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. . . I'm so excited.
"_" = Speaking.
( _ ) = Translation/Other Meaning
[ _ ] = Personal Title.
{ _ } = Item/Ability/Sacred Gear.
["_"] = Speaking via Alternate Means.
["_"] = Speaking through Sacred Gears.
[{"_"}] = Sacred Gear Command.
It was in the year AM 5764, or 2004 CE on April 16th aka my thirteenth birthday that I, Hyoudou Issei, would finally cast aside my human life in favour for one of a devil.
I had been expecting this moment for quite a while, and why wouldn't I? To live here in this mansions, been given free tutoring and lessons, three meals- *ahem* three gourmet meals a day, my own room with an ensuite bathroom too, which I dare neigh need to explain, and for no such compensation thus far. This was a little much, even for a guest, in my own opinion, but not at the time.
I tell you this now, because this would be the last time I would be treated as a guest under their home. After the necessary ceremony that day, I would be an official member of the household servants, and I was one part excited, two part afraid, and one part was a terrible concoction over every remaining emotion I had yet to separate into their various forms.
I remember specifically that it was a Keyz Zygsiz (Sixth Day), or a Friday, because it meant that the next day would be the last day of the week Keyz Zyhszetiz (Seventh Day/Saturday), and thus the most proactive of all the days; The weekly Rating Game Tournament matches, which I remember seeing for the first time in my life the very next day.
I won't spoil it, but it is the still the greatest game I ever saw. Enough has been said.
The day actually started straight after breakfast. As per usual since the incident that happened years before, Ravel made sure that I remembered that today was my birthday by making up a large fuss over the day as she had done last year. Unlike last year however, this year was going to be a different kind of celebration.
I'm embarrassed to mention that I forgot which day was my birthday after spending so much time in the Underworld; the differences in calendar and the days of each month meant I easily lost track of what day today and tomorrow was in equivalency. Though Japan had adopted the Gregorian Calendar from the Western World, the devil societies continued to use the calendars their forebearers used, with the start of the year beginning halfway through March at the Spring Equinox, rather than in January, with twenty eight days spread across thirteen months, with the first month having twenty nine to accommodate the New Year, and then in Leap Years, an extra day is added to the end of the seventh month in September so that the Autumn Equinox remains in the middle of that month for traditions sake.
Back to where I was going with this, I hadn't actually mentioned when my birthday was until I was asked, nearly eleven months later after first arriving, by Ravel who was curious as to why I hadn't had one. To make this story a short one; I told her when my birthday was, and when she did some cross checking and realised we had passed the twentyeighth day of the first month, which equated to the April 16th. Could you imagine the shock on her face when she heard that we had completely missed my birthday?
I will skip over the reminiscing, but she made sure that I never forgot when my birthday was again.
After the initial celebrations, there was a moment of silence as Lord Phenex called attention into the room.
"If everyone would now follow on through to the reincarnation chamber please, we may proceed with the celebrations."
"""Yes, my lord."""
As the being present acknowledged and obeyed to his call, there was an immediate tug to my sleeve.
"Come one, Issei. It's finally time."
The one most excited by this was Ravel, who leaped from her seat and grabbed hold of my left hand with both of hers, pulling me from the table and to my feet. And she had every reason to be excited, since would be the first time she would be reincarnating another being in a future peerage member. In addition, it also meant that unless I committed direct treason against her or another high-class devil, I would not leave her for the rest of eternity to summarize.
As you could have easily guessed by the name of the room; it was specially created as a ritual room for the process of reincarnating other species into devils. I don't know if this room existed before under a different name, or if this room was created with magic to specially accommodate the ceremony. But for its appearance alone, it was certainly full of esotersism everywhere you looked.
The room was light only by stone altars that held flames hovering above their pedestals, coloured in many varieties, shades and tones that would take only a connoisseur days to number and identify each specific light to its correct name. If I were to name the first ten as Sky, Azure, Turquoise, Lime, Chartreuse, Buttercup, Vermilion, Mandarin, Mahogany, and Scarlet, I would be very lucky to have named one of them correctly.
Apart from the lights, there were a series of blank white drapes that flocked the walls in long strips that piled on the floor and tugged between the slates, tattooed in letters, glyphs, pictographs and characters that seemed to intermingle with each other, but were virtually unreadable without knowing what you were looking for.
In the centre of the room, there was a large carved circle that was dug one inching into the surface in perfect alignment and distance from each other without one mistake made to the craftsmanship of the work. It was colourless, unlike everything else in the room, but that was what made it so special for the process about to be undertaken.
With all members present; the host family, their peerages, and the entire staff that worked in the mansion, who at such a great number managed to fit into this one room, the initiation could begin. Lord Phenex first stepped forward, along with his Bishop, Aleister Crowley, who was keeping hold of a precious box that belonged to Lady Phenex on her behalf since she had no members of her own peerage at this time despite having registered and received her own Evil Pieces.
"Dear members of the current Phenex Clan, both family and devoted servants. We are gathered for this day in which we invite a new member into our home. Upon soil and riches."
After Lord Phenex spoke the last sentence, it was taken over by the Phenex family, then their peerages, then the servants, before all present spoke in unity.
"Upon clouds and gales."
"Upon salt and tides."
"Upon brimstone and smoke."
"""In the light and in the dark."""
"By all these Cardinal Points, we shall accept them."
"""We shall accept them."""
I can perfectly understand how this may have sounded like something a cult would be uttering during an initiation of new members, because that would definitely be the best way of describing this event. The ritual itself was crafted in reminiscence of the old oaths taken by new devils during the time of the Original Satans before swearing them in to be reincarnated into full devils. The very definition of "pure-blooded" relates to how the original devils in took the blood of Lilith in order to wield Demonic magic in replacement to the dwindling Holy powers coveted by multiple godly factions in the world. It is for that reason that Majoou (Devil Queen) Lilith is regarded as the "Mother of all Devilkind".
The basic translation relates to the classical elements (earth, air, water, fire and aether or void), and also uses each of them to symbolise parts of the oath of acceptance. To put it bluntly, it relates to accepting a new comradery for fortune or for defeat (soil and riches), whether the situation looks grim or changes in direction (clouds and gales), whether members become separated by distances for long periods of time (salt and tides), or whether this path chosen will eventually lead to ruin and despair (brimstone and smoke), for awareness or mysteries and in any way we may go (light and dark, and Cardinal Points), they are accepted.
It was pretty longwinded, but I felt it was necessary to explain. It is definitely more beautiful without spelling out its translation.
I was unsure if that had been the same for every time a new member of a peerage was inducted, nor did I wonder if every household went through such a process considering a single member could end up performing this ritual up to fifteen times each, and possibly more if they were to receive new unclaimed pieces through trade, death of a member, theft, or in most cases due to a current member turning stray.
