the smile on her face turns thin. "Regrettably, that's not what I have planned for us."

Sona pushes the glasses up the bridge of her nose and opens her eyes. Now the violet orbs are sharp, sparking with intellect and coldness.

"I wager a guess that is in regards to the conference that befall yesterday concerning Nawin's situation?" "Correct. Have you been briefed on the details?" Rias asks, not surprise if Sona already knows of all the context. "I had. I visited my parents earlier this morning. Father apprised me of the situation." "Then I am the one out of the loop here," Riser raise his voice. "I've been doing my own thing since leaving the hospital."

Rias does not need to push further for the context to know that Riser must've gone out to train ever since he took off. Although his appearance is pristine, his eyes indicate signs of weariness. And now that he is closer, she takes notice of the faint dark bags sprouting underneath his eyes.

"Well…" "I'll take over, Rias," Sona interject. Rias sends over an appreciate smile and nods.

"As you can expect from that room," Sitri shift to Riser "Many were outraged over what had transpired. Chiyo wished for Nawin's bond with Vesarima's and the Gremory's to be revoked. Furthermore, she expressed he should be placed under the bounty for dead or alive." "Of course she does," Riser displays no hint of surprise. "She's always been the more expressive one out of the three."

Sona nods in agreement with that statement. "Elegance and subtle is not what I would describe her. Nevertheless, Rias and Sirzech succeeded in redirecting her argument and won the council over with their shared idea. As of now, Nawin's bond remains intact and he shall not be placed under the bounty as a criminal."

Riser raises a brow at this development. He is impressed that Rias and Sirzech managed to prevent two of those things from occurring.

"In exchange? This sounds too good of a success."

"In exchange that we three, including our peerages, will focus all of our resources on bringing Nawin and his peerage to Vesarima so they can be fairly punished for their actions."

"Hah!" Riser snorts out a chuckle. "That has Sirzech written all over it. It was his underline plan, wasn't it?" "Yeah," Rias nods. "There cannot be plain disagreement from the opposition side of the council without them shining an ill-intent light on their motive. Unless one part. Putting all three of us on the assignment is a striking counter to lesson the worries clouding in that room."

"The only other suggestion I can conceive of Sirzech brewing would be assigning it to his own peerage," Sona speaks up. "That would take too much afford," Riser inserts, crossing his arms behind his back, getting more comfortably on the chair "All of them are spread across underworld. And Nawin's defection is not enough of a threat to have him call them all back as one. He'd only make such a move if war is on the horizon." "Yes," Rias agrees. "Furthermore, it is best in this specific situation that it's handled by people close to Nawin rather than third-party."

Sona silently nods in agreement with Gremory's words. She opens her eyes after having a thought.

"The aftermath with the meeting is the best result we could have gotten. However, we must keep in mind that now that the matter with Nawin is exclusive to us, we also have to take into account that his troubles shall also reflect on us. And…" Sona steers her eyes to Rias "We are running on borrowed time with him."

A tense exhale exits the lips of Gremory.

"Yes. With the invasion still fresh in our minds… That shows that Ophis is not afraid to take drastic actions to obtain a goal. For so long, Khaos Brigade was a known organization but never had taken actions. Till recently with the invasion."

Riser bears a frown and leans forward ever slightly towards the table. "You fear Ophis will command Nawin to do something drastic that could sever this agreement you and your brother worked with the council."

Rias nods, grimacing at even hearing of the comment.

"However," Sona speaks up, "Ophis has shown to have hold patients with regarding Nawin. She had placed the Draconic Mark onto him for over half a year… She could have had him sooner, I believe. Yet, she waited and waited. I don't think she'd sent him out so prematurely after he finally joined her. Especially when all of this matter is still very fresh."

"Fair comment," Riser nods "Ophis has chosen to recruit Nawin cause she believe he'd be an asset in achieving her goal." "A suicidal goal for anyone besides her," Rias adds with venom in her tone when addressing the deity. "She's sending Nawin, Akame, and Misako to their graves. No sane individual outside of deities would even consider battling a being such as Great Red." "I believe that's directed to the many groups within Khaos Brigade," Sona state "However, I am taking a wager that Nawin may be a special case. Ophis was too careful with him. And this is coming from a person who has the grounds and power to capture Nawin at any moment she'd desired. She still resorted to the waiting game. I think Nawin may be more than a simple disposable pawn to her compared to the others in that organization."

Sona pushes her glasses up, her eyes steady on both Riser and Rias.

"I am confident that we needn't be fretting much for an event to occur so early on."

Sitri's words do carry much logic in them. Rias finds herself with some weight off her chest. With them not owning any clear idea on even how to locate Nawin now that he's out of their reach, it is calming in a sense to know that they needn't to worry about making a swift counter in case anything big were to happen on his end.

Rias can very well imagine Ophis withhold in utilizing Nawin for sometime and rather fixate on his growth. She remembers well of Nawin's words when he proclaimed Ophis promised him power. Ophis living up to that promise not only will serve Nawin's goal but in the end also serve Ophis's own.

In her mind, Rias silently cuss at the deity and her clever yet conniving ploy.

"What's the ongoing plan, then?"

Rias blinks out of her thoughts and steers up to see Riser looking at her. Sona opens her eyes and shifts towards her as well.

"Regretfully. There's no solid lead at the moment," Rias admits, not hiding the frustration in her eyes by the fact.

"Nawin's dwell in Dragath now. A dimension that Ophis created." "So he is worldly out of our reach," Sona calmly sighs, leaning forward to place her arms on the table. "Then there isn't much we can accomplish at this moment till we hear further details." "Even so…" Riser speaks up. "Say we can enter Dragath… What then? We will be intruding into a territory that house individuals like the former satans and Ophis. I hate to say this," Riser groans, scratching the top of his head, his lip twisting to a frown. "But that's suicidal. And I wager Sirzech would be against us stepping foot in that dimension, Rias. As a matter of fact, he'd stop us."

Almost on instinct, Rias opens her mouth in ready to retort. However, she finds herself pausing and pushes down the childish words that were ready to leave her mouth.

Riser's concern is a valid one.

"There is no incentive for us to further speculate or discuss this currently," Rias responds and leans back in the chair. A tired sigh leaves from her mouth. "We'll have to wait for a call from my brother. Although," Rias looks up at her friends. A warmer smile graces her face. "In truth, the reason why I invited you two here is not only to keep you up to date on the matter but also to dispel the animosity that was still clouding between the two of you. If we are to work together, moving forward… I want all of us to be on the same page." The smile on Rias's face crumbles ever slightly as her eyes shift to her hands that are clenching together.

"We must be on the same page… Because we can't afford to lose again. We cannot fail Nawin once more."

Rias perks when seeing a hand slide over and cups over hers. She looks up to see Sona wearing a gentle smile. "You are not alone in this, Rias. Like you, we care for Nawin and wish for his return. It will be different the next time, I assure you."

