Maria Morningstar.

Ritsuka's breathing grew heavier by the second as he made his way across the halls of the Diet Building, Marth and Flora by his side.

"Remind me again why I'm doing this in the first place?" - the boy asked, trying to keep himself concentrated.

"She's not only the highest ranking member in the Council of Lucifer, but she's our Mother as well. We can't say no to her, and since you're working with us now, that applies to you as well" - Marth answered.

"Just remind that you need to stay on her good side, otherwise…" -

"Otherwise what?" -

Flora simply closed her eyes and sighed - "Don't be fooled by how Mother behaves with us. She acts like that because we're not in battle, but when someone angers her. Oh boy, things get messy" -

"Geez, thanks for that, it makes me feel so much better" -

"We're just thinking of what's best for you. Just have faith in us, listen to whatever she says, and don't make her angry" -

As soon as Marth finished saying that, the trio arrived at the door to Maria's office. Just being outside made them feel small in comparison, and fortunately for the leaders, they did not need to be there.

"Well, we've given you all the advice we can. The rest is up to you" -

"Good luck Fujimaru, we'll see you when you're done" -

The siblings left, and Ritsuka was left alone standing in front of the door. He took a heavy breath and opened it, entering her room.

Inside, he found a luxurious and ample room, surely much larger than the actual room that was supposed to be there before. On the opposite side, next to the fireplace, Maria was sitting, turning her view towards the young man.

"Perfect timing, the tea is almost ready" - she spoke with an almost hypnotic tone of voice.

The boy was frozen for a second, although he didn't know why. Few things made him feel anywhere close to this before, and she…

"Don't be afraid. Come, join me" - her voice echoed on his head, and his body began to move almost on his own.

Sitting by her side, the boy took the cup she served him and took a drink - "I assume this room is of your making?" -

"Quite perceptive Fujimaru" - she answered with a soft smile - "Indeed, this room once belonged to my late grandmother, and I spent quite a few hours here when I was a child. I try to recreate it wherever I go, the familiarity always helps" -

Maria then put her cup of tea on the table, as Ritsuka asked another question - "Why did you want to see me?" -

"Not even a bit of small talk before?" - she asked, feigning sadness - "Very well then, if you want to go straight to the point…" -

She then got up from her chair, and walked towards the fireplace - "Since I laid eyes on you, I sensed something weird about you. You certainly look like a human, but deep down, you're not. I'm not sure what happened to you during your travels, but whatever happened, it changed you" -

Ritsuka stared at the ground for a few seconds, thinking about what she told him, as she continued speaking.

"Now tell me, what are these… Lostbelts, that you and the others went through?" - and by just hearing that, Ritsuka froze on the spot.

"How do you…?" -

She simply smiled at him - "Surprised, aren't we? From the moment I set my eyes on you when we first met I knew about what you and Chaldea faced, the 7 Lostbelts. I didn't go deeper than that however" -

There was no point in not answering anymore, and as such, Ritsuka spoke - "After the Earth got bleached, we set out to destroy the 7 Lostbelts. Before we arrived here, we went and took care of the 7th one, and were on our way to another objective, and that's when something happened. Because of that, we ended up in here" -

"Interesting. Looks like you and the others had quite the rocky trip" - Maria mentioned as she circled Ritsuka's chair - "And those Servants of yours, they seem to hold you in quite the high esteem" -

"Y-Yes, we've been working together for a good while now, even the ones that were only recently summoned and I are in good terms" -

Maria smiled after Ritsuka said that - "You seem to have a talent for leadership, that's something I can respect. However, there's also something that worries me" -

"What is it?" -

"I notice a lot of your Servants are either Demigods, or Gods" - her gaze then centered on Ritsuka - "And here in the Council, a lot of our members don't have the best impression of the Gods" -

"And you're one of them?" -

"I don't see things in such a way my dear, I'm simply trying to advice you, to avoid a possible calamity" -

"Calamity? I'm sorry but if any of the members of the Council attack my Servants, then we won't hold back either" -

"Believe me, Ritsuka, you do not want a confrontation against us. The power of your Servants may have grown thanks to absorbing the Magatsuchi of this world, but that doesn't mean they're our equal" - Maria them began to emit a dark aura around her, which created cracks around the room - "Yet, I don't want a confrontation like that either. We both share a goal after all" -

"Then why bring that up in the first place?" -

"Because here in the Council, decisions are made by the leaders of the 5 Factions, not just by myself. Marth and Flora might have accepted Chaldea's presence here, but they're not the only ones who decide" -

Maria then walked back to her chair and sat down before extending her hand and creating a projection of the leaders of the 5 Factions of the Council.

"As such, a summit will be held with the leaders of the Japanese, Egyptian, Greek, Norse and Indian Factions, to decide whether or not Chaldea will remain in the Council, or if they get cast out" -

Ritsuka stared at the projections with concern - "And I take it they're the ones who dislike gods?" -

"Dislike would be putting it lightly, Fujimaru. All of them suffered greatly because of the war raged by the Gods, and they won't take kindly to Gods on our side. You'll have to work hard to convince them" -

"And what if I can't do it?" -

Maria then turned off the projections and turned her gaze to Ritsuka - "I think you can understand what will happen" -

It was a simple message that the boy quickly picked up on.

"The summit will be in 3 days. Prepare yourself for whatever might happen, and to show the good that Chaldea can bring to the Council. You'll need it if you want to convince my children. You're dismissed now" -

Despite the surprise of the summit being in 3 days, Ritsuka decided to leave in order to talk to his Servants. He bowed down in front of Maria and left her alone. The woman then grabbed her cup of tea and closed her eyes.

"Found the conversation interesting, Marth?" -

One of the leaders of the Japanese Factions then appeared behind Maria, walking towards her - "What do you think of him?" -

"He's a good man with a troubled past. I'm still trying to figure out what he could be. He's not a human, but not a demon nor an angel either" -

"You felt it too huh?" -

"Please Marth, I'm your mother. Anything you picked up on, you can be sure I did as well" -

Both of them shared a small laugh before Marth spoke again - "The summit will be tough for them, do you think they'll make it?" -

"Hard to say for certain, especially with Sting and Damien, but I trust you and Flora can sway them and try to persuade them" -

"We can try, but nothing's sure" -

Maria finished her cup of tea and left it on the table - "I'll contact the other leaders, let them know that the summit is in order. Tell Flora, and prepare everything" -

"Understood Mother, it shall be done" -