After all the necessary words were spoken, Lord Phenex held his hand out in my direction.
"May Issei, please, step forward."
I complied, once my mind returned to focus after having been entranced by the atmosphere created by the chanting of their oaths. Walking out to meet with Lord Rivalen and Aleister at the centre of the circle. I only just noticed as I approached the two figures that there was a tome in the possession of Lord Phenex' Bishop. It wasn't particularly, large, but I knew by its very presence that it was of importance before it was even in use.
As I finally reached within arm's reach of the current [Marquis], he spoke to me.
"Issei. You have lived with us since you were ten years old, but there comes a day when every child grows up and must choose what they want for the future. As you are now thirteen, the Shinto Faction could theoretically claim you as a citizen of their realm, but as this choice still remains with you we would like the to make out offer first;"
That was excuse that was delivered, but the truth was that Maou Sirzechs Lucifer had become aware of my existence. It wasn't that he had said anything up until this point, but it was the fact that he knew and was choosing to remain silent that was becoming a concern. From what was gathered, while he helped arrange the engagement between his only sister and the third son of the Phenex clan, he wasn't too pleased with it.
I myself have already confessed that I do not like the idea of an arranged marriage; sure, it is a practised custom adopted my many wealthy and powerful families, even those in my home country of Japan have practised it for centuries as they have across the globe. It's not that I am against tradition, but the idea of forcibly marrying a member of your family, it wasn't right. Any contract that is made without the guarantee in free will and choice in the matter is alien to me. It would be like making a contract in which one party deliberately forces a contract in their favour upon the other party who is oblivious to the conditions because they were never present to begin with.
It all sounds convoluted, but please bear with it.
So imagine my surprise when I heard that the Maou himself was against the marriage, but still had the audacity to arrange it. I have nothing personal against Riser, but I could understand the view that he was a massive playboy and his idea of having a harem built within his peerage could be viewed as despicable, but that is what I never understood about the Maou Lucifer. If it wasn't in his interest, then why did he help create it? That puzzled me when there were still a great many ample bachelors that he could have easily chosen from if he didn't think Riser was a good match. The notion made little sense to me, but it wasn't mine to make reply nor to reason why.
It was a surprise to me when I heard that harems were commonplace in the Underworld, and especially among all of the high-class devils. After Riser, Lord Rivalen, Ruval, and even Rayzem all had harems, which baffled me the first time I heard it. Though the topic itself make me feel slightly uncomfortable to this day, I understand the logic considering that as the downside to inheriting the curse of Lilith was the lower conception rate in the devils as a race.
I'm sorry, my story wandered off a little too far. I will continue to where I was meant to go.
His offer to me was simply this:
"Live for us. Protect and serve this family until end of time, for all of time, and never betray the trust bestowed upon you for any and all desires that violate these ties between us we offer. In exchange, you shall receive a life to surpass mortal lifetimes for millennias of generations, a roof to slumber beneath, a gift to control and command your environment without interference from blessings or prayers, and a master of whom to serve to give this new existence meaning and purpose until the heavens themselves fall into the inferno. If there are objections to this proposal, speak now, or accept what has been most generously presented before you."
"I accept what you have to offer. I await to serve."
It was two lines I needed to learn that had to be said exactly right. Ravel made sure it was ingrained into me for the past two weeks before this day to make sure that I wouldn't forget such an important part of the ceremony. Apart from this, everything else I could say and offer could be said in my own words as a way of showing that it was mine alone and not one wrought with deceit by simply replicating the words of another.
As Aleister brought forth the tome out between the two of us, Lord Phenex brought out his hand on which the book would lay flat upon, while calling upon Ravel to step forward as well. Standing in opposition to me as we stared face to face with each other, I first brought my hand out on top of the books cover, while Ravel brought hers out and placed it over mine. The necessity of this was acknowledgement that I was to serve under her. By her hand being placed over mine, she was accepting responsibility for my care and needs, while mine beneath her was to symbolise my place to listen and obey her, and to keep her out from harm's way by putting my own life within her literal hands.
As my future King, Ravel was obliged to make her oath to me first, before I was allowed to speak. As we stared deep into each other's eyes from across the book where both our hands were meeting, she spoke with such a confidence that she allowed herself to smile as she professed it before all who were present, which in turn made me smile.
"I, Ravel of the House of Phenex, accept thee, Hyoudou Issei, as my servant. Let us uphold the laws of the Underworld as one of the members of the 72 Pillars, and continue to remain by each other's side forever and ever, and ever."
As a high-class devil, Ravel's words were limited into what she could say that would make it a personal oath, but I found it heart-warming to find the delicate balance between her loyalty to the Underworld being affirmed as well as her own contribution directed only to me, that I confess made me a little hot in the face.
Zemele was the only one whom I knew of that would have understood the emphasis on the last words apart from the two of us standing in the circle. That was my presumption, but apparently by the collection of humoured voices alone, it wasn't such a personal secret as Ravel may have expected, or even hoped it was.
The nostalgia in her last words might have embarrassed her slightly, but it brought its own smile unto my face even as she looked to bury her face within the page of the tome resting beneath our palms, as I proceeded to continue onwards to take the attention away from her.
"And I, Hyoudou Issei, accept thee, Lady Ravel of the Phenex Clan, as my King. Uh . . . L-let us be our own heroes and ascend beyond the heavens to the endless skies above until there is nothing but the Sun left to reach out and grab, . . . and I hope we continue to get along like we always do."
I had to think a little about what I wanted to promise her, until my own nostalgia from years ago reminded me that I had already made a promise to her that I wanted to reaffirm with her in front of witnesses. The ending part was a little bonus I decided to throw in at the last minute. It was pretty childish, but for a person of my age who wasn't quite used to speaking entirely formally with Ravel, it felt right to speak somewhat informally for something as important as this as confirmation that this wouldn't change our relationship.
I earned a few open laughs from our audience, which I was glad and despairing over that I was facing away from them at the time.
"Now that you have made your oaths to each other, may we proceed with the reincarnation process."
As the tome was taken away as we took our hands away from each other, the box carried before by Aleister replaced it. As Lord Phenex slowly retreated from the circle, it was Lady Phenex who next stepped into the circle to continue the initiation.
Inside the box, as I discovered when she opened it, was a collection of little pieces made of some translucent material that was neither glass, wood nor stone. Nor could I put my finger upon what sort of metal allow the diminutive instruments could have been crafted out of. When I noticed how they were shaped into little chess pieces, I knew that these were the Evil Pieces spoken of.
More specifically than that, they were Lady Phenex's Evil Pieces, due to the faint light blueish glow of them that was the colour of her family House of Andrealphus.