"When the time comes," Riser speaks up with fire in his tone, "We'll be ready and we will succeed. I'll make sure of it. That idiot has done a lot for me, for us… And I ain't about to give up on him."

Rias feels her throat tightening and her lips quiver with the smiles being directed towards her from her friends. She believes with her whole heart that she can count on them like she can with her peerage. And recognizing that, it makes the task feel much more achievable than before.

"Thank you, Sona, Riser," Rias whispers with a sincere smile.

'We'll bring you home, Nawin. I won't rest until we are all together once again.'

Gold Wing Hospital

Landing softly on the evenly cut grass, a heavy exhale escapes the soft lips of Irina. The striking white feather wings spreading wide behind slowly collapses and recede into her back.

Steering her eyes up ahead, Irina takes a moment to gauge the hospital.

With its towering structure and its pristine condition, it is certainly a place where nobles would go excessively if they needed treatments from any severe injuries or sickness. And accounting that the hospital is located on the upper ends of Vesarima, away from the bottom grounds where the commoners lives, it only further solidifies the high status of the hospital.

The clear duality of it all brings a soft frown upon Shidou's face.

Before her mind has the chance to ponder more over the subject, Irina pushes it away. There's a more pressing matter she is concerned about. And that's her friends' health.

"You needn't fret." Irina blinks away from her thoughts and looks towards the left at Grayfia.

Offering a faint smile to the young girl, Lucifuge opens her mouth.

"None of them sustained any major wounds in the battle."

Learning that fact brings an exhale out of Irina's mouth, her shoulders dropping faintly by the loss of tension.

'Of course they'd be ok… You'd do everything in your power not to hurt them, right, Nawin-kun?'

Grayfia eyes the angel for a moment, observing the expression plastering on her face.

'She is carrying all of this mighty well, considering how close I've seen her with Nawin. Their interactions have always spelled something greater than mere friends.'

"Uh, is it appropriate for me to simply go in there?" Irina questions, reverting her eyes to the hospital. She has yet to take a single step towards it.

Being an angel, Shidou has come across over a handful of occasions of how unwelcoming her presence can be in the realm of the underworld. With her being in a role of a hunter, it does take her to many places and there have been many nights where she'd be forced to set camp outside when taverns or other accommodations would refuse to do business with her.

"There's no need to fret over that," Grayfia calmly reassures. "I have already notified the hospital of your arrival."

"Oh, okay," Irina nods. "So I can just walk in then?" "Certainly."

With nothing else further to add and the desire to see her friends only building by the minute, Irina bends her head down to offer a modest bow to Lucifuge.

"Thank you for guiding me here, Lady Grayfia. I shall head in then."

Grayfia wears a faint smile to the well-mannered girl before nodding.

"It is a pleasure."

With that said, Lucifuge summons a teleportation and is swiftly whisks away in a glimmer of gray light.

Leaning her body back up to stand straight, Irina stares at the spot where Grayfia once stood. A tense expression adopts on her face.

'I hope she did not pick up anything amiss… Lady Gabriel warned me that Lady Grayfia is an extremely sharp individual. Nothing goes over her head…'

Irina slowly drift her eyes towards the hospital. A pang of reluctance crosses over her heart over the decision of being here.

Though Nawin had never outright requested it from her, Irina fully recognizes that he would wish for his true purpose behind his departure to be kept an absolute secret. For his plan to the group to be as effective as possible, his purpose must be kept in the dark.

Recognizing where she stands with this secret, Irina finds herself being both happy and troubled. Her joy comes from knowing that Nawin carries enough confidence and trust in her that he'd bestow such a secret. Yet the troubling side is that Irina loathes to play the deceitful role. She needs to act clueless. Worse, there may be times where she is forced into position to deliver an outright lie. And playing that sort of role will bring substantial risk to someone like Irina.

'I need to play my pieces carefully… For Nawin-kun and for them. I must.'

"Irina?!"

A joyous calling for her name draws Irina out of her thoughts.

Before Irina knows it, she gets lifts off the ground by her waist and the world begins spinning before her.

Without even needing to open her eyes, Irina release a cheerful giggle before finally be place back to the ground and enters a warm embrace.

"Hi, Xenovia," Shidou whispers and happily returns the embrace, wrapping her arms firmly around her best friend.

Pulling back, Xenovia still has her hands firmly on Irina's shoulders. A beaming smile wears prominently on her face.

"I thought I was crazy when I sensed your signature outside. What were you doing standing there?" "Ah," Irina chokes out a sheepish chuckle. "Sorry. Lost in my thoughts a bit there." "Huh," Xenovia cracks a smirk. "Typical you. Still a bit of an airhead at times, huh?"

Irina simply smiles in response, unable to deny it. Even still, to this day, she can round up lost in her head at certain times.

The grin plastering over Xenovia's face is short-live however and her eyes slowly widen. An expression of realization rains down upon her face.

"If you are here…" "Yes," Irina inserts, sparing Xenovia to utter the words that's no doubt is still a very sour subject. "I received word of what happened with Nawin-kun…" "Oh, Irina…" Xenovia takes her friend's hands to hers, offering a gentle squeeze. "I-I am sorry we couldn't stop him… I know how much he means to you. I—" "Please," Irina intercepts with a tense smile "You needn't be troubled, Xenovia. Yes, it hurts, but I'll be fine."

Irina thought the smile currently carrying on her face would be more for show. Yet, when hearing Xenovia speaks out those words referring to Nawin, Irina feels a painful tug in her heart. As if hearing from her friend's mouth truly solidifies that all of this is real to Irina. That Nawin is truly gone and out of her reach. It dons on her that she can no longer simply go to Kuoh and expect to be greeted with that warm smile of his. No longer will she be able to spend those cherish moments with him.

Swallowing down the lump that's been building within her throat, Irina fights hard to keep that smile and opens her mouth.

"Are the others still in the hospital?" Irina asks, wishing to change the topic before it digs too deep that she cannot put on a strong front.

"Today they discharged us, so some have left." Xenovia returns her arms from Shidou and turns around to glance at the hospital. "Koneko, Gasper, and Asia have left to go have breakfast. Yuuto is currently out handling a contract. I told him to not bother, but he said it was urgent." "A stray?" "Must be. He's all healed up, so it'll be a simple task for him."

Xenovia thinks back at that look in her boyfriend's eyes before he departed. The almost hunger burning within them. She believes the part of the reason why he's so pushed in completing the contract is not only to protect the innocents but also to have it be a way of an outlet for him. To vent out the frustration that's clouding within him.

Like all of them, the decisive defeat they suffered against Nawin rattled Yuuto. And that defeat has left many at a loss for their confidence in their strengths. Xenovia has witnessed that clearly when observing her friends- she is on the same boat.

Xenovia suppress the dark thoughts that are seeking to rear its head in her mind and focus back on her friend in front.