As Ravel wouldn't be allowed to obtain her pieces for another year when she turned thirteen as I was, and even if they went to appeal to allow her to gain them early, the existence of the [Red Dragon Emperor] would be exposed. Such a public move would lead to a political upheaval since it would appear that the Phenex clan has not yet decided upon which faction it would choose to side with, since at this point engagements could very well be broken in favour of a better alliance offer.
In the underworld, while you had the Maou at the top, the current positions held by Sirzechs Lucifer of the House of Gremory, Serafall Leviathan of the House of Sitri, Ajuka Beelzebub of the House of Astaroth, and Falbium Asmodeus of the House of Glasya-Labolas, you also had the ranks of the high-class devils of the Seventy-Two Pillars;
Though only Thirty-Three families were still classified as alive, while the others had gone 'extinct' due to the lack of pure-blooded devil heirs, with their descendants now classified as half-bloods and were designated to middle-class along with the Extra Demons. Other high-class devil clans like the Princes of Pruflas, Kings of Amayon, Kings of Corson, and Kings of Ziminar are designated as exterminated as all members of their clans, pure or other bloods, were deceased, reducing the Seventy-Six Pillars to Seventy-Two as they are today.
Since the Maou faction was already supported by the Dukes of Gremory, Princes of Sitri, Dukes of Astaroth, and Earls of Glasya-Labolas, along with other houses like the Princes of Vassago, Marquises of Amon, Dukes of Agares, and Dukes of Focalor, there was a strong stability already in place around their power base. The Earls of Furcas, as well as the Knights of the Order of Malebranche were obligated to support the Maous, but it wasn't a definitive state of allegiance that was solidly counted upon.
In their private opposition, there was the Great Kings Faction was made of the Kings of Bael, Paimon, Beleth, Purson, Asmoday, Balam, and Belial, with the First Heads of the now extinct Kings of Vine, Zagan and Decarabia still among their leaders. The Princes of Gaap, who were among the former Cardinal King clans of Archdemons is an honourary member, and an ally also. I think that it was also known that they were also allied with the Barons of Abaddon and Belphegor at this point in time.
In the old days before the new Maou, only those in the Seventy-Two pillars held noble titles, but due to the massive decline and extinctions of pure-bloods, it became necessary to replenish the population through various methods, which lead to a promotion in ranks. Houses like the Glaysa-Labalos clans were moved up a rank from what was translated as "Presidents" into Earls, and even the Knights of Furcas were promoted to allow prominent Extra Demons to hold noble ranks.
But on a side note, the new Earl of Furcas is still referred to as "Sir" as opposed to "Lord", and even precedes over the Demonic Order of the Knights of the Malebranche as Grand Master.
Other strong Houses in the Extra Demons had a degree of influence due to various powers attributed to them, including the Barons of Lucifuge, Mammon, Baphomet, Abaddon, Belphegor, Pheles, Arioch, Choronzon, Zephon, Alsiel, Nahemah, and Adramelech, and the Knights of Malacoda, Alichino, Barbariccia, Cagnazzo, Calcabrina, Ciriatto, Draghignazzo, Farfarello, Graffiacane, Libicocco, Rubicante, and Scarmiglione, all of whom make up the Knights of Malebranche.
Then, even among reincarnated devils, there were some who managed to achieve the rank of Ultimate-class through strengths that vary between them, the new "Viceroys", the closest translation to the title without any real designated power, of Rosenkreutz, St. Germain, Cagliostro, Flamel, Shinami, and even Tannin. Unlike the pure-blooded devil clans, their lands were under direct ownership of an existing House, but where allowed a limited independent governance permitted to the new Ultimate-class beings.
In the end, it is all part of one big political game, and at some point in time, there is going to be a civil war unless we find a bigger threat to all of devilkind to divert our attentions to a common cause once more. While I hate to think about restarting a war with the Angels, Fallen Angels, Old Satans, or even another mythology all together, a civil war between the Maous and the Old Kings is a worse scenario than the former four options.
Although it would have been preferable for me to be reincarnated once Ravel was old enough to be granted her evil pieces, waiting any longer was not a viable option. Either way, I would have to go through a registration period so that I would be , and leaving it any longer till I was old enough to leave would mean a screening with the Maou, which would not serve the interest of the Phenex clan as of yet.
By being reincarnated now, and by a member who is of age and already in possession of piece, a scenario like this could be avoided entirely until Ravel was old enough for me to be traded to her at a later date. Instead of being left open for the taking on the table, I was already under reservations before I could be claimed by an outside party.
Taking the open box from Aleister, who retreated also from the circle to stand alongside his fellow peerage members by Lord Phenex's side, Lady Rozalva held it out in front of her, before turning the container towards her daughter.
"Ravel darling, would you like to do the honours?"
"Mother?"
Looking up at her mother is disbelief, Ravel was quite stunned at the idea of being offered to touch one of the precious Evil Pieces that rested inside the box, and was hesitant upon laying her fingers upon them. As each little object in shape to match the board games figurines was painted internally with a little flame like essence that was coloured according to each individuals noble family, the notion to touch these pieces was like being offered to feel at the very fragments connected to that person's very soul. Maybe even real reflections of their spirits were in these knights and bishops and rooks and pawns, but I do not truly know.
The look of timidity in her actions offered her mother a chance to relieve the fears that she may have associated with laying her hands on the contents sleeping in their hinged coffers. Placing a gentle hand upon her daughter's cheek as she bent down to eye level with the twelve year old Ravel, she assured her that all was fine.
"Though you still have a year to wait, he will be your Pawn in due time. I think it would be appropriate for you to incite the ritual, don't you. If it is my own daughter, then I feel no repulsion in allowing you to touch, because a piece of my soul is already in you as it always has been."
With a smile as her response, she nodded and accepted the box from her mother, who exited the circle to allow the last ritual to begin. It actually didn't matter who incited the ritual, only that magic was imbued into the pieces to allow them to bond with a soul.
I looked among the pile now offered towards me by Ravel, but it was by almost predestined coincidence that the horse shaped idol was on top and within sights. Maybe it had been deliberately placed within view, and I wouldn't have put it past Lady Rozalva to have done so beforehand. I doubt anyone else would have been allowed to reassemble her pieces in such a precarious order.
There was this short moment of awkward silence between us, but Ravel was sure to shake it off quickly when we noticed how uncomfortable it was just staring at each other over the wooden polished box of fifteen.
". . . Ok, so w-we are still in agreement. Right, Issei?"
"Uh . . . o-o-of course, Ravel. I said I would be your knight, and I intend to keep that promise. I'll be the Hero and the Dragon. Oh, that's right."
As started to reach for the Knight inside the box, it was only when grabbing for it with my left hand that I forgot to console with the third-party in this soul transaction about to take place.
["{Boost!}"]
"Ready for this, Ddraig?" I asked the green jewel buried into the red metal gauntlet that appeared on my left arm.