"Rias left earlier to meet up with Sona and Riser. I have no clue where Akeno is… She's… She has been keeping to herself recently." Judging by that gloomy expression on Xenovia's face, Irina immediately assumes that Akeno is not in the best of places at this time. And she is not overly shocked by this development. Her heart goes out to Himejima. To suffer so many blows in such a short span of time. The breakup then, now this with Nawin, entirely fled from their lives. It no doubt must devastate her.

"Is Issei here then?" Irina inquires when noticing her childhood friend is missing in the list of names. "Yeah," Xenovia pushes front a calmer expression. "He's here. Last I checked, he was asleep, but he should be awake now. I'll take you to him."

Taking Irina's hand, the Knight guides her towards the hospital.

Entering the vacant lobby, Xenovia offers a wave to the receptionist before pointing a thumb at Irina.

"She's a friend. In case you are wondering." The pair of nurses behind the desk does a quick scan to Shidou. Their eyes gleam with recognition, sensing that almost sweet aura producing from the brown-haired girl. Light, positive, and full of warmth, such an aura only capable of coming from angels.

"Of course," the nurse on the right nods, extending a warm smile towards Irina. "Welcome to Gold Wing Hospital. If you ever are in need of assistance, then please do not hesitate to ask us." The kind reception leaves Irina speechless for a moment. However, she quickly recomposes herself then response with a smile, nodding.

"Thank you. I'll be sure to keep that in mind."

Still being held by the hand, Irina allows herself to be guided up the stairs till they reach the second floor.

Striding down the hallway and drawing ever closer to the room where Rias and Issei occupied, Xenovia raises a brow when sensing something amiss. There is another signature dwelling within the room. One is most certainly Issei, yet the other is overly familiar.

'… She's back?'

From behind, Irina tilts her head, grasping the signature too. Her calm expression twist into faint nervousness when she realizes who it belongs to.

Releasing Irina's hand, Xenovia grasps the metal handle and slides the door open.

The curtains that are stationed near the entrance of the room, its purpose to offer patients privacy if they ever needed are currently pulled to the side.

Pulling her sight ahead, past the bed, Xenovia observes Akeno leaning there casually against by the window, arms crossed under her breasts.

The sound of the door open draws Himejima's eyes away from Hyoudou and toward the doorway, meeting eyes with the Knight's yellow orbs.

"Xeno—" Akeno freezes, and her eyes widen faintly when noticing another figure standing behind the Knight. "Irina…"

"Irina?!" Issei jerks up to sit straight on the bed, his expression brightens to life largely by hearing the name of his oldest friend. "You there?!"

"Yep, I'm here!"

Chuckling with amusement by their exchange, Xenovia takes a step to the side to make space for Irina to enter the room.

The childhood friends promptly bear matching grins on their faces when they finally meet eye to eye.

A funny sight catches both Xenovia and Akeno's attention when viewing the goofy yet endearing grin plastering on the pairs' faces. Their grin share such a resemblance in ways that neither Xenovia nor Akeno would blame a person if they had mistaken Irina and Issei for being siblings.

"Just woken up?" Irina gently asks as she takes a seat on the chair station beside the bed. Her eyes linger on Hyoudou's brown orbs for a moment. She almost winces from the hidden sorrow lurking behind them. Even though that grin plastering on his face is far from being fake, it does still not fully match with his eyes.

Brushing through his very apparent bed-hair, Issei chokes out a soft chuckle before delivering a sheepish nod. "Yeah. I probably would've remained asleep if Akeno-senpai hadn't knocked on the door."

"Seriously?" Xenovia stops at the front of the bed and bends down, leaning her arms on the metal footboard. "You are that tired?"

"It would seem so. I'm fine though," Issei quickly adds when noticing the worry looks directing his way from Xenovia and Irina. "I actually managed to get into contact with Ddraig while in my sleep. He is exhausted, so I expect that also affected me. Me resting up was probably best for the both of us."

"Hold on," Akeno leans forward slightly, an eyebrow raise. "You couldn't communicate with your sacred gear?" "Yeah," Issei admits "The moment I awoke Balance Breaker, Ddraig went silent. I couldn't interact with him till today. Actually, I can't talk to him right now still. He's asleep." "I believe that's nothing to be fret about," Irina joins "Balance Breaker is an exponential growth for the user of the Longinus to undergo. When one unlocks it, it is not rare for them to be rendered useless for the time being. Tell me, Issei," Irina looks at her friend, "Have you managed to wield out the Boosted Gear?" "Oh, no, actually."

"Then you are effectively in dormancy-like state at the present," Akeno observes, eyeing Issei for a moment before shifting attention to Irina. "How do you know this?" "Lord Dulio," Irina answers with a thin smile "He explained to me of his experience when unlocking the Balance Breaker himself. What he went through sounds remarkably similar to what Issei is going through at this time." "I see."

'That means…' Akeno trails her eyes down to the bracelet. 'Nawin-kun is possibly in a similar state.'

"So," Irina turns to Issei with a brighter smile on her face. One with gentle pride. "You unlocked Balance Breaker?" "Yeah," Issei slowly nod. "I did… Nawin did so too."

Hearing Nawin's name instantly lowers the light mood that Irina tries desperately to bring to the room. The air around the four becomes noticeably heavier.

The smile donning on Shidou's face cracks faintly to one closer to somber.

"With you here," Issei shift his eyes away from his right hand and to Irina. "I am guessing you heard what happened, right?" "Yes. Lord Azazel informed Lady Grayfia, who, in turn, told me of the event. I'm so sorry about the end result. I-I can't imagine how difficult it must've been for you all."

Issei does not say a word in response, but simply acknowledges with that weak smile. Irina sees now that the defeat has done damage to Issei's mentality more than anything else. She notes the once fiery confidence is entirely absent in his brown orbs. Right now, he resembles much of the inexperience and self-doubt boy she saw when they were reunited all those months back.

'Watching you bestowed on him that confidence, Nawin-kun. Now… You end up being the one to shatter it, too.'

Akeno stares at Shidou. Her eyes faintly gleams with suspicion.

"Do you want to know… About what happened?" Issei asks. Irina softly shakes her head in response. "Not at this moment. I'm not eager to learn all the details… And I rather you not recall it when it is still fresh in mind."

The shock expression on Hyoudou's face eases to a weak smile. He gives a slow nod. Like always, Irina's considerate nature shines through even in the toughest of times.

"Thanks."

'I bet she still really wishes to know,' Xenovia glance at her friend from the corner of her eyes. 'With your feelings for Senpai… You must be hur—' "What is the next step?" Xenovia blinks out of her thoughts then notices Irina looking at her. There's that smile on her face, clearly informing her not to fret.

Xenovia feels her heart warm up by that gesture. They have known each other for so long that they can anticipate each other's thoughts so effortlessly just by exchanging a simple glance with one another.

"Nothing at the present," Xenovia answers with a light shrug. "Rias simply told us this morning to wait till we receive an update from her brother." "Speaking of Rias," Akeno inserts "Where is she currently? I expected her to still be in bed after how fatigued she looked yesterday." "She's meeting up with Sona and Riser. Considering all of us are going to be working closely together, she wants all to be on the same page."

'Same page… And a meeting with all of them in one place.'

Akeno already envisions the whereabout of the trio's meeting at this very moment.

"So all is up in the air at the moment," Irina utters and readies to turn and face Issei. "Irina," Akeno calls out, tracing the girl's attention over. "Can I speak with you for a moment? In private." Shidou silently gulps over the sharpness displaying in those violet orbs. Perhaps she was too careless. She may have underestimated just how perceptive of a person Himejima is.

"What for?" Xenovia question, furrowing her brows. She's never been one to enjoy secrecy.

"There's a reason I said in private," Akeno calmly counter and leans off the wall, shifting her eyes back to Shidou. "Is that fine with you?"

Biting the inside of her gum, Irina finds herself in an unwinnable position. If she were to decline the request, it'll only end with placing a bigger question mark on her back. And that shall motivate Akeno more reasoning and determination to speak with her.

"Sure," Irina pulls a soft smile before standing up from the chair. "Lead the way, Akeno-san."

Nodding, Akeno heads toward the door while ignoring the frowning gaze she's receiving from Xenovia. Grabbing the handle, she slides the door open and leaves the room without a word.

"Irina," Xenovia softly calls out when her friend is by the doorway. "Yes?" Irina glance back. "Be careful with your words, please. Akeno may seem fine right now but she's hurt… Very hurt over what happened with Nawin-senpai. So she can be short on the temper."

"Noted. You needn't worry, Xenovia."

With one last smile to her friend, Irina leaves the room while sliding the door shut on the way.

"… Was that really necessary?" Issei turns forward to look at Xenovia, whose eyes are still fix on the door. "She is not in the best of place mentally. And after what happened with Miraya… Can you blame me?"

Issei fails to reply and quietly lowers his head, staring blankly at the clean white duvet below.

The walk up the stairs is an eerily quiet one between Shidou and Himejima.

Irina tightens her lip as she stares up at the back of Akeno. She listens to the footsteps of the other woman, how heavier they are in comparison to hers. Although she masks it well, it is apparent that Akeno is far from calm and coolheaded as she lets on.

'You and he should have never been a thing. The result to an end of you two's relationship is a testimony of that.'

Akeno's face twitches, recounting those words that are resurfacing in her mind once more, mocking her and shoving her down. Since last night, Akeno has been plagued by her interaction with Sayomi. It has been relentless. No matter how hard she tries to push it away, her mind wanders back to those scathing words.

In truth, Akeno wishes not to be here. She still rather be alone than in company. However, being isolated only grant those words more power. She needs to keep herself occupied before she ends up simply losing herself in her thoughts. And the last thing she wishes is for the Pureblood's words to change her.

'Cause I've taken the pleasure of being his first. Rightfully so.'

Akeno bites hard on her tongue, threatening to draw blood. That comment was so full of mockery. It makes Akeno want to scream to the sky and destroy everything around her.

'No. I refuse to believe that. I may believe the other things that she said. But that has to be untrue… Nawin-kun would never do such a thing. Especially when it was so recent after our…'

Akeno cuts the sentence short and focuses on the incoming door on the top of the stairway. She lets out a quiet exhale from her nose before pushing the steel door forward with her right arm.

Irina pulls a small frown when Akeno simply walks outside, not bothering to hold the heavy door for her. That's already a clear sign she is not in the best of mood. Xenovia's warning is ringing true.

Catching the door before it fully shuts, Irina push it aside and exit to outside.

With the door slam shut, Irina takes a moment to scan her surrounding and find the area to be a baron but clean space. The only objects occupying the space are a pair of wooden table and a dozen or so drying racks that is currently not in use.

"You are hiding something, aren't you?"

It takes everything in Shidou not to break by that abrupt remark. Keeping her demeanor compose, Irina shift her eyes to rest on Akeno. Both violet orbs meet with one another.

"Pardon?" Irina reply with a soft frown. "What are you implying, Akeno-san?"

Those words do nothing to hinder Himejima's burning gaze. "Play a fool if you desire. But you cannot fool me. Not when it relates to Nawin-kun."

Irina blinks in surprise when Akeno suddenly stands before her. Those violet orbs only burns ever brighter by the second.

"You took it too well. You took all of it too well," Akeno slowly presses. "What were you expecting from me?" Irina counters. "To breakdown in tears and weep? I've known of the news beforehand, so I was far from being blindsided by it, Akeno-san."

"There was no pain in your eyes." Irina pause and her eyes widen faintly. Akeno makes a step forward, drawing closer.

"I know you love Nawin-kun. Not like. Love him. I've noticed it many times, the looks you would fling his way," Akeno sharply asserts. "And I've seen the times you would look away whenever he was becoming too affectionate with me. That is why I am not predicting such a calm and collective response from you! Especially when it is so recent! You know something, don't you?!"

For a moment, Irina is at a loss for words. She's entirely pushed to the corner and does not see a way out of it. It is apparent that convincing Akeno otherwise is fruitless now. She is wholly confident that Irina holds something.

"… I—" "You cannot lie," Akeno cuts in, stunning Shidou into silence. "Lying is one of the many sins for Angels to beware. Reckless of the act and you'll risk falling. I am reminding you this unless you plan to play some tricks with words here, Irina."

'She's ruthless… She will not let this go at all.' Irina can see the desperation within Himejima is playing a role through this. She is desperate for answers, enough so that she is questioning even her own friends over the slightest misstep. And realizing that, Irina knows it is pointless to weave her way out of this. She created a thread and Akeno is fully intended to keep hold of it.

"… I wasn't impacted by the news because I knew he was leaving. He told me." "H-He told you?!" Akeno stutters out. "Then that means you must've met him recently!" "The day before he left, yes."

Many thoughts and emotions courses through Himejima. Anger, confusion, and jealousy.

"Why… Why is it you he told? What happened?" Akeno asks, pressing on for more details. Her voice now noticeably colder.

"I managed to run into him in Kuoh. I was searching for him to check if he was doing well after discovering the news of your breakup."

Akeno wince by the mention of that, and her eyes draw to the side. Irina notices it but continues on, regardless. If Akeno wishes for the truth, then she'll lay them out.

"He made a promise to me that he would take me out on a date when he discovered that my birthday would go by uncelebrated because of my duties. Considering his status, I found no fault in it and we spend the day together. By the end of the date, he revealed me of what he plans to do. To go to Ophis."

"… And you did nothing to stop him?" Akeno turns to look at Irina in the face. Her sharp eyes demanding a clear answer.

"His mind was made up… What could I have possibly done? I'd never use force against him. And even if I were to do so, it would prove fruitless. If he could overcome all of you, what makes you suspect I stood the slightest chance?"