["I was sealed ready for anything, Partner. I have been tossed between souls and have made allies of many different wielders. I would like to stick around in one place a little longer than three decades this time, so at least keep that in mind. As long as we can defeat the White One, I'll accept any power necessary to ensure our survival. Plus, it wouldn't look good on us to mooch off of a noble devil family and not do anything in return. I may just be a spirit, but I still retain my dragon's pride."]
With the dragon's seal of approval, I nodded and grabbed the Knight piece from inside the box. Holding that tiny piece of liquid flame inside of a tool, it thumped inside my palm like a tiny heartbeat. I could imagine the ten year old version of me dropping it in shock when feeling that pounded rhythmically in my hand for the first time.
Luckily it was many years since that time, and I was now more prepared and accustomed to the ideas of magic. I no longer questioned its logics, when most of it relied on laws that predated and exorcised the rules of reason.
With the piece in my grasp, Ravel went on to proceed. However . . .
"Ok then, Issei. Lay down here and-"
"Um, Ravel. Sweet sister of mine. I know this is your first time witnessing this ritual, but look again at Mother's Knight Piece."
Having been halted by Lady Ravel's youngest of her three elder brothers, both of us looked again at the Evil Piece I had taken out from its container. What we both saw was truth in Lord Riser's own observation from outside the chiseled circle.
"Huh? It's not glowing."
I myself also noticed this when I looked upon its fragile form again. Apparently the Evil Piece was supposed to be fully lit like the flame inside was spreading throughout the entire object. But it did not. Only its small spark remained, forever small and within a slumbering state of existence. There had been no such reaction from it after I had touched it. It was useless to use on myself.
I don't precisely remember what happened to the mood of the room, but there was a wide collection of varieties of reactions to the news that I cannot pinpoint to each individual as there were many people in this room, easily around or exceeding one hundred. I do remember the responses of Ruval, and later from Ddraig as well, who were aware of the reasons to why the piece had failed to activate.
"What did you expect from a Longinus wielder? With the power to kill a god, it's no wonder his base power already exceeds Rank 3."
["In Layman's terms, Partner; we're too strong for this piece."]
Just like how a Pawn was worth a single value, all pieces had a ranking; Knight and Bishops were worth Three Pawn pieces each, Rooks at five, and Queens were nine. The King itself was priceless as it was the only piece that was a necessity and could not be properly measured. It was because of this that all beings that required reincarnation were only able to accept pieces that were equal to or greater than their base power, or their numerical correspondence rank.
The usual power ranking of any and all species was ranged between 1 and 12, which meant that for reincarnating devils, it was an impossibility to recruit a being who exceeded Rank 10, but some Kings could be Ranked higher based on power and merits, among other things but all this is complicated enough as it is.
For pure-blooded devils, or even devils in general, ranking was never an issue when accepting an Evil Piece; since reincarnation was not a necessity, nor were any of the special abilities attributed to said piece in most cases, the pieces used in induction could be as little as a single Pawn piece, but that was usually an insulting gesture to only offer a Pawn to being who was already a devil, leaving the minimal requirement at either a Knight, Bishop of Three Pawns if need be.
But for me, a Longinus wielder, I had already transcended Rank 3 before even being reincarnated, which meant that this single piece I held in my hands wouldn't respond to me. Even if it was a Mutation Piece, there are doubts that it would have worked either judging by how high my Ranking was when we discovered it.
"So I can't be a Knight?"
I replied openly in disappointment as I clutched on tightly to the piece in my hand. I was trembling at the idea that I had stuck in my head, about the role I had dreamed of fulfilling being dashed before I could even begin. It would also mean I was breaking a promise I had in all intentions of keeping no longer being possible, which hit me harder that then the piece's rejection of me did.
"That's not true, it will just mean using another Knight piece is needed."
"Well, double or nothing would be the most appropriate term for this situation."
"It's definitely not the first time such a requirement has been witnessed."
As all three of the Phenex brother's commented on the situation it only continued to look dire for me. As I had made myself ready for such an uneasy outcome, my confidence took a significant hit. While I was certain that there would be no hitch in the reincarnation process, of which I was feeling excited and scared at the same time over the prospect, I was now in a state of dread over the possibility of failing again.
As I dug my hand into the box to search for the second Knight piece whilst clinging to the first one in the same, I could feel it shake and my empty left hand was going clammy as I clenched it till the heat inside became unbearable and had become sweaty. My index finger and thumb continued pinching through the pieces, as I carefully maneuvered them through the pile taking the utmost care not to knock any pieces, or even the box from Ravel's hand, before I felt the piece I desired at the tip of my fingers, carefully grabbing hold and raising it from the container like an arcade claw.
Only, I made sure I didn't drop it, no matter how nerve wrecked I had become.
I held tight to both pieces, but evaded my eyes, afraid to see the outcome now. I felt two heart beats in my palm now, but there was no change that I could feel. Scared as I was, I eventually allowed the temptations to consume me and allowed my sights to fall upon my grasping hand to see whether a new light had been born or neigh.
But, to my regrets, it had failed also.
There was no new light erupting from either piece, no matter how they continued to flicker inside their clear casings. My last chance to fulfil my desired role, my promised role, was extinguished completely.
["Huh? I am conflicted on how to react to this issue, Partner."]
Ddraig was right to be conflicted. Being able to demonstrate that even in my inexperienced state that I was still considered strong enough to surpass half-way through the recorded Ranking system was a literal boost to his pride and ego. But, at the same time, he realised how much it wounded me seeing such lack of illumination bursting in my hand.
By the mere lack of phototechnics filling the circle, the rest of the House present could see the disappointment I displayed as a clear sign that it had failed.
"This may be a problem."
"Now I didn't expect this. Two Knight Pieces, and still no reaction. Not even Rank 6. This is most interesting."
"Even though it's a mid-tier Longinus, six pieces worth isn't enough. I never truly grasped just how powerful a weapon that can kill gods could be."
As many different voices started talking within reach of my ears, the shallow realisation of what this predicament continued to bury itself into my chest like a slow moving bullet that was plunging through, drilling between my heart as it ached and my lungs as my breathing became harder to swallow.
I kept my head down, as it was the only way to hide my tears. Shedding so many as I was, while screwing my face from view, only made it more obvious. But it was all I was feeling. It was Ravel's hand the held it up again as it cupped my left cheek
'Forgive me, Ravel. This is my fault. It's my fault I can't be your Knight.'
I was in regret; regret that I couldn't keep my promise. Regret that swelled up inside as the small flames shone neigh brighter by my touch. Looking at the inactive Knights in my palm only made the pain worse as I continued to fixate on their lack of light.
Clapping his hands together to draw everyone's attention, Lord Phenex intervened to sort out the conundrum that had brought itself forward. As the room drew to tranquillity, he stepped forward, but not into the circle as to keep the ceremony alive in a sense, and addressed the room.
"Well, now that we have hit a wall we cannot climb, it comes to one's mind to look for alternate routes no matter how much our hearts have settled for this now impassable route."
An orange magic circle formed over his hand as a small fire burst into his hand before he grabbed hold of it by closing it over and flicking his index finger by snapping his fingers, which brought to life a new flame upon his now isolated finger.
"The elimination of Two Knight Pieces" he continued, "has effectively demonstrated that anything equating to Rank 6 and below are no longer available, which means that are down to the only three options left; One Queen, Two Rooks, or Seven to Eight Pawns."
Showing the individual numbers with his fingers, using fire magic to keep images of each piece tallied as he changed his numerical sequence following along.
"Or, there is the possibility we could wait until Ravel gets her own Evil Pieces. However slim, we could draw a lucky straw and retrieve one or two Mutation Knight Pieces."
"We wouldn't be having such a ceremony if we could wait that long."
A Mutation piece was a fickle phenomenon; it never truly had an explanation as to why it would come into creation, except that it was an extreme rarity for it to appear. I wish I had more answers for what exactly it is, but not even the Maou Ajuka Beelzebub, who created the pieces, knows why a piece mutates.
From what little that is known and confirmed, a mutation piece is essentially worth more in individual ranking then it's non-mutated counterpart; a mutation Bishop for example is almost equivalent in ranking to two Bishops, but the accounts vary as to how much stronger ranking a Mutation Piece could handle.
Not that any of us could afford to waste time waiting for a wild card that may not even appear in any of our hands. As if it would have been so lucky as that.
Ravel's birthday was the eighteenth day of the third month, which roughly corresponded to June 3rd, which was another two months after mine. Then adding on the year it would take until she was of legal age would make it too long a wait for me to remain human, not to mention risky for me to remain at my age without the Maou finding out. Especially when Lord Sirzechs already knew I existed to begin with.
"If we're going to use Pawns, we might as well just round it to eight. Fact of the matter is that having one Pawn left over would not do if seven are to be granted to a single person."
Riser's quite outrageous statement caught the attention of the entire room. It wasn't that his thoughts had no justification, and it wouldn't be unfounded to use more pieces than necessary to reincarnate a person. It was just how he put it. Only one among us had the audacity to answer incline to his declaration.
"I would never have expected you of all people to be saying that about Pawns after having spent all yours into eight separate servants. No offence meant by that girls, of course."
Having said what he did carelessly, Lord Rayzem made his apologies to Riser's peerage, though I highly doubted any of them would have piked up a word after his declaration. Even though the statement was directed to his five Pawns at the time, that is Mira, Ni and Li, Marion and Burent, none of them had taken any offence to what was said as far as I could see.
"So, I can't be a Knight then?"
It was a ridiculous question to be asking having been a front row witness for the entire initiation, and I already knew what the answer would be. I guess, I would say, that I was trying to affirm that there was no such available hope left for me before I could even consider raising it higher again.
"I am afraid that is now an impossibility, Issei. You're simply too strong to be a Knight."
Lady Phenex always had a way of being the bearer of bad news, whilst making her delivery of it the softest anyone could hope for.
["Forgive me, Partner. I know how much this meant to you."]
'I would never blame you, Ddraig'
Though I kept my reply between the two of us, I nevertheless meant it with all sincerity. I still remember owing my life to the gauntlet containing his power when I needed to remove all internally congested poisons the doctors had failed to pump out of my systems.
Now came the great debate; with Lord Phenex having delivered the verdict, it was now in the hands of the audience who began to debate which piece should be used. Though most of the debating ended up being centred between the middle and younger brothers, who dominated the discussion
"I don't think being a Rook will suit him, especially since that will leave him as the only Rook in the Peerage."
"As opposed to being the only Queen or Pawn."
"The Queen is always the only Queen, and Pawns are another matter entirely."
It was probably a lot wordier than I am putting down to paper, but I seriously could not keep up with what either of them were saying half the time. I may have master Deftodiz to the point I could easily converse with people with little to no accent behind any of my words now, but at the fast pace and naturalist approach and leniency they were taking to pronouncing words, it was an impossible task for me to wrap my mind around.
The conversation changed however, when Lord Ruval finally raised his own opinion on the subject.
"I agree; while being a Rook may be well in the beginning, it does really limit the amount of potential to be had as a Longinus wielder, in my personal opinion."
And with that, everyone else fell silent. Having not said a word thus far on the topic, everyone turned to the eldest son as he finally inquired some logic thought towards a solution. Being a current contender within the top ten of the Rating Game tournament, who else in the family could claim to be a better expert on the appropriate uses of Evil Pieces than Ruval Phenex.
"You said nothing when we tried to make him a Knight. Why say this now?"
"It was his choice to be a Knight. And since Ravel agreed to this, it shouldn't of mattered what my opinion on the matter was or not."
Ruval's rebuke to Riser made sense, from a personal point of view of course; since my wanting to be a Knight was a personal one rather than a logical one as we were trying to think up a new alternative route as Lord Rivalen had stated, offering an alternate opinion at the time would have been a fruitless effort.
"Then what is your opinion, Ruval?"
Having now been challenged to pick at his own brain, Ruval stepped ahead of the crown, but again stayed away from the circle. To my surprise, he instead held his hand out towards Ravel and I, who stood their dumbfounded as he made his explanation for his actions.
"I think first we should ask the only two people this matters to. No offence meant of course Mother, considering these are still your pieces."
"None taken, Ruu dear."
Having received the positive response from Lady Phenex, Ruval called the two of us over from the center of the circle, though neither of us moved at first until a collective nod from the Lord and Lady of the house permitted us the option to advance. We dared not step out from the circle, but it wasn't necessary to be within arm's length of him to give his explanation.
"Ravel. Issei. What do you think? We have a limited option here, but what do you want to do?"
"I-I-I don't know, big brother.
"Well. I never thought I wanted to be anything but Ravel's Knight. I still wish to be her servant, and to stay by her side. But now, I don't know what is best for me."
Having noticed the clear indecisiveness in both of our voices, I am grateful to the honest opinion and description of what was available to us for using rather than a choice based on the looks and numeral capacity of each piece.
"Would you like to hear my verdict?"
As we both nodded in agreement, quite quickly after he offered to take the matter from our hands, he reached over and picked up three pieces from the box; the Queen, one of the Rooks and one of the Pawns. The action was justified by referring back to Lady Rozalva's allowance towards Ravel still being applicable to her sons by extention.
"We only have three options here; first is the Rook."
As he began to give us a descriptive comment on the pros and cons of each piece, he first took the Rook from his right hand and stood it face up in his left within our view. I think it's best to mention that he was on one knee due to Ravel still being quite short at the time at twelve years old.