"His reason for leaving is for the Akumi, wasn't it?" "Yes. He sees them as a threat that'll grow immensely in the future."

Akeno still keeps a firm eye on Shidou, searching deep within those violet orbs. She takes notice of a change that caught her attention the moment she met eyes with Irina. Akeno saw Xenovia also took notice of it but chose not to mention it. No doubt saving it for a more private setting.

The innocence that once was always brimming behind those violet orbs from the angel is entirely absent.

"What else happened between you and Nawin-kun?"

"… Do you truly wish to know?" Irina calmly asks.

Shidou's response does nothing but lift that nervousness within Akeno. However, she nods for the angel to continue.

"I do love Nawin-kun. I loved him since the day he shifted my view of the world. Even when he was with you, my love for him did not waver in the slightest… Even as I tried hard to suppress it in the beginning. I knew he had to leave… I knew it will be a long time before I will ever lay eyes on him. I gave myself to Nawin on that beautiful night."

Irina half expected Akeno to launch forward at her, but that does not happen. Rather, she looks entirely cold to it. But Irina can see a storm raging behind those violet orbs. A flicker of electric yellow sparks to life for only a split moment.

The instinct within Himejima thrives for her to snap and do something brash. The mere thought of someone being that intimate with Nawin hurts her more than any physical wounds could hope to accomplish. Yet, Akeno knows she has no right to feel that way. To feel this jealousy raging within her at this moment.

Bringing her right hand up, Akeno gaze at the gold ring worn firmly on her thumb. The very ring she gifted Nawin on his birthday, and the one that he dropped to the ground the night their relationship came to an end.

"… Tell me this," Akeno softly utters as she lowers her hand, her eyes gaze back to the angel. "That night… Was Nawin-kun the one guiding you through it with experience?"

'Cause I've taken the pleasure of being his first. Rightfully so.'

Irina rears her head back faintly, taken aback by the sort of question she last expected to receive from the woman across from her. However, she composes herself swiftly when noticing how genuine the question is and the desperation seeping through those violet orbs.

"It was clear that Nawin-kun held experience in it. He helped me throughout it with confidence…" Irina cannot stop this question from slipping out "Have he and you not share such a moment?" "No… Not once," Akeno loosely reply, her mind is in shambles by this revelation.

'T-Then… Sayomi's words must have been true. I-It wouldn't make sense otherwise. Nawin-kun… Why. Why with her?!'

'If they haven't committed the act, therefore…' Irina's eyes slowly widen 'Could it be with Miraya-san? It can only leave her in the equation, considering their close relationship and brimful past.'

Gazing up to drag her eyes from the ground, Irina gives off a faint wince at the conflictive expression plastering over Himejima's face. Those violet orbs store so much pain in them. And yet, Irina cannot muster up an ounce of guilt for it. Even if there is a small part of her wishes, too. What she's done with Nawin is a night she'll never forget and hold closest to her heart. Never will she have any regret on pursuing it and sharing that moment with the person she loves and cherishes with all of her heart.

"Ake—" Irina halts her words and promptly faces towards east.

Flying toward the rooftop of the hospital, with crimson locks fluttering in the wind, Rias descends from the sky and lands firmly on her feet. Retreating her wings, Rias firmly sets her sight on both Shidou and Himejima.

"Is everything all right?" Gremory asks, already feeling the heavy atmosphere encompassing the whole rooftop.

Akeno spares only a glance over at Gremory before returning to her thoughts, becoming loss in them. Irina keeps a careful eye ahead before shifting to Rias. "We were having a discussion regarding Nawin-kun. Nothing you need to fear, Rias-san."

'I mustn't say much more than I already have. I may have told Akeno about my time with Nawin-kun. But I refuse to reveal his true purpose. I'll keep that close to my chest. I promise you, Nawin-kun.'

Rias turns attention to Akeno for a moment. Her heart soothes in relief by the sight of her friend. Before she ultimately ended up passing out yesterday, Rias held some fear that Akeno may end up doing something reckless due to her current state of mind.

"Ake—" Rias stops and gasps in surprise along with Irina when Akeno snap her sight to the left, her eyes wide in shock. Before the pair can utter a word, Akeno breaks into a sprint and does not slow down even as the ledge grows near.

"Akeno!" Rias shouts and swiftly follows when her friend unhesitatingly leaps over the railing, plunging down the fifth story building.

Instead of simply jumping off, Rias halts against the railing and looks over to the front yard. Her breath hitch by the sight of Yao Makasha standing there before the hospital. Her mind goes into overdrive in speculations to why Nawin's mother would be here. And the thought of the consequences that it could bring has her heart momentarily skip a beat.

From above, Akeno crashes down near to the mother of three. Gust of dusts and grass comes to life from below, scattering around the area. Yao is unflinching by the sudden sight, sensing Akeno's movements from the rooftop the moment she made it.

Slowly extending her legs to stand straight, Akeno bites her lip before finally finding the strength to have her eyes rest on Yao. A woman she much consider a mother figure and who has welcomed her with open arms to her family.

'I need to know… I need to know if what she said was all true. I can't move on from this otherwise.'

"Akeno…" Yao softly speaks out.

Both Rias and Irina slowly and silently land behind Akeno. They utter no words. It is evident that Akeno has something to ask Makasha. Something plainly important, judging by the conflictive nature covering her expression and her brash actions.

"Is it t-true…" Akeno starts with a stutter, finding the very words hard enough to speak out. She pushes on, though. Her determination to know outweighs the nervousness and fear of the answer. "Is it true that my sister was engaged to Nawin-kun?"

"W-What?!" A loud gasp leaves from behind by Rias. Irina stands still, speechless as her wide eyes gawk at Akeno's back.

Makasha's eyelids drops ever lightly while she observes those desperate violet orbs begging an answer from her.

'What's your gain in telling her…'

Yao spares a glance behind to Irina and Rias. The pair are visibly speechless over Akeno's words. And she cannot fault them. That single question alone has set off two revelations. Yao highly doubts that Rias is even cognizant of Akeno's elder sister's existence. It may be the most sensitive subject for Akeno.

'It's best I answer some of the questions,' Yao observes the anguish and hurt swimming behind those violet orbs. However, there is something else lingering there that provokes a painful throb within her heart. The sense of loneliness expressing in the young girl's eyes. She shares a look of someone battling the entire world alone at this moment.

'With Nawin gone… She must feel so alone now.'

The guilt fostering in the mother's heart only expands over the thought. With her mother long past, her father well estranged, and her elder sister missing without a trace. Nawin's sudden decision to leave her life no doubt cuts too close to the heart, especially when it transpired so fresh off the back of their breakup.

Sliding her leg around to face toward left, Yao lifts her hand, gesturing the girls to the round-shape table that's laid underneath a shade. "Lets take a seat there first."

None utter a word, rather they simply follow Makasha towards the table. All of them tense by the atmosphere that has quickly succumbed to the surrounding air.

"Irina," "Y-Yes?!" The angel lets out a squeak, surprise by her name suddenly leaving the Makasha's lip. "Please place the Transparent Barrier Spell over us. I believe you would have been taught that, considering your role as Hunter."

"Oh, of course." Irina blinks for a second before lifting her right arm to the air. With a snap of of a finger, a smoky white barrier comes to life from the earth and grows upwards, wrapping around above to form a perfect oval shape.

'I guess it should come as no surprise that she knows of the spell…' Irina eyes the mother for a moment after assuring the barrier is correctly installed. 'Sir Jonathan was once a Hunter… The best to have ever done it, from what I've read.'

Rias studies the barrier for a moment as she's entirely foreign to it. Bringing her right hand over, Rias taps it with her knuckles. A visible ripple birth to life over the impact, yet the outside is entirely visible. Unlike the barrier they used which blocks all view from both outside and inside, creating essentially a shell that prevents outsiders from entering or seeing anything from within.

'So it is transparent as the name said… Then the only things that are unseen are us and the sound from within.' Rias spares a quick glance to Irina, impress shines clear in her eyes 'It's almost like an advance iteration of the barrier we employ. Although, I highly doubt it is as durable as it.'

Yao makes herself a seat on the bench and looks ahead to see Akeno sitting right across from her on the other side. Rias and Irina joins too, splitting to seat on the sides of Himejima.

For a moment, Makasha studies the three girls before her. With the subject she is preparing to discuss, she holds a sense of easiness that it'll be given by the trio. By now, Yao positively knows well that the three all hold her son in the right place in their hearts. They won't do him dirty. And although Akeno had made mistakes with Nawin, Yao holds confident that when push does come to shove, Akeno will protect Nawin with her very life and will never do anything that should place him in harm's way. And she is confident she can imply the same for both Rias and Irina.

Makasha makes a moment to collect her thoughts before finally opening her eyes, resting them on Himejima.

"I assume Sayomi was the one that told you, yes?" "Yes," Akeno nods, ignoring the shock gaze place on her from Rias and Irina. "Yesterday, I ran into her in Kuoh. At first she was concealing herself as Miraya to lure me into a cafe. To keep a fight from breaking, I imagine."

The trio misses it, but Yao's pupils narrows over those words.

"She… Told me a lot of things. Regarding Karasu and how close she was to Nawin-kun. The arranged marriage formed by you and my mother for them. Then how it all fell apart when Sayomi appeared in Nawin-kun's life."

"W-What is al—" "Cease your questions for now, Rias" Yao sharply intercepts the girl with a hand lift towards her. Rias instantly shuts her mouth and leans back to sit straight. She bites her lip in frustration at all of this sudden revelations laid upon her.

Yao can't fault the girl for being extremely curious and desperately desiring for answers. Therefore, she spares a glance over at Gremory with reassurance in her smile. "Listen for now and you'll get some of your questions answered."

Rias softly nods. The promise helps set her mind more at ease.

On the other side, Irina remains mostly calm and ready to listen. If this all help shines some light into Nawin's past, a subject Irina always has an inkling that it was more abnormal than most would assume. Judged by just how much of the supernatural world's element seems to surround Nawin his whole life. With who his parents were in the past and with Azazel and Gabriel being his godparents, Irina felt that Nawin's life could never truly remain normal, as like hers.

Taking a moment to gather her thoughts, Yao finally parts her lip. Her gaze focus on Akeno.

"What is it you really wish to know?" "… Is what she said all true?"

Although deep within her heart, Akeno already draw a decision. She still wishes to hear it from Yao's mouth. She needs to hear the answer from the person who has been present at the time when all of that was present.

"Yes. It is all true."

"I see…" Akeno emotionlessly whispers the response as she stares at her clench fists laying in front of her. Her violet orbs swarming with emotions.

"I…" Akeno slowly shifts her eyes up to look at Yao. "I do not care to know more of Karasu than I already have learned. But, please tell me… Is her love for Nawin-kun genuine? Is it truly that strong that it made her placed our family behind him?"

'Akeno…' Rias stares at her friend. She cannot even begin to imagine the kind of thoughts coursing through her mind. She is part of a handful of individuals that knows of Karasu's existence. Though Akeno barely speaks of her, Rias became aware of it when one night she was woken up by a scream from Akeno's room. That was the first time she ever heard of Karasu's name being spoken out. And though her questioning only got a single answer out of Akeno regarding Karasu; mainly affirming that she was her eldest sister. Rias still caught the raw and sheer loathsome seeping out of Akeno's voice when speaking of her sister.

That night was the only time Rias ever brought up Karasu. Now, here she sits, learning for a fact the very sister has held and played such a role with Nawin's past. She is left baffled by this turn of event.

"There isn't an ounce of exaggeration in my words when I state that Karasu would give the realms to my son," Yao starts "That girl… She thought the world of Nawin. She eats, sleeps, and wakes up for him."

Akeno's eyes draw to the beautiful bracelet on her right arm. Her thoughts clouding with her once lover. Akeno hates it, but deep within her heart, there is a pang of sympathy forming for Karasu. Though, that quickly driven away by the sheer irony coming to front that almost makes Akeno let out a chuckle. For the very first time in her life, Akeno ultimately finds something that she can relate with her estranged sister. And that be they both lost Nawin.

With that thought brewing in her mind, Akeno slowly unfolds her lip, the words leaving before she knows.

"Why did she lose Nawin-kun? If her love for him is so unquestionable."

"That I won't answer," Yao sharply respond, which instantly sets a glare her way from Akeno. "Why?!" "Because that's Karasu's story to tell. I won't go behind her back and spill her life story without her consent. Especially when it is something that personal. Not even to you, Akeno."

Himejima pulls her eyes down to her fists, her heart wretches faintly by the underline care that's audible in Yao's tone when speaking of Karasu. It is clear she once held a close relationship with her sister.

"Then tell me this, at least," Akeno softly starts. "Why is it that my mother never thought of introducing me to Nawin-kun? She must've had so many chances to." "…" Yao stays silent for a moment, contemplating if she should answer this question. She can feel Akeno's gaze resting on her along with Rias's and Irina's.

Lifting her eyes up, Yao parts her mouth. "Because your mother knew if you were to meet with Nawin, it could further destroy your family. Karasu's absence was already a shard of pain. Shuri feared that if in the end, you grew attached to Nawin… It may drag your family to a place it can't be fixed."

"T-That's simply ridiculous!" Rias snaps in outrage over the reason. "Lady Shuri clearly was over-exaggerating the situation in her mind! I beil—" "Have you forgotten already what took place between Nawin and Akeno?" Yao cuts in, stunning Rias to a silence.

Makasha shifts her gaze back to Akeno, who's remain entirely silent. Instead, she focuses on staring at the bracelet, her violet eyes darkens with many emotions. "Shuri's worries and fears were validated when I witnessed Akeno walking down those stairs for the very first time with Nawin. No one in your life caught your attention in that intimate of ways till you laid eyes on my son, correct, Akeno?" "… Yes."