"With an enhancement to both attack and defence at the cost of limited growth in magic and speed, the Rook is the powerhouse on any field. {Castling} is a special move limited to the Rook piece and its King. So long as neither the King nor the Rook are engaged in conflict, the Rook is able to take its King's place on any field in order to save it from danger. When you are practised enough, you can use {Advance Castling} in order to bring both the King and the Rook together in a point halfway between the two so long as there are no obstructions between the two."
Having said all the positive aspects he could name, he removed the Rook from his hand and placed it back in the box before explaining why he didn't think it was a good choice.
"I however do not see you as a Rook, since your Sacred Gear already grants you power which you can transfer into your own defence. And the limits on magic usage do make the ability to breathe fire and other such moves difficult to master. I believe it to be a hazardous mistake to stick you into a role that doesn't allow you to grow in all manners of abilities you are capable of using."
He next took out the only piece that didn't belong in a pair or a group that resided in that box. Deemed the most powerful piece in the box, it stood the tallest on his palm as he went to explain.
"Next, we have the Queen; Outside of the Rating Game, the Queen is the King's personal confidant and also the most trusted person they can rely on. As the Queen, you automatically gain all the attributes awarded to the Knights, Rooks and Bishops. You will have attack, defence, magic and speed boosts that will automatically compose itself into your abilities as necessary without one factor dominating the others. You will automatically be the strongest piece in her peerage, but I feel that this is not right for you either."
To demonstrate he didn't approve again, the Queen went back into the box.
"I have no qualms with your friendship with my sister, nor would I reject the idea that she should trust you over every other potential member, but the Queen piece is a cul-de-sac in itself and would leave you no room to grow, which I feel is a waste of your true potential. You gain all these abilities, but they can only be used to compliment your current skills, and the proportional power share isn't equally distributed among the main skills either. For someone who has experience and is already aware of their strengths and limitations, the Queen would suit them fine, but for you who is still finding his steps, I feel that you would be trapped by what the piece offers you."
Finally, as he began to conclude his explanations, he opened his right hand, with the Pawn, the smallest and remaining piece he took from his mother's collection, and he instead stood it up with his left hand, while keeping it in his right palm.
"Lastly, we have the Pawn, and this is the one I feel you should take. I know what you must be thinking, but this is not the weakest piece, and neither is it intended to be the sacrificial piece either. With the Pawn, you will have no special boosts to your natural strength, except those that would make your physiology that a kin to a devil. As a Pawn, you will have to work the hardest of all of the pieces in your peerage, but eight pieces will mean you will be the only Pawn as well."
He reached back over, but instead of going for the box, he took my right hand and put the Pawn inside of it as he closed my fingers of the tiny piece. Like the Knights I had been forced to abandon, the Pawn had its own heartbeat, but I noticed a clear difference between the two; the Knights has a faster pace like they were well exercised, but the Pawn's was smaller, quieter and fragile like it could give out at any time.
A strange idea came to mind, when I thought that this might be what it must be like for a parent to be feeling their child for the first time, but quickly I threw the thought from mind as Ruval finished his explanation.
"On the plus side, Pawns have an ability to {Promote}, which allows them to take on the attributes of all other pieces in a peerage, except for the King of course. So long as you are able to reach the enemies territory, or from special permission from your King, you can be all powerful as a Queen, or take a specific power form one of the other pieces. If you wanted to be a Knight, like you intended in the first place, then this will be your only opportunity to still fulfil this dream."
There was hope, as Ruval had put it. My dream was not gone completely as I had once thought.
{Promotion} was my key to still keeping my promise, but . . . a Pawn. Apart from that one ability, it felt like I was being granted the short end of the stick. The Pawn was the sacrificial piece, which was why you had so many of them, and the {Promotion} ability was basically saying "good job you didn't get killed. Here, I'll let you be anyone you want now." It sounds so condescending how I put it, but that is how it felt at the time.
Despite Lord Ruval's most gracious of opinions, I still wasn't able to make this choice by myself.
"What do you think, Ravel?"
"Honestly, I don't mind which piece you choose, Issei. As long as you are with me-, . . . a-as long as you become a part of my peerage, it doesn't matter whether you're a Pawn of a Queen, or whatever."
"Ddraig? Can I ask for your opinion?"
["This is all on you, Partner. We may share the same vessel, but it is your life that's up for discussion. My body no longer exists, so at the very least chose carefully about what you do with yours."]
With neither Ravel nor Ddraig offering to help me with this decision, I racked my brain again through all the possible answers against accepting this Pawn Ruval deliberately placed in my hand. But, while I still had my heart set on being a Knight, the Pawn that continued to beat so instinctively in my hand was telling me that holding onto those two Knight I still held in my other hand needed to be let go from my grasp.
I took a deep breath, as I put the Knights back into the box. Not straight away though, it did take some willpower also to give up on them, but by the time they left my reach, I was confident I was making the right decision.
"I'll take the Pawns. I'm sorry for being so greedy."
After making my choice clear to Ruval who just smiled as he proceeded to step away now that his help was not needed, I apologised to Lady Phenex for wanting to use up all of her Pawns in one reincarnation ceremony. While she herself had no use for the pieces, it was still limiting her future options for a while if she decided to change her mind.
But lucky for me, she was the understanding type of person I am grateful for.
"Please, no need to fret. If anyone should be only allowed to have but one Pawn in their entire peerages, they would be grateful to have someone like you. Plus, I think Ravel could agree to that, right?"
"M-m-mother!"
Ravel went slightly red whilst protesting her mother's harmless teasing, which only in kind made the situation more humorous for the entire room as well as herself.
In my attempt to defuse the situation, I found that I had no idea what words I could say in her defence, so I tried for an alternative option. I offered her my hand, so that we could walk back to the centre of the circle again together. It was an especially stupid plan in hindsight, as it was only new fuel to add to the fire. Redder than she was before, she looked in several directions; towards me, the room, my hand, to the audience, and all of them again a few more times as she got warmer in the face until she snatched for my hand in what looked like a bit of a huff, as we both made the walk together.
Though, deep down, I could see that Lady Ravel appreciated my support.
Once we were back to where we needed to be, I started to pick up the Pawns from the box, one by one. With each new piece, they started getting a little brighter between them, but I paid little attention to it as I continued digging them out from the contents of their vessel. New heart beats started collecting in my occupied hand as I fed new Pawns into it so that I could still have a free hand to retrieve the remaining members of the group. But as I drew closer to the end, there was something quite odd with my final grab.
The last piece had me curious before I even reached out for it; instead of flickering as a candle would in the wind, it was like a small source of fire at all. The glow was there, but it crackled and sparked, more akin to a firework, or maybe even an open exposure of electricity more than anything. It seemed more aggressive than its seven more docile kin, which convinced my instincts to be wary of it.
But for the sake of my reincarnation, I shut my fears from my conscious and took hold of the piece with my index and middle fingers.
As the piece made contact with my skin, I felt the sensation of a single current connect it to the other seven cradled in my left hand. It was the strangest of feelings; it was like the eight individual heartbeats of the Pawns instinctively lined up with my own in that single moment. Throughout both my arms and the upper proportion of my chest, there was a collective ninefold contraction, including my own, that overtook my hearing.
Pulling out that final Pawn and bringing it closer to its sibling models, the reunited group came to life as their flames (and spark) burned an ever brighter shade of blue that my eyes had to evade it for a split second.
"Hmm, so he's Rank 8 then. How curious."
"At least we didn't need to worry about the possibility of giving him these options and being left with naught in results after several trials and errors. Imagine if he had picked up and got rejected by both the Queen and then the two Rooks. The whole ceremony would have been a pointless endeavour."
I have recollection of whose voices I had heard, as I continued to fixate on the dazzling sight I beheld in my then mortal hands. Eight neon light brightly shining in brilliant blue, whilst standing to attention like toy soldiers upon my horizontal palms.
"Ready, Issei."
Looking up towards me, as she put the box down to her side, clasping both her hands together almost like a prayer-
But not, obviously, because the simple action hurts worse than Hell. Do not try it at home, I implore you.
Overloaded with too many pieces for my thirteen year old hands, I gave the best reassurance gesture my hands could muster, while looking back in response with determination.
"Let's do this, Ravel."
With a nod of approval, I manoeuvred myself to the floor and laid upon the very centre of the circle, with the small of my back at the radius intercept. Ravel proceeded to arrange the Pawns upon my chest, placing them one by one until all of them were standing in a circle on my rib cage.
When it was completed, Ravel raised both her arms, and the circle came to life in a wave of orange light, and the magic brought greater illumination to the Pawns resting on my chest. Though the two colours would naturally conflict with each other, it was a complimenting sight to see the Phenex orange and Andrealphus blue intermingle with each other.
As Ravel began to her chant, the eight Pawns resting upon my chest began to slowly sink into my body like columns in quicksand, but the only struggle came from the one filled with lightning instead of fire, whom I bequeathed the nickname "Sparky" as I would later refer it. Sparky was restless, but wasn't as resistant as I have personified it to, as it seemed to shake itself side to side rather than remain inanimate as the magic of the circle gravitated the pieces into the cavities of my upper torso.
Sparky had been placed in the very centre of my chest, inside the ring of Pawns, so it's wriggling made weird tingling sensations at it would occasionally tap each of the seven other Pawns in its confusion, but nothing much else occurred that would have halted the ceremony.
"In the Name of the Marquis of Phenex, I command you. I, Ravel of the House of Phenex, make this solemn oath to you, Hyoudou Issei of the race of humanity, hailing from the nation of Japan. I, resurrect you from this life upon the soils of this Earth. To live my servant. To serve as my Pawn. To cast aside your old life and in return be reborn as a devil under my care. You, my Pawn, arise, rejoice and be delighted, for now you have been given a new life!"
The magic circle rapidly shot up with light as the ends of the Pawns finally disappeared into my body, before dying slowly and all light vanished from the room for a brief moment before the torches lit up again.
I started to slowly sit up, as I padded down my torso to affirm how the sensation had continued to linger. Sparky had settled down, and now I had eight little heartbeats beating inside of me. I have a very difficult time describing just how this feels for me. Apart from a better vision in the night, enhanced senses and some sort of phantom appendages behind me that I assumed was my wings before they unfurled. Nothing was different about me.
I was about to stand on my own, Ravel offered her hand to me, which I was inclined to accept, with a smile of course. After standing to my own feet, I was given my first formal introduction into the Phenex household.
"On behalf of the Phenex Clan, we officially welcome you to our House and to our services, [Sekiryuutei] Hyoudou Issei. May you serve under my daughter faithfully, and swear that you will protect her from all harms that may come your way. Is that understood?"
"Yes. Lord Phenex, sir."
Saluting like a boy scout, which in recollection now makes me embarrassed I did such a thing, I was formally welcomed with a round of applause.
"Good. Well, now that is settled. Ruval, I believe you have a game coming up in a few weeks, am I wrong."
"That is correct father. Tannin wishes to challenge me for my 7th place spot again, and of course I was willing to take on the challenge."
"It's a shame you couldn't do the same when Mammon suddenly appeared from nowhere and swept up to 4th place under your nose."
"Well, if he manages to knock Abaddon, Belphegor, or even [The Emperor] for that matter from their pedestals, then this will surely be an interesting season indeed."
It was well known even among the lesser devils who their champion of the Rating Games was. [The Emperor] as they called him, Diehauser Belial, the current [King of Belial] and Seventh Head of his clan. He had been only been the head for a little under six years at this point, but he had been a Rating Game professional for over three decades. Even if the current Maou were allowed to participate, no one would deny that Diehauser would remain the champion.
The Barons of Abaddon and Belphegor were well known to be allying themselves to the Old King Faction, of which Belial is also one of the principal members, so it was indeed a huge coincidence that when the Barons of Mammon started to ally with them also, that Tajinruk Mammon was suddenly strong enough to challenge the top ten. Worse still was that his display of power was so strong he knocked Madoukon Amy out of the table completely after accidently causing the deaths of two of his strongest pieces single handed. Worse still was that Rahdom Arioch had lost all motivation, and with enough pushing had been forced into 10th place, much to the confusion of his opponents.
None of this is relevant at the moment, so don't fret over it.
At this time, the current leader board was as followed: 1st. Diehauser Belial, 2nd. Bedeze Abaddon, 3rd. Roygun Belphegor, 4th. Tajinruk Mammon, 5th. Hellken Malacoda, 6th. Rudiger Rozenkreutz, 7th. Ruval Phenex, 8th. Tannin, 9th. Shinami Ryuuya, and 10th. Rahdom Arioch.
Although, even this wouldn't stay the same forever. While the top three were considered immovable, the remaining seven were constantly being challenged for their positions, both internally and externally by the experiences and brash alike. One of the more interesting game was always between Lord Ruvan and Tannin-ojiisama. In their record of 108 games in total, Ruval had managed to swipe 77 victories for himself, compared to the 29 wins for Tannin, and the remaining 12 were draws are matches were suspended for other reasons.
I shall not go into details however.
What made them so interesting was that apart from the obvious shift in rankings, the two of them were the definition of friendly rivals, and would often place small bets between the two of them. Sometimes it was to fulfil certain services, or most of the time it was just acts of humiliations that they would put on the other. Whoever won, many of the spectators were just hoping to see what kind of absurd punishments the loser would receive.
"You know that we expect you to win, of course. It would be quite embarrassing to lose again to Lord Tannin just shortly after you were able to move up a place."
"Of course not, father. I have every intention of winning, since I feel like it's time to put a little . . . investment for the future."
I would find out later what he meant, but not for another month or so. Being an Ultimate-class devil naturally gave Tannin a long list of duties, as a King in his own right, the Queen to Mephisto Pheles, even to his own family. It was hard to grasp just how unlikely you would have guessed that he was a husband and a father of three by looking at him.
"Now that everything has been put to order. We still have a birthday to celebrate!"
"""Yes, my lord!"""
With Ravel pulling me by the hand again, the entire household returned to my birthday celebrations. I will always look back on that with the fondest of memories; reminded of how much effort ravel went to get me to celebrate my birthday in the Underworld, the extravagant ritual they put in place for my reincarnation, and the choice I had to make which I do not regret making.
I still desired to be a Knight, but I do believe that the Pawn was definitely the best fitting piece for me.
But my idea of a fantasy life in the Underworld would come to an end very shortly the following day.
. . . to be continued.
Yee of little faith.
How ignorant of yourself
to have forgotten.
This is not The End,
But the start of a story. An
End of Innocence.
Hidden, I am weak.
Neither Hero nor Dragon.
I am but a Pawn
Omake V: Core and Corrections
Issei: We're back. (looking over to Alek on his side) Well, most of us are.
Alek: (hungover) Give me a break. I had too much to drink. (to the readers) Skip this if you like, I don't care- (stops as he feels a bit sick)
Ravel: A week ago. How can you still be this hung over after three bottles of vodka and one bottle of Chilean red wine? (looks at User:RedSS, shakes her head before turning away) It makes no sense.
Alek: (trying to do . . . something, but is really cranky)
Rias: (angry) You should have sent me home last week, and yet you passed out because of some comments detailing (coughs) "language difficulties".
Alek (teary) Why do you do this to me?
Ravel: (sick of it) This is getting us no where, and we wasted too much time last week so we are just going to have to fast track through the reviews as quickly as possible:
Issei (sighing) Agreed. If we see a negative comment, don't read aloud. And if one mentions you know what we shred it before he gets the chance to see it.
Ravel: (nodding) Right, first negative is from User:DrunkenFistNinja who writes: (skips over a lot of it) ". . . going WAYYYY too on depth with it . . . there's a reason Tolkien used foot notes-"
Alek: (protesting) I like his footnotes!
Ravel: (confused) Has he already read these? (carrying on) Oh, he pays you a compliment for writing Rias and Akeno, and the miswriting did help with imagining Issei's accent. . . . (notices a part about "English") . . . Rias, if you be so kind.
Rias: (dumbfounded) Is that why i'm still here: To be a substitute shredder?
Issei: No. You're not a shredder. You're an extinguisher. Leave no evidence this was ever written.
Rias: (a little angry, but destroys the letter with {Power of Destruction}) I can't believe you're using my powers for something so mundane.
Issei: My turn. (picks up the review from User:Dragon_Rider_66, then gulps as it's snatched from him by Rias) Hey!
Rias: You are not reading another of his letters. I do not trust the two of you to converse anymore after two separate instances.
Riavel: I second that notion.
Alek: Third.
Issei: (shocked) What? Even you? . . . (gives in) Fine.
Rias: (looks at the letter, then gets a bit flustered) I have no idea what distraction he was talking about.
Ravel: (confused) What is he talking about?
Rias: Ok then, User:ferodile (a positive reviewer) sends us: a calendar for Ravel, with all of Denmarks most famous sights.
Ravel: (looking through the months) Oh, they have a statue of the Little Mermaid at the Langelinie. Well thank you very much for this.
Issei: Anything for me?
Rias: (studying the letter) . . . Y-yes. A USB stick. Enjoy. (throws him the stick)
Issei: (confused) Huh?
Rias: And for Alek-san, a bottle of whiskey (notes that Alek is looking sickly) which I will hang onto.
Issei: Next is User:Heliosion- (realises what it says) Rias.
Rias: (destroys the letter) Gone.
Ravel: And lastly, User:Thus_dud sends us . . . (studies the letter) Beaver tails? (opens the box) Oh! They're pastries. Well thank you very much. And that's it.
Alek: (rolls from his side as he notices the pile of reviews left untouched) I think you skipped most of them. (sighs and takes the questions) UserUCCMaster: I like trains also. They are awesome. Yes, it's a Chekhov's gun. User:firestarter09: ". . . so will certain characters that died in canon, survive here?" Yes, unfortunately. User:RangerElk76: "when will Issei or Ravel be able to speak Japanese/the devils language fluently?" Done. Moving on. User:EternalZ Freedom: "is this going to be a harem or single pairing with ravel only?" Harems are a necessity in the Underworld due to low birth rates, but right now this arc is exclusive IsseixRavel. User:tsun: ". . . is the omake really needed?" If I didn't have it, then I couldn't answer your questions or explain things that need explaining. Lastly it's User:majik7: "i really want to get back to the rating game and more of issei and ravel." That won't be until quite a long while. But the good news is that I will add a second snippet from the Rating Game like the prologue at a later date aka "New Years Day". (breaths) . . . that . . . is . . . all. Ok, Bye Rias, I'm sending you home now.
Rias: (struck) Huh? So soon?
Alek: Just getting it out of the way before I forget. (sends Rias back to the Canon world)
Issei: (having already accepted his situation) I guess we can wrap it up now then.
Alek: (slombering) Ok then, on behalf of me, I will try and get sober in two weeks time. So, there will be no new chapter next week, but the week after. I have other work I need to work on as well. Until the next time. Bye-bye! (touches his head from pain after shouting) Ow.
Issei and Ravel: Bye-bye!
Alek: (in pain) Not so loud.
Thank you for reading, and review at your nearest convenience.
Special thanks to 'LordGhostStriker', 'DrunkenFistNinja', 'EternalZ Freedom', 'RangerElk76', 'FateBurn', 'Dragon Rider 66', 'ferodile', 'AcclaimingTR', 'This dud', 'firestarter09', 'RedSS', 'TheLaughingStalk Sponge-dono', 'Shaft Specialist', 'The Minion Sekiryuutei', 'Lightningblade49', 'majik7', 'Heliosion', 'UCCMaster', and 'tsun' for their reviews, I really do appreciate it.
This is part one of the finale for this "volume", not the arc. Think of this as a "Volume 0", which I think I'll call "Phoenix of the Pre-School Education" or something like that. After part two, there will be a few short stories until I can get back to doing this with more time during the Christmas Holidays. I will inform you if anything else comes awry. Be excited.
Well, until next time everyone. Bye!
. . . Oh shit, Rias still has my whiskey. Damn!