Rias bites her lip before lowering herself back on the bench. Her angry swiftly slain away.

"May I ask," Irina raises her hand, "Why is it that Karasu grew such an attachment towards Nawin-kun?"

Shidou finds it odd how both Shuri's offsprings foster such a strong and fearsome emotion towards Nawin. It all may very well be an element of coincidence, but there is a chance it could be something else.

Yao already estimates the very thought that's lingering in Shidou's mind just by observing those violet orbs. And she cannot fault her for going with that thought.

"I've asked Karasu that very question once. Her answer was… A notable one." Akeno looks up from the bracelet, listening closely.

"He is too precious for this unforgiving world."

Those words leave the trio speechless. Discovering that, it truly cements just how significant of the love Karasu held for Nawin. She wanted to protect him, protect him from every single thing that could possibly bring harm to him.

"At the age of ten," Yao continues, "Karasu already had many blood on her hands. She recognized well of the dangers in the supernatural world and the strays that escaped into the human world. All these things that could well force Nawin's life at risk. And there had been few instances when a stray or a rogue fallen angel had stumbled close to either our home or Nawin. None ever managed to lay a finger on Nawin though, as Karasu was always there to have them dealt with it."

"She was much like his guardian angel," Irina whispers out.

"Perhaps seeing Nawin and knowing how fragile he is," Rias softly speaks out. "It spurred off this desire within Karasu in wishing to protect him. I can see that being a possibility if she's already that matured and knowledgeable in her young age."

'Wishing to protect him…' Akeno rubs her hand through the bracelet. 'That's another thing we can share…'

"If you do not mind me asking this, Akeno" Irina carefully speaks up, gaining eyes of the girl next to her. "Where is your sister?"

The uncaring, almost dismissive shrug given by Himejima shocks Irina. "I do not know. She vanished from my life the day my mother was murdered. I have no clue where she currently is, and I could careless if she's alive or dead." "You do not mean that," Yao inserts. "I do," Akeno swiftly retort, facing the mother. Anger fosters behind those gleaming violet orbs. "Not once in my life had she bothered with me. Why should I care for her? All of this! Everything you said about her regarding Nawin-kun. I hold no resentment towards Nawin-kun because he was just a child and did not know any better. My sister?! She understood her actions, and she still chose to bear all of her time for Nawin-kun! She never once thought of her family or me! Instead, she chose to ignore me, so why should I bother thinking about her?!"

Akeno quickly sucks in air in her beating lungs, forgetting to even breath once during the outburst. Her expression is still carrying fury, directing all to Yao.

On the sides, Rias and Irina gawk in speechlessness at Akeno's abrupt explosion. All of her words, so full of resentment and hurt. It etches a crystal clear picture of precisely what Akeno perceives of Karasu.

Yao closes her eyes, deciding not to further press with a reply. It would be pointless at this time as Akeno will simply overlook it. Even after all these years, her resentment towards Karasu is still as strong as ever. And it seems the truth only further fuels that sentiment.

"Rias," "Y-yes," Gremory jolts lightly by her name suddenly being called by Makasha. "I've spoken with Asia before reaching here. She gave me a briefing about what happened in the meeting you had with the council. So," Yao leans forward slightly, resting her arms on the table, "For clarification. From onwards, you and your group are the ones that will be centered on anything related to my son, correct?"

"Yes," Rias nods. "That was the arrangement made. I, Sona, Riser, along with our peerage, will handle the matters involving Nawin. If anyone tried to sway behind the engagement, they will have to answer to my brother. Thus, I'm confident in stating that our exclusivity with that arrangement shall remain untarnished."

The trio watch Makasha go silent. Her eyelids firmly close, hindering them from reading whatever's running through her mind.

"… I have been contemplating this," Yao slowly starts, reopening her eyes and stares at the three. "And I believe it is best you know of this, especially with the circumstances being what it is at present."

At that moment, the trio understands whatever it is Makasha is ready to say. It is a crucial piece.

Yao procrastinate delicately at the approach she should take with this. In the end, though, she believes it is better just to be upfront with it rather than beating around the bush.

"Miraya Culdos."

Akeno perks strong at the name. Memory of yesterday comes flooding back in waves.

"Miraya?" Rias tilts her head. A frown form on her expression. "Where do you think she is at this moment?" Rias is taken aback by the follow-up question. She fails to foster a timely response to it.

"I-I would imagine she is with Nawin… Even though I find it difficult to believe Nawin would take her with him, I find it harder to conceive that he would simply up and leave her." "There's no way he would simply leave Miraya," Akeno injects "Impossible. Not with their past being what it is."

Though she may not voice her own opinion, Irina nods towards the pair's words, agreeing with them.

"Miraya is not with Nawin," Yao firmly state with such confidence in her voice that it stuns the trio. In that instant, they believe her words.

"Miraya Culdos is not the person who all of you are led to believe. She is rather a mask that is worn by Sayomi Dracul."

The silence that befalls on the table is deafening. Yao remains calm as she observes the three wide eyes gawking at her. None of the girls can utter a word in response, even when their mouths are agape.

"W-What," Akeno stutters out before stopping herself, trying to get her voice back. "What are you saying, Yao?" "It is impossible!" Rias shakes her head. "Miraya? The same Miraya that we met? That sweet, considerate, and kind girl is Sayomi Dracul… That makes no utter sense!"

"Miraya Culdos… Sayomi Dracul," Irina softly repeats and gains the eyes of both Gremory and Himejima. "Their names… If you switch the letters around, you'll be able to match them."

Irina's analysis leaves Rias and Akeno speechless. They see it clearly now. When putting the names side by side, it's near impossible to overlook.

"This cannot be right!" In a burst of disbelief and denial, Rias shoots to her feet with her hands firmly resting on the table. Her eyes piercing into Makasha's brown orbs. "Miraya had spent numerous times with us. She was around us! We would have certainly spotted something amiss!" "Miraya is no mere transformation-a illusion. I never understood it wholly, as Sayomi refused to ever explain it to me. But, in a way, Miraya is a real person. She is a part of Sayomi. That is the reason why it is impossible to identify the two apart because they are their own individuals. Although Sayomi takes more of a role as the host. That's what I've gathered with my experience."

Stupefied by the revelation, Rias collapse back down on the bench. She tries to process all of this slowly. Her expression holds nothing but sheer shock.

'All those conversations we shared,' Irina resonates back at the kind and encouraging comments given to her by Miraya. A person who has always been helpful and warm to her. 'I-I don't know how to process this… All along she was that Pureblood that has hurt Nawin-kun and left Asia-chan blind.'

"How can they be two different people?!" Akeno snaps with fire in her voice. She is steadfast, refusing to believe such a fact. "I do not know what's your motive i—" "Akeno!" Yao roars back loudly that startles Rias and Irina while shutting Himejima up entirely.

"Drop the childishness! I have no reason to make up such a story!" Yao's piercing words successfully cuts through to Akeno. The tense frown that's bearing on her face eases till it disappears altogether, and replacing it is guilt.

"I-I am sorry…" Akeno bows her head, realizing what she was about to accuse at Yao was utterly ludicrous in her part. "I just… It is too much to take in."

Yao lets out a long exhale and nods. "I understand. So much has happened to you. But you need to listen." Akeno nods before lifting her head to face Yao once more.

"Sayomi may be of no threat to my son. For the rest of you, however, I cannot with confidence assure that. That is the main reason I want to bring this to light to all of you. Though I heavily doubt she'd ever resort to it, Miraya can become a useful tool for Sayomi if she ever were to utilize it."

"… Why did she come back?" Irina softly speaks up, drawing her eyes up from the table and to Yao. "Sayomi, why did she come back as Miraya and do all of those nice things for Nawin-kun?" "… I do not know," Yao reply in honest. "I was… Stunned and confused. Both me and Jonathan were. At the beginning, we were full of caution till it became apparent that she was there for Nawin and nothing more. I never took her aside to speak one to one because the Sayomi today differs greatly from the girl I once knew. And I dare not wish to break that moment of happiness that Nawin was experiencing. After everything he struggled through… Miraya stepping back into his life was something he truly needed. I'm sure you all will agree with me on that."

None raises their voices to demur.

There are more questions Rias wishes to discuss, yet she keeps it behind her throat as she knows it is digging to a territory that Yao holds no desire to explore. Even though they may have become estrange, it is apparent when listening to Yao that she still holds some love for Sayomi. Enough so she will respect her past and keep it a secret.

"You won't answer some of the more personal questions, would you?" Rias asks. She wishes to try and get a firm answer rather than left pondering.

"What I shared is in due part to easing my concerns about your future and well-being. I have no inclination to reveal everything about Sayomi's past."

As Rias expected. She nods, paying respect to Yao's wishes. What she learned from here is enough for now to help her understand more about Nawin's past. And for the first time, they successfully shine a light over the enigmatic Pureblood, Sayomi Dracul.

Taking a deep breath, Yao pushes her palms firmly down on the table before lifting to her feet. Her eyes locks with the three girls.

"I know in my heart that all of you will do right by my son's side. Therefore, I'll part with just this… Never give up on him."

"We won't," Rias is quick to reply as she stands up, fully facing the mother. "In my heart, I believe if the roles were reversed, Nawin would never ever give up on any of us. So neither will we. Your son's safety is in all of our utmost interest, Miss Yao. So please," Rias bears a soft smile, "You can rest easy and leave it to us."

Yao stares at Gremory for a moment. Slowly, a warm smile graces her lip.

"Thank you, Rias. You are maturing to become a fine leader."

"Akeno." Himejima gets jerk out of her thoughts by her name getting called. She looks up at Makasha.

"I will be blunt with you and I want you to take this advice to heart."

Yao makes her way around the table and stops in front of Akeno. She places her hand on the girl's shoulder, giving it a soft squeeze.

"If you wish to learn more about who your sister is as a person. If you wish to become truly stronger… Go speak to your father. He can assist you all with that."

Rias gives out a visible wince and braces herself for Akeno to explode. Yet, to her sheer surprise, Akeno remain compose even after hearing those words from Makasha.

'No…' Rias frowns when observing her friend's violet orbs. 'She's… Mentally beaten. Oh, Akeno…'

Yao opens her mouth, worry that her words may have fallen on deaf ears. Those violet orbs of Himejima have lost much of its light over the course of their exchange.

"Ake—" "I'm sorry." Lifting her arm up, Akeno softly shoves away Yao's hand.

Everyone stares with concern in their eyes as Himejima stands to her feet.

"Thank you for your advice, Yao," Akeno utters, her voice devoid of emotions. "But for now, I need time to digest all of this before I can move on."

There is not much one can reply after that. It is entirely understandable for Akeno to feel this way after learning what she has learned. Pieces of the past regarding her estrange sister revealed, the startling revelation of Miraya, and learning of the deep bond that Sayomi shares with Nawin.

"Very well," Yao rest her arm back to her side. "Just know this, Akeno."

Himejima finally pulls her dull eyes from her feet to look up at Yao. Watching the warm and loving smile bearing on her face.

"You are never alone. You still and will forever have a home in our family. Never forget that."

Taking a step forward, Akeno wraps her arms around Makasha, holding her tightly as if fearing she'd up and disappear into thin air.

Though her eyes are dry, Akeno bits down on her trembling lip.

"T-Thank you so much for saying that, Yao… Thank you."

The relief coursing behind those words brings a throbbing pain in Makasha's heart. She lifts her arms, circling firmly around the young girl's waist.

For a split moment, Yao finds herself living back in the past. Replacing Akeno was her mother, Shuri. Who is sobbing uncontrollably while clutching onto her. Yet even as she was crying, Shuri wears a beaming grin on her face that was simply packed of happiness.

'You are going to be a godmother, Yao!'

"You will never be alone again, Akeno. I promise."

Leviathan Manor

A boulder in a size of a small cottage becomes ablaze in blinding blue flames.

The sea of fire roars stronger and expands in volume. Its heat, so intense and devastating that it ignites the nearby pair of trees.

Lowering her arm, Lucy stares on at the boulder with impassiveness. She watches it slowly deform and losing its once solid and imposing shape, melting inside the unrelenting blue flames. The pair of trees hiding behind the boulder already is defeated. All that's now left behind are remnants of ashes littering the grass ground.

"Still fierce as ever I see, Flame Princess…"

Lucy shakes out of her thoughts. Her eyes instantly broaden over that nickname. Only one person ever has addressed her by that name.

Sky-blue orbs darkening to flaming blue, Lucy spins on the ball of her feet and turns around. Her face meets with that cocky expression belonging to Vali Lucifer. As ever, he carries that arrogant smirk that never fails to boil the blood within Makasha.

"Vali…" Lucy growls out the name and releases a sharp exhale that produces of cloud of flames out of her mouth.

With one hand resting on his hip and the other laying loosely on the side, Vali remains calm even with those blue orbs staring a hole through his head. If looks could kill, he would have burst into flames at this moment.

"Good to see you are still full of vigor," Vali comments only to receive a fiercer glare in return. "Shut up!" Lucy sharply snaps then takes a step forward, which has Vali raise his left arm up, palm wide open. "I'm not here to fight with you, Lucy."

"Then what the hell are you here for?!"

Dropping his arm to the side, putting his hand in the pocket of the jeans. Vali tilts his head. His smirk grows ever wider. "I'm here to form a deal with you… A deal that will greatly benefit both of us."

Next Chapter: Seperate Paths, One Goal

Note: Just to inform you all that the next chapter will be the last for this Arc. Gonna have to do my best to have this Arc end on a high